“What’s Wrong With Yord?” Dafne Keen Explains Why Her ‘Acolyte’ Character Jecki Lon Loathes Charlie Barnett’s Jedi

The Acolyte Episode 1 introduces us to a whole area of Star Wars canon. The Disney+ show features a mysterious “Master,” who may or may not be a Sith Lord, a pair of Force-sensitive twins played by Amandla Stenberg, and, to my greatest delight, shady Jedi.

Yup, The Acolyte reveals that during the end of the High Republic era, a period of profound peace and glory for the Jedi, the proverbial library was open. We’ve got Jedi reading each other and using all sorts of subtle passive aggressive burns to hate on each other.

However, no one is dragging their fellow Jedi Knight quite like Padawan Jecki Lon (Dafne Keen). In the first scene we meet Jedi Master Sol’s (Lee Jung-jae) apprentice, she asks if Jedi Knight Yord Fandar (Charlie Barnett) will be accompanying them on their mission to bring in accused Jedi killer Osha Aniseya (Amandla Stenberg). Jecki’s tone is so flat, so disappointed, that even her Master is like, “What’s wrong with Yord?”

“Nothing. He’s just…Yord,” Jecki answers, leaving us in the dark!

For his part, Yord is a nice enough Jedi. Sure, Sol and Jecki walk in on him in a state of undress because he’s steaming his Jedi robes, but besides that, he seems…fine. And okay, Jecki’s plan for dealing with Mae (Amandla Stenberg) and her dark ally Qimir (Manny Jacinto) is far smarter than Yord’s. But, like, seriously, what’s wrong with Yord?

“Yes, let’s do find out,” Charlie Barnett laughed when Decider point blank asked The Acolyte star Dafne Keen to explain Jecki’s antipathy towards her fellow Jedi.

Rebecca Henderson, who plays Jedi Master Vernestra Rwoh, also wanted some illumination on the topic. “Yes, what is your problem with Yord?” 

“No. Okay,” Dafne Keen said, collecting herself. “Well, first of all, right, I think the audience, as the show goes on, will be like, [rolls eyes] ‘Is Yord coming as well?’”

Barnett laughed and said, “True burn. True burn. True burn.”

“But also I think Jecki’s problem with Yord is how like she’s so composed and like, well-behaved, and he’s — to her — he’s a goof,” Keen said. “She’s like, ‘Oh my God, not this guy again, who’s a joke, and I don’t want to work with him.'”

“And it’s really annoying to her, I think, that he’s higher up than she is. Even though she feels more capable than him.”

Yes, after all, Yord is a Jedi Knight and the eighteen-year-old Jecki is simply a Padawan.

In real life — well, specifically, last summer’s Star Wars Celebration — Charlie Barnett and Dafne Keen have talked about how they bonded during “training,” becoming on set besties in the process. Keen explained to Decider that Jecki’s withering commentary on Yord was “really fun to play.”

“That specific scene was like my third day on set and me and [Lee Jung-jae] had so much fun. We did so many versions of ‘He’s just Yord,'” Keen said. “So many versions of that.”

Release the “He’s just Yord” footage!