The Acolyte‘s fifth episode revealed the identity of Mae’s dark Master, but the person underneath that mask wasn’t the only fascinating thing we learned about that helmet. Qimir’s terrifying headgear on The Acolyte is made from cortosis. But what is cortosis exactly? Well, cortosis is a legendary material from Star Wars lore. That powerful, rare metal can withstand blows from a lightsaber and even cause them to short circuit, as we saw on The Acolyte’s fifth episode. Without that helmet, the Jedi might have stopped their most dangerous enemy. But more worrisome than what it can do in battle is what the presence of a cortosis helmet indicates about the danger the Jedi now face.

What Is Cortosis, the Metal Qimir Used to Make His Helmet on The Acolyte?

Qimir wears a cortosis helmet on The Acolyte. Cortosis is an uncommon metal that is among the strongest and strangest in the galaxy far, far away. It’s found on two Star Wars planets: the Mid Rim planet Dinzo and the Outer Rim planet Mokivj.

Cortosis is extremely fragile unless refined. Then, it becomes incredibly powerful. Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn: Alliances explained why. The rare metal has an “unusually high energy absorption and transmission coefficients.” That allows cortosis to “dissipate” energy blasts along fibers without damaging them. While cortosis has its limits, notably lengthy energy attacks, it still poses a unique problem for Jedi fighting a dark side user.

Cortosis Can Short Out Jedi Lightsabers, as We Saw on Star Wars: The Acolyte

In short, refined cortosis can withstand a lightsaber blast while causing the weapon to short out. Qimir used his helmet to do both while fighting multiple Jedi on Khofar. His helmet provided a shield that blocked lightsaber strikes, allowing him to fight in a unique style. It also made the Jedi weapons temporarily malfunction and shut down. Those brief moments bought Qimir extra time to defeat his confused, briefly unarmed opponents.

Without his cortosis helmet, Qimir likely would have died on that planet in The Acolyte‘s fifth episode. Master Sol bested Qimir after the dark Master lost his mask.

The Acolyte Reveals That Cortosis Can Also Be Used for Sensory Deprivation

The Acolyte reveals that cortosis can be used for more than just shorting out lightsabers, though. It can also be used to create an experience of sensory deprivation. Qimir notes that his cortosis helmet is handy against lightsabers, but is also a “sensory deprivation headpiece,” like the Jedi use as Younglings. He notes that while wearing a cortosis headpiece not only are all your senses blocked, but “It’s just you and the Force and what you bring with you.”

Where Is Cortosis Mined?

The Acolyte also reveals where cortosis is mined, sort of. Qimir lives on an “Unknown Planet.” That planet really reminded us of Star Wars‘ Ahch-To, but it turns out that it’s really a planet where cortosis is mined. Cortosis is a rare metal, so it’s not found many places in the Star Wars universe. We’ll have to wait for The Acolyte to reveal which planet this is exactly and what other secrets it holds.

Showrunner Leslye Headland notes, “the idea is that cortosis is mined on this planet, so I don’t think that’s the case with Ahch-To. Part of the reason this is his home base is that cortosis is a very rare metal. I don’t think we say it explicitly in the show, but that’s a reason it’s not Ahch-To.”

When Was Cortosis First Introduced in Star Wars?

Cortosis dates back known to the franchise’s non-canonical, pre-Disney “Legends” era. It notably appeared in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Darth Bane stories. There cortosis was best utilized as an anti-lightsaber weapon that also caused them to short circuit.

Ten years before The Acolyte, Cortosis made its canonical Disney-era Star Wars debut in 2014 in John Jackson Miller’s novel New Dawn. In its new form, it still closely resembles the original Legends iteration in terms of both properties and uses. Cortosis’ new canonical history also traces back millennia to the Era of the Sith. That’s when Star Wars’ legendary Null Blade was created to fight against the dark side order. During the Clone Wars, Count Dooku also used cortosis to create a protective shield that he employed against the Republic. And a possessed Doctor Aphra even used the Null Blade in a battle with Darth Vader.

What Does Qimir’s Use of Cortosis Mean for The Acolyte?

The Jedi haven’t faced a real threat in so long that they didn’t even know what Qimir was. He had to tell Sol they might call him a Sith, an enemy no Jedi has seen for thousands and thousands of years. Qimir was too much for them. Yord said he showed a flagrant disregard for the “rules” of fighting. That included how he used his cortosis helmet, which rendered The Acolyte‘s Jedi weaponless and defenseless.

With his helmet back in hand, Qimir once again has something that can help him defeat Jedi. But more than that, his cortosis helmet shows he knows secrets from Star Wars‘ past that the Jedi have long forgotten. They couldn’t stop him when he only had a helmet on. What if he also found other uses for cortosis that they don’t know about?

