This article contains spoilers for The Acolyte episodes 1 & 2.

Summary

• Vernestra Rwoh is set to be a key character in The Acolyte, wielding a unique lightsaber and powerful Force visions.
• The Acolyte will explore how Vernestra has changed from a young Jedi prodigy to a mature and knowledgeable Master during the High Republic era.
• Vernestra may play a crucial role in safeguarding the Jedi Order against the impending threat of the Sith in the show.

The Acolyte introduces viewers to Jedi Master Vernestra Rwoh, a major figure in the Order who is a well-established character in Star Wars lore. Lucasfilm's latest Disney+ TV show has taken viewers back in time to the end of the High Republic Era, the Golden Age of the Jedi and the Republic. Most characters are brand new, meaning their futures and their fates are unknown.

One major exception, though, is Jedi Master Vernestra Rwoh. She's introduced as a big deal in the Jedi Order at the time of The Acolyte, a century before the events of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. In fact, at one point she tells Lee Jung-jae's Master Sol her views, and he considers her to be speaking for the entire Jedi Order. Who is Vernestra Rwoh, and why is she so important to the Jedi?

Vernestra Rwoh Is An Established Hero In The High Republic

Vernestra Rwoh made her Star Wars debut in 2021, in Justina Ireland's novel A Test of Courage. Set a century before The Acolyte, this introduced Vernestra Rwoh as a teenage prodigy among the Jedi. She had been promoted to the rank of Jedi Knight at the tender age of 15, making her the youngest Jedi to hold that rank in a very, very long time. Vernestra - sometimes nicknamed "Vern" by her friends and Padawan, Imri Cantaros - was remarkably sensitive to the Force.

Vernestra is a Mirialan, and her species have a longer life than humans. This is why she is still around in The Acolyte, and in fact appears to be in her prime, by now considered a legend among the Jedi. She's faced many threats - ranging from the space pirates known as the Nihil to Force predators called the Nameless - and has triumphed over them all.

Vernestra Appears To Be The Master Of The Order

Vernestra clearly speaks with the authority of the entire Jedi Order; "The Jedi agree with me," Master Sol insists after he has spoken to her. This suggests she is the Master of the Order, the elected leader of the Jedi High Council who has responsibility for the day-to-day running of the Order. This role would be held by Mace Windu in The Phantom Menace, although it was consolidated with the rank of Jedi Grandmaster during the Clone Wars.

Vernestra Rwoh has always been unusually sensitive to the will of the Force, even drastically redeg her lightsaber in response to the Force's promptings. According to interviews, Vernestra will come to believe the crisis facing the Jedi in The Acolyte is the one she was always destined to face on behalf of the Order. It is, perhaps, also the reason the Force guided her to create her unusual lightsaber in the first place.

Vernestra's Force Powers Explained

Vernestra Rwoh has a natural strong connection to the Force, and is unusually sensitive to its guidance. She even modified her lightsaber in response to visions from the Force, redeg it into something uniquely suited to the challenges she was destined to face. She's proficient in many of the standard Jedi Force powers, including telekinesis, telepathy, and a sensitivity to the flow of the Force in environments around her.

Vernestra is most notable, though, for an unusual Force power that manifests when she is traveling through hyperspace. Little is known about the dimension known as hyperspace; some even believe it is in fact an aspect of the Force itself, which would explain why Jedi such as Vernestra possess powers related to it. While in hyperspace, Vern experiences mysterious visions through the Force, seeing the past, present, and future, usually receiving guidance from these experiences.

Because of these visions, Vernestra’s former Jedi Master, Stellan Gios, believed that Vernestra was capable of navigating ships through hyperspace with only the Force as her guide. This theory is made all the more plausible by what happens in Cavan Scott’s novel The Rising Storm, in which Vernestra makes with Mari San Tekka, a victim of the Nihil who has the preternatural ability to see as yet uncharted hyperspace paths. Mari provides Vernestra with one final hyperspace path before she dies. As such, Vernestra may develop a similar ability to navigate hyperspace with just the help of the Force.

Vernestra Rwoh's Unique Lightsaber Explained

As well as her unique Force ability, Vernestra also wields a unique lightsaber whip. Vern can twist the handle of her blade, transforming it from an ordinary rigid purple blade into a flexible lightwhip. An unusually aggressive modification, this is frowned upon by the Jedi Council, but they came to accept the need for it. Given The Acolyte will deal with the threat of the Sith infiltrating the Jedi Order, Vernestra and her unique lightsaber may become an important part of the fight against the Order’s mysterious and unseen enemies.

Vernestra Rwoh Is Played By Rebecca Henderson

Vernestra Rwoh is played by Rebecca Henderson (Russian Doll, Inventing Anna, Single Drunk Female). Although Vern doesn't play an active part in The Acolyte's premiere - she's based at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant - teasers have suggested the character will wind up on the front lines. The Acolyte clips have even shown Vernestra using her trademark lightsaber whip, and Henderson had to train considerably for the part.