Star Wars: The Acolyte Teaser Trailer Reveals First Look at Lightsaber Whip

Here's a little history of the lightwhip in Star Wars...

By Jamie Jirak

The next Star Wars project is right around the corner! Star Wars: The Acolyte is debuting on Disney+ next month, and it will take place roughly a full century before the events of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. Fans have gotten glimpses of the show in various trailers, posters, and clips, and the newest trailer is giving a little more away: including the live-action debut of the lightsaber whip. 

"'Now she's a student of the dark side,'" Lucasfilm quoted on YouTube. "The two-episode premiere of #TheAcolyte, a Star Wars Original series, arrives June 4 on Disney+." You can check out the trailer below:

The Lightwhip's History:

The lightsaber whip or lightwhip is a modified lightsaber with one or more plasma blades in flexible containment shields. Used by the Jedi Order during the Sith Wars, lightwhips have also been associated with the Nightsisters of Dathomir. The character best known for using this weapon is High Republic Era Jedi Knight Vernestra Rwoh, who is being played by Rebecca Henderson in The Acolyte. The character's first official appearance was in The High Republic: Light of the Jedi, which was published in 2021. 

The lightwhips were first canonically mentioned in the Fantasy Flight Games sourcebook Endless Vigil in 2016 before appearing in The High Republic: A Test of Courage in 2021. However, the lightwhip originated in the Star Wars Legends continuity, and first appeared in the comic book Star Wars (1977) #95 in 1985. 

Leslye Headland Teases The Acolyte:

The Acolyte creator Leslye Headland has spoken about the series and teased what Star Wars fans can expect. 

"We're taking a look at the political and personal and spiritual things that came up in a time period that we don't know much about," Headland explained in a previous interview. "My question when watching The Phantom Menace was always like, 'Well, how did things get to this point?' How did we get to a point where a Sith lord can infiltrate the Senate and none of the Jedi pick up on it? Like, what went wrong? What are the scenarios that led us to this moment?'"

"We actually use the term the Renaissance, or the Age of Enlightenment," Headland added. "The Jedi uniforms are gold and white, and it's almost like they would never get dirty. They would never be out and about," Headland says. "The idea is that they could have these types of uniforms because that's how little they're getting into skirmishes."

"The truth is that I, as a major mega fan, came to them with this idea. And I said, 'I think the best place to put this is in an era you guys have not quite explored yet,'" Headland revealed to Vanity Fair. "They were very enthusiastic. It wasn't that they didn't want to explore that [existing] world, but I think that they already were because The Mandalorian and a lot of the other television projects were really relying on legacy characters."

Related:

The Acolyte stars Amandla Stenberg (Bodies Bodies Bodies), Lee Jung-jae (Squid Game), Manny Jacinto (The Good Place), Jodie Turner-Smith (Murder Mystery 2), Dafne Keen (Logan), Charlie Barnett (Russian Doll), and more. 

Star Wars: The Acolyte ignites on June 4, exclusively on Disney+.  

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