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist and lover of fictional metals. You can follow him on Twitter and Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

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In The Acolyte‘s sixth episode, Osha found herself on Qimir’s secret hideaway. That place was first seen in the series’ premiere when Mae’s Master appeared atop a rock along crashing ocean waves. Unlike every other world on the series, though, the Star Wars series didn’t give Qimir’s world a name. The Acolyte labeled it only as an “Unknown Planet.” But it was impossible for Star Wars fans not to wonder if we already know what it’s actually called, Ahch-To. The Acolyte‘s Unknown Planet looked nearly identical to the planet of Ahch-To from the sequel trilogy. But though showrunner Leslye Headland has now confirmed that the “Unknown Planet” is not Ahch-To, the similarities still ring loudly. Qimir living on a planet that reminds us of Ahch-to creates immediate parallels between the tale of the very dark side user who will put the Jedi on a path to near ruin a century later and the story of how a reclusive Luke Skywalker trained Rey.

What Is The Acolyte‘s Unknown Planet? Here’s Why It Reminded Fans of Star Wars‘ Ahch-To

The Acolyte‘s “Unknown Planet” and the Star Wars planet Ahch-To share all the same physical properties. They’re both mostly covered in water dotted with lush, green rocky islands. Each is also home to adorable little bird-like creatures, though the new Disney+ show’s animals are not porgs. Simply put, they look identical in every way.

Those similarities are only part of the reason why it was impossible not to think Osha found herself on Ahch-To on The Acolyte. The Acolyte also framed many shots in ways that clearly hearken back to The Last Jedi. The camera watched from behind as she walked out of a tunnel to look out at the ocean. We saw similar shots of Rey and Luke framed just like that. Osha then followed Qimir around the Unknown Planet just as Rey followed Luke on Ahch-To. The Acolyte intentionally referenced shots and sequences from Ahch-To on a place that was indistinguishable from it.

Does Qimir Actually Live on the Planet of Ahch-To on The Acolyte?

So, is that actually where Qimir lives? Did the Jedi Killer make the very planet where the Jedi Order was founded thousands of years before as his base of operations? It turns out the answer is, no. The “Unknown Planet” is not Ahch-To. Instead, Qimir resides on a planet where it is possible to mine the rare Star Wars metal, cortosis.

Headland shares in response to whether Qimir’s Unknown Planet is actually Ahch-To on The Acolyte:

It’s not Ahch-To. I know it’s similar, and it was intentionally supposed to be similar in terms of terrain and feeling isolated and surrounded by water and less lush green and more rocky. But the idea is that cortosis is mined on this planet, so I don’t think that’s the case with Ahch-To. Part of the reason this is his home base is that cortosis is a very rare metal. I don’t think we say it explicitly in the show, but that’s a reason it’s not Ahch-To.

But though Qimir’s planet is not the famous Star Wars setting, the fact his world looks so much like Ahch-To is what matters.

The Unkown Planet’s Resemblance to Ahch-To Is Important for The Acolyte Even If It’s a Different Planet

Of course, had The Acolyte‘s “Unknown Planet” ultimately been revealed to be Ahch-To the significance would have been obvious. The very dark lord—a former Jedi Padawan and possible Sith—who put the Order on a path of destruction would have used the Jedi’s own home to bring them down.

We still wonder if there are other secrets on the island, though. Had it been Ahch-To, we might have speculated that Qimir used Sacred Jedi Texts and ancient Jedi knowledge found on Ahch-To to better understand his enemy on The Acolyte. This could have explained why he’s able to tap into the Force with as much power as he can.

(But perhaps other knowledge from the Unknown Planet will help explain why the Jedi couldn’t sense his real identity initially. And that would also help explain why they won’t sense Palpatine’s more than a century later.)

But though Qimir’s planet is not Ahch-To on a cloudy day and is instead a totally different world, The Acolyte clearly wanted us to make that Star Wars connection. There’s obvious meaning in making us think about Ahch-To. It’s Star Wars “rhyming” like poetry, just as George Lucas said it should.

Osha becoming Qimir’s apprentice on The Acolyte on an island much like Ahch-To means another place exists where a powerful Force user trains a student who will go on to lead their order, just as occurs when Rey arrives at Ahch-To to find Luke Skywalker. Only the roles will flip now, with Qimir’s student reluctant to learn and Rey’s Master reluctant to teach.

In the galaxy far, far away there are two identical worlds, neither inherently good or bad. How those who call them home use those planets will determine which side they fall on, just as the Force is neither inherently good or bad. We’ll remember one planet for light, the other for dark. They, fittingly, balance each other.

Is The Acolyte‘s “Unknown Planet” really Ahch-To? No. But the fact we had to ask is meaningful enough on its own.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist and Manny Jacinto superfan. You can follow him on Twitter and Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

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The Acolyte has pulled no punches when it comes to delivering character deaths and killing fascinating figures. We were stunned when Wookiee Jedi Master Kelnacca was killed in episode four of the Star Wars series before we even got to see him on-screen in the present day. And this was after the episode one death of Jedi Master Indara. But it turns out Star Wars: The Acolyte was only picking up its killing steam. Episode five of the series delivered the most intense killing yet. In The Acolyte‘s fifth chapter, fans encountered a Star Wars death that really hurt.

The Death of Yord on The Acolyte Is the Most Shocking One Yet

Oh, Yord, say it isn’t so. Yord’s death on The Acolyte truly shocked us. The straight-laced Jedi Knight, played by Charlie Barnett, was hands-down a fan-favorite character. After only a handful of episodes, Yord Fandar amassed a fan-following called the “Yord Horde” (see: #YordHorde on Twitter), which is a genius name. And we know that not just any character could achieve such devotion. Lucasfilm even sent out Yord Horde stickers to loyal Yordists, sorry Yord Horde-ists, and got Barnett in on the act in the episode before his death! (Which seems cruel and unusual.)

