Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for The Acolyte episode 5.
Summary
Star Wars: The Acolyte’s Jedi were doomed from the start, but I wanted – and needed – more time with them. AsThe Acolyteis set near the end ofthe High Republic era, roughly 100 years before the prequel trilogy, most of the characters are completely new, even to those who have read theStar Wars: The High Republicbooks. The exceptions are Jedi Master Vernestra Rwoh, who has a prominent role in the book continuity, and Jedi Master Ki-Adi-Mundi, who recently became the subject of some heated online debates concerning his role in theStar Warsprequel trilogy.
All the other characters we’ve been introduced to thus far, however, including Master Sol, his Padawan, Jecki Lon, Jedi Knight Yord Fandar, Master Indara, Master Torbin, Kelnacca, Osha, and Mae were created specifically to tell this story – a story of the Jedi’s flaws and failures, the Sith’s secret (and perhaps suppressed) return, and two sisters separated by tragedy. There was and is plenty of ground left to cover inThe Acolyte, and, though the mystery of Osha and Mae’s trauma and The Stranger’s identity each provide a compelling narrative,the Jedi characters deserve more time and attention, too.
Star Wars: The Acolyte Cast & Character Guide
Here’s everything we know about The Acolyte’s cast and the characters they will be portraying in Star Wars' most mysterious project yet.
The Jedi In The Acolyte Needed To Die To Preserve Canon
InThe Acolyteepisode 5, “Night,” a troop of Jedi is ambushed by the Master, a “Sith” Lord who is revealed to be Qimir, Mae’s bumbling, laid-back associate. The Jedi confront Qimir in a heated battle, and, although they significantly outnumber him, Qimir still effortlessly manages to kill them all, resulting in a brutal action sequence unlike anything we’ve seen inStar Warsbefore. Plenty of unnamed Jedi are killed, too, but it’s the ones we’ve come to know over the last five episodes ofThe Acolytewhose deaths hit the hardest.
Yord has his neck snapped. Jecki is stabbed. And while Sol may still be alive, he comes dangerously close to losing himself during the massacre. It’s violent and visceral, and it perfectly captures the difference between the light side and the dark; the passion and brutality of the Sith, and the calculated conscientiousness of the Jedi.
Any Jedi who came across a Sith in this story, so close to the events ofThe Phantom Menace, needed to die or be otherwise silenced before they could relay their information to the Jedi Order as a whole.
Of course,the tragedy ofThe Acolyteis that these deaths were inevitable.If we were to believe that the Jedi were convinced the Sith had been extinct for over a millennium, as is so helpfully pointed out by Ki-Adi-Mundi inStar Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, then any Jedi who came across a Sith in this story, so close to the events ofThe Phantom Menace, needed to die or be otherwise silenced before they could relay their information to the Jedi Order as a whole.
So, while Sol may still be alive, he likely won’t be for long. Mae might kill him to complete her training, Qimir might catch up to him to ensure Sol can never reveal the Sith’s identity, and even Osha is a possibility at this point, now that Qimir has captured her. The deaths in this show, those of the Jedi we’ve briefly come to know and the ones we barely met – I still truly hope we get to see more of Indara, Kelnacca, and Torbin in any upcoming flashbacks – are genuinely sad. But they could have been even more impactful.
The Acolyte’s Jedi Aren’t The First High Republic Jedi To Die Brutal Deaths
As with any major franchise, there will always be characters who conveniently survive every duel or battle. “Plot Armor” is a real phenomenon that keeps popular characters safe in the story even if it would make sense for their developmental arcs to end (Ahsoka Tano is a great example of this, even if she is one of my favorite characters). What setsStar Wars: The High Republicapart from much of the rest of the franchise, however, is that any character, no matter how strong, independent, likable, or popular they are, is in danger of dying.
In a sense,The Acolyte’s character deaths carry onThe High Republic’s most depressing yet effective storytelling tradition.
It’s almost become a running joke that if aHigh Republicbook gives you a new favorite character, chances are they’ll be dead by the end of the narrative phase. Plenty of High Republic Jedi have died vicious deaths, just like those experienced by the characters inThe Acolyte.The High Republic’s Jedi have been turned to ash by Force-eating creatures, maimed by dangerous marauders, and plummeted to their deaths while trying to protect civilians from a destroyed space station. In case you haven’t started reading yet, I won’t name any names, but prepare yourselves for some genuine emotional trauma.
In a sense,The Acolyte’s character deaths carry onThe High Republic’s most depressing yet effective storytelling tradition. These deaths aren’t just included for shock value – they genuinely add something to the story and help explain why the Jedi eventually fell from grace once Palpatine rose to power. Butthe various deaths inThe High Republicbooks hit me much harder than the ones inThe Acolytedid – and there’s one specific reason why.
Star Wars: Every Major Event Of The High Republic Era
The High Republic Era is full of significant events, both for the Jedi Order and the Republic it sought to protect long before the prequels.
The Audience Needed To Spend More Time With The Acolyte’s Jedi
Yord and Jecki’s deaths inThe Acolytewere shocking because of how they died. Snapping someone’s neck is brutal, and Jecki being taken by surprise after her stunning duel against Qimir felt cruel and senseless.These were outrageous kills, but because I knew they were destined to die, their lack of characterization made their demise easier to cope with.I don’t thinkThe Acolytegave us enough time to get attached to these Jedi. It’s a far cry from what happens in theHigh Republicbooks.
In the books, characters are given their own point of view. They are developed across different mediums, including comics, and they appear in other characters’ stories as supporting players, too. Their inclusion in the story feels organic and relatable. InThe Acolyte, it’s almost the opposite.
The High Republic’s storytelling is divided into three phases. Phase I takes place roughly 100 years beforeThe Acolyte, Phase II takes place 150 years before Phase I, and Phase II picks up where Phase I left off.
Of course, novels and television provide vastly different forms of storytelling. In novels, readers get to know a character’s mind almost as well as they know their own. On TV, a character’s motivations and thoughts are expressed through their actions and brief moments of dialogue. You can still get to know a TV character equally well, though, granted the characters are given enough time to be developed on screen. That’s not what’s happening inThe Acolyte, though.
In part, I believe this is due to the streaming age’s unusual TV restrictions. Eight episodes isn’t a lot, especially when many of those episodes are roughly 30 minutes in length and some of the characters will be forcibly written off before the show’s true narrative climax can occur. I also believe that the show’s structure hasn’t helped this matter. ThoughThe Acolyteepisode 3, “Destiny,” was a compelling piece of television, the entire episode being a flashback takes away from the precious time we had with Jedi like Yord, Jecki, and Sol.
I mourn this loss because I think all of these characters had enormous potential. Jecki was especially compelling to me, but her interactions with Yord were a highlight, and I believe that, if they had been given more time on the show, they could have provided valuable insight into what the Jedi Order was like during that period.Shock value is all well and good, but it cannot replace true character development.ThoughStar Wars: The Acolytehas brought something genuinely new to the franchise, I do feel like it’s missing something crucial.
The Acolyte
Cast
The Acolyte is a television series set in the Star Wars universe at the end of the High Republic Era, where both the Jedi and the Galactic Empire were at the height of their influence. This sci-fi thriller sees a former Padawan reunite with her former Jedi Master as they investigate several crimes - all leading to darkness erupting from beneath the surface and preparing to bring about the end of the High Republic.
