This article contains spoilers for The Acolyte.
Summary
- Ki-Adi-Mundi’s age has been retconned in “The Acolyte” to reveal he was an active Jedi Master a century before “The Phantom Menace.”
- Cereans like Ki-Adi-Mundi have longer lifespans in the Disney Canon, confirming his place as an accomplished Jedi by 133 BBY.
- Ki-Adi-Mundi’s cameo in “The Acolyte” may shed light on his beliefs about the Sith, providing context for his role in “The Phantom Menace.”
The Acolyte has retconned Ki-Adi-Mundi’s age, revealing he was an active Jedi Master a full century before the events of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. Introduced in the prequel trilogy as a member of the Jedi Council, Ki-Adi-Mundi is noted for his distinctive appearance. He also plays an important role in The Phantom Menace, because he’s the member most insistent that the Sith cannot be back.
The catch with alien races, of course, is that they don’t necessarily have the same lifespan as humans. Yoda was aged 900 years old at the time of his death in Return of the Jedi, for example, and there’s no reason other alien Jedi Masters couldn’t have long lifespans as well. Ki-Adi-Mundi’s age has become a pressing matter, however, because of an unexpected cameo in The Acolyte episode 4.
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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.
Ki-Adi-Mundi’s Age Was Established In Star Wars Legends
Ki-Adi-Mundi’s age was never specified in the movies, but the Star Wars: Episode I Insider’s Guide – a computer program released on CD-ROM by Lucasfilm back in 1999 – contained a character profile revealing he was 60 years old when he first met Anakin Skywalker. This therefore established Ki-Adi-Mundi’s date of birth as 93 BBY. There’s a catch, though; Disney effectively rebooted the canon in May 2014, and the Insider’s Guide is no longer canon. It’s now viewed as “Legends,” a resource that can be drawn upon but also ignored.
The Acolyte Proves Cereans Live A Lot Longer In Disney Canon
Ki-Adi-Mundi makes a surprising cameo in The Acolyte episode 4, a member of a sub-council assessing Jedi murders by Sith assassin Mae Aniseya. He’s clearly already a Jedi Master, so this effectively confirms that in canon, Cereans are much more long-lived.The Acolyte‘s precise place in the timeline is a little uncertain, but it’s typically marketed as being set 100 years before The Phantom Menace. This means he was already an accomplished Jedi by approx. 133 BBY.
Ki-Adi-Mundi’s cameo is certainly a surprise, but it’s reasonable to assume he was included for a reason. His comments in The Phantom Menace are seen as a major problem to The Acolyte, which features an encounter with a mysterious Sith Lord a century before the movie. Presumably The Acolyte will explain why Ki-Adi-Mundi in particular thought the Sith were extinct.
The Acolyte
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.
- Cast
- Dafne Keen , Lee Jung-jae , Amandla Stenberg , Jodie Turner-Smith , Joonas Suotamo , Carrie-Anne Moss , Margarita Levieva , Charlie Barnett , Dean-Charles Chapman
- Writers
- Leslye Headland , Charmaine De Grate , Kor Adana
- Directors
- Leslye Headland , Alex Garcia Lopez
- Showrunner
- Leslye Headland