The Acolyte introduced Dafne Keen as the Jedi Padawan named Jecki, a skilled warrior who ultimately fell to a Sith Lord. I’ll never forget Dafne Keen’s savage debut in Logan, when she played the acrobatic X-23 – Wolverine’s female clone. It had always seemed like only a matter of time before she got to wield a lightsaber.
And what a Jedi she made. Jecki was a Theelin, a member of a near-human race who would be almost extinct by the time of the original trilogy, and the makeup and design was incredible. So why did Star Wars have to kill her?
Jecki Died Taking On The Stranger
A Truly Formidable Enemy
The Acolyte episode 5 featured some of the best lightsaber action I’ve ever seen. You could tell straightaway that Manny Jacinto and the rest of The Acolyte‘s cast had put in some serious training. Dafne Keen in particular showed just what she was capable of.
Jecki came closer to beating the Sith Lord known as the Stranger than anybody else. In the end, though, she fell to the Stranger’s trick lightsaber – a secondary sH๏τo blade, previously unseen because its hilt was connected to that of the Sith’s primary weapon. This was the lightsaber blade showrunner Leslye Headland said broke all the rules.
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Dafne Keen’s Performance Was Utterly Fantastic
She Made A Great Jedi Padawan
It helps that Dafne Keen played the part so very well. She was particularly good opposite Amandla Stenberg, and I loved how the relationship between Jecki and Osha evolved – as well as the incredible girl fight between Jecki and Mae in episode 5.
I get it. In terms of the narrative, it makes perfect sense that Jecki had to die – to show just how dangerous a Sith Lord really is. Worse still, if any Jedi had crossed blades with the Sith and lived to tell the tale, we’d have had huge questions about why the Jedi didn’t shut the Sith down a century before Palpatine.
But… seriously, Star Wars, why? Especially when you look at those lightsaber training videos…
Dafne Keen Is Absolutely INCREDIBLE With A Lightsaber
I’ve Never Seen Anything Like It
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Let’s face it, we’ve all seen some pretty fantastic lightsaber duelists. Just watch Hayden Christensen twirl that blade. But I’ve genuinely never seen anybody as impressive as Dafne Keen since. She really did make it look as natural as breathing.
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Yes, I know The Acolyte was controversial, but surely we can all agree that the lightsaber combat was amazing. Leslye Headland dreamed of The Acolyte as a multi-season show, meaning it would have been so easy to keep Jecki alive, a potential star who we could have seen a lot more of in the Star Wars galaxy.
Even Star Wars Seems To Know Jecki Should’ve Been Kept Alive
The Acolyte Isn’t Over
The Acolyte may have been canceled, but Jecki’s story is far from over. She’s actually set to return in a prequel story (yes, this is Star Wars) – a novel by Tessa Gratton, The Crystal Crown, due out on July 29. It feels like a subtle acknowledgment that Dafne Keen’s character was a major hook, and that she really should’ve been kept alive.
She wasn’t, of course, and The Acolyte won’t continue. Still… at least we can always do a rewatch, and admire that stunning lightsaber choreography.
