One notable detail in The Acolyte proves that Obi-Wan Kenobi was wrong about the Jedi Knights in their golden age. When giving Luke Skywalker an overview of the Jedi and the Republic they once served in A New Hope, Obi-Wan describes the Jedi Knights as “guardians of peace and justice” before the Empire supplanted the Republic. This, ultimately, has been proven incorrect by stories set in the High Republic era in the modern Star Wars canon.
The Jedi experienced a thousand years of relative peace following the supposed destruction of the Sith Lords. In the Star Wars Legends continuity – the franchise’s original timeline until April 2014 – there were local conflicts that sometimes warranted the Jedi Order’s attention, but never a full-scale war until the Clone Wars. In the modern canon, the era includes major conflicts between the Jedi and the Nihil, as well as an encounter with a possible Sith, as shown in The Acolyte. Said conflict has revealed that Obi-Wan Kenobi was wrong about one more key detail.
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Why The Jedi Think The Sith Are Extinct In The Acolyte & The Phantom Menace
Before Darth Maul emerged from the shadows in The Phantom Menace, the Jedi believed the Sith to be extinct. Why did they make this mistake?
Obi-Wan Was Wrong About Jedi & Blasters
In A New Hope, Obi-Wan refers to blasters as “clumsy and random,” and lightsabers as weapons of “a more civilized age.” In the Star Wars: The Clone Wars episode “Children of the Force,” Kenobi even tells a civilian on Rodia that “Jedi do not carry blasters,” yet this is no longer the case, as shown in The Acolyte. The Jedi give Osha a blaster set to stun so she can assist them in capturing her twin sister Mae. This contradiction is especially noteworthy since the High Republic era is ostensibly the “civilized age” Kenobi was describing.
Why Did Jedi Use Blasters In The High Republic Era?
The simple explanation for why Jedi officially carry blasters in The Acolyte is that the weapons include a stun setting. The Acolyte establishes that Jedi do not ignite their lightsabers unless prepared to kill, so a blaster’s stun setting is a sensible non-lethal alternative to a lightsaber. Some blasters in both the canon and Legends timelines exclusively fire stun bolts, which might be the case for the Jedi blaster shown in The Acolyte.
Jedi carry blasters in the Legends continuity’s New Jedi Order, with founder and Grandmaster Luke Skywalker still occasionally using his blaster from his Rebel Alliance and New Republic military service. Other Jedi, like Kyle Katarn and Jaden Korr, also use blasters alongside their lightsabers. In the New Jedi Order’s case, the official use of blasters makes sense, since it was founded while the New Republic was still at war with the Empire’s successor states, while The Acolyte‘s Jedi Order has no such reasoning.
The Acolyte episode 6 is now streaming. New episodes premiere Tuesdays at 9 PM ET on Disney+.
The Acolyte
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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.
- Cast
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Amandla Stenberg
, Lee Jung-jae
, Joonas Suotamo
, Charlie Barnett
, Dafne Keen
, Leah Brady
, Manny Jacinto
, Rebecca Henderson
, Carrie-Anne Moss
, Jodie Turner-Smith
, Dean-Charles Chapman
, Lauren Brady
, Anthony J. Abraham
, Thara Shöön
, Danielle Xin Yao Waterman
, Sienna Khiroya
, Jeramiah Evans
, Dan Milne
, Thomas Coombes
, Archie Singh Swali
, Nick Court
, Ed Kear
, Jumayn Hunter
, Scroobius Pip
, Abigail Thorn
, Margarita Levieva
, Amy Tsang
, Saskia Allen
, Deborah Rosan
, Tabitha Alege
, Paul Bullion
, Indra Ové
, Derek Arnold
, Lewis Young - Character(s)
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Mae
, Master Sol
, Kelnacca
, Yord Fandar
, Jecki Lon
, Little Mae
, Qimir
, Master Vernestra Rwoh
, Master Indara
, Mother Aniseya
, Master Torbin
, Padawan Torbin
, Little Osha
, Fillik
, Tasi Lowa
, Youngling
, Restrained Convict
, Convict
, Olega Urchin
, Olega Master
, Olega Padawan
, Scavenger
, Ensign Eurus
, Mother Koril
, Ensign Rane
, Scout Sarria
, Ensign Shima
, Elder Jaalyn
, Master Lakshay
, Master Holden
, Master Ki-Adi-Mundi
, Jedi Knight - Seasons
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1
- Streaming Service(s)
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Disney+
- Franchise(s)
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Star Wars
- Writers
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Leslye Headland
, Charmaine De Grate
, Kor Adana - Directors
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Leslye Headland
, Alex Garcia Lopez - Showrunner
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Leslye Headland
