We can’t believe the death of Wookiee Jedi Kelnacca in THE ACOLYTE

Star Wars: The Acolyte immediately proved that the series was not afraid to kill off its main characters. And since it sent Jedi Master Indara in its first episode, war of stars series has not dealt any fatal blows. But in episode four of The Acolytewe were really shocked by the sudden death of a character. Warning, there are spoilers in this article.

In episode four of Star Wars: The Acolytewe could not have expected to find Wookiee Jedi Master Kelnacca dead in his forest hideout. We knew, of course, that Mae was on the hunt for the Wookiee Jedi. He was one of the four Jedi stationed in Brendok during her childhood tragedy. Two of those Jedi are already dead. As mentioned, Mae killed Master Indara, and she also killed Jedi Master Torbin in previous episodes. But at least we got to see both Jedi fight for their lives before they met their end. (Even if Master Torbin did so in the deep trance of the Barash Vow.)

However, Kelnacca, the very first Wookiee Jedi to ever appear in a live-action film, war of starsdidn’t get that chance. Instead, death has already claimed the Wookiee Jedi when Mae finds him on the planet Khofar, ready to transform into a Jedi. The mysterious, evil Sith Lord we know only as the Master was the first to reach Kelnacca. We see two lightsaber slash lines adorning the Wookiee Jedi’s chest, and, yes, he appears to be quite dead.

We see Kelnacca in flashbacks in episode three of Star Wars: The Acolyte. And it is possible that we will see him again in other views of the past. But that The Acolyte The death still feels incredibly premature. After all the excitement of finally having a Wookiee Jedi in live action, we really only see him alive in one or two scenes. And we don’t even get to see him in action. It would have at least been cool to see the Wookiee Jedi face off against the Master in an epic lightsaber battle before he dies. But instead, all we get to see is a slumped version of the Wookiee character, dead where he sits, before we ever get to meet him in real time.

Joonas Suotamo, the actor who played Kelnecca, said the Wookiee Jedi’s death came as a shock to him. He revealed that Kelnecca’s death was a surprise to him: “No, that was not discussed. I learned about it as time went on and it was very surprising. So I wasn’t aware of it at first, but since I studied film at university, I’ve also been involved in the story side, so I thought it was necessary for it to happen because it follows the story and is very sad and very dramatic. And what a shock to see all these powerful Jedi meet their fate like that!”

Maybe there is still a possibility that Kelnacca is not completely dead, but only partially. We will have to wait for more episodes to see that. But The Acolyte actually killed Jedi Master Indara in the first episode. So it feels like we’re supposed to believe that Kelnacca’s death is final too. And that seems like a huge shame considering the character’s undoubtedly fascinating existence and history. Wookie Jedi don’t come along every day, after all… Not for live-action war of stars Trips, anyway. Maybe one day we can visit Wookiee Jedi Master Kelnacca in a show of his own.

Originally published on June 18, 2024.