Although he seemed to lack a sense of humor on principle, Yord was hilarious in his fussy and persnickety ways. And he won hearts and minds from the moment fans saw him steaming his robes to perfection. A Jedi does need pressed robes, of course, or how will the world ever respect them? Despite his love of rules and adherence to the letter of the law, Yord’s heart was truly in the right place. Though Yord probably would approve of his The Acolyte death as an honorable end befitting a Jedi Knight, few would likely share his sentiments.

Yord’s death truly shocked us to the core.

How Did Yord Die on The Acolyte?

It felt like Yord’s death was mercilessly teased throughout The Acolyte‘s fifth episode before coming to pass. On Khofar, the dark Sith Lord Master, who we now know to be Qimir, attacked the assembled group of Jedi. Using his Force powers, lightsaber skills, and cortosis armor, Qimir handily hacked and slashed his way through the group. Qimir got a jab into Yord, but it was only a slash to his leg. For a moment, Yord fans let out a sigh of relief as Qimir disappeared to chase after Osha, thinking he might be safe from death after this fakeout. Especially when Sol arrived on the scene to aid them both and fight Qimir.

Osha and Yord headed to safety at Sol’s command, but although Sol had ordered Yord away with Osha and he was determined to stick to his Jedi Master’s command, his heart finally won out over his mind. Osha and Yord headed back to find Sol and Qimir, and thus sealed Yord’s (however noble) fate on The Acolyte.

Yord valiantly entered the fray again, saving Mae from her fate and distracting Qimir. But alas, the evil Sith Master was too much for him. Qimir snapped Yord’s neck, and thus, the beloved Yord was dead on The Acolyte.

Actor Charlie Barnett Shares a Message with the Yord Horde Addressing His The Acolyte Death

As Yord sails off into the sunset, his actor Charlie Barnett shares a message with all the mourning Yord Horde out there. Barnett thanks his fans for their love, kindness, appreciation, and joy. He notes the Yords of the world are people who are just “trying to do what’s best” and welcomes the Yord Horde’s patience and understanding for that kind of a character and person. Also, he’s sorry that he/Yord are dead on The Acolyte. 🙁

Is There a Chance Yord Could Come to Life, and His Star Wars Death Could Be Reversed?

Of course, Yord’s death makes fans ask the obvious next question. Is there a way Yord’s death can be reversed and Yord could return to life on Star Wars? Well, we never say never. Star Wars does have a history of mysterious resurrections and glorious reappearances. But, it seems like most likely, no. Yord is a human character, and his neck was snapped. That feels pretty final.

Barnett even notes of Yord’s death, “Leslye [Headland] was very up front from the very get-go. No one ever wants to be cut out of a show, but when you know that going into it, performance-wise, it gave me a bookend and it gave me a route to plan out and play a little more of the rollercoaster role, showing the ups and downs and showing how he ends up getting into this position. When you’re playing a character that you know is going to die, it’s a little more fun. If it’s a surprise to you and your job is gone next week, it sucks, but when you know what you’re walking into, you get to have a little more control over it. And I tried to find the lemonade through the lemons.”

Additionally, he shares of Yord’s final minutes, “When Osha convinces me that Jecki is in danger, I know my duty is to bring this civilian up to the ship and get out of here as quickly as possible, but my heart breaks, and it’s the first time my compassion supersedes. And all the responsibility of what you must live up to goes out the window. And yes, sadly, he doesn’t survive and win off of that kind of energy. I think it’s kind of the fault of not living in that place for more of his life. He was too confined, and you see his demise from it. These are all the reasonings why he loses so much of what he knows he’s good at, which is fighting, because his attachments and his emotional connection speak louder in that moment.”

In episode six of The Acolyte, we more or see confirmation that Yord is really dead. And although Yord’s death does indeed seem like it will hold, stranger things have happened on Star Wars. In the meanwhile, we know death won’t stop the Yord Horde’s true love from shining through. Long live, Yord!

Originally published on June 27, 2024.

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Star Wars is not the sexiest franchise in the universe. Not to say there are not sexy people in it. In fact, almost all the leads of Star Wars live-action projects are pretty darn hot. (Lookin’ at you, Chewie). But if “sexy” means “showing skin,” well… the galaxy far, far away often comes up short in that regard. (Star Trek, on the other hand, is all about the sexy. You should check it out). However, episode six of The Acolyte took a big right turn into sexy town, and we can safely say that the fans are all about it. And it all centered on our hunky dark side warrior, Qimir (Manny Jacinto).

After the end of episode five, Qimir takes the kidnapped Osha (Amandla Stenberg) to an “Unknown Planet,” where he strips down to nothing, and takes a dip in the ocean. Osha is supposedly unconscious during all of this, but she wakes up and sees the whole thing. And sexy Qimir lets her know that he knows she’s watching. The camera makes sure to show off his glistening wet muscles, stopping short of showing any actual nudity. Although, the episode makes it a point to let us know that this dark side warrior definitely lets Osha see the goods. Even if we, the audience, were robbed. As far as we can tell, this is the first implied full nudity in Star Wars in almost 50 years. Well, better late than never we say.

