David Bridges
In additional than methods than one, The Acolyte is being poisitioned as a special Star Wars present than the opposite live-action choices. Not solely is it winding again the clock to the Excessive Republic period, it’s additionally doing one thing completely different on the motion entrance with some Drive-powered martial arts just like wuxia movies. Now we all know the present’s acquired some further taste within the type of a lightsaber that’s additionally a whip.
It solely will get a small glimpse within the latest teaser, however that doesn’t take away from how cool it’s to see it transition from a plain ol’ lightsaber to a full-on whip. Inside the context of the present, this weapon belongs to fan-favorite Excessive Republic character Vernestra Rwoh (performed by Rebecca Henderson), a Jedi who as a teen discovered from a Drive imaginative and prescient how one can modify her lightsaber to incorporate the extra mode.
Lightwhips are mentioned to be troublesome to manage and weaker than an ordinary lightsaber. Within the bigger franchise context, the weapon’s been round because the Unique Trilogy: 1985’s Star Wars #95 by Mary Jo Duffy and Cynthia Martin launched a Sith Lord named Lumiya who crafted her personal single-blade lightwhip, moderately than one with a number of tassels. It turned her trademark weapon, and whereas she acquired one over on Luke Skywalker throughout their first encounter, he finally overcame it and beat her utilizing his utilizing his two-saber type. The final time they fought, it was on the planet Terephon, the place he beat her with a single saber and despatched it plummeting right into a chasm.
After these comics and different EU materials have been deemed non-canon, the lightwhip wouldn’t seem once more till the center grade novel The Excessive Republic: A Check of Braveness by Justina Eire. Within the new canon, it goes all the way in which again to the Sith Wars, and helped Jedi maintain their very own in opposition to the Siths’ Forbidden Kinds. The lightwhip acquired extra play from the Nightsisters of the Excessive Republic period than the Jedi, which motivated Vernestra to maintain it secret from the Jedi Order. When it got here time to finally reveal the lightwhip, it was as she and her pals have been stranded on the jungle moon Wevo: it was useful within the reducing by the grass, and helped her win in a battle in opposition to Imri Cantaros, a Padawan in peril of falling to the Darkish Facet.
Lightsabers are all nicely and good, but it surely’s all the time good to see Drive customers combine up their arsenal with one thing like a crossguard, or a gun or a lightsaber…that’s additionally a gun. Hopefully this isn’t the final we see of the lightwhip—given how a lot final yr’s Star Wars Jedi: Survivor leaned on the Excessive Republic for its storytelling, it’d be a very good alternative for the third sport to present Cal the lightwhip as one other saber variant.
Star Wars: The Acolyte premieres June 4 on Disney+.
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Daniel Mercer
Brandon Fletcher
