The Acolyte: Rebecca Henderson on Inhabiting the World of the Jedi
37New Star Wars projects are always mired in secrecy, but sometimes some actors have more reason to keep quiet than others. Such was the case for The Acolyte star Rebecca Henderson, when she appeared along with the rest of the cast at Star Wars Celebration Europe to promote the upcoming series, set during the High Republic era. While her castmates were unable to reveal much about the characters they played, Henderson had to be particularly sparse with details. In speaking with Collider's Steve Weintraub, she was only able to reveal that she played "a Mirialan, an elder Jedi Master who is extremely intelligent."
It wasn't until the next day at the dedicated High Republic publishing panel that the dots were connected, and it was revealed she was not playing any Mirialan Jedi, but rather the Mirialan Jedi of the High Republic, namely the fan-favourite character Vernestra Rwoh, who has been a central character since the books first hit shelves in January 2021. In retrospect, her comments to Weintraub about the series can be read in a new light, with Henderson teasing:
"We’re doing something in The High Republic that hasn’t been seen in live-action before, and seeing how that relates to what already exists, I think, will be the most exciting for the fans."
Beyond her character and the built-in love that fans already have for her, Henderson remained most in awe of the practical side of the series, and the full sets built to accommodate a story of such scale. As she told Weintraub:
"[T]he sets are fully built. So, when I am in the Jedi Temple I am in the Jedi Temple. You know, we’re not on the volume, so we’re not imagining what is in front of us, and behind us is not a lot of blue screen. The aliens are puppets and we are speaking with the puppets."
Who Is Vernestra Rwoh?
As Henderson said, Vernestra Rwoh is an extremely intelligent Mirialan Jedi, but she is also something of a prodigy in the world of The High Republic. At only 15 years old, she passed the Jedi trials and became a knight in her own right, eventually taking on a padawan of her own, Imri Cantaros, only a couple of years later. However, bearing that much adult responsibility at such a young age weighs on Vernestra, and in the first Phase of books, she often finds herself at odds with herself, causing the adults around her to question whether her own Master, Stellan Gios, did her any favors in bumping her up to knight so quickly.
Vernestra's story is far from over, with the third Phase of books set to begin rolling out this fall, and when readers return to her story, they will find a Vernestra in likely a more troubled place than she was when we last saw her, given the added pressure of the encroaching Nihil threat, and the sudden death of her former mentor.
A distinguishing characteristic of Vernestra's is her lightsaber, which alternately functions like a conventional saber, but also has the ability to be turned into a lightwhip at the touch of a button. Whether she still carries her distinctive weapon in The Acolyte remains to be seen, but we can always hope.
#TheAcolyte #RebeccaHenderson #VernestraRwoh
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