'The Acolyte' Episode 2: Kelnacca's true identity could reveal why Mae may be targeting him
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: 'The Acolyte' premiered on June 4, 2024, on Disney+ with the first two episodes of the series.
'The Acolyte' is set at the tail-end of the High Republic era and 100 years before the events of 'Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace'. The story chronicles the emergence of the dark forces when the Jedi Order was at its peak.
The series explores the journey of Osha (Amandla Stenberg) as she teams up with Jedi Master Sol (Lee Jung-jae) to stop her twin sister Mae who is on a Jedi-killing spree.
Among Mae's targets is Kelnacca (Joonas Suotamo), who we see at the end of episode 2 roaming carefree in a jungle scaring off wanderers. As Mae looks to target him and the other Jedi Masters, speculation is rife about Kelnacca's identity and why Mae is out to kill him.
Who is Wookie Jedi Master Kelnacca?
When the first glimpse of a Wookie Jedi came out during the early stages of promotions, the fans were thrilled at the sight of Kelnacca. Fans of the 'Star Wars' franchise have seen Wookiee Jedi Burryaga and Gungi before and Kelnacca promised to be another favorite character of theirs.
A Reddit user said, "I know we've had Wookiee Jedi in books and animated stuff already, but it's cool to finally see one in live action."
Not much was revealed about his identity in Episode 2 and the makers left it as a cliffhanger leaving fans waiting to know what is in store for him in the coming episodes.
A Reddit user speculated, "I’m guessing Kelnacca is a Madclaw. A Wookiee who used his claws to fight and lives in exile". Another user compared him to other 'Star Wars' characters adding, "He's also doing the whole Jolee Bindo / Yoda shtick, living in a hut under a tree."
The fan-favorite character might have tough times ahead of him though as Mae is on the hunt for him.
Why does Mae want to kill Kelnacca?
Her unnamed masked master has tasked Mae to kill four Jedi Masters. She wants to do it without the use of weapons to prove how strong she is to her master.
She kills Indara (Carrie-Anne Moss) using a knife and Torbin (Dean Charles-Chapman) using poison so she has only Master Sol and Kelnacca left to kill without weapons.
Mae and Osha are twin sisters who saw their planet become victims of a fire that killed Osha's family. Mae was presumed to be dead only to reappear later as an antagonist. From what we know so far in the series, Kelnacca, along with Sol, Torbin, and Indara were stationed on the planet where the fire happened.
It is likely though, that they might have had a direct involvement in the fire and Mae is out for revenge against the Jedi Masters. As the episodes wear on, we will learn more details about the fire and Mae's intentions.
'The Acolyte' trailer
'The Acolyte' Episodes 1 and 2 are streaming on Disney+
