Max Nocerino 
Although Star Wars: The Acolyte: Wayseeker isn’t particularly exciting or memorable, Justina Ireland is a talented writer and character developer who deserves recognition for executing this successfully.
Star Wars: The Acolyte: Wayseeker is a so-called “conciliation prize” for the fans of the now-canceled Acolyte series, which hit Disney+ less than a year ago. Fan response to this show was mainly tepid, and it was not renewed for a second season, which greatly disappointed me. I legitimately thought it was a good production, and I am frustrated that we were left with such a tantalizing cliffhanger when the series abruptly ended.
Naturally, I assumed this book would fill in for what happened next, but sadly, it was not. It was a standalone story that took place before the events of the series and starred Venestra Rwoh teaming up with the then 26-year-old Indara (a Jedi Master in the later show), who had spent over a year buried in the Jedi Archives and had little field work to show for it.
VERNESTRA & INDARA
The strength of this book lies in the writing and characterization. The plot wasn’t terrible, but it takes a backseat when evaluating its worth. I generally have regarded Justina Ireland as one of the best writers in The High Republic initiative, and her foray into a post-High Republic tale was no exception.
We fast forward many decades after the defeat of the Nihil, and Vernestra “Vern” Rwoh has grown into a seasoned warrior. Indara, being so young, has read extensively about her achievements in the archives and was almost star-struck when she got a chance to meet her in person. However, those feelings of admiration go a bit by the wayside, as she finds Vernestra to be kind of annoying and difficult to work with.
Since the end of the Nihil, Vern has changed and is no longer the sweet and likable teenager we were first introduced to in The High Republic. The years have hardened her, and her opinion of the Jedi as a system has soured considerably, which is one of the reasons she has become a Wayseeker. She has spent over a decade away from the Temple, helping others across the galaxy. Indara is sent to bring her back personally, as she is ignoring the Council’s messages.
JADED JEDI?
I honestly can’t argue with Vernestra’s jaded look on the Council. We are getting to the part of the timeline where the Senate has become increasingly critical of the Jedi Order and meddling in its affairs, and Vernestra won’t have that. She is frustrated, and even her strong relationship with Jedi Master Yaddle is not enough to convince her (entirely) that the Order is still a force of good.
The bad chemistry between Vernestra and Indara at the beginning flowed perfectly. Neither of them is innocent regarding interpersonal interactions or teamwork, as they can irritate people. Vernestra is so jaded and over-experienced that she can’t help “lecturing” or judging Indara (even when she doesn’t want to be “mean”). Indara is not a very social and finds herself easily put off by Vernestra’s personality.
However, their character growth is genuine and nuanced, and towards the end, they truly start to become friends. The plot was basic, but it had some good points sprinkled throughout. The main baddie, Neilsson, is a near-human drug-addict arms dealer who lives the good life and doesn’t hesitate to kill people when he is angered or displeased. He may seem like a dime-a-dozen minor Star Wars villain, but there is something so real and oily about him that I was almost impressed with his creation.
NEILSSON
Justina also gets inside his head a lot, and it’s interesting to see how amoral he is, or how he judges female aliens based on their appearance, or failing that, if he wants to have sex with them. He is an essentially ruthless arms dealer who is re-developing a weapon that could change the balance of power in the galaxy forever, and doesn’t care who dies or gets hurt. He is also almost always stoned and cannot get through most things without a luxury spice to snort. Finally, he is very reminiscent of a drug dealer or crime lord in the real world, and I found that it follows his characterization.
Justina actually built some good plot points to be fair, but I was a little disappointed when the ending was a bit anti-climactic. Yet, that is also its strength, if you can believe it. Let me explain. We, as readers, always want some spectacular and suspense-ridden conclusion, but in terms of realism, most things do end with a whimper and NOT a bang. Having a pathetic and quick ending for such a loser like Neilsson is satisfying in its own right.
UNRESOLVED PLOT
I also love how Justina followed up on an unresolved plot point from The High Republic Wave I, and created a lore-tacular new planet in the galaxy that is devoted to an order of scientists who, similar to the Jedi Order leave the greater galaxy behind and seclude themselves to work on their craft without any interruptions from the government. Instead of the Force, it’s the next best thing, and something the galaxy truly runs on (whether fans like it or not): SCIENCE. Glorious SCIENCE. I have been very impressed with some of the new planets The High Republic authors have created over the course of the last few stories, and many of them even seem like fun places to live! (If they were real, of course).
Vern’s chronic hyperspace visions were a bit of a MacGuffin. On the other hand, their mystique and uncontrollable nature made it feel less like a deus ex machina and more like a curse that could occasionally be used to help her progress through the mission. The ambiguity of whether her long-dead master, Stellan Gios, is a spirit or just an illusion completes it even more!
VERDICT
Lastly, Justina must be commended for her precision in telling a tale in which the Nihil have been defeated and peace has been restored to the galaxy without revealing what is likely to be a very epic conclusion. Yes, this project has gathered so much inertia over the last half-decade that it would be unacceptable to have it finish with a whimper instead of a bang. Anyway, back to what I said about Justina’s precision, it’s hard to tiptoe around various eras of storytelling without spoilers and continuity problems. Still, by gosh, she pulled it off perfectly!
I don’t have any complaints about this novel. While it wasn’t exciting or memorable, Justina is such a good writer and character developer that she needs to receive some accolades for pulling this off without a hitch. However, I would love to see The Acolyte: “Season 2” tale, at some point in the future.
Star Wars: The Acolyte Wayseeker is published by Penguin Books and is available to buy now.
Max Nocerino is a regular Staff Writer for The Future of the Force. He is a passionate Star Wars fan and loves the literature of the galaxy far, far away. Follow him on Twitter where he shares his love of the Force frequently!
