Star Wars Secretly Set Up Trakata In Justina Ireland's Novel "A Test Of Courage"
The Acolyte featured a forbidden lightsaber technique used by the Stranger, but Star Wars subtly set up the Forbidden Forms' appearance 3 years ago. The Acolyte episode 5 had a number of twists, one of the biggest being the reveal that Mae's sidekick Qimir was really her master, a deadly dark side Force-user thought to be the franchise's newest Sith Lord. However, even more shocking than this reveal were the multiple Jedi deaths in The Acolyte episode 5.
In addition to being downright brutal to watch, the deaths of The Acolyte's Jedi featured some of the best lightsaber fights in all Star Wars movies and TV shows. In part, this was the stunning choreography and the talent of the actors; however, the lightsaber fights were also fascinating because of the Stranger's forms and techniques. Specifically, the Stranger utilized multiple Forbidden Forms, which were secretly established 3 years ago in an unexpected place.
Vernestra Rwoh's Lightwhip Is The Counter To The Forbidden Forms
In The Acolyte episode 5, Qimir/the Stranger uses the forbidden lightsaber technique Trakata. With Trakata, the user intentionally turns their lightsaber on and off at random in order to confuse their opponent. Qimir employed this method throughout his battles in episode 5, to great success. In fact, that method, along with his lightsaber dagger hidden in his main saber, allowed him to take out multiple Jedi, including Jedi Padawan Jecki Lon.
While it may be effective, the Jedi unsurprisingly banned the technique as it employed such deceptive tactics. However, there was a history of such forms, as made clear in Justina Ireland's novel Star Wars: The High Republic: A Test of Courage. In the novel, Vernestra Rwoh, who is notably also present in The Acolyte, explains to her Padawan, Imri Cantaros: "Have you read the testimonies of Cervil the Uncanny? She states that the whip was sometimes used to defend against the Sith Lords who used the Forbidden Forms."
Star Wars Perfectly Primed Master Rwoh to Take On The Stranger 3 Years Ago
While the quote does not mention Trakata by name, it does set up the existence of the Forbidden Forms wielded by the Sith, and, most importantly, it nods toward Master Rwoh's impending role in The Acolyte. As Master Rwoh mentioned to her Padawan Imri in the excerpt from A Test of Courage, the Lightwhip is a Jedi weapon known to be effective against the Forbidden Forms. In the High Republic series, Master Rwoh wields a purple lightwhip, and The Acolyte trailers have already revealed that Vernestra Rwoh's purple lightwhip will make an appearance.
Presumably, this means that, at some point, Vernestra and Qimir will go head-to-head, with Vernestra having the one weapon that can truly take the Stranger down. Brilliantly, this means that Star Wars perfectly primed Master Rwoh to take on the Stranger 3 years ago. This bodes extremely well for the rest of the show. In fact, while there are only a few episodes left in season 1, showrunner Leslye Headland has already made clear that she is interested in additional seasons. This could mean many epic battles to come between Vernestra and the Stranger—or any Sith using Forbidden Forms. For now, though, it's clear that Star Wars brilliantly set up Trakata 3 years before Star Wars: The Acolyte even premiered.