Has Star Wars Ever Implied Nudity Before?

Of course, Star Wars has shown some skin in the past. Rather famously, in fact. In Return of the Jedi, in Jabba the Hutt’s palace, we had his Twi’lek dancer Oola gyrating while wearing a very revealing outfit. Of course, Princess Leia as Jabba’s prisoner had Carrie Fisher in a metal bikini that left very little to the imagination. It was an outfit that signaled the sexual awakening of many. However, it stopped short of anything too racy for a PG movie. Natalie Portman as Padmé in Attack of the Clones had a creature shred her top to give her a Britney Spears bare midriff, which kind of counts too.

Years later in Revenge of the Sith, a very buff Anakin Skywalker wakes from a nightmare about his wife Padmé, and we see his sweaty, chiseled bare chest. They made it a point to linger on Hayden Christensen’s shredded body. In The Last Jedi, Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) lets Rey (Daisy Ridley) see him shirtless in his quarters, and she tells him to put his shirt back on. Possibly the first time Star Wars nudity, or partial nudity, makes another character uncomfortable. Of course, all stop short of actual nakedness.

Has Star Wars Ever Had a Sex Scene?

There’s “sexy,” and then there’s “sex scene.” We can safely say that Star Wars is even more chaste in this regard. Sure, we know that Anakin and Padme did the deed, because Luke and Leia are proof. Same with Han and Leia, because Kylo Ren/Ben Solo came from somewhere. But audiences were only ever allowed to see kisses between these characters. Anakin and Padme are only shown in bed sleeping in Revenge of the Sith, with Natalie Portman in a nightgown.

The first real implication of a sex scene in Star Wars was in Andor. In episode two, Cassian’s friend Bix (Adria Arjona) drops by for a booty call with Timm (James McArdle). And in the morning, she gets out of Timm’s bed and dresses herself. It’s clear that the two had a romantic rendezvous, but the audience didn’t get to see it, only its “morning after” aftermath. Even the franchise’s most adult entry, Andor, pulled its punches in this regard.

Is Qimir in The Acolyte Episode 6 Star Wars’ Sexiest Scene?

We are actually going to make a bold declaration, and say Qimir’s nude dip in the ocean, where he emerges to Osha and shows off his naked bod, is Star Wars’ sexiest scene. Everything about it is coded as “seduction.” We even have Qimir lustily saying the words “desire” to Osha when trying to sell her on the dark side. We can’t think of a scene in any Star Wars that has leaned into sexy territory more than this one. Heck, we barely see Pedro Pascal’s face in The Mandalorian, much less bare biceps. Hopefully, The Acolyte, and Star Wars in general, leans more into sexy in the future. Why have all these impossibly attractive heroes and villains if you’re not going to lean into it from time to time?

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Qimir is not the first Force user in the galaxy far, far away to try and lure a good person to the dark side, but his attempt to make Osha his new apprentice in The Acolyte‘s sixth episode was bigger than just two people. The moment she put on his cortosis helmet was an ominous sign of what might await her, with a scene that directly ties Osha to major Star Wars figures like Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, Kylo Ren, and Rey.

“Cortosis, handy against lightsabers, but also a sensory deprivation headpiece. Like we used as younglings,” Qimir said to Osha. That sinister helmet was unlike any Jedi Padawan training headgear. Instead, it was more like some infamous locations that have played important roles in the lives of Star Wars‘ greatest heroes and villains.

In The Empire Strikes Back Yoda told Luke Skywalker to enter the swamp planet’s notorious cave. Also known as the Cave of Evil, Yoda said that place was “strong with the dark side of the Force” and a “domain of evil.” When Luke asked what was inside, Yoda answered, “Only what you take with you.”

Qimir’s words about his cortosis helmet echoed the same idea. What was inside of his helmet. “It’s just you and the Force,” he told Osha. “And what you bring with you.”

On Dagobah Luke saw a vision of Darth Vader that he struck down in anger. Vader’s mask then disappeared to reveal Luke’s face, a warning of the future awaiting Luke if he succumbed to the dark side. If not for his experience in the Cave of Evil, Luke might have gone on to kill his father and join the Emperor.

Kylo Ren (who shares many connections with Qimir) did kill his father, in part because he also went through Dagobah’s cave of evil under Snoke’s guidance. Inside it Kylo saw a vision of his uncle and former Master, whom he was able to strike down. However, the former Ben Solo was unable to kill the visions of his parents Leia and Han. (Rather than face his own “failure,” he destroyed the cave.)

If not for what happened on Dagobah, Kylo Ren might not have murdered his father when they met on Starkiller Base years later. The death of Han Solo allowed Kylo Ren to become even more powerful.

The Jedi who rescued Ben Solo’s soul also underwent her own dark side tribulation. On Ahch-To (a place remarkably similar to Qimir’s secret planet!) Rey entered the mirror cave. Despite being on the world where the Jedi Order was founded, that cave had strong ties to the dark side. The Jedi used it to train their Padawans for the same reason Yoda sent Luke into Dagobah’s evil cave. The Order knew an evil path tempts all Jedi some day. The best way to avoid walking it was to prepare for the day it came for them.

