Star Wars: The Acolyte Episode 4 Review – Running into Problems

For those who have been watching each episode of Star Wars: The Acolyte as they release, it’s been a rough experience. Even someone with the patience and tolerance of a fully-trained Jedi knight would have reached their limit by excusing many of the problems the show has brought about. Episode 4 of The Acolyte may get back to the main issue of the entire series, but it does little to improve upon what previous episodes have faltered. And that’s before anything related to questions about the established Star Wars canon, which doesn’t help how this show has been received by fans.

The fourth episode of Star Wars: The Acolyte goes back to the present day following the events of the second episode. Osha is brought to Coruscant with Master Sol and the rest of the Jedi, looking to figure out the next step in their pursuit of Mae. Sol meets with Vernesta Rwoh and members of the order to form a plan, while Osha plans to leave and let the Jedi handle things with her sister. After talking with Jecki Lon and Master Sol at the Jedi Temple, Osha decides to accompany the Jedi on a trip to the planet Khofar to find Kelnacca, a Wookie Jedi living in isolation. As this is going on, Mae and Qimir arrive at Khofar in pursuit of Kelnacca, where the two of them debate about her mission to eliminate the four Jedi masters according to their master’s wishes. Eventually, everyone arrives at the planet and finds themselves meeting at a point that brings about a clash between the Jedi and the mysterious masked person that Mae has been working with.

Much of episode 4 feels dragged out in the worst way possible, leading to a final few minutes that feel cut off before things can really get moving. A lot of the scenes in the beginning at the Jedi Temple are stretched out before everyone goes to the planet where Kelnacca is living. In addition to that, the Jedi Temple scenes feel very small compared to how Coruscant has been depicted in past Star Wars projects. It’s as if we’re only seeing a few rooms from within the entire Jedi Temple that were used for this story, compared to the grand scale of how the temple has looked before. Much of this could be due to budget concerns behind the scenes for the production of The Acolyte, but no one can say for sure.

Other on-screen distractions come from how poorly some characters look in the episode, specifically Vernesta Rwoh. The makeup on Rebecca Henderson looks rushed and unfinished in some shots. Parts of her natural skin can be seen where the makeup ends on her face and may change in certain shots where different takes were used. It’s distracting because it’s obvious to notice and could have been ironed out during the production of the series. Other characters in Star Wars projects of varying alien species have displayed better attention to detail in hiding things like this, where it’s much less noticeable. Previous episodes of The Acolyte when Vernesta Rwoh has shown up had similar issues, but this was the one where it was the most noticeable.

But these are only small issues in comparison to the larger problems at hand within this episode of Star Wars: The Acolyte. The changes in motivations and actions taken by different characters within the episode will be the most frustrating aspects for some viewers. Some of them are just hard to believe after what has already been established in the first few episodes. Osha deciding to leave and let the Jedi go after her sister at first was very confusing, despite going with them to the planet later on.

At the same time, Mae feeling the need to abandon her mission and turn herself to the Jedi felt like a quick change with no build-up, especially after she had previously taken out two Jedi masters. It’s hard to believe such a quick change for her would take place. Even with the conversations Mae has with Qimir on their hike through the forest of Khofar. Whether due to the short time, the series has to work with or poor attention to details with the writing, these switches for the characters felt out of place and made no sense within the context of the story thus far, nor do they match up with the actions or statements each has made beforehand. There’s nothing wrong with characters changing their mind and their ultimate motivations in stories, but the show has not made a strong case for viewers to believe that in here.

But then there are questions about the canon of the Star Wars series that The Acolyte dangerously gets close to making a big issue. Two major things come up within episode 4 that will be a major distraction for Star Wars fans who have been following the franchise for a long time. Jedi Master Ki-Adi Mundi, first seen in The Phantom Menace, is present during a meeting to discuss the events of the show up to now at the Jedi Temple. This will be a major problem for fans who care about the established canon of Star Wars because according to sources prior to the show’s creation, Ki-Adi Mundi shouldn’t even be born during the time of The Acolyte.

The species lifespan and age of the character, who also happens to state in The Phantom Menace how the Sith haven’t been seen in over a millennium, is a huge point of contention.  While most sources are considered Star Wars Legends material and not part of the new Disney canon, the timing, and depiction of the character do not make sense, visually or logically. Had this Jedi character been named someone entirely different, none of this would be part of the discussion. But since the credits of the episode list this as the same Ki-Adi Mundi we know from the Star Wars prequel films, it is going to rub many people the wrong way.

The second major problem comes from the very end of the episode, which happens to be the one section of it that moves the main lot forward. As everyone meets at Kelnacca’s hut, Osha comes face-to-face with Mae’s masked master. He ignites his red lightsaber and pushes both Osha and the group of Jedi back using The Force, leading to a big conflict that will play out in the next episode. It’s a rough cliffhanger for viewers to wait to see how this plays out but also comes very close to breaking the canon of the franchise.

If things are going to match up with canon and statements we’ve seen in Star Wars prior to this show, then one of a few things is going to need to happen. Either the red lightsaber-wielding figure cannot be a Sith or everyone in this forest is going to lose their lives. And yet, it’s reasonable to think that a powerful force wielder with a red lightsaber would not be unknown to the rest of the Jedi Order, let alone dismissed as not a Sith-like being. Regardless of how this scenario plays out in upcoming episodes of the show, the outcome will be divisive among Star Wars fans.

Something that is massively disappointing with the show coming out of episode 4 is the fate of the Wookie Jedi Kelnacca. Much of the marketing and teasers for The Acolyte show the Wookie being involved in much of the action going on during the story this show was going to tell. But what we see happen to Kelnacca in the episode shuts any potential of that down very quickly, after we see Kelnacca in his hut slashed by a lightsaber. It’s a very similar twist to how Master Indara, played by Carrie-Anne Moss, found a similar fate in the very first episode of the show. The sad truth is that creative decisions like this can be incredibly disappointing when they happen, and make viewers feel like they were lied to.

Had there been more scenes involving Kelnacca doing something interesting or important to the overall story in previous episodes, this wouldn’t have been that bad. But as is here, the death of Kelnacca feels underwhelming and a waste of a character that could have been more interesting. It’s a problem that The Acolyte as a show continues to suffer from. An interesting idea or setup that does not pay off whatsoever. And if that trend continues for the rest of the series into other established plot points, then viewers may find themselves even more frustrated by the end.

The fourth episode of Star Wars: The Acolyte does not do the series any favors. A lot of the same problems from previous episodes are still present and compounded with other things that can grow into bigger issues. Conversations between characters are still delivered in questionable fashion, some of the costumes on characters look cheaper than usual, and the set design of locations appears boring and underwhelming. While the ending of the episode appears to lead into what could be an interesting conflict between the Jedi and the mysterious masked figure, it is cut off before anything can happen.

Hopefully, the next episode can show viewers something exciting and make up for what felt like a very dull episode that dragged on for far too long. But after four episodes that have yet to really push The Acolyte into exciting territory, it’s reasonable for any viewer to feel incredibly disappointed and not expect much to change for the rest of the series. It does not help that the story is getting dangerously close to messing with the previously established canon of the franchise, which would be a wise thing to avoid any further.

The Acolyte is streaming now on Disney+, with new episodes released weekly each Tuesday.