Warning: SPOILERS ahead for The Acolyte episode 7!

Summary

  • Kelnacca's fighting style is terrifyingly powerful due to his Wookiee strength and a a strikingly different approach to lightsaber combat, says fight choreographer Christopher Clark Cowan.
  • Kelnacca proves to be a formidable opponent in The Acolyte, with a ferocious and lethal fighting style that sets him apart.
  • Kelnacca's presence hints at potential future Wookie Jedi roles in Star Wars shows and movies, perhaps even expanding on this interesting character.

The Acolyte's cast, a Jedi on Mae's kill list who was involved in the incident on Brendok when she was a child. However, a flashback in episode 7 saw the Wookie Jedi ignite his lightsaber and fight, revealing just how powerful the new addition to the franchise is.

Speaking in a Star Wars report on The Acolyte's stunts, Cowan explained the process behind bringing a Wookie Jedi to life, including how powerful Kelnacca had to be. The fight choreographer explained how the character allowed for a different approach to lightsaber fights, one that embraces an "animalistic" style of combat. Check out what Cowan had to say about Kelnacca fighting below:

That was a fun one and also a tricky one to figure out. You have to take into just the sheer strength of a Wookiee that would be behind his strikes with a saber. You can't really just have a straight clash with a Wookiee because he's going to knock you off balance. His saber is going to hit like a truck.

We really wanted him to be a bit more wild and more animalistic in his approach. I'd imagine if we saw Kelnacca fight in his own Jedi mind, he would use his strength, but it would be a bit more clean. But because the witches are inside his mind and bringing out his primal instincts, his form isn't going to be immaculate. It's not going to be perfectly precise. It's going to be swinging wildly to take out whatever is in front of him, no matter the cost. And Joonas absolutely brought that to life. It was so cool to finally see him have a lightsaber!

This Fight Proves Wookiee Jedi Are TERRIFYING

Kelnacca Is a Formidable Opponent

Master Sol tries to reason with Kelnacca, who, under the power of the coven of witches, attacks Torbin in The Acolyte season 1 episode 7
Image via Disney+

One of the scariest fights that happens in The Acolyte episode 7 is when Kelnacca falls to the influence of the coven, the witches briefly controlling his mind and making him fight the other Jedi. His skill with a lightsaber makes it difficult for both Torbin and Sol to stop him on their own, coupled with a ferocity that could only come from a Wookie's fighting style. While he's eventually subdued thanks to Indara's quick thinking, without her around, he could have easily killed the other two Force s.

What also bolsters the deadly nature of Kelnacca's attacks is the fact that his fighting style is so different from that of his fellow Jedi. While the other lightsaber wielders during episode 7 had more sleek, fluid ways of battling, the Wookie's was much more ferocious, leading to him almost killing the duo he was dueling with. Because of just how powerful he was, it's clear he was one of the more skilled Jedi who went to Brendok, making him a formidable weapon depending on whose side he was fighting for.

While the future shows that Kelnacca was killed by Mae, his appearance opens the door for other Wookie Jedi to have prominent roles in future Star Wars TV shows and movies. If The Acolyte season 2 were to potentially happen, another Wookie wielding the Force could be revealed, embracing even more of the potential involved in such an interesting character. Since there's still one episode left of the show set to air tonight, Kelnacca himself could make another appearance one more time.

Multiple Wookies have been Jedi before Kelnacca, including Arkoff and Burryaga Agaburry during the High Republic Era.

Source: Star Wars

The Acolyte Poster Showing Jedi Order, Mae, and a Sith Lord Holding Lightsabers

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The Acolyte
Sci-Fi
Fantasy
7/10
124
6.2/10
Release Date
2024 - 2024-00-00
Showrunner
Leslye Headland
Directors
Leslye Headland, Alex Garcia Lopez

Cast

See All

WHERE TO WATCH

Streaming

The Acolyte is a television series set in the Star Wars universe at the end of the High Republic Era, where both the Jedi and the Galactic Empire were at the height of their influence. This sci-fi thriller sees a former Padawan reunite with her former Jedi Master as they investigate several crimes - all leading to darkness erupting from beneath the surface and preparing to bring about the end of the High Republic.

Writers
Leslye Headland, Charmaine De Grate, Kor Adana
Franchise(s)
Star Wars
Seasons
1
Streaming Service(s)
Dis