That dark place had called out to Rey, who felt compelled to enter. Her inability to ignore the mirror cave’s call greatly troubled Luke Skywalker. Yet Rey never succumbed to the dark side, which teased her with information about her parents and true identity. Like Luke before her, Rey passed her real test when Kylo Ren offered to rule the galaxy with her.

Anakin Skywalker also had to see his possible dark future long before his visions of Padmé’s death began haunting him. Anakin—whose tragic story is already intimately tied to Osha and Mae’s—once saw what would become of him if he did not become ruler of the planet Mortis, the center of the Force itself. The powerful figure the Son, the manifestation of the dark side, showed Anakin what he could become some day.

The horrible vision did not make Anakin stay and replace the leader of Mortis, the Father, who then wiped Anakin’s memory. But if it had Darth Vader would never have existed.

Anakin would eventually fall to the dark side just as the Father had feared. And The Acolyte made sure we remembered Anakin’s fate when Osha put on Qimir’s dark side helmet as he suggested. What did she bring in there with her? She found darkness and the sound of her own breathing.

It was a sound that evoked Darth Vader’s own iconic mechanical breathing.

Osha doesn’t know anything about Anakin Skywalker or Darth Vader, nor of Dagobah’s Cave of Evil, Mortis, or Ahch-To’s mirror cave. But we do. We also know that not everyone who sees a vision of a terrible future avoids it. Sometimes good Jedi fall to the dark side.

What did Osha bring with her into that helmet? The real question is what will she bring out with her when she takes it off? Hopefully whatever it is doesn’t sound anything like Darth Vader and Kylo Ren’s story.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist still hoping Qimir is Darth Plagueis even though he’s not. You can follow him on Twitter and Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

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“You speak as if you were a Jedi.”
“I was. A long time ago.”

The Acolyte‘s sixth episode confirmed what its previous installment only hinted at: Qimir was once a member of the Jedi Order. The powerful dark side user’s past means the Jedi helped create the very enemy who will help destroy them in the future. It also makes Qimir even more dangerous than we thought. Qimir has an institutional knowledge of his enemy and a personal reason to hate the Jedi. More troubling is that Qimir also has an intimate understanding of the fear and anger that former Jedi Padawan Osha also carries. That gives him a huge advantage in his attempts to recruit her as his new apprentice.

Qimir might talk like a Sith—and resemble a Knight of Ren—but he’s long shown a deep understanding of the Jedi Order. Now we know that’s because he was a Jedi with a Master “a really long time ago.” His time in the Order showed him the limits of being a Jedi and ultimately pushed Qimir to the dark side on The Acolyte.

Their methods are why he says Osha can no longer use her immense powers. “The Jedi teach there’s only one way to access the Force,” Qimir said. “If you don’t do it their way, it fades.” But Qimir knows there’s another way. He told Osha, “Below the surface of consciousness are powerful emotions. Anger. Fear. Loss. Desire.”

Osha called that “the path to the dark side,” and as all Star Wars fans know, she’s correct. Qimir didn’t even disagree with her. He simply called that “semantics,” because what the Jedi see as “dark,” The Acolyte‘s Qimir sees as freedom. That’s what Qimir said he wants in The Acolyte episode five, a freedom to use his power as he sees fit rather than how the Jedi say he can. He wants the freedom to live the way he wants.

Qimir also wants other things, including revenge. Osha asked about the scars on his back and Qimir didn’t deny they came from his former Jedi Master. That person “threw him away,” the same way he says the Jedi threw Osha away while making her think she failed them. In reality, Qimir says the Jedi couldn’t deal with the powerful emotions each lives with. Those feelings make Qimir and Osha a threat to the Jedi way.

(Who was the Jedi Master who gave Qimir his weird-shaped scar on The Acolyte? It’s not straight like the lightsaber slashes he gave to Wookiee Jedi Master Kelnacca. Its vaguely V-shaped pattern looks more like the kind of scar you’d get from a whip. And this episode saw Master Vernestra use her unique lightsaber whip on screen for the first time. She also clearly held something back about her fears over the Jedi slaughter on Khofar, the latest shady action she’s taken on the show.)

Qimir also wants something else on The Acolyte: “the power of two.” For that, he needs an acolyte. He thought that could be Mae, but he was wrong about her. Mae only wants revenge. He wants something more. Now Qimir thinks he’s found a kindred spirit in a fellow former Jedi Padawan who lost “everything” on The Acolyte. That loss has always held Osha back. Qimir wants her to see that loss is what “finally” set her free, just as he is free. And that freedom offers the opportunity for Osha to see that her immense strength in the Force is hers and hers alone, not the Jedi Order’s as they taught her to believe.

It’s an enticing offer to someone carrying a lifetime of anger, fear, loss, and desire, even someone “not so easily corruptible” as Osha. (Qimir didn’t even need to read her mind to know what she holds in her soul. Nor did she need to draw a lightsaber to his neck for him to know he was right.)

