Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for The Acolyte.
Summary
The Sith Lord ofThe Acolyteis a very cool addition to theStar Warsshow, but he’s not my favorite character; Lee Jung-jae’s Master Sol is. Since the Sith Lord’s identity was revealed inThe Acolyteepisode 5, he’s essentially stolen the show. The Jedi massacre he carried out on Khofar was breathtaking, and theories about how he plays intothe Sith Rule of Twohave become increasingly popular. On top of that, the Stranger is an extremely cool character: everything about him, from hisnew trick lightsaberto hiscortosis helmetand gauntlet, has been incredibly interesting.
The Sith Lord has givenThe Acolytea lot of its entertainment value in the past few weeks, but he’s still not the best part of the show. That honor goes to Lee Jung-jae’s Master Sol, a character I have truly come to adore. There are a ton of compelling things about Sol, from his similarities to another beloved Jedi - Qui-Gon Jinn - to the incredible skill with a lightsaber he displayed on Khofar. The reason I think Sol is the best part ofThe Acolyte, though, is because of Lee Jung-jae, and what he brings to theStar Warsshow.
Star Wars: The Acolyte Episode Guide - Cast Members, Biggest Takeaways & Easter Eggs
Here’s everything you need to follow along with Star Wars: The Acolyte, from references and trivia to main takeaways from each new episode.
Lee Jung-jae Has Given A Consistently Great Performance As Master Sol
The Stranger’s introduction toThe Acolytebrought with it quite a bit of awe and spectacle, and while it was a high point of the show, it wasn’t the highlight of the entire series.Lee Jung-jae as Master Sol, however, has been tremendous throughout every episode. He’s handled every one of his scenes perfectly, and he’s the biggest reason I likeThe Acolyteso much. Nothing illustrates Jung-jae’s acting prowess better thanThe Acolyteepisode 6. That episode dedicated almost a full minute to a wordless performance by Jung-jae, and the show completely relied on him to give the Jedi’s deaths actual meaning and consequences.
Sol’s wide range of emotions cements him asThe Acolyte’s best character, but that’s only because Lee Jung-jae gave the most impressive performance in the entire show.The cast ofThe Acolyteis filled with tremendous actors, but Jung-jae has truly made Sol his own, and he absolutely shines in the role.Jung-jae perfectly delivers in every role Sol takes, from Stoic master to grieving father to fearsome warrior and everything in between. I know I’m about to see something spectacular every time he comes on screen, andThe Acolytehas greatly benefited from his performance.
Master Sol Is The Heart & Soul Of The Acolyte
The story ofThe Acolytecenters around Mae and Osha Aniseya, but Sol is still the best part. Sol feels three-dimensional to me in a show filled with characters who are less than dynamic.Many ofThe Acolyte’s characters are driven by a single motivation or emotion. Mae is fueled by nothing but revenge and love for Osha, Qimir’s entire purpose is to be cool and manipulative, and characters like Jecki and Yord simply didn’t have a long enough life to display a wide range of emotions. Even Vernestra Rwoh, a well-established and beloved character, has only played a small role so far.
Who Is Master Sol? Lee Jung-jae’s Acolyte Star Explained
Jedi Master Sol is one of the lead characters of The Acolyte, played by Lee Jung-jae. But who is Sol, and how does he connect to the show’s story?
Only Osha comes close to being as emotionally compelling as Sol, but I don’t think she’s matched the command Sol has overThe Acolyte.The story may focus on Osha and Mae, but everything that happens inThe Acolyterests on Sol’s shoulders. He’s the one common connection between all the other characters in the show, but he also gives the show its emotional appeal. Where other characters focus on furthering the plot, Sol givesThe Acolytea chance to be introspective and deliver its emotional impact and themes. Additionally, without Sol,The Acolytewould fall victim to a problem it has only barely avoided.
The Acolyte Wouldn’t Be As Good Without Lee Jung-jae As Master Sol
Though thereview bombing ofThe Acolyteand claims of “wokeness” discredit them, there are some legitimate criticisms of the show. Its episodes feel very short, there are some serious issues with pacing because of that, andThe Acolytehas been a very inconsistentStar Warsstory so far. It seems to switch between genres with each episode, going from mystery to thriller to action to drama.The constant change in tone threatened to makeThe Acolytefeel like several disjointed, semi-connected short films, but Lee Jung-jae was able to tie it all together.
Jung-jae is essentially the rock The Acolyte anchors itself on.
Because of Lee Jung-jae’s mastery of every type of actingThe Acolytedemands of him, he’s allowed the show to get away with experimenting in so many different genres. Jung-jae is essentially the rockThe Acolyteanchors itself on.Even whenThe Acolyte’s tonal shifts bordered on jarring, it always had Sol there to provide the emotional core it needed to fall back on. This is also why I like Sol so much more than the Sith Lord: the massacre on Khofar was cool and devastating, but it wouldn’t have been nearly as engaging if Lee Jung-jae hadn’t given audiences a reason to care.
Lee Jung-jae’s Master Sol doesn’t just saveThe Acolytefrom succumbing to its issues, he also makes awesome moments, likeThe Acolyteepisode 5, possible. He may not always be the coolest or most flashy character, but he’s almost always the most compelling.It’s precisely because Jung-jae fills in the weaker, slower moments ofThe Acolyteso well that the show can remain interesting long enough to get to the true set pieces. Sol is the offensive end to the Stranger’s quarterback: the quarterback gets the praise, but he wouldn’t even get the chance to throw the ball without his linemen.
Sol
Master Sol is a wise, highly respected, powerful Jedi Master, strong in the ways of the Force, who is going through emotional conflict.
I like a lot of whatThe Acolytehas to offer, and I think a lot of the experimentation it has done with the typicalStar Warsformula has paid off. I just also believe that it wouldn’t have worked without Lee Jung-jae’s Sol tying everything together. He keepsThe Acolytegrounded and relatively focused, and he keeps the show interesting enough to prevent the mystery of Brendok from feeling frustratingly drawn out. Lee Jung-jae as Master Sol is by far my favorite part ofThe Acolyte, and I can’t wait to see him nail it again.
The Acolyte
Cast
The Acolyte is a television series set in the Star Wars universe at the end of the High Republic Era, where both the Jedi and the Galactic Empire were at the height of their influence. This sci-fi thriller sees a former Padawan reunite with her former Jedi Master as they investigate several crimes - all leading to darkness erupting from beneath the surface and preparing to bring about the end of the High Republic.
