Star Wars: The Acolyte's Wookiee Jedi Explained: Who Is Kelnacca?

Summary Master Kelnacca is Star Wars' first live-action Wookiee Jedi, which makes history for the franchise.

Wookiees are rarely shown to be Jedi in Star Wars, partially because George Lucas made a rule against showing them in the Order, and partly because they were just rare in general.

Kelnacca has sequestered himself at the remote location Khofar, but the reason for his isolation remains unknown.

Jedi Master Kelnacca is one of the most prominent characters in The Acolyte, and there are quite a few things that make him interesting both on-screen and from behind the camera. Based on the confirmed details about The Acolyte, the upcoming Star Wars show will break quite a bit of new ground for the franchise. It's set to tell one of the darkest stories in Star Wars, but it should also introduce exciting new pieces of lore, and it will be the first time several different parts of the franchise appear in live-action.

Part of the reason The Acolyte will be the first Star Wars show to introduce so many concepts is because it will be the first live-action appearance of the High Republic era. Set 100 years before the events of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, both the High Republic and The Acolyte feature a very different Jedi Order and galaxy from the ones shown in the Star Wars movies. One such exciting part of The Acolyte is Kelnacca, the show's Wookiee Jedi. He seems to be one of the show's most exciting characters, both because of his characterization and how he came to be.

Related Everything You Need To Know Before Watching Star Wars: The Acolyte Star Wars' next TV show, The Acolyte, will come to Disney+ on June 4. Here's everything you need to know ahead of this epic Star Wars series.

Kelnacca Is Star Wars' First Live-Action Wookiee Jedi

There Have Been Other Wookiee Jedi In Animation, Novels, & Comics

Kelnacca is a unique Jedi Master for a number of reasons. There have been Wookiee Jedi in both Star Wars Legends and canon before, but they've mostly appeared in animated shows like Star Wars: The Clone Wars, novels, and comics like the High Republic phases I and III. Kelnacca is therefore the first Wookiee Jedi in live-action, which means The Acolyte is already making Star Wars history. He won't be the only new addition to the franchise made by The Acolyte, but Kelnacca will fulfill something fans have wanted to see for a very long time, which is a very exciting prospect.

Kelnacca Kelnacca, a Wookiee Jedi, is a loner who lives a solitary life on a jungle world. Created By Leslye Headland Cast Joonas Suotamo First Appearance The Acolyte Alliance Jedi Race Wookiee

Who Plays Jedi Master Kelnacca In The Acolyte?

Joonas Suotamo Plays Kelnacca In The Acolyte

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Kelnacca is played by actor Joonas Suotamo, who has a long history with the Star Wars franchise. Suotamo has also played another Wookiee, the famous Chewbacca. Suotamo began portraying Chewbacca in 2015's Star Wars: The Force Awakens, as he acted as a double for Peter Mayhew, the original Chewbacca actor. Mayhew retired from the role for health concerns prior to Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and Suotamo has been the main Chewbacca actor in every Star Wars movie since. Kelnacca marks the first time he has played a Wookiee who wasn't Chewie, and he first played the role during Star Wars Celebration Europe in 2023.

Chewbacca 200 years old by the time of the Star Wars original trilogy, the mighty Chewbacca is best known for swearing a life debt to Han Solo. Chewie accompanied Han through countless adventures, choosing to battle against the Empire for the freedom of his homeworld Kashyyyk. He remained with Han and the Solo family even after the Empire's fall, becoming a crucial ally of the Resistance to the First Order. The sequels seemed to end with Chewie remaining co-pilot of the Millennium Falcon - but now to Rey. Created By George Lucas Cast Peter Mayhew , Joonas Suotamo First Appearance Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope Alias Chewie Race Wookiee

Outside of Star Wars, Suotamo has had a few different roles. He played The Scourge in Disney+'s Willow, and he's also set to play a role, likely Lurch, in Netflix's Wednesday season 2. Suotamo has not only been an actor in his professional career, though. He also played basketball for the Penn State Nittany Lions in college, and he briefly played professionally in his home country of Finland. Ultimately, Suotamo left basketball behind, and he ended up bringing some of the most important and beloved characters in Star Wars to life.

Why Wookiee Jedi Are So Unusual In Star Wars

George Lucas Didn't Want There To Be Many Wookiee Jedi

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Wookiees are one of the most prominent alien species in Star Wars, so it's odd that they so rarely are shown to be Jedi. The reason there are so few Wookiee Jedi in Star Wars canon is because George Lucas had a rule that banned Wookiees from being Jedi after a few Wookiee Jedi were created in Star Wars Legends. That's why there are no Wookiee Jedi in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, despite their homeworld of Kashyyk being so prominently featured. Eventually, though, Lucas repealed that order, and there have since been Wookiee Jedi in canon, including one created during his tenure, Gungi, who was featured in The Clone Wars.

Wookiee Jedi in Star Wars Canon Name First Appearance Gungi The Clone Wars Burryaga Light of the Jedi Arkoff Light of the Jedi Kelnacca The Acolyte

In the years since Lucas' rule banning Wookiee Jedi was undone, Star Wars has begun depicting more members of the species as Jedi. There are two other Wookiee Jedi in the High Republic era, Burryaga and Arkoff in addition to Kelnacca. Still, though, Wookiee Jedi remain exceedingly rare, with only four examples in Star Wars canon. It's likely that this is simply a product of how little time there has been to introduce new Wookiee characters, but it could also be a continuation of Lucas' rule and an effort to show that Wookiees rarely become Jedi, something that Huyang established in The Clone Wars season 5, episode 7.

Kelnacca Is Living In Seclusion On A Jungle World

Little Is Known About Khofar Or Kelnacca's Sequestration

There isn't much known about Kelnacca's personality or his role in The Acolyte, but the details that have been revealed about him offer a very interesting glimpse into the Jedi Master's life. According to The Acolyte's character posters, Kelnacca was "a loner who lives a solitary life," and it was explained that he had "sequestered himself in the tangled jungles of Khofar." Those descriptions don't offer much insight into Kelnacca or his role in The Acolyte, but they may have some clues about his true nature.

It's especially strange that a Wookiee would sequester themselves, as the species is generally well known for creating long-lasting and extremely loyal bonds to others.

It isn't clear whether Khofar is a planet itself or a region within a larger world, but either way, it's a location that has not yet been seen in Star Wars. There's not much to go on with Khofar itself, but the pictures that have been made available of the location give some clues about what Kelnacca is up to. One picture showed Kelnacca next to a Jedi speeder bike, and also featured a wall in the foreground. Those details could be evidence that there was a Jedi Outpost on Khofar, and that Kelnacca was possibly stationed there.

While those clues give some indication of Khofar, it remains unclear why Kelnacca has sequestered himself. It's especially strange that a Wookiee would do so, as the species is generally well known for creating long-lasting and extremely loyal bonds to others. It's possible that Kelnacca's sequestration is connected to the dark past hinted at in The Acolyte, and that one of its flashback scenes will explain why Kelnacca felt the need to isolate himself. Another possibility is that Kelnacca was a Jedi Wayseeker, a type of Jedi who operated according to their own interpretation of the will of the Force, not the Council's.

Whatever role Kelnacca ends up playing in The Acolyte will likely bring him to the center of attention, given his prominence in the show's promotional materials. It remains to be seen how he'll be drawn out of isolation, but the central mystery of the show will likely be a major reason for it. Now, though, the only way more will be revealed about Kelnacca is through The Acolyte itself.

The Acolyte premieres on June 4 on Disney+.