She’s not immune to his pitch. On The Acolyte, Qimir is offering her the very same path the powerful, heroic Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker will walk someday. Anyone can fall to the dark side, especially when a charming, manipulative dark side user with ulterior motives knows how to appeal to their biggest insecurities.

No one knows Osha’s insecurities as well as her fellow former Jedi Padawan, Qimir. He can reach her in a way Sol never could.

If Qimir can use his Jedi past to recruit Osha to the dark side on The Acolyte, the power of two will give Master and Acolyte the power to destroy the entire Jedi Order. We know because more than a century after we learned about Qimir’s past, that’s exactly what his fellow dark side users will do.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist and Manny Jacinto superfan which makes him at least willing to listen to Qimir. You can follow him on Twitter and Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

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Is wanting freedom so wrong? The Acolyte‘s Qimir tempts us to think very deeply about that question as he swings into the Star Wars universe with style and charisma. The series has been teasing the identity of its villainous Sith Lord master since its first episode. And finally, in episode five of The Acolyte, the villain’s mask flew off, and below it was the initially unassuming smuggler Qimir. Although many fans were already leaning toward Qimir as the Sith Lord “Master” on The Acolyte, few could have predicted Manny Jacinto’s complete shift in temperament, voice, attitude… and, dare we say it, magnetism.

Of course, Jacinto’s Qimir looks good. (We all see and agree with those posts about his very muscular arms.) But the character’s powers of seduction hit on an even more existential level than that. “I’ve accepted my darkness,” Qimir tells Sol. And never has following in his dark side footsteps seemed like such a compelling offering.

Qimir says that the Jedi might call him a Sith on The Acolyte. But whether he is a Sith in the Star Wars universe isn’t exactly confirmed yet. Qimir notes, “He has no name.” Regardless, while the Sith are all about passion, they still have a codified set of rules that orders them to follow it. Of course, the Jedi love to put restrictions on the use of the Force and want emotions and desires to be as tamped down as possible.

The Acolyte‘s Qimir seems very uninterested in all of that. Instead, his use of the Force and his fighting skills verge on many of the seven deadly sins—gluttonous, wrathful, and full of lust. He cuts a row of trees down because he can. Qimir murders Jedi after Jedi on The Acolyte because they’re in his way. He headbutts lightsabers, draped in the rare, powerful metal cortosis, to fizzle them out. All the while, he turns the Jedi’s absurd trainings right back on them. Yord says of him, “He doesn’t follow the rules of combat; there’s no method to his movements. It doesn’t make sense.” And it’s an apt description.

In these ways, Qimir brings something primal to the depiction of Star Wars‘ dark side that feels new. He moves and acts like a force of nature, hungry and consuming. Qimir’s powers seem barely controlled by even himself, dancing along his whims as they fluidly shift and change. And yes, the fact that Qimir’s arms are carelessly bare in the middle of battle has something to do with it, as does the sensuality of Jacinto’s portrayal of the character.

There’s a primordial sense to the power The Acolyte‘s Qimir has. And this godliness infects everything from how he fights to the very construction of his eloquent speeches about the nature of humanity and Jedi throughout the season. Of course, his desire for an Acolyte, a worshipper, and not an Apprentice or Padawan, only bolster the idea of of Qimir as a god… or a devil. Qimir makes the dark side feel more intimate and yet expansive than ever before.

Star Wars Sith have sought to rule the galaxy in previous franchise outings, often speaking of creating a “new order” in the universe. But Qimir’s desires aren’t about control; they’re about the complete surrendering of it. “Freedom.” He notes, when Sol asks him what he wants. “The freedom to wield my power the way I like.” Qimir’s version of darkness is heady. It doesn’t involve Imperial Marches or the building of an Empire. Qimir simply wants to do whatever he wants, whenever he wants to do it. He wants to manipulate and pretend, to raise his eyebrows snarkily with one breath and bring death in the next. He doesn’t make any sense, as Yord points out, and he doesn’t have to. Qimir moves beyond a rational understanding and transforms into a greater force.

And so, as we watch Qimir dance through battle after battle on The Acolyte, taking in the way he defeats everyone in his path, outsmarts them, and seemingly has a great time doing it, we really do find ourselves asking: Is wanting freedom so wrong? The dark side has truly never looked so good.

Rotem Rusak is Editor-in-Chief of Nerdist and a pop culture enthusiast. She’s always here to find the beauty in a villain.

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Star Wars isn’t Star Wars without a few adorable aliens who look like critters you’d want to buy at a pet shop. And The Acolyte is no different. In episode four, we meet the latest “soon to be a cute toy on your shelf” alien. This is Bazil, a Tynnan tracker. The Jedi utilize Bazil’s tracking skills to find the Wookiee Jedi Kelnacca on the planet Kohfar. In the grand Star Wars tradition of old, Bazil is an actual performer in a suit. Hassan Taj, who operated R2-D2 in The Rise of Skywalker, is inside the costume. It’s a suit brought to life by ILM’s creature and droid FX creative supervisor Neal Scanlan.

