Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for The Acolyte episode 4
Summary
Star Warshas just wasted its first live-action Wookiee Jedi inThe Acolyteepisode 4. Presented as one of the show’s most exciting new characters, Kelnacca (Joonas Suotamo) was presented as a major draw forTheAcolyte, having been heavily featured in the show’s overall marketing strategy and was even present at multiple press events. However, Kelnacca has already been lost byThe Acolyteepisode 4.
There are only a handful of knownJedi Wookiees in theStar Warscanon, a concept George Lucas wasn’t interested in at the onset of creating the galaxy far, far away. However, he eventually came around during the development ofThe Clone Warsanimated series, leading to a small handful of Force-sensitive Wookiees appearing in the canon in recent years, including Kelnacca as the very first one to appear in live-action inThe Acolyte.As such, it makes losing Kelnacca so early even more tragic.
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The Acolyte Episode 4 Killed Off Kelnacca With Shocking Speed
Murdered By Star Wars' New Sith Lord
Remarkably,The Acolyteepisode 4 ends with the shocking death of Kelannca despite his very limited screen time. As revealed in the new episode, Kelnacca was living on his own in a remote forest on the planet Khofar. Likewise,Mae Aniseya (Amandla Stenberg)was searching for the Wookiee as the next Jedi Master on her hit list, an apparent test from her mysterious Sith master.
However, Mae eventually decides to turn herself into Master Kelnacca, intending to give up her master in order to be reunited with hertwin sister Osha. At the same time, Osha and Master Sol’s assembled team of Jedi were also trying to locate Kelnacca.Tragically, Mae finds Kelnacca murdered in his home, having been slain by her master just before the rest of the Jedi Knights arriveand come face-to-face with this new Sith Lord.
We’ve Never Even Gotten To Know Kelnacca As A Character
A Sore Lack Of History And Background
Previous episodes ofThe Acolytedid establish that Master Kelnacca was in danger just like the rest of the Jedi who were stationed on Brendock when the Jedi discovered Mae and Osha as children. After all, Mae has already killed two of the four Jedi by the beginning ofThe Acolyteepisode 4, leaving only Kelnacca andJedi Master Solas the final two she must kill to prove her worth to her master. However,it’s still surprising that Kelncaca is already dead, especially with next to nothing having been revealed about his history with the Jedi, personality, or overall character in general.
While there is a canonical Marvel Comics series about Kelnacca in the works that will reveal more about his Jedi past,it’s hard not to see his limited screen time and role as a massive missed opportunity forStar Wars’first live-action Wookiee Jedi. While there will hopefully be a few more scenes of Kelnacca via flashbacks in future episodes ofThe Acolyte, his sudden death at the end ofThe Acolyteepisode 4 is still quite tragic, especially considering the fact that his murder occurred off-screen before Mae even arrived.
Kelnacca’s Fate Is Even More Disappointing For High Republic Fans
Kelnacca Was Already A Consolation Prize (Because of Burryaga).
Kelnacca’s sudden death is even more disappointing considering he was already seen by many fans of The High Republic books as a consolation character. After all,the novels and comics had already introduced the Wookiee Jedi Burryagato this same era, one who would logically still be alive thanks to long Wookiee life spans, even thoughTheAcolyteis set about 100 years beyond the current events revealed in the books. Burryaga has received all kinds of character development with an exciting history across multiple stories, and he was right there for Lucasfilm to use forThe Acolyte.
The murder of Burryaga would have massively raised the stakes and made the dark forces at work inThe Acolyteeven more frightening with the additional emotional component of losing a character that was known and loved by many pre-existing High Republic fans. Instead, the decision was made to introduce a brand-new Wookiee Jedi. Regardless,introducing Kelnacca over bringing Burryaga to live-action wouldn’t have been nearly as much of a problem had this new Wookiee been fully developed and fleshed out as a characterbefore his sudden murder.
Hopefully It Won’t Be Long Before Star Wars Introduces ANOTHER Wookiee Jedi
And Does Justice To How Cool They Can Be
With any luck, Kelnacca won’t be the last live-action Wookiee Jedi audiences see in theStar Warsfranchise.Beyond flashbacks to Kelnacca inThe Acolyteitself, one can always hope that futureStar Warsmight feature more Jedi Wookiees. This could either be in the past such as withJames Mangold’sDawn of the Jedimovie, or even in the future beyond the sequel trilogy with the upcomingRey SkywalkerNew Jedi Ordermovie.
While it’s disappointing that Kelnacca has already been lost, it does help establish the true danger that’s emerged from the shadows for the rest of the Jedi Order. Mae’s Sith master has finally been revealed and looks ready to slay even more Jedi in future episodes. It would have been nice to have spent some more time with a Wookiee Jedi Master such as Kelnacca, though it will still be exciting to see how the surviving Jedi handle this new dark threat to the galaxy, as well as what this new twist will mean for Mae and Osha in particular.
The Acolyteepisode 4 is streaming now. 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.
