The teaser for the series «Star Wars: Acolyte» shows a previously unseen Jedi weapon — a lightsaber that turns into a whip. However, this is not a completely new weapon: the events of «Star Wars: Acolyte» take place during the time of the High Republic.
The video shows the sword for a very short time, but you can clearly see how it transforms into a whip when you swing it. The weapon belongs to the famous character of this era, Vernestra Rowe (Rebecca Henderson). The Jedi learned the Force vision in her teens, which allowed her to change her lightsaber to get an additional mode.
Rowe, a green-skinned Myrian woman, was once one of the youngest Jedi, initiated at the age of 15, considered one of the best in this generation of the Order. But Vernestra, as shown in «Acolyte», is much older than the one readers have met in the novels about the High Republic, her purple hair shaved off, revealing a myrialan tattoo. Vernestra, dressed in a golden brown mission robe worn by Jedi of the time.
Light whips are known to be difficult to control and weaker than a regular lightsaber. The weapon has been known since 1985 comic books: Sith Lord Lumia made her own light whip and used it against Luke Skywalker. However, this story, like many other materials, is now recognized as non-canonical.
The light whip appeared again in the novel «The High Republic: A Test of Courage by Justine Ireland. It was considered a weapon of the Night Sisters of the High Republic era, which prompted Vernestra to keep it a secret from the Jedi Order. The whip was revealed when Vernestra and her friends found themselves on the moon of Vevo — it helped them win a battle with Imrie Cantaros, a Padawan who was inclined to the Dark Side.
The premiere of the series «Star Wars: Acolyte» will premiere on June 4 on Disney+.
Source: Gizmodo