It seems like we can never really avoid talking about Star Wars. Even the recent debut of The Mandalorian and Grogu‘s teaser trailer provoked a lot of conversation, both about those characters and about where the franchise has gone in recent years.
It has also made a lot of people think about the recent “Sequel Trilogy” of movies: either being astonished at how long its been since they wrapped up with 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker, or beginning to feel nostalgia towards its highs and lows. John Boyega, who starred as Finn in those movies, has coincidentally joined in on that conversation in an interesting way.
During a recent panel at Florida SuperCon 2025 (via PopVerse), Boyega was asked how he would personally “remake” the Sequel Trilogy, free of the various creative ebbs and flows that it endured. Unlike a lot of usual convention-friendly soundbites, he had a pretty in-depth answer, arguing that “if I was a producer on Star Wars from the beginning. You would have had a whole completely different thing.”
“It would be mad,” Boyega shared. “First of all, we’re not getting rid of Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, all these people. We’re not doing that. The first thing we’re going to do is fulfill their story, fulfill their legacy. We’re going to make a good moment of handing on the baton. Our new characters will not be OP’d in these movies. They won’t just grab stuff and know what to do with it. No. You’ve got to struggle like every other character in this franchise. I’d do that.”
“I’d look to the Old Republic stories,” Boyega continued, “And see what we can add to the continuation of that. I would definitely want to see Force Unleashed stories in there. I would try to expand the Star Wars universe as much as possible while respecting the lore. If we’re expanding the lore, we have to do it in within the respective boundaries that stay true… But Luke Skywalker wouldn’t be disappearing on a rock. Hell no. Standing there and he’s, like, a projector? I would want to give those characters way more way more.”
A New New Era
There were obviously a multitude of offscreen reasons for why the Sequel Trilogy turned out the way that it did: Carrie Fisher’s sudden passing in 2016, J.J. Abrams replacing Colin Trevorrow on what would become The Rise of Skywalker, and just the festering state of toxic Internet discourse are easily on that list. But purely on a creative level, Boyega does make some good points about what could’ve been done differently.
As shocking as Kylo Ren killing Han Solo was in The Force Awakens, it did immediately take the trilogy’s approach to its legacy characters into an uneven territory. The fact that Luke, Leia, and Han never even shared a single frame across the three movies still feels like an oversight, with Luke and Leia not even crossing paths again until his final moments in The Last Jedi. In a world that now feels bloated with legacy sequels and original characters returning to the audience’s thunderous applause, it is wild in hindsight how restrained the Sequel Trilogy was in that aspect.
And to Boyega’s other point: folding in Old Republic and Force Unleashed lore could have been promising, as well. It is still shocking that the Old Republic era is so unexplored onscreen (despite a Knights of the Old Republic movie being put into development almost half a decade ago), although maybe James Mangold’s Dawn of the Jedi movie will start to change that. Granted, this is all easy to argue with hindsight and outside of the actual creative process of making these movies, but given just how many times the Sequel Trilogy introduced lore that went absolutely nowhere (hello, Knights of Ren), it’s definitely a fun thought experiment to have.
Jenna Anderson is the host of the Go Read Some Comics YouTube channel, as well as one of the hosts of the Phase Hero podcast. She has been writing professionally since 2017, but has been loving pop culture (and especially superhero comics) for her entire life. You can usually find her drinking a large iced coffee from Dunkin and talking about comics, female characters, and Taylor Swift at any given opportunity.
Deception, lies, and betrayal are at the heart of the latest Star Wars show to hit Disney+, The Acolyte. Now that we know that even the Jedi can’t be trusted, fans are starting to wonder, is Master Vernestra Rwoh hiding something?
It’s hard to believe that we’re already approaching the end of Leslye Headland’s High Republic show, The Acolyte. With just one episode left to go until the finale, the series has some burning questions to address—namely, about dark sider Qimir (Manny Jacinto) and what exactly happened on Brendock 16 years ago. We know that the Jedi were, to an extent, involved in the destruction of the witch coven Mae and Osha (Amandla Stenberg) once belonged to, but their role in the whole fiasco remains cloudy, to say the least.
