Warning! This article contains SPOILERS forThe Acolyteepisode 8.
Summary
The Acolytehas wasted its fair share of interesting characters by killing them off, but there’s one character who didn’t even die that I can’t believe theStar Warsshow didn’t use more. Since it was set inthe High Republic era,The Acolytegot a chance to introduce a whole new cast of characters into theStar Warsgalaxy. Unfortunately, not allthe characters ofThe Acolytewere used as much as they could have been. WhileThe Acolytehas more than a few underutilized characters, one in particular really frustrated me because of how good they could have been.
The Acolyteepisode 5 and the Jedi massacre on Khofar proved that the show wasn’t afraid to kill off characters with a lot of potential. BothJecki Lonand Yord Fandar, characters with very prominent roles in the first half of the series, saw their stories cut short on Khofar. Other characters as well, likeMaster IndaraandMaster Kelnacca, died before they could do much, though they did get to appear in flashbacks. One character, however, wasn’t held back because he died, but because he was only introduced in the finale ofThe Acolyte, which makes his wasted potential even worse.
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David Harewood’s Senator Rayencourt Was An Extremely Interesting Character
One of the most interesting characters inThe Acolytewas David Harewood’s Senator Rayencourt, the senator who wanted the Jedi Order to be more transparent and have more accountability.Rayencourt saw right through Vernestra Rwoh and her secrecy, verbally tore her to shreds, and predicted the future more accurately than any Force user has in the history ofStar Wars. Harewood’s exceptional acting tied it all together, too, and turned a character who could have come across as a jerk into one who was deeply passionate and worried about a legitimate problem. He instantly won me over, partially because of how unique he is as a senator.
For the most part, the members of the Galactic Senate are depicted in one of two ways inStar Wars. One option is to show them as the shining examples of the highest ideals, like Padmé Amidala, Lina Soh, Bail Organa, Orlen Mollo, or Mon Mothma. The other, more common, depiction of senators is as lazy, corrupt, and slimy politicians who only care about themselves. Rayencourt, however, didn’t fit into either of those categories. He wasn’t a starry-eyed idealist, but he also wasn’t corrupt.Rayencourt was a realist, and I found him much more interesting thanStar Wars' typical political characters.
All the accusations Rayencourt made of the Jedi were accurate, and all the changes he wanted to implement were reasonable and would have been helpful if they were adopted.
Rayencourt also proved he was a fascinating character because he was right. All the accusations Rayencourt made of the Jedi were accurate, and all the changes he wanted to implement were reasonable and would have been helpful if they were adopted.Rayencourt criticized the Jedi, and though he came on a bit strong, the Jedi were more than deserving of criticism. If Vernestra or any of the Jedi had actually listened to the points Rayencourt made, they could have avoided so many problems, and potentially even the fall of the Order. He was a captivating voice of reason, but he was severely underutilized.
Introducing Senator Rayencourt In The Acolyte’s Finale Was A Mistake
Though Rayencourt’s introduction was incredibly effective and cool, it only happened in the finale ofThe Acolyte. The timing of his introduction limited how much of an effect he could have, as the season ended shortly after.Introducing Rayencourt in the finale also stole some of the attention he deserved. The finale ofThe Acolytewas the culmination of so many different stories, and the conflict between already established characters took precedent. There simply wasn’t enough time for a new character to be introduced effectively, and it feels odd thatThe Acolytechose that moment to introduce him.
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I honestly have no idea whyThe Acolytedidn’t introduce Senator Rayencourt earlier and use him more. The only reason I can think of is that he’ll have a larger role inThe Acolyteseason 2and the show was saving him for the future.That still feels like a mistake to me, though, sinceThe Acolyteseason 2 still hasn’t been confirmed, and there’s no guarantee Rayencourt will ever have another chance to make an appearance. It seems like a waste of a great character and an even better actor, especially considering what Rayencourt could have done for the plot ofThe Acolyteseason 1.
Senator Rayencourt Could Have Made Vernestra Rwoh’s Story Better
Vernestra Rwoh and her coverup were major parts ofThe Acolyteseason 1, but they weren’t done very well. Vern mentioned that she didn’t want the Senate to know about the murder investigation, and she vaguely referenced that she sensed it was too important to get bogged down in politics, but those reasons never felt fully convincing to me.On top of that, Vern’s character changed dramatically in the finale ofThe Acolyte, and her decision to frame Sol and hide the Sith’s return didn’t fit with her past.Leslye Headland explained why Vern changedso much, butThe Acolyteshould have given that explanation itself.
Vernestra Rwoh
A prodigy among the Jedi of the High Republic, Vernestra “Vern” Rwoh was one of the youngest Jedi ever to achieve the rank of Knight. She served at a time of crisis for the Republic, battling on the front lines against the Nihil, the Nameless, and the Drengir, and proving herself wise beyond her years. Vern will appear in live-action in The Acolyte, set over a hundred years after she became a Master, at the tail end of the High Republic Era.
The most frustrating part of Senator Rayencourt’s small role is that he would have been the perfect way to make Vernestra’s story more compelling. IfThe Acolytehad used Rayencourt more and made him a constant source of stress for Vern, her conspiracy would have made so much more sense.With pressure from Rayencourt, her sudden change in character would instead be a gradual decline as she got more and more caught up in her own mistakes and had to continually double down. That not only would have explained Vernestra’s conspiracy, it would have added much-needed suspense and depth to her story.
The Acolyte Could Have Done So Much More With Senator Rayencourt
Rayencourt could have made Vernestra’s story better, but he also had so much more potential than even just that. If he had been introduced earlier,The Acolytecould have explored any number of stories for Rayencourt.For example: Rayencourt would have been the perfect way to bring the Galactic Senate’s politics intoThe Acolyte. By focusing on Rayencourt,The Acolytecould have explored the transition between the lofty ideals of the High Republic and the deep-rooted corruption of the prequels. With Rayencourt,The Acolytecould have had an entire political thriller subplot that filled in a massive hole inStar Warscanon, but it missed that opportunity.
In a way, Rayencourt is emblematic of The Acolyte as a whole: he was one of the show’s intriguing elements that it simply didn’t fully capitalize on.
Rayencourt would have not only single-handedly givenThe Acolytea very meaty moment in galactic politics to chew on, he also could have solved the problem ofThe Acolyte’s length. The eight episodes inThe Acolyteseason 1 averaged about 40 minutes per episode, including about five minutes of credits per episode.Rayencourt was the perfect way to add some valuable runtime and context to each episode ofThe Acolytein a way that didn’t feel like filler. Rayencourt’s subplot would have been much less expensive thanThe Acolyte’s lightsaber duels, and if it was done right, I would have found it just as engaging.
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The Acolytewasted several characters, but Rayencourt hurt me the most. With Jecki and Yord, there was at least a payoff for their short amount of screen time: their deaths helped giveThe Acolytehigher stakes. Saving Rayencourt for the last episode, though, didn’t accomplish anything, and it closed the door to so many great opportunities. In a way, Rayencourt is emblematic ofThe Acolyteas a whole: he was one of the show’s intriguing elements that it simply didn’t fully capitalize on. I sincerely hope that David Harewood’s Senator Rayencourt gets a much bigger role inThe Acolyteseason 2.
The Acolyte
Cast
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.
