This article contains spoilers forThe Acolyteepisodes 1 and 2.
Summary
The Acolytehas introduced viewers to a whole new part of theStar Warstimeline - but many established characters are still around. Set a century before the beginning of the Skywalker Saga,The Acolytereveals the tail-end of theHigh Republic Era. This was the Golden Age of the Jedi, before any of the main established characters -90 years before the birth of Anakin Skywalker himself.
That doesn’t mean some familiar faces in amongThe Acolyte’s cast. It’s important to remember that not everyStar Warscharacter is human - and many alien races are much more longlived, as Master Yoda proved. Whether these heroes and villains turn up inThe Acolyteor not, they lived through this period, and likely knew characters such as Vernestra Rwoh or Master Sol. Here are all the establishedStar Warscharacters around at the time ofThe Acolyte.
Star Wars: The Acolyte Episode Guide - Cast Members, Biggest Takeaways & Easter Eggs
Here’s everything you need to follow along with Star Wars: The Acolyte, from references and trivia to main takeaways from each new episode.
8Master Yoda
Grandmaster of the Jedi Order
Yoda had been Grandmaster of the Jedi Order- their oldest and most respected leader - for centuries by the time ofThe Acolyte. This means he’d already be the most important voice in the Jedi Council, the one whose opinion was sought after by all around him. It seems likely Vernestra Rwoh is the Master of the Order, responsible for overseeing the entire Order,which would mean she’d be working closely with Master Yoda.
Showrunner Leslye Headland claims Yoda won’t be making a cameo inThe Acolyte, although that may just be a bluff. Whether he is or not, though, he’s surely being kept in the loop - albeit on an unofficial level. Vernestra is wary of notifying the Jedi Council, because they would have to submit reports to the Senate, risking exposing the Jedi to their political enemies.
Yoda
The aged Jedi Master had trained Jedi for 800 years by the time he met Luke Skywalker on the planet Dagobah. One of the most famed and revered Jedi, Yoda served as Grand Master of the Jedi Order for centuries; he was powerful enough to duel Darth Sidious himself, although he was defeated. Yoda exiled himself to Dagobah, where he learned how to become a Force Ghost and offered guidance to Luke Skywalker.
7Yaddle
Yoda’s fellow mysterious aliien
Little is known ofYoda’s mysterious alien species, but he wasn’t the only one of his race sitting on the Council. Yaddle was younger than Yoda; she was just 483 years old at the time of her death in theTales of the Jediseries. But even this means she was an old, established Jedi Master duringThe Acolyteera. Like Yoda, Yaddle had long enjoyed working wiith the Jedi Younglings, and often traveled the galaxy with them.
Given Yaddle’s focus on Younglings,it’s likely she worked closely with Master Sol- who’s already been shown teaching Younglings the basics of meditation. That said, she feels unlikely to turn up inThe Acolyte, simply because she wouldn’t be a go-to contact whe discussing mysterious Jedi assassinations. Still, the possibility can’t be ruled out, and it would be exciting to see more of Yaddle.
6Ki-Adi-Mundi
A massive change from Legends
To the surprise of most viewers,The Acolyteepisode 4 confirmed that the CereanJedi Ki-Adi-Mundiwas already a respected Jedi at the time ofThe Acolyte. In Legends, obscure references established that Ki-Adi-Mundi had a much shorter lifespan - he was only 60 at the time ofStar Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace.His lifespan has clearly changed in canon, and he’s much more long-lived now.
Amusingly, Ki-Adi-Mundi has become one of the most controversial topics forThe Acolyte. Parts of the fanbase objected to his addition, insisting it broke canon - even though the Legends references were branded non-canon back in 2014. It will be interesting to see whether this change has been made purposefully; Ki-Adi-Mundi is the character who insists the Sith are extinct inThe Phantom Menace, so there are concerns of a possible continuity problem here.
5Oppo Rancisis & Yarael Poof
Two other long-lived members of the Jedi Council
Jedi Masters Oppo Rancisis and Yarael Poof are two of theoldestStar Warscharacters, serving as members of the High Council during Lucasfilm’sStar Wars: The High Republicbooks - a century beforeThe Acolyte. It’s reasonable to assume they were seated on the Jedi Council during Mae’s rampage, too. Thisspiasians and Quermians have unknown lifespans, but they are clearly much longer than humans.
