The Tragic History Of The Acolyte’s New Jedi Vow Explained

Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for The Acolyte episode 1 & 2

The Acolyte has revealed the first-ever Jedi Master in live-action practicing the Barash Vow. A rare oath taken by certain Jedi Knights, the Barash Vow is an alternate path for members of the Jedi Order. However, it’s not one that’s often taken lightly. In The Acolyte, The High Republic’s Jedi Master Torbin (Dean-Charles Chapman) is revealed to have taken the Barash Vow, seen in deep meditation within the Jedi Temple on the planet Olega.

Having been targeted for death by the assassin Mae (Amandla Stenberg), it’s teased that Tobin took the Vow following a dark and tragic event that happened in his shared past with both Mae and her twin sister Osha, the former Padawan of Jedi Master Sol (Lee Jung-jae). It’s also one that results in Torbin’s willing death by Mae’s hand, having long sought absolution for the events that transpired. With that in mind, here is the canonical history of the Barash Vow and what it means for Jedi who’ve taken the oath throughout the Star Wars canon.

What Is A Barash Vow

Complete Removal From The Jedi Order

Rather than continuing to live and operate under the purview of the Jedi Order, those who take the Barash Vow remove themselves from the activities of the Jedi Order. This was to better focus on the will of the Force itself rather than their own motivations and desires. The goal was to seek the strongest connection to the Force possible and to find true communion.

That said, several Jedi took the Barash Vow as a form of penance and atonement following mistakes or critical moments where they stumbled or strayed from the tenets of the Jedi Path. Such is the case for The Acolyte’s Jedi Master Torbin who hadn’t spoken to anyone or interacted with the Jedi Order in years. Instead, Torbin’s only communion was with the Force itself until Mae’s arrival. Having willingly taken the poison she offered, Torbin sought absolution for the darkness in their past, marking this moment as the end of his oath (and his life).

The Tragic Origin Of The Barash Vow

Named After Barash Silvain

In the official Star Wars canon, the Barash Vow first originated with the High Republic’s Jedi Master Barash Silvain. Barash was a female Kage Jedi who often partnered herself with Jedi Master Porter Engle. 250 years before the events of The Acolyte in 382 BBY, Barash and Porter’s mission to Gansevor to end a brutal siege saw Barash mistakingly being guided by his own emotions which clouded her judgment.

Barash’s mistake resulted in many lives being lost before the siege ended. As such, this tragedy led to Silvain deciding to remove herself completely from the Jedi Order as an act of penance to re-center herself in the Force. In the years and centuries that followed, Barash’s vow would later be made by other Jedi, and the new oath was named after her.

How Many Jedi Took A Barash Vow By The Time Of The Prequels

A Lot More Than You Might Think

According to canonical Star Wars comics, over 14,000 Jedi took the Barash Vow throughout the Star Wars timeline. While that seems like quite a large number, it is a rather broad window of time when Jedi could choose to make this oath from its inception during the High Republic Era and the end of the Jedi Order following Order 66 in Revenge of the Sith. It’s also not that big of a number when considering the Jedi Order’s numbers were around 10,000 Jedi Knights at any given time.

Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith

Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith is the sixth film in the Star Wars franchise and chronologically the third in the Skywalker Saga. Set three years after the events of Attack of the Clones, Anakin Skywalker is tasked with keeping an eye on Chancellor Palpatine while other Jedi battle across the galaxy. In the background, however, a mysterious Sith lord begins to make their move to destroy the Jedi once and for all.

Release Date

May 19, 2005

Distributor(s)

20th Century Fox

Cast

Ewan McGregor , Natalie Portman , Hayden Christensen , Ian McDiarmid , Samuel L. Jackson , Christopher Lee , Anthony Daniels , Kenny Baker , Frank Oz , Ahmed Best , Temuera Morrison

Runtime

140 Minutes

Budget

$113 Million

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Star Wars Has Only Ever Revealed Two Other Jedi Who Took A Barash Vow

Jedi Master Kirak Infil’a and Jedi Knight Dez Rydan

Despite the thousands of Jedi who’ve reportedly taken the Barash Vow, only one other Jedi Master is known to have taken it apart from Barash and now, The Acolyte’s Master Torbin. Jedi Master Kirak Infil’a took the Barash Vow long before the beginning of the prequel era, a long-lived Jedi who was also alive during the High Republic Era. Known for his prowess as a gifted duelist, Kirak’s sole purpose eventually became fighting. This motivated the Jedi Master to take the Barash Vow and live in a Jedi monastery on the river moon of Al’doleem. However, this also meant that Kirak survived the events of Order 66 due to his non-involvement in the Clone Wars.

However, Kirak was eventually discovered by Darth Vader in the early days of the Empire. Killing the Jedi Master, it was Kirak’s kyber crystal from his lightsaber that Vader took and bled red for his first Sith blade. That said, Kirak believed that defeating Vader would have marked the end of his oath, the reason for which he’d long been waiting at the monastery. The only other known Barash taker was Jedi Knight Dez Rydan during the High Republic. Fearing that his Force connection had been damaged after an encounter with one of the Nihil’s Force-predators known as the Nameless, Rydan took his vow in an effort to restore his ties to the Force.

Did Yoda And Obi-Wan Take Barash Vows During The Dark Times?

From A Certain Point of View

While there was no real Jedi Order to remove themselves from following Order 66 and the rise of the Empire, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda both removed themselves from the galaxy following Revenge of the Sith. As such, their respective exiles could be considered a form of the Barash Vow. However, Obi-Wan’s initial years in exile were much darker and potentially even the opposite, seeing as how he shut himself off from the Force before reconciling with his past as seen in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series.

Obi-Wan Kenobi

Obi-Wan Kenobi takes place 10 years after the events of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, which showed Anakin’s fall to the dark side and the rise of Darth Vader. Obi-Wan is hiding on Tatooine and watching over Luke Skywalker before Bail Organa recruits him to save a kidnapped Leia. With a confrontation with Darth Vader inevitable, Obi-Wan Kenobi tells the story of a man of a destroyed alliance fighting to protect the future. Ewan McGregor returns as his fan-favorite Star Wars character, as does Hayden Christensen as Darth Vader.

Cast

Bonnie Piesse , Hayden Christensen , Moses Ingram , O’Shea Jackson Jr. , Simone Kessell , Ewan McGregor , Grant Feely , Joel Edgerton , Maya Erskine , Benny Safdie , Indira Varma , Marisé Álvarez , Sung Kang , Rupert Friend , Kumail Nanjiani

Release Date

May 27, 2022

Seasons

1

Writers

Joby Harold , Hossein Amini , Stuart Beattie , Hannah Friedman , Andrew Stanton

Directors

Deborah Chow

Showrunner

Joby Harold

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That said, both Yoda and Obi-Wan (eventually) maintained strong connections with the Force despite their time in exile, and Kenobi even communed with the Force ghost of his old master Qui-Gon Jinn. Likewise, they both eventually break their isolation to help train Luke Skywalker as the galaxy’s new hope as seen in the original trilogy. Finally, they also became Force ghosts, a testament to the strength of their bond by maintaining their identities in the Cosmic Force.

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

Seasons

1

Streaming Service(s)

Disney+

Writers

Leslye Headland , Charmaine De Grate , Kor Adana

Directors

Leslye Headland , Alex Garcia Lopez

Showrunner

Leslye Headland

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