Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Star Wars: The Acolyte - Kelnacca #1!Master Kelnacca is a Wookie Jedi who debuted in the Disney+ original Star Wars series The Acolyte. While his time in the Star Wars universe was decidedly short-lived on-screen, Kelnacca is getting another chance to shine with an all-new comic book series. Taking place during the High Republic era before the events of The Acolyte, Kelnacca’s comic series will reveal the essential backstory of the Wookie Jedi.
In a preview for Star Wars: The Acolyte - Kelnacca #1 by Cavan Scott and Marika Cresta, a Jedi named Yarzion Vell is dying, and his Padawan expresses their anxiety about who will complete their training once he’s gone. Vell tells his young Padawan not to worry, as he was once in their position when he lost his first master before his training was complete. Vells says that his Padawan simply needs to trust in the will of the Force, just as he did when Vell was introduced to his new master: Kelnacca.
Master Kelnacca took on the responsibility of training Yarzion Vell, and he did so at an especially tumultuous time in Star Wars canon. This preview reveals that Vell’s master actually died when Starlight Beacon was destroyed at the hands of the Nihil, and that Vell met Kelnacca when the Master Jedi was on Eiram (a planet greatly impacted by Starlight Beacon’s destruction) as a part of the relief effort sent from Coruscant. In other words, the Jedi were at war, making it an interesting time for Vell to get a new master, and for Kelnacca to train a Padawan.
Star Wars Reveals Kelnacca’s Role in the Jedi’s Conflict with the Nihil
The Jedi Go to War Against the Nihil in Star Wars: The High Republic - Shadows of Starlight
The Nihil is an interplanetary gang of pirates that terrorized the Republic during the High Republic era. They were always a nuisance to the Jedi, given their penchant for general lawlessness and anarchy, but the Nihil didn't become a legitimate threat until the group’s numbers and influence grew to the point where they could really hit the Jedi and the Republic where it hurt: the destruction of Starlight Beacon, an event that came to be known as the Great Disaster.
The Great Disaster cost the lives of many Jedi who were stationed on Starlight Beacon (a Republic outpost meant to offer more resources to the Outer Rim), and was the catalyst for the Jedi’s war against the Nihil. During the Star Wars: The High Republic comics - including and especially Shadows of Starlight - readers get to see the fallout of that war from a number of different perspectives. And now, that will include the perspective of Kelnacca and his new Padawan.
Kelnacca is Getting the Recognition He Deserves During the High Republic’s Best Chapter
It’s no secret that many Star Wars fans weren’t satisfied with the amount of screen-time (or lack thereof) Kelnacca got in The Acolyte. He was the franchise’s first live-action Wookie Jedi, after all, and it’s fair to say that the series didn’t give him the recognition that he deserved. But now, Star Wars is making up for that shortcoming in a big way, as it’s not only fleshing out Kelnacca’s backstory, it’s doing so during one of the most action-packed chapters of the High Republic era.
Just from what fans can see from this preview alone, it’s clear that there’s a lot to be excited about with Kelnacca’s new comic series. From the Wookie Jedi taking on a new Padawan, to the fact that the entire story will be told during the Jedi’s conflict with the Nihil following the destruction of Starlight Beacon. And no matter what becomes of this series, one thing is abundantly clear: it will be absolutely essential to fully understand Star Wars’ Wookie Jedi Master, Kelnacca.
Star Wars: The Acolyte - Kelnacca #1 by Marvel Comics is available September 4, 2024.
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