Star Wars: The Acolyte is debuting on Disney+ next week, and the series is set during the High Republic era. The show features the live-action debut of the lightwhip AKA the lightsaber whip. The character best known for using this weapon is Jedi Knight Vernestra Rwoh, who is being played by Rebecca Henderson in The Acolyte. ComicBook recently spoke with Henderson, and she talked about getting to wield the lightwhip.
“The training wasn’t that different,” Henderson explained when asked if the lightwhip training differs from lightsaber training. “But I suppose the lightwhip is very dangerous,” she added while pretending to get her head cut off. “The training wasn’t different, but so much wrist work, so much wrist. As you can see in the shot, I’m going behind me. So it’s something that I’m not seeing in front of me.”
“They did, yeah,” Henderson confirmed when asked if new VFX was created to make the lightwhip work. “No, I don’t,” she admitted with a laugh when asked if she knew how it was done behind the scenes. “It’s not my department. But I didn’t see it until recently. The new clip that they released was the first time I’ve seen the full, you know, the prongs of the thing go up … I was like, ‘It’s awesome!'”
The Lightwhip’s History:
The lightsaber whip or lightwhip is a modified lightsaber with one or more plasma blades in flexible containment shields. Used by the Jedi Order during the Sith Wars, lightwhips have also been associated with the Nightsisters of Dathomir. The lightwhips were first canonically mentioned in the Fantasy Flight Games sourcebook Endless Vigil in 2016 before appearing in The High Republic: A Test of Courage in 2021. However, the lightwhip originated in the Star Wars Legends continuity, and first appeared in the comic book Star Wars (1977) #95 in 1985.
What Is The Acolyte About?
Set during The High Republic, Star Wars: The Acolyte delivers an investigation into a mysterious string of crimes, which pits a Jedi master against his former apprentice in a race to uncover the truth. The more that the pair learn about the situation, the darker their journey becomes, as they confront things that darker than either of them could have imagined.
The series stars Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, Charlie Barnett, Jodie Turner-Smith, Rebecca Henderson, Dean-Charles Chapman, Joonas Suotamo, and Carrie-Anne Moss. Star Wars: The Acolyte premieres on Disney+ on June 4th.
Star Wars: The Acolyte premieres on Disney+ on June 4th.
