Star Wars: The Acolyte's Lightsabers May Reveal A Different Kind Of Jedi Mind Trick

One can always carbon date the era of any "Star Wars" project via the look of a lightsaber. "The Acolyte," however, features unostentatious weapons that might hint that the entire Jedi organization is performing a different sort of mind trick on those watching them – a simple gesture of visual shorthand to confirm to evildoers they mean business and are a force to be reckoned with, due to the military nature of their sabers.

"The Acolyte" takes place roughly around 132 BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin), decades prior to the first events related to the Skywalker Saga. The lightsabers brandished by the Jedi during the first few episodes of the show are notably plain — which is surprising, because 132 BBY is smack dab in the middle of an era of general peace for the galaxy. Usually, in times of peace, lightsabers tend to be flashier in appearance as opposed to highlighting form and function. 

This might be because of where "The Acolyte" sits on the galactic timeline. In 232 BBY, the Jedi participated in the Nihil Conflict. Conducted under the Guardian Protocols, this war has the Jedi acting as an armed force, and they have moved in a military fashion since the war ended. It's been 100 years, and yet the lightsabers used by the Jedi who confront Osha (Amandla Stenberg) in Episode 1 still reflect this mindset. It's worth noting, however, that lightsabers definitely change again over the next 100 years.

Comparing the lightsabers brandished by the Jedi in "The Acolyte" to the ones we see in movies like "Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones" and other films in the franchise is fascinating. It seems that many years in the future, characters such as Darth Maul (Ray Park) will brandish flashy red multi-bladed lightsabers. There will be sabers which are brightly hilted and come in multiple colors that reflect the nature of their users –or in the case of Samuel L. Jackson's Mace Windu, he wields a purple lightsaber just because the actor thought the idea would be fun. 

They're a bit plainer by the time Darth Vader (voice of James Earl Jones, among many others) and Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) collide with the Jedi order in ruins, and even more so when Ray (Daisy Ridley) and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) meet face-to-face, but still fancy enough to be notable.

As Mae (Amandla Stenberg) notes, Jedi only ever take their lightsabers out if they intend to kill with them. That's a fact that Osha quickly learns — and forces her to confront the past that binds her back to her twin. Whether that confrontation will involve lightsabers or hand-to-hand combat remains up in the air — but it definitely won't be a Force-related trick.