This article contains spoilers from The Acolyte season 1, episode 5, “Night.”
Summary
The Acolyteshowrunner Leslye Headland confirms howthe death of Jecki Lon(Dafne Keen) in episode 5, “Night”, challenges the expectations of modernStar Wars. The Jedi Padawan is killed by Qimir (Manny Jacinto), a Sith Lord also known as the Stranger, in the devastating episode. With a cast of almost entirely new characters, and at least one prominentcharacter being killed in everyThe Acolyteepisode, the live-action series has quickly proven that no one is safe in this story.
While speaking withInverse, Headland addresses the creative and narrative decisions behind Jecki’s death and why it is important to break some of the expectations surrounding Disney’sStar Wars.She discusses howJecki’s fate feels distinct from previous storiestold in the franchise, particularly since the Disney acquisition, and the impact it has onThe Acolyte’s story moving forward. Read her comments below:
I do think it’s kind of cool that there’s a lot of, for lack of a better term, self-awareness among the Star Wars franchise. There are certain Disney rules like “Oh, yeah, you’re not going to kill that character. How could you?” And not only did we kill that character, but we killed the character in such a shocking and frankly upsetting way — and then didn’t even really give her a hero death either. I mean, she has the hero’s death because she gets Qimir’s helmet off before she dies.
“She Was A Child” Was A More Important Comment Than You Think
It Calls Out A Bold Story Decision.
On numerous levels,Jecki’s death proves that no character is safein this story, regardless of their age, training, or how developed they are.
After Jecki is killed inThe Acolyteepisode 5, the heartbroken Jedi Master Sol (Lee Jung-jae) states"She was a child,“a line that takes on greater meaning when considering the out-of-universe context. In the past,Star Warshas often been reluctant to kill its major characters, and killing children rarely happens. When it does occur, including inRevenge of the Sithwhen Anakin Skywalker kills Jedi younglings, this atrocity understandably happens offscreen, with the film only showing the dark side-consumed Anakin approaching the frightened children.
The Acolyte’s Sith Lord Calls Out Anakin Skywalker & The Entire Jedi Order
The Acolyte’s Sith Lord took the lives of many Jedi in episode 5, but he also managed to call out and criticize a controversial Jedi practice.
Sol’s"She was a child"line calls outThe Acolyte’s audacityto not only kill a young and prominent character but specifically calls out showing the child’s death to the audience as Qimir’s red lightsabers plunge through Jecki three times, and the light fades from her eyes. Expectations are further defied by having the noble, wise, and likable Jecki die without a traditional hero’s death. Headland acknowledges that Jecki is the one to unmask Qimir, but this doesn’t undo the suffering Qimir has inflicted and doesn’t stop him from soon after killing another Jedi, Yord Fandar (Charlie Barnett).
In only five episodes,The Acolytehas raised the stakes and made bolder narrative decisions than many ofStar Wars' other live-action storiesin the past decade. On numerous levels,Jecki’s death proves that no character is safein this story, regardless of their age, training, or how developed they are. AsThe Acolyteenters its final three episodes of season 1, even Osha, Mae (Amandla Stenberg), and Sol are not guaranteed to make it out alive.
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.
