Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for The Acolyte episode 4
Summary
I was very surprised byThe Acolyteepisode 4 which features a prequel trilogy cameo from the last Jedi Master I expected to see. Beyond Jedi Master Yoda, there are other alien Jedi Masters with long life spans, who were both Jedi during the High Republic Era and the Skywalker saga. That said, I certainly didn’t think we’d be seeing Jedi Master Ki-Adi-Mundi inThe Acolyte.
The Acolyteis set 100 years before the events ofThe Phantom Menace. This means that it’s taking place in the final days of theHigh Republic Era, an age of great peace and prosperity for the galaxy. As such,The Acolytesetting up the reemergence of Sith Lords predating Palpatine is quite notable, a core reason why I was so surprised to see Jedi Master Ki-Adi-Mundi inThe Acolyteepisode 4.
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.
The Acolyte Appears To Feature A Young Ki-Adi-Mundi
Meeting With Vernestra And Other Jedi Masters
InThe Acolyteepisode 4,Jedi Master Sol (Lee Jung-jae)reports toVernestra Rwoh (Rebecca Henderson)and other Masters at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, confirming Mae’s escape as seen at the end ofThe Acolyteepisode 2. He also voices his suspicions that she was likely trained by a rogue Jedi or splinter order, something which draws justified concern from the gathered Jedi. During this scene,one of the assembled Jedi Masters is none other than a younger Ki-Adi-Mundi, a future member of the Jedi Councilas seen in the prequel trilogy andThe Clone Warsanimated series.
While cameos are nothing new toStar Warsprojects, Ki-Adi-Mundi was certainly the last Jedi I expected to see inThe Acolyte. The character’s identity is confirmed in the credits, and the Cerean is pretty hard to miss. This cameo is, however, pretty confusing.
Will The Acolyte Explain Why He Believed The Sith Extinct?
Why Does He Think The Sith Were No More In The Phantom Menace?
There’s a good reason why I didn’t expect to see Ki-Adi-Mundi inThe Acolyte; one of his most well-known lines inThe Phantom Menace.During Qui-Gon’s report about facing Darth Maul on Tatooine,Mundi claims the Sith have been extinct for over a millennium. This line, in particular, was cited by manyStar Warsfans followingThe Acolyte’sfirst trailers, questioning how Ki-Adi-Mundi could believe the Sith were no more when so many Jedi are featured facing what looks to be a Sith Lord only 100 years prior.
As such,an appearance from Ki-Adi-Mundi himself expressing concern over splinter orders inThe Acolyteepisode 4 was not something I would have guessed. This hopefully means thatThe Acolytewill be addressing this confusing plot hole rather than avoiding it altogether. However, it potentially suggests dark fates ahead for all the Jedi featured facing this new Sith at the end of this new episode, to maintain the dark side user’s anonymity.
Does Ki-Adi-Mundi’s Cameo Completely Break Star Wars Canon?
How Does His Cameo Fit With The Star Wars Timeline?
Ki-Adi-Mundi was a prominent member of theJedi Council in the prequel era, and it’s a real surprise to see him appear inThe Acolyte. Looking at the online reaction, I’m not surprised to see many others are confused as well. Some are particularly shocked because they believe Ki-Adi-Mundi’s age has been changed. This, of course, is based on a cursory check to Wookipedia, which revealsKi-Adi-Mundi shouldn’t have been born at this point in time- let alone be a high-ranking, adult Jedi.
The problem, though, is that this information is taken fromStar WarsLegends. Back in 2014, Disney wiped the old Expanded Universe from canon, meaning it’s no longer binding. There’s no canon information about how long Cereans like Ki-Adi-Mundi live, so that date of birth isn’t really all that relevant. Clearly Cereans are a longer-lived race in the Disney era than in Legends. This would be the smallest imaginable change to lore, given the age of a background member of the Jedi Council isn’t really a big alteration.
Still, this does make the decision to include Ki-Adi-Mundi pretty eyebrow-raising. That’s particularly the case given Leslye Headland insisted there wouldn’t be any real cameos inThe Acolyte, largely because she wanted to tell a story where the stakes were high and anyone could die. My guess is that the change to Ki-Adi-Mundi’s age was made deliberately, and thatThe Acolyteis intending to tell the story behind his (in)famous line of dialogue inThe Phantom Menace. If so, it’ll be amusing to see how the fandom react to that.
The Acolyteepisode 4 is now streaming. New episodes release Tuesdays 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.
