Lightsabers in The Acolyte show how much the Jedi changed in 100 years

This article contains spoilers for The Acolyte episodes 1 and 2.

During the opening scene of The Acolyte episode 1, "Lost/Found," Mae tells Jedi Master Indara, "A Jedi doesn't pull her weapon unless prepared to kill." Indara seems to agree as she waits for most of the fight to draw her weapon. Instead, she dodges attacks with her foresight and uses the Force defensively. We see this same strategy in episode 2, "Revenge/Justice," when Mae and Master Sol fight. In the world of The Acolyte, set 100 years before the prequel trilogy, most Jedi appear reticent to draw their lightsabers at all during a fight.

Not everyone has looked at the lightsaber throughout the Star Wars universe with that perspective. At some point between The Acolyte and prequel eras, Jedi began to use their sabers with increasing frequency. In battle, lightsabers were drawn immediately, threatening their enemies and cutting down droids indiscriminately. While they may have used the Force to aid them, defensive strategies were rarely their prerogative.

However, we have also seen plenty of instances where Jedi used their sabers to deflect blaster fire, melt doors, and light their paths. None of these uses require them to kill anyone, but they deviate from the original purpose of the lightsaber, as shown in The Acolyte. Rather than seeing them solely as a symbolic weapon only to be used in the most dire of situations, Jedi began to use them as more versatile tools.

After a century, some still agree with Mae's sentiment. Yoda has emphasized that the Force should be used defensively rather than to attack others. Yet, even with this belief, he doesn't wait nearly as long to use his lightsaber or offensive Force techniques in combat situations as Masters Indara or Sol.

Even more significant, there are signs within The Acolyte that the shift in lightsaber perspective has already begun. While the more experienced Masters avoid lighting their sabers, younger Knights such as Yord appear to have no such inhibitions. In episode 1, he uses his lightsaber to light his way through a cave. In episode 2, he takes hold of his saber during the conflict with Mae, the first to consider using the saber.

It is possible that as the show progresses, we will see more signs of the changes occurring within the Jedi Order. Practices may be altered, ideologies may become distorted. As a new generation of Jedi mature, their perspective on lightsabers may shift, obscuring their original use in favor of one with less restraint.

Clearly, by the time the Clone Wars begin, the Jedi have lost their way and allowed old enemies to take the upper hand. The beginning of this ongoing deterioration may well have begun with the shifts we see with their lightsabers. Maybe if they had paid more attention, the Jedi would have foreseen their eventual downfall through the deterioration of their code.