Tynnans are one of the earliest non-George Lucas-created Star Wars alien races. The Tynnan species are anthropomorphic otter/beaver-like beings. They first appeared in the 1979 Legends novel Han Solo’s Revenge by Brian Daley. Lucasfilm officially canonized them in the 2016 novel Catalyst, tying into the events of Rogue One. And no, Han Solo did not punch a Tynnan in that infamous piece of artwork from the ’90s. That was an Selonian queen from the Han Solo novel Assault on Selonia. Totally different otter-like aliens. It’s a big galaxy out there, lots of weird and wonderful creatures inhabit it.

When designing Bazil, Neal Scanlan made sure he had a more prominent snout to sniff out clues with. Bazil also wears a visor and helmet, all adding to the sensory deprivation he requires to focus on the investigation and block out the noise of the outside world. Scanlan told the official Star Wars site, “Bazil was very sensory, so he would obviously smell and hear things probably better than using his eyesight. The idea of having goggles was that he would then sort of go inwardly and become the tracker.”

In episode five, the Star Wars series sets Bazil up to play an important role in future episodes. It seems only Bazil can tell that Mae and Osha have switched places on The Acolyte. After finding Pip in the woods, Bazil can clearly tell there is someone new among the Jedi who shouldn’t be there. He may yet save the day.

Although Tynnans are more like beavers and otters, they definitely have a mouse-like quality too. Since he’s a tracker, which is another way of saying detective, we have to wonder if Bazil drew inspiration from Basil, the titular lead of the animated Disney classic The Great Mouse Detective. For the record, there actually is a mouse-like alien race in Star Wars. In A New Hope, we see a member of the rodent species Chadra-Fan in the Mos Eisley Cantina. Although, that Chadra-Fan ordering drinks was decidedly less cute than Bazil. All we know is Bazil is an adorable new addition to the galaxy, and we must protect him at all costs.

Originally published on June 18, 2024.

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The Acolyte‘s fifth episode featured the shocking deaths of fan-favorite characters like Jedi Knight Yord Fandar and the Padawan Jecki Lon. The episode also finally unmasked the identity of The Stranger who had been training Mae to kill several Jedi—Qimir, Mae’s slimy partner in crime. Qimir presented himself as a lowly and unassuming assistant to Mae. But, as a warrior, he fought with a distressing deftness as he struck each Jedi down. His callousness made his murder of Jecki all the more upsetting, as he wasn’t afraid to kill someone who was clearly still a child. 

Out of all the Jedi who fought Qimir, Jecki arguably had the most heart. She bravely charged Qimir using both her green lightsaber and that of the fallen Master Kelnacca. Using a lightsaber made for a Wookiee is no small feat, as the hilts are longer to fit their tall stature. Jecki’s fight with Qimir met a heartbreaking end though when the Sith suddenly broke his red lightsaber into two pieces. He stabbed her three times through the upper torso in quick succession. A look of shock came across her face before she slumped over, presumably dead.  

For myself and other members of the #JeckiJam, Jecki’s death is hard to accept. However, there’s always a chance that “dead” Star Wars characters actually aren’t as dead as we thought they were. With this in mind, let’s peruse the evidence that gives some of us in the #JeckiJam hope that our favorite Padawan will actually be okay. 

Jecki’s Half-Theelin Heritage Could Be the Key to Her Survival

First, Jecki is half-Theelin and half-human. Her Theelin heritage gives her unique orange stripes and horns on the side of her head. Because she is an alien, there is a chance that her biology is not the same as humans. We are much more fragile to lightsaber wounds (remember Qui-Gon Jinn’s death in The Phantom Menace). Many alien species in Star Wars have a different number of organs than humans. Or they have other things like healing factors that make them tougher than humans. Cereans, like the Jedi Ki-Adi-Mundi, have two craniums. A Trandoshan Jedi Master named Sskeer in Cavan Scott and Ario Anindito’s High Republic comic series not only survives getting his arm cut off, he grows it back.

It has not yet been established in Star Wars canon what number of organs Theelins have, and whether this would extend to someone who is half Theelin and half human. Since Jecki was stabbed through the upper torso, there is a chance that Qimir’s blows may have missed one of her vital organs, depending on her biological differences.

I admit that this sounds a bit delusional, but walk with me here. The Sith who mentored Palpatine, Darth Plagueis the Wise, was of the Muun species. In James Luceno’s Darth Plagueis novel, Plagueis is able to fake his own death after getting stabbed through the heart because Muuns have three hearts in total. Though one heart was fried, Plagueis was able to survive by playing dead and waiting for the right moment to strike. While Luceno’s novel is no longer canon, that doesn’t mean that the same couldn’t be done for Jecki and the Theelin species as a whole. 

At this point in time, Theelins have largely had peripheral roles in Star Wars live-action projects (shoutout to the backup singer in Jabba the Hutt’s lair in Return of the Jedi). There’s so much more that can be flushed out about Theelins, which is part of why Jecki’s death is so tragic. Whether or not Jecki is actually dead or clinging to life, this episode of The Acolyte is an important moment that will establish key points about Theelin biology in canon once the smoke from the battlefield clears. Hopefully, Jecki isn’t the last Theelin Jedi we meet. 

