Star Wars: The Acolyte Episode 5, Night, saw the death of several Jedi Knights, including Yord Fandar (Charlie Barnett), at the hands of the mysterious Sith Master, who turned out to be Qimir (Manny Jacinto) and went on the name The Stranger. Appearing in only five episodes, fans didn’t get the chance to know more about this formidable Jedi Order member. However, in his latest interview, Barnett revealed that his character came from the planet of Alderaan, similar to the home planet of one of the Rebel Alliance’s greatest leaders, Princess Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher).
In an interview with Collider, Barnett detailed how he presented The Acolyte showrunner Leslye Headland with a few options for Yord’s home planet, admitting to choosing some “really obscure” and “weird” worlds for his character. However, the series creator had proven her great knowledge of the franchise’s lore, refusing the actor’s suggestions. Though Barnett tried to reject the idea, he eventually accepted Headland’s recommendation.
“I started going off until like the planets that I felt I could have been from initially, and I pick some really obscure and weird ones just to be like what is Leslye gonna say about this,” he recalled. “I'm like, 'I'm not just gonna be from Alderaan. Let it be known I chose Alderaan eventually.”
Barnett continued that he laid out about three or four different planets, finding them all cool and “Yording” them. However, Headland saw they wouldn’t fit, suggesting they were too far, and surprised Fandar with how familiar she was with this project.
“I’m like, she really knows this sh*t off the top of her,” he continued. “This is in the moment, and I was like…I’m just Alderaan is it.”
What is Alderaan in Star Wars?
Located in the Core Worlds, Alderaan is a terrestrial planet covered with mountains. It was once ruled by Queen Breha Organa and represented in the Galactic Senate by her husband, Senator Bail Prestor Oregana. This place played a pivotal role in establishing the Rebel Alliance, which sought to restore the values of the Old Republic.
As an adopted daughter of Bail and Breha, Leia was the heiress to the royal house of Alderaan. It was first mentioned in George Lucas’ first Star Wars movie, Episode IV – A New Hope before it was blown up by Grand Moff Tarkin (Peter Cushing) via the Death Star. So, as one of the oldest parts of the Galactic Republic that bloomed during the High Republic era, it only made sense that Yord came from this planet and might be among the Force-sensitive children sent to Coruscant to train as a Jedi.
First seen in live-action in the 2022 Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi, its ambiance and the people’s lifestyle perfectly fall in line with Yord’s personality. So, as a keen follower of Jedi rules who liked everything neat, such as steaming his Jedi robes, it was probably why Headland chose Alderaan as Yord’s home planet.
The Acolyte Episodes 1 to 5 are available on Disney+, while new episodes are set to release every Tuesday.