It’s entirely possible other nonhuman Jedi will appear inThe Acolyteas well.Mirialans like Vernestra Rwoh are known to live for well over a hundred years, meaning Luminara Unduli could make an appearance. Even Pau’ans such as the Gran Inquisitor could have long lives; the Grand Inquisitor was a Temple Guard before Order 66, so he could easily turn up. Ironically, he’d be harder to identify because he’d be wearing a golden Temple Guard mask.
4Jabba the Hutt
Hutts are confirmed to be a remarkably longlived race in theStar Warsgalaxy. Jabba was born in 600 BBY, meaninghe’d already lived for centuries byThe Acolyte’s place in the timeline. That said, he was nowhere near as powerful and influential as the villain seen inReturn of the Jedi. Jabba would have just been one of many Hutt leaders, and it’s even possible he hadn’t settled on Tatooine yet, instead operating from Nal Hutta or its smugglers' moon, Nar Shaddaa.
The smugglers' moon was actually name-dropped inThe Acolyteepisode 1. Apparently Osha’s fellow Mekneks had traveled there shortly before the episode, which gives a sense of the kind of company Osha was keeping. Still, that’s probably the closestThe Acolytewill come to an official Jabba the Hutt Easter egg or cameo.
3Chewbacca
Han Solo’s loyal friend
Even Wookiees have longer lives than humans; in fact, Chewbacca was 200 years old inA New Hope. Chewbacca would meet many Jedi over the course of his lifetime; he crossed paths with Ahsoka Tano during the Clone Wars, and Yoda himself inStar Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith.There’s no real reason to rule out the possibility Chewie encountered Jedi many other times.
The Acolyteis confirmed to feature the Wookiee Jedi Kelnacca, but he probably doesn’t have any connection to Chewie - even if the names do end the same way. Little is known of Wookiee naming conventions, but Chewbacca’s father was named Attichicuk, so the “bacca” part clearly isn’t a family name. That does make a Chewbacca cameo feel rather unlikely forThe Acolyte, although it can’t really be ruled out. It’s possible the show will head to Kashyyyk, which could potentially introduce other Wookiees.
Chewbacca
200 years old by the time of the Star Wars original trilogy, the mighty Chewbacca is best known for swearing a life debt to Han Solo. Chewie accompanied Han through countless adventures, choosing to battle against the Empire for the freedom of his homeworld Kashyyyk. He remained with Han and the Solo family even after the Empire’s fall, becoming a crucial ally of the Resistance to the First Order. The sequels seemed to end with Chewie remaining co-pilot of the Millennium Falcon - but now to Rey.
2Maz Kanata
The sequel trilogy pirate queen
TheStar Warssequel trilogy introduced the delightful Force-sensitive character named Maz Kanata, who clearly had a history with the Jedi (and once referred to Master Yoda affectionately as an old flirt). This history has gradually been fleshed out inStar Wars: The High Republic, which reveals there was once even a Jedi Temple on Takodana, the world Maz has claimed as her base of operations. The pirate queen had a certain accord with the Jedi.
That Jedi Temple has been gone for a century by the time ofThe Acolyte, butthere’s no reason to assume Maz Kanata isn’t still willing to work with the Jedi.She’s surely a useful contact in the criminal underworld, which could mean she’d be helpful investigating Mae and the unknown Sith Lord. Still, there’s no evidence Maz will show up as of yet.
1Dexter Jettster
Obi-Wan Kenobi’s Attack of the Clones informant
Most viewers would be surprised to hear that evenObi-Wan Kenobi’s informant has a backstoryinStar Wars- one that stretches back centuries.Star Wars: The High Republicrevealed Dexter Jettster (or “Dex” for short) was a pirate during the High Republic Era, wandering the galaxy and occasionally working alongside Jedi. Besalisks apparently have a much longer life than anyone realized.
Dex remained part of the galactic underworld for centuries, eventually crossing paths with Obi-Wan Kenobi in Kiersten White’s novelPadawan. Obi-Wan was the one who convinced Dex to leave his life of crime, meaning he’d still be carrying out swashbuckling deeds of heroism duringThe Acolyte. That probably wouldn’t be a fit for this season, so a cameo isn’t really going to happen. Still, Leslye Headland has always teasedThe Acolyteseason 2, so he could still appear later rather than sooner.
The Acolyteepisodes 1 and 2 are streaming now on Disney+.
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.
