The Acolyte debuted a lightsaber whip in live-action Star Wars, and the team responsible for crafting it have finally revealed their secrets. The lightsaber whip in Star Wars’The Acolyte was incredibly cool to see in live-action, belonging to Vernestra Rwoh. The Acolyte‘s Vernestra Rwoh is a character from the High Republic books set a century before the Star Wars TV show, with her unique weapon tying into her past. Her lightsaber can change form, becoming a lengthy whip, which forced The Acolyte‘s creators to come up with the VFX behind the new variant of the iconic Jedi weapon.

As outlined on VFXVoice.com, the chief workers for The Acolyte‘s VFX team outline the process behind creating the lightsaber whip. One such creator was ILM’s Julian Foddy, who stated that he and his team went back on forth on how to create the whip. Initially, Foddy and Co. argued between making the whip several small sections or a long, continuous beam of light. Also, the lightsaber whip did not have a practical element like other lightsabers in The Acolyte. Concerning bringing the weapon to life, this is what Foddy had to say:

“The lightwhip was something that Leslye desperately wanted to get into the show. I tasked the ILM art department with coming up with various concepts for how the lightwhip might work and engaged in lengthy discussions with Pablo Hidalgo to make sure we got this right. Not only did we want to respect fans of The High Republic novels but also discuss the technology of a lightsaber… ”

“Ultimately, we came down to the simplicity of the single strand. It’s down to the nonchalance of how Vernestra Rwoh uses the whip as well… It is a normal lightsaber and has been modified to turn into a whip. There is an instance when Vernestra deploys or retracts the whip, and it snaps into a straight blade before returning into the hilt.”

The Lightsaber Whip Is A Tremendous Addition To Lightsaber Lore

Star Wars’ Iconic Weapon Continues To Be Revolutionary

Custom Image by Simone Ashmoore

As evident, the dedication to making the lightsaber whip work paid off. The lightsaber whip is a great way to switch up the status quo of Star Wars while also staying true to the franchise’s roots. Not only does it make the weapons infinitely more interesting, but it simply makes wielders like Vernestra Rwoh even cooler too. This factored into the creation of the lightsaber whip in The Acolyte, with Foddy stating “Leslye [Headland] was keen to make sure we see that the lightwhip is not only the badass weapon, but that Vernestra looks like a total badass when she uses it.”

Moreover, the lightsaber whip factors into Star Wars lore as opposed to simply being a neat visual gimmick for fan service. In Star Wars’ High Republic Era, Vernestra was initially reluctant to show her modified weapon to her masters. Vernestra thought that the whip would be deemed a weapon too close to the dark side, which further develops her character. Thankfully, the work put in by the VFX team for The Acolyte worked, as the lightsaber whip solidified its place as a fantastic addition to Star Wars canon and the world of laser swords.