Now, the latest episode of The Acolyte, titled “Teach/Corrupt,” is making things even more complicated by introducing a subplot that could change how audiences view Master Vernestra and her so-called “loyalty” to the Jedi Order—forever.
Warning! Spoilers ahead for all episodes of The Acolyte.
Vernestra Rwoh is a powerful—and deceptively old—Jedi
To fully understand Vernestra’s role in The Acolyte, we have to look to theHigh Republic novels and comics. Vernestra, a green-hued Mirialan, made her debut in The High Republic Adventures Annual 2021, but it wasn’t until Star Wars The High Republic #5 that her character was really fleshed-out. Since then, the character has featured prominently in Charles Soule’ canon novel The High Republic: Light of the Jedi, as well as The High Republic: A Test of Courage, among others.
There’s a lot of lore here, but all you need to know is that Vernestra Rwoh is the “it girl” of the High Republic era, having achieved Jedi Knighthood at the tender age of just 15. Razor-sharp with both her mind and her one-of-a-king purple lightwhip, Vernestra is described in the High Republic books as being something of a teenage prodigy, which often led to more problems than anything. And yeah, given that she was born around 248 BBY (if the Test of Courage timeline is anything to go by), this would make her well over 100 years old by the time The Acolyte rolls around—Vernestra has lived a lot of lives.
High Republic fans finally get to see their favorite gal in full, live-action glory thanks to The Acolyte, where she’s played by showrunner Leslye Headland’s wife, Rebecca Henderson. The Disney+ show paints a more complicated picture of Vernestra, as the stoic Jedi Master seems to struggle between her oath to the Order and her personal feelings, wanting justice for Master Indara (Carrie-Anne Moss) at any cost. It’s not exactly a Jedi-like feeling, and raises the question of whether or not Vernestra has the right intentions by going after Sol’s (Lee Jung-jae) ship after sending them on what was, essentially, a death mission to Khofar…all without the High Council’s permission, it seems.
Episode 6 of The Acolyte also adds a whole new layer to the mystery of Vernestra by introducing audiences to Padawan learner Mog (Harry Trevaldwyn). After receiving Sol’s distress signal, he assembles a search party to Khofar to retrieve the slain Jedi. Upon discovering the corpses, Mog has quite the damning accusation: Sol was the one who murdered all of the Jedi. We, the viewer, know this isn’t true, and Vernestra adamantly denies this. Howeverm Mog seems to know a little more than he’s letting on, perhaps, about Sol’s shady past on Brendock. We also get to see Vernestra’s lightwhip in action when she cuts down a umbramoth in the jungle, begging the question…are those scars on Qimir’s (ahem, well-toned) back somehow related? If so, was Vernestra once his Master? And what would’ve brought them to such a violent confrontation?
Obviously, there’s a lot of loose plot threads for The Acolyte to tie up before its finale. But regardless of whether or not Disney will move forward with a second season, seeing Vernestra Rwoh in live action has been a treat for us High Republic girlies already.
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Adam Driver is unlikely to return to Star Wars as Kylo Ren, as it appears the actor is done with the franchise. Speaking on the podcast SmartLess, the actor made it pretty clear that he has no intention of heading back to the mega-franchise, though plenty of actors have said that before, only to go back on their word.
Driver made his debut in the first film of the sequel trilogy, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, as Kylo Ren, a.k.a Ben Solo—son of General Leia Organa and Han Solo, and grandson of Darth Vader. Kylo Ren was the main antagonist of the first film, a young man torn between the light and the dark with horrific anger management issues.
Despite his many evil deeds, including killing his own father, Kylo does have somewhat of a redemption arc, joining Rey against Emperor Palpatine in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and then sacrificing himself to save her. Though the sequel trilogy may have left certain (unpleasable) fans irate, and it has been widely debated since the final installment was released, no one can fault Driver’s acting chops.
