Star Wars: The Acolyte may finally explain why Yoda and the Jedi of the prequel era were so hesitant to admit older Force-sensitive children to the Jedi Order. In Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn discovers Anakin Skywalker on Tatooine. When Anakin’s blood is tested, it is revealed that Anakin’s M-count, which determines how attuned a being may be to the Force, is higher than any ever recorded before. Naturally, Qui-Gon brings Anakin before the Jedi Council, hoping to be able to train him. Still, Grand Master Yoda and the other members are noticeably hesitant to accept Anakin as a pupil.

Surprisingly, the Jedi Council notes Anakin’s age as the issue. In The Phantom Menace, Anakin Skywalker is roughly nine or ten years old. Star Wars lore has since established that most Jedi younglings are found and brought to the Temple when they are mere infants or toddlers, so Anakin’s age was an anomaly. The question is, why were they so adamant that Anakin’s age was an issue? And why was this matter important enough to be discussed by the entirety of the Jedi Council? Though the issue has been debated thoroughly, Star Wars: The Acolyte may now finally provide the historical significance behind this rule.

The High Republic Jedi Appear To Have Accepted Older Recruits

The Acolyte will take place at the tail end of the High Republic era, approximately 100 years before the events of The Phantom Menace. The High Republic era was a time of great prosperity for the Jedi – they traveled the galaxy, aided the Republic, and, aside from a few powerful and disturbing enemies, the Jedi were incredibly resilient and strong. The High Republic spans several centuries, however. As The Acolyte is set near the end of this all-important era, the policies and flaws present in the Jedi Order during the prequel era will presumably begin to take shape.

One such policy change is that the Jedi of the High Republic era seemed to have accepted older recruits into the Jedi Order. During The Acolyte’s promotional run, it’s been strongly implied that both Dafne Keen’s character Jecki Lon, and Amandla Stenberg’s character Mae were taken in by the Jedi Order at an older age, possibly when they were of a similar age as Anakin was in The Phantom Menace.

In an exclusive interview with Screen Rant, Dafne Keen talked about how she approached her character, a rare Theelin-human hybrid. Keen explained:

“[…] But a lot of how I broke her down was trying to figure out how young she was taken into the Order, to see how much of that she might’ve inherited. And then what that does to a child, ripping them away from their planet and away from their family and [educating them] in a place where you are just at school all the time.”

This would suggest that Jecki Lon had a hard time adapting to the Jedi’s way of life, an issue that would only arise if she’d already been raised in an entirely different manner previously. Given that Yoda was also a prominent member of the Jedi Council during the High Republic era, any issues they may have encountered with older recruits during this time could have influenced Yoda’s decision-making during the prequel era.

The Acolyte’s Stars Have Hinted Their Older Recruitment Caused Problems

During that same interview, Keen suggested that Jecki has struggled with her place in the Jedi Order:

“There’s something so fascinating to me about the Jedi that I really had such a fun time sinking my teeth into it, and finding how much of her essence would’ve remained after having spent such a long time surrounded by just Jedi.”

It seems that Jecki Lon will have trouble grappling with her past, her place in the Jedi Order, and their way of life. If she were inducted as an older youngling, this would make sense – those who are older would have bonded closely with their families and their homeworld and would have an entirely different outlook on life. What is it like for someone to be ripped away from all of that?

Jecki Lon’s not the only one who may have struggled with being raised by the Jedi Order. Amandla Stenberg’s mysterious character Mae seemingly left the Order of her own accord. She used to be Jedi Master Sol’s (Lee Jung-jae) Padawan before she struck out on her own, and one scene in the trailer shows Master Sol meeting her when she was around ten years old. The official trailer for The Acolyte suggests that Mae’s involvement with the franchise’s new Force coven, led by Jodie Turner-Smith’s character Mother Aniseya, has a deeper history. What if she could no longer face being away from them?

Will The Acolyte Finally Explain Why The Jedi Stopped Accepting Older Recruits?

As Mae is wrapped up in a sinister plot involving the murders of various Jedi, it certainly seems like there is something else going on, too. These characters pose an interesting conundrum, and their struggles share elements with Anakin Skywalker’s story. What’s it like to leave behind everything you’ve ever known? How does that affect their relationship with the Jedi Order’s teachings and the Force? Perhaps Mae’s involvement with these gruesome murders is what will push Yoda to stop accepting older recruits into the Jedi Order – at least until Anakin Skywalker comes along.

The issue with older Jedi recruits seems intricately linked with the Jedi’s rules against attachments. Children who have grown up in loving homes, and who have learned different languages, customs, and even religions will not only have a harder time adjusting to a new way of life but suffer from being away from those they love, too. Anakin loved his mother deeply. Being away from her ate away at him, and when she was killed, his guilt led to an incredibly violent rampage. The same may be true for Mae and Jecki Lon, though their difficulties may potentially manifest outwardly in different ways.

In Mae’s case, the religious aspect may play a role in her decision to defect from the Jedi Order. The Acolyte’s new witches, much like the Dathomirian Nightsisters, may use the Force in an entirely different manner. If that is how Mae was raised, it’s possible she could never fully acclimate and accept the Jedi’s views on the Force and its purpose. Perhaps she was taught to embrace the dark side, as the Nightsisters do. The nature versus nurture debate is especially relevant when studying those Jedi who joined the Order at a more advanced age.

Perhaps whatever happens with Mae and Jecki is what strengthens Yoda’s and the Jedi Council’s resolve to enforce the no-attachments rule – the Jedi were noticeably more lenient during the High Republic era; plenty of High Republic Jedi have dealt with crushes, romance, and experienced physical intimacy – and the Jedi Order’s strict age limit. The Jedi of the prequel era and the High Republic were noticeably different from one another. Star Wars: The Acolyte has the perfect opportunity to dive into the Jedi Order’s flaws and rules, all of which partially led to their inevitable downfall more than a century later.

The Acolyte premieres on June 4 on Disney+.