Part 5/7:
However, in an unsettling twist, every screening of The Phantom Menace will include an exclusive look at The Acolyte—a move that has fans outraged. This strategy appears to be an attempt by Disney to force-feed fans that The Acolyte is somehow a natural extension or prequel to The Phantom Menace, despite the franchise's official attempts to distance the new series from original Lucas-era storytelling.
The marketing push suggests that Disney is desperate to hype up The Acolyte, implying a strong narrative connection to the prequel era even though the series is rooted in the High Republic era, which is disconnected from the original trilogy and prequels. Critics argue this is an unnecessary, forced association designed to leverage nostalgia while disregarding fan sentiment.