Star Wars: The Acolyte just gave Jedi Master Vernestra Rwoh a rare, Clone Wars-era Force power. The Acolyte portrays the Jedi as they’ve never been seen before. Though the High Republic era, during which the show takes place, is a time of peace and prosperity for the Jedi, it’s clear that the Order is coming apart at the seams. Wrongful killings, cover-ups, and massacres abound, as the dark side once again makes itself known in the galaxy. At the center of it all is Jedi Master Vernestra Rwoh, a prodigious Jedi first introduced in the High Republic novels.
Vernestra is no ordinary Jedi – she was first knighted at the age of 15, she wields a unique lightsaber whip, and she experiences prophetic albeit uncomfortable visions while traveling through hyperspace. Now, during The Acolyte, she’s also presumably been elected as Master of the Order, leading the Jedi Council and heading up important investigations. She was already a remarkable Jedi Master, but The Acolyte’s finale has made her list of skills and achievements even more extensive.
Vernestra Rwoh Uses “Psychometry” To Experience The Past
In The Acolyte episode 8, aptly titled “The Acolyte,” Vernestra follows her friend and fellow Jedi Master Sol to the planet Brendok. Years ago, Sol and a few other Jedi were involved in the deaths of an entire coven, and Sol himself was responsible for the wrongful death of Osha and Mae’s mother, Aniseya. Though Vernestra only arrives once Sol has already tragically been killed, she can sense what happened in the past – she can feel the violence that took place on Brendok and the guilt that was involved. It’s more than that, though.
Vernestra can actually hear the moment Sol killed Mae and Osha’s mother, and she can sense exactly where it happened within the witches’ fortress. This is a rare Force ability called psychometry, one which was first introduced canonically in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Broadly, psychometry allows the wielder to re-experience events of the past by touching an object or even just by entering a certain setting. Psychometry was originally linked to roguish Jedi Quinlan Voss in The Clone Wars, though more Jedi have proven to have this ability since then, including Ahsoka Tano, Cal Kestis, Rey Skywalker, and now, of course, Vernestra Rwoh.
Did The Jedi Frown On Psychometry During The High Republic Era?
Normally speaking, a Jedi is born with this psychometry ability. It is not a gift that can be taught or enhanced through training, like the Jedi mind trick or the power to commune with certain creatures. It’s not necessarily odd that Vernestra wields this ability, though, as she also experiences painful visions while traveling through hyperspace, so this could simply be an extension of that skill. It is a powerful and potentially dangerous ability, however. Without proper instruction, Jedi with this ability could technically become susceptible to the dark side.
The Jedi aren’t taught to process emotion – if anything, they are taught to suppress it – and may be tempted to lose their way the more they practice psychometry, influenced by the heightened emotions of others.
Psychometry doesn’t provide an unbiased view of the past. An object becomes imbued with strong emotions, leaving behind a Force echo for the psychometrists to interact with. The Jedi aren’t taught to process emotion – if anything, they are taught to suppress it – and may be tempted to lose their way the more they use this ability, influenced by the heightened emotions of others. The Jedi may not have frowned upon this ability, as such, but they were likely wary of it, given the hypothetical consequences. If Star Wars: The Acolyte is renewed, Vernestra may end up wielding this power once more.