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In the lead-up to the show's debut, Lucasfilm and its affiliates engaged in an intense promotional blitz. Extensive media interviews with the cast, lavish trailers, and social media campaigns created an atmosphere of anticipation. However, much of this hype was driven by internal desperation rather than genuine confidence in the project's quality. Critics and fans with an intuitive sense of storytelling—who looked beyond the surface—warned that The Acolyte was likely to underperform, and sadly, they proved correct.