The Real Reason Why the Jedi Stopped Using Lightwhips Sheds More Light on What Kind of a Character Vernerstra Rwoh Really Is

‘Star Wars: The Acolyte’ is one highly controversial show, partially due to its alleged wokeness and partially due to bending the canon a little, something that fans took great offense with.

One of the things that the show brought from the books and comics is the so-called “lightwhip.”

‘The Acolyte’ is certainly not the first appearance of that weapon but it is the first live-action depiction, which makes it canon. Fans complained on social media beacuse of the lightwhip’s inclusion. Whether the reason was good or bad, is completely up to your judgment. But there is a good reason why they were never exactly the mainstream form of light-based weaponry.

You see the lightwhips were always controversial weapons due to their extreme lack of defensive abilities. Lightwhip is a weapon designed to deal maximum damage, and to be used as an offensive “tool,” it’s designed to injure, maim, and kill. You can understand how Jedi would not have a use for such a weapon.

Lightwhips were seen as extremely cruel, and there was no place for cruelty in the Jedi tenet, which is why the council frowned upon them. However, as it turns out the lightwhip was highly useful to counter Sith’s forbidden lightsaber forms.

So how does Vernerstra Rwoh play into all of this? She modified her lightsaber during the High Republic Era during a time when Sith were considered for the most part extinct. So what does she need a lightwhip for?

Vernerstra felt pushed by the force to modify her weapon, but she also kept it a secret from her fellow Jedi and from the Jedi council at first. The Jedi council eventually approved the usage of the weapon but it remained highly controversial. This would explain why we haven’t seen another one for a century at this point.

The fact that Vernerstra uses a lightwhip in live-action reveals a lot about her character. Last week we covered a theory that Vernestra is Qimir’s secret Master and that the scars you can see on his back were dealt to him by the unusual weapon.

Rwoh also seems standoffish and cold when compared to all other Jedi, she is also quick to deal damage with her weapon, something that is opposite to the tenets that the Jedi preach. Her weird behavior led fans to assume that she was actually corrupted by the Dark Side.

In the books, Rwoh was led by the force to create the weapon, and nowhere was it implied that she did it out of cruelty, but a live-action version of the character might take that leap.

So, what do you think? Let us know in the comments below!

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