Who is Yord Fandar in ‘Star Wars: The Acolyte’?

Now that new Star Wars prequel The Acolyte has come and gone, people are curious to know more about the characters who graced the show. One standout quickly became Yord Fandar, a by-the-book Jedi Knight looking into the death of Jedi Master Indara at the start of the series. The character quickly captured fan attention with his strict adherence to the Jedi code and his clear history with series lead Osha Aniseya. So who is he?

Who is Yord Fandar in Star Wars canon?

Yord Fandar, played by Charlie Barnett, is a recently knighted Jedi looking to prove himself in The Acolyte. Early on, fans noted a multitude of parallels between Yord and Andor’s Syril Karn, who was also a try-hard working desperately to impress his superiors.

Yord wants to prove his mettle as a Jedi, and early in the series we see him steaming his Jedi robes, a sure sign that he wants to make the most of his new position. He likes to practice Jedi philosophies and thinks it’s important to follow them to the letter. He’s well-trained, devout, and loyal to the Republic.

He’s also crazy charming, and it also doesn’t hurt that he is roguishly handsome. That earned him a horde of fans right out of the gate, as did the intriguing qualities unique to the Star Wars newcomer. His padawan learner is a Zygerrian — a race of humanoid felines — named Tasi Lowa, and Yord’s lightsaber was revealed early on as a unique yellow. The young Jedi initially thinks Osha is the one who killed Master Indara, and at the start of the story he joins a team led by Jedi Master Sol to investigate what happened to his former friend after she crashed on Carlac.

One of Yord’s most obvious characteristics is his charm. That charm certainly didn’t go unnoticed by fans, who practically sprinted to join the character’s fan club when The Acolyte premiered. Within the first two episodes, Yord became something of a phenomenon, and his fans quickly took on a cool collective name: The Yord Horde.

With such a strong start, it took fans entirely off-guard when the character — already adored by a portion of the fandom — was brutally killed off in episode 5, titled “Night.” In the episode, series antagonist Qimir savagely cuts his way through several highly-skilled Jedi, and Yord was tragically among them.

The series cancelation puts a major damper on questions that were teased in Yord’s devastating final moments. In the seconds before Qimir tidily ends his life, Yord clearly recognizes the Sith. He utters a single surprised “you” while the two grapple, and the connection is confirmed with Qimir’s smirking “surprised?”

We’ll never get answers as to how the pair knew each other, thanks to Disney’s shoddy handling of its beloved property, and we’ve most certainly seen the last of Yord. He was cautious and brave, intelligent and curious, and in only five episodes he made fans love him, before Qimir, and later Disney, shattered their dreams into a million tiny pieces.