The Star Wars world, much like the galaxy itself, is ever expanding, with a steady stream of new series on Disney+ and a slew of films (supposedly) on the way, one of which will focus purely on Daisy Ridley’s character Rey—but it appears Driver will not be a part of them. Chatting with actors Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, and Sean Hayes on their podcast SmartLess, the conversation quickly turned to his time in the franchise.
(Lucasfilm)
The actor discussed how the final arc for his character changed significantly from what it was when he agreed to join:
“How it was pitched to me, again none of this was written, but that his journey was supposed to be the opposite of Vader’s in that he starts the most, as opposed to someone who’s the most dark from the beginning and then by the end of the series becomes the most vulnerable, that he starts the most vulnerable and that little by little more committed to the dark side.”
Obviously, the opposite happens, and Kylo Ren softens throughout the films—just like his grandfather, he sacrifices himself for the hero. When the question of whether he would head back or be involved in more series arose, Driver’s response was, “They’re doing stuff, but not with me. I’m not doing any more.” When he was asked, “Are you done with the character?” he responded with a resounding yes.
Other actors have said this in the past, including Harrison Ford and Liam Neesom, both of whom returned to the big and small screens in their respective roles as Han Solo and Qui-Gon Jinn. Driver has moved on to work on a slew of fantastic projects, with MarriageStory and BlacKkKlansman seeing the actor receive nominations for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor. Though we won’t see him in Star Wars anytime soon, perhaps, much like his fellow Star Wars actors, he will return as unexpectedly as Palpatine did.
(via Smartless, featured image: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
The Jedi of Star Wars are like the knights or samurai of the future (but also somehow in the past). Many regard them as heroes who defend the galaxy against the evil Sith with their trusty glowing blades. They have a strong connection to the Force and can use it to manipulate the world around them. To be a true Jedi, you must follow a strict code that eschews strong feelings and personal attachment.
Even though the Jedi can be a flawed group, we all have our favorites. Although all the Jedi have their strong points, some are more powerful than others. I have a theory that Jedi only get stronger with the next generation because the Force keeps building. Some Jedi have to walk, so others can run. So, going off of canon Jedi, I have compiled a list of the most powerful folks to wield a lightsaber.
15. Grogu
(Walt Disney Motion Pictures Studios)
Grogu isn’t technically a Jedi, I know. He trained only for a short time, then went rogue. But he is very powerful in the Force. Since we do not know much about Grogu and Yoda, it may be that they are all this strongly connected to the Force, especially at a young age. Either way, Grogu could rank higher on the list if he ever goes back to training.
14. Aayla Secura
(Walt Disney Pictures Studios)
Aayla Secura is a Twi’lek Jedi Master featured in the prequel movies and The Clone Wars. Her powers with the Force may not be extraordinary, but her overall skills as a warrior are. Sadly, she led a group of troopers when Order 66 occurred and the brainwashed clones murdered her.
13. Kit Fisto
(Walt Disney Motion Pictures Studios)
Kit Fisto had a lot of skill with a lightsaber. Because of his genetics, not only could he fight well on land, but he could also take that same skill underwater. However, his connection to the Force didn’t seem much higher than the average Jedi.
12. Plo Koon
(Walt Disney Pictures Studios)
Plo Koon is another Jedi Master who sadly died during Order 66. Like several of the other Jedi, he was a skilled warrior and pilot. Unlike the others, Pl Koon seemed to have a stronger connection to the telekinetic abilities. Too bad we didn’t get to see more of his skills.
11. Ezra Bridger
(Walt Disney Motion Pictures Studios)
Ezra Bridger is considered to be a prodigy in the Force. He’s a character that we have now seen in the animated Rebels show and the live-action Ahsoka where he had some impressive moves. His training hasn’t been consistent, otherwise, he would probably be higher on the list. Something unique about Ezra and the Force is that it allows him to connect with animals. Just that power alone could do great things.
10. Count Dooku
(Walt Disney Motion Pictures Studios)
Before Dooku fell to the dark side, he was one of the best Jedi with a lightsaber. He matched Mace Windu in ability and only Yoda could defeat him. But he went Sith and ruined his chances of being higher on the list.
