‘The Acolyte’ – Meet the New Jedi and Sith of the High Republic

The Acolyte is set to take Star Wars fans to a time in the galaxy we’ve never seen before in live-action, that being the High Republic era. This was a time of complete and total peace and prosperity for the Republic and the Jedi Order, but even these times of peace, darkness permeates the shadows. Long before Darth Sidious (Ian McDiarmid) would declare himself emperor in the prequel trilogy, the Sith’s return to the galaxy was pre-ordained long before, and that’s exactly what The Acolyte is expected to explore.

At it’s core, The Acolyte is a murder mystery story, where Jedi are being mysteriously killed off throughout the galaxy. The Jedi’s highest ranking members seem to suspect that a former Jedi Padawan named Mae (Amandla Stenberg), but her former teacher, Master Sol (Lee Jung-jae), has his doubts. For the full list of cast, characters, and suspects you can expect to see in the highly ambitious Star Wars prequel, here is a complete cast and character guide for The Acolyte.

Amandla Stenberg

Mae

The alleged titular namesake of The Acolyte is Mae, played by Amandla Stenberg. Best known for her role as Rue in The Hunger Games, Stenberg also recently starred in the A24 horror comedy, Bodies Bodies Bodies, and the second Spider-Verse film, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Starring in a new Star Wars show is a dream come true for Stenberg, who has made clear that she is an outspoken super-fan of the franchise, even promoting the film with her violinist skills by performing a medley of Star Wars songs.

As a child, Mae is found by Master Sol, who immediately realizes that Mae is strong in the Force. That may very well be the case, but it’s clear that an unusual series of events led to Mae turning her back on the Jedi Order entirely. Mae is now ready to claim vengeance against the people who have wronged her in the past, getting into deadly knife fights with accomplished Jedi Order members like Master Indara (Carrie-Anne Moss). While she’s absolutely going after select Jedi, it’s not currently known if Mae really is behind the recent killings or is simply being set-up by another party.

Lee Jung-jae

Master Sol

Where Mae is a more conflicted individual, the true “good” main character in The Acolyte appears to be Master Sol. Sol will be played by widely acclaimed Korean actor Lee Jung-jae, who rose to international popularity after starring in the wildly successful Squid Game. Lee Jung-jae is also set to return to Squid Game for Season 2.

Master Sol’s role in the Jedi order appears to be to train the next generation of Jedi, as we see him training several younglings throughout the footage we’ve seen thus far. Long ago, he found a young Mae, and agreed to take her on as his student. We don’t yet know how or why Sol parted ways, but his former role as her master is undoubtedly what inspires him to find Mae and find out why these killings are happening.

Carrie-Anne Moss

Master Indara

The Acolyte is a show that’s very intensive in its hand-to-hand combat scenes, so it’s a good thing that the show has a veteran in that field, Carrie-Anne Moss. Most likely know Moss for her iconic role as Trinity from The Matrix franchise, and she’ll be putting her fighting skills to good use as Master Indara.

Master Indara is one of the first people who meets Mae as a would-be assassin. Indara is well-regarded as a combatant with little to no equals, being able to hold her own against a combatant even without using her lightsaber. Still, even a legend like her isn’t prepared for the threat that Mae represents.

Dafne Keen

Jecki Lon

Star Wars is getting a Marvel alumni added to the cast of The Acolyte with Dafne Keen as Jedi Padawan Jecki Lon. Keen previously made a big splash into the Marvel world after starring as Laura, AKA X-23, in the Wolverine swan-song, Logan. Additionally, Keen also starred in HBO’s adaptation of His Dark Materials.

In a way, Jecki Lon could almost be considered a representation of who Mae would be had she not left the Order. That’s partially because she is the apprentice of Master Sol, and she’s just as determined as he is to find out who is behind these killings. Ambitious she may be, but Jecki still has a lot to learn about being a Jedi.

Rebecca Henderson

Vernestra “Vern” Rwoh

Most of the characters we’ll be meeting in The Acolyte are brand-new figures. However, Rebecca Henderson, the star of Russian Doll, will be playing a character that is deeply entrenched in High Republic lore.

Vernestra Rwoh made her franchise debut in the High Republic novels, where she rose the ranks to become a legendary Jedi Master by the time of The Acolyte‘s events. Vern has become more jaded in recent years following the death of her Padawan, but she doesn’t let her mourning stop her from finding this new Jedi killer. Vern is also immediately recognizable for her signature lightsaber, which has the unique ability to transform into a lightwhip.

Jodie Turner-Smith

Mother Aniseya

Mother Aniseya, played by Jodie Turner-Smith, will be a more mysterious figure in The Acolyte. The Queen & Slim and The Last Ship star is also set to appear in another upcoming Disney sci-fi film, Tron: Ares.

Typically, when one thinks of “witches” in the Star Wars universe, the first group that comes to mind are the Nightsisters of Dathomir. Their unique ability to harness a little-known aspect of the Force, known as Magick, and it appears The Acolyte will be expanding beyond Dathomir with Mother Aniseya and her own coven of witches. Her arcane ways on the planet of Brendok have made her into a powerful force that even the Jedi fear.

Charlie Barnett

Yord Fandar

A more traditional depiction of a Jedi Knight can be seen in Yord Fandar, played by Rebecca Henderson’s Russian Doll co-star, Charlie Barnett.

Yord Fandar holds the rules and tenets of the Jedi religion in extremely high regard. His dedication to the cause is what got him the role of a guardian at the Jedi Temple, which is a role reserved for the most respected and dedicated of Jedi Knights. He jumps at the chance to find a Jedi killer, even if his determination is somewhat naive.

Joonas Suotamo

Master Kelnacca

Master Kelnacca is a new character for the Star Wars canon, but his actor, Joonas Suotamo, is someone we’ve seen in this franchise before. Suotamo eventually took over the role of Chewbacca after Peter Mayhew retired from the role, and has played the Wookie icon in every feature film since. Suotamo also played The Scourge in Disney+’s Willow show.

Apart from the inherent “cool factor” of being a wookie Jedi, not much is known about Master Kelnacca. He’s chosen to spend much of his life in isolation, but he finds himself back in the fold when he learns Jedi are being assassinated.

Manny Jacinto

Qimir

The Acolyte‘s resident scoundrel, Qimir, will be played by The Good Place star Manny Jacinto.

Qimir represents the “every day citizen” of the High Republic era, and it’s clear that he has no love for the Jedi nor the Republic. He views them less as benevolent peacekeepers and more like malignant oppressors who simply want control of the galaxy. He made a long living as a smuggler, but is now trying to leave that life behind as a humble trader.

The Masked Sith

Finally, there’s one other character that represents the show’s main antagonist. With their eerie toothed mask and red lightsaber, it seems safe to say this mystery figure is a Sith Lord. The question remains though as to who this individual is. Are they one of the characters above in disguise? Could they be a young Sheev Palpatine? Perhaps they’re the first live-action appearance of a legendary Sith Lord like Darth Bane or Darth Plagueis? We’ll have to wait and see.

The Acolyte is now streaming on Disney+.

Watch on Disney+