9. Quinlan Vos
(Walt Disney Motion Pictures Studios)
Quinlan Vos had a lot of skill with a lightsaber. But his power ranking more lies with his Force ability. Not only could he use Force telekinesis, but he connected to the Force on a deeper level, where he could feel a person’s thoughts or emotions from an object they had touched. Using this, he could track people with ease. Also, he used the Force to hide that he had turned to the dark side. But his betrayal of the Jedi code forced him lower on the list.
8. Ahsoka Tano
(Walt Disney Motion Pictures Studios)
Trained in the Force by her two dads, Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano is very powerful in the Force. She uses the Force to increase her agility during duels (that she does with two blades) and can use telekinesis with skill, including using a Force choke.
The Force even came to her through visions of the future and this allows her to communicate telepathically with other Force-sensitive beings. If she had stayed with the Jedi longer (and I support her decision in every way), and if Order 66 never happened, she may have surpassed more Jedi on the list.
7. Mace Windu
(Walt Disney Motion Pictures Studios)
Besides just being cool (and having the only purple lightsaber), Mace Windu is one of the top Jedi duelists of all time. A powerful handle on Force telekinesis, Windu also mastered the Jedi mind trick. Maybe because of his ability to see the future, he never trusted Anakin fully, knowing he would eventually fall to the dark side. Although Windu is exceptional, he just doesn’t reach the same level as the other Jedi on the list.
6. Obi-Wan Kenobi
(Walt Disney Motion Pictures Studios)
Obi-Wan Kenobi (a.k.a. Ben Kenobi or Daddy-Wan Kenobi) is the grand-padawan of Count Dooku, the padawan of Qui-Gon Jinn. He trained both Anakin Skywalker and Anakin’s son, Luke. But Kenobi was more than a trainer. He used the Force (and his silver tongue) to mind-trick people and help negotiations during the war.
Also, he used his deep connection to the Force to lift large objects. With his power and lightsaber dueling abilities, he even defeated Darth Vader (not Anakin because those two would never fight). I also stand by the theory that Vader didn’t kill Kenobi. Kenobi just stopped existing since he was sick of dealing with Skywalker-related drama. One man (even a master Jedi) can only take so much.
5. Ben Solo
(Walt Disney Motion Pictures Studios)
Before Ben Solo thought his Uncle Luke Skywalker was out to kill him, he was on the path to becoming an ultra-powerful Jedi. As the child of Leia Skywalker, the Force was strong in Ben. Lucky for him, Luke was there to teach him. Ben’s power could have met that of Luke’s, but egos and daddy issues got in the way, as they tend to do in Star Wars. Although Kylo Ren is still powerful, his chaotic anger never equaled what his power good have been if he stayed on the path of the Jedi.
4. Anakin Skywalker
(Walt Disney Motion Pictures Studios)
Many great Jedi believed Anakin Skywalker was the chosen one to bring balance to the Force. His connection to the Force and skill with a lightsaber exceeds most Jedi. Watching Anakin duel is a thing of beauty, especially when he combines his physical skills and the Force.
If the Jedi understood Anakin’s raw power more, or if he had more hugs from Obi-Wan, he could have outranked all the other Jedi. However, his emotions and power were not channeled correctly (I could literally write a Ted Talk on this), and we got Darth Vader instead of an ultimate Jedi.
3. Yoda
(Walt Disney Motion Pictures Studios)
Yoda is a lean, green Force machine. The oldest and wisest of the Jedi, Yoda has had 900 years to hone the Force to his needs. Whether it is lightsaber battles, telekineses, or feeling the will of the Force, he’s got it all on lockdown. He trained many of the legendary Jedi, including Dooku and Luke Skywalker. Yet even with his advanced age, his ability didn’t eclipse some younger Jedi.
2. Luke Skywalker
(Walt Disney Motion Pictures Studios)
Luke Skywalker was born to be a Jedi (like his father before him). The son of “the chosen one” and trained by two Jedi greats, Luke easily found his feet as an amazing Jedi. It is like the power of those before him, added to his strengths and abilities.
After training others, Luke found ancient Jedi texts to further his own knowledge. As we saw when he used a Force projection (also called Similfuturus) to travel through space. This is honestly one of the coolest moments in Star Wars history.
1. Rey Skywalker
(Walt Disney Motion Pictures Studios)
Much like Luke Skywalker, Rey was born to be a glowing center in the Force. It makes sense that she would take the Skywalker last name. As the daughter of a clone of Darth Sidious/Sheev Palpatine and trained by Luke Skywalker for a short time, Rey had the basic skills to become one of the greatest Jedi ever.
With only a short training window and being a young age during that time, Rey still performed amazing feats with the Force. Her Force telekinesis outperformed many Jedi before her. And her power connected with Ben Solo/Kylo Ren to create a legendary Force Dyad. We only saw some of Rey’s power, so with her, the sky is the limit.
‘Tis truly a bountiful season for Star Wars fans! We’ve got the Star Wars live-action television series from Disney+ with season three of The Mandalorian coming soon after Andor’s recent season 1 ending. Their animated docket is also full, with a new season of Star Wars: The Bad Batch coming on the heels of this fall’s Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi animated anthology series. Star Wars has also had great success with their foray into video games, especially with Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. So what’s going on with its sequel, Jedi: Survivor, and did we just find out its release date via Steam?
As fans might recall, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order takes place five years after Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. The game follows a former padawan, Cal Kestis, who managed to survive Order 66 and is now being hunted by two Imperial Inquisitors (Second Sister and Ninth Sister) and Darth Vader. He is tasked with tracking down a Holocron that holds the names of force-sensitive children across the galaxy before the Inquisitors can get their hands on it. By the end of the game, Kestis has rescued the Holocron, and his partner, Cere (a former Jedi Knight), has reconciled with her former padawan, Trilla … a.k.a. Second Sister. Unfortunately though, Vader kills Trilla for failing to stop Cere and Kestis. Cal decides to destroy the Holocron in an effort to keep the force-sensitive children on its list safe.
When will Star Wars Jedi: Survivor be released?
(Image: EA/Respawn)
New rumors rocked the gaming world and Fallen Order fans in early December 2022, when screenshots from the game were supposedly leaked. The screenshots reveal an alleged release date of March 15, 2023. Other sites also reported rumors that the game would be releasing March 16, 2023, based on information on the game’s Steam page that has since been removed. The Jedi: Survivor site has deleted any information regarding the release, so we can only speculate on whether or not the rumors of a mid-March release date are true. After all, it was also rumored that the release date would be officially announced during the 2022 Game Awards on Thursday, December 8!
And the rumor about the release date being revealed during the Game Awards turned out to be correct! Stars Wars Jedi: Survivor dropped the official reveal trailer during the ceremony! Along with the trailer was the official release date: March 17, 2023! So get your lightsabers ready because March is only a few months away!
What else do we know about Star Wars Jedi: Survivor?
Rumors about Star Wars Jedi: Survivor have been circulating ever since EA announced not one but three new Star Wars games: a first-person shooter, a strategy game, and a sequel to Jedi: Fallen Order. One rumor (from Bespin Bulletin) that has been proven correct was the announcement of Fallen Order‘s sequel at Star Wars Celebration 2022. The new sequel, titled Star Wars Jedi: Survivor was announced during the event’s festivities along with a new teaser trailer.
The new game will continue to follow the young Jedi Cal Kestis as he tries to escape the Empire. The new trailer was light on plot, but we gleaned some important details. Cal seems to have lost not only the found family of allies that he gained during Fallen Order, but it seems his lightsaber has fallen into the hands of the Inquisitors. Speaking of which, it appears that the Grand Inquisitor is going to be coming after Cal directly.
Along with the teaser trailer, it was announced that the game will be releasing officially in 2023. However, a specific date was not given. The game will be coming to next-gen consoles like PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, but the rumors circulating that the game will only be released on those platforms was neither confirmed nor denied. It is quite possible that players who still use PS4 and Xbox One will be out of luck if they want to play Jedi: Survivor. This is a frustrating possibility for many gamers, considering that there is still a shortage of current-gen consoles on the market, and PS5s are still incredibly hard to come by.