Bacta Could Help Save Jecki’s Life in The Acolyte

Bacta technology was considered new a century before The Acolyte takes place, as shown in the High Republic novels like Cavan Scott’s The Rising Storm and Tessa Gratton’s Temptation of the Force. Bacta is more or less a miracle medicine first seen in The Empire Strikes Back that helps heal wounds and revive people close to death. It also notably brought Boba Fett back to health in The Book of Boba Fett, and revived Luke Skywalker after he nearly froze to death on Hoth in Episode V. 

During the High Republic era that The Acolyte takes place in, bacta was often used in patch form to dress wounds and speed up their healing time. If someone with bacta patches on hand reached Jecki in time, there’s a good chance that she would be able to recover from her wounds. Since Sabine Wren was stabbed through the side of her abdomen in Ahsoka and made a full recovery (albeit with swift medical intervention), Jecki fans can still hold onto hope that the Padawan can make it out alive. 

Surviving Lightsaber Wounds Is Inconsistent in the Star Wars Universe

Finally, the notion of surviving lightsaber wounds is an inconsistent one at best in Star Wars. The biggest case in point here is Darth Maul. In The Phantom Menace, Obi-Wan Kenobi brutally bisected the Zabrak Sith apprentice. Maul’s torso and lower body fell through Naboo’s planetary core, seemingly to oblivion. And yet, as revealed in The Clone Wars animated series and then in Solo later on, Maul survived his grave injuries. In fact, the in-universe reason for why Maul was able to survive being cut in half was because he focused all of his energy on his hatred towards Obi-Wan. I am not making this up. Regardless of how I feel about Maul’s survival, I do have to give him kudos for escaping death through the power of being a hater. 

What’s also worth noting is that the two pieces of Maul didn’t happen to land in a state-of-the-art hospital, either. He fell into a pile of trash and was later transported to a junkyard in the Outer Rim, where he subsisted by eating insects. Maul, like Jecki, was only apprentice level and managed to survive being cut in half and falling several stories into a vat of waste that was probably crawling with infections. So I believe Jecki can make a decent recovery. 

Star Wars is not a science documentary, and never has been. Astromech chirp and beep in the midst of dogfights in the vacuum of space. If you are looking for any semblance of “scientific accuracy” in a world where an alien member of the Jedi Council has a comically long neck resembling a q-tip (Yarael Poof, you absolute icon), then you are looking in all the wrong places. 

That said, there is ample in-universe evidence that gives Jecki Lon a fighting chance of survival. Because Star Wars canon is constantly growing, especially for the time period that The Acolyte takes place in, there is so much that has yet to be established. A key element of Star Wars has always been a sense of hope. And I can cling to hope that somewhere, someplace, Jecki Lon survived her wounds. 

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The Acolyte revealed the true identity of its dark side Master in the Disney+ show’s memorable fifth episode. Qimir is no mere trader; he’s Mae’s mysterious mentor and the villain of the series. When Sol confronted Qimir on The Acolyte, the unmasked Force user said he has no name, but the Jedi might call him “Sith.” There’s plenty of reason to believe that’s exactly what he is, but there’s also reason to believe he’s something else. Qimir might be the forefather of the group that Kylo Ren will one day command, the Knights of Ren.

Is The Acolyte‘s Qimir a Sith Lord or a Knight of Ren Ancestor?

Qimir might be precisely what he said the Jedi would name him, a Sith Lord. He embraces the dark side, wields a red lightsaber, has an incredible mastery of the Force, fighting abilities few have ever matched, hates the Jedi, and wants a pupil. That sounds exactly like a Sith.

Yet, The Acolyte gave us reason to doubt if Qimir is one. Sith Lords always have “Darth” monikers and aren’t exactly shy about calling themselves Sith. Yet he did not actually call himself a Sith. Qimir also did not use the Sith term for a Padawan. He didn’t tell Sol he wants an apprentice. Qimir wants an “acolyte,” a word with clear religious connotations.

The Sith Rule of Two demands the Order always has a single Master with a single apprentice. The Acolyte‘s Qimir is searching for his own when he should already have one, if he is a Sith Lord. (Mae clearly was not truly Qimir’s Sith apprentice before she betrayed him.) And while the Sith are a religious order, there’s another group of dark side users in the galaxy far, far away who are more overtly religious in their beliefs.

That sect always wear masks, unlike the Sith. They also worship a red lightsaber and not a person or even the Force. This dangerous tribe is also known for its fearsome fighting abilities, especially in close combat. Its members even live in the shadows, enemy of both the Jedi and the Sith. (Two groups that have sought to control who had the “freedom” to use the Force.) That Star Wars group is known as the Knights of Ren, who will one day be led by the fanatical Kylo Ren, and it could just be The Acolyte‘s Qimir connects to them.

The Connections Between Qimir, Star Wars‘ Ren, and Kylo Ren

That might seem like a tenuous connection on the surface. (Even if Qimir dresses more like a Knight of Ren than a Sith.) For one, the evidence that Qimir is a Sith is compelling. The other is that the Knights of Ren won’t be founded for many more years after The Acolyte. They form only a few years after Luke Skywalker blows up the first Death Star. That’s more than a century after the era of the Disney+ series. But The Acolyte‘s fifth episode gave us plenty of reason to wonder if Qimir will ultimately be the person thought of as the first Knight of Ren.

Qimir Resembles Ren, the Leader of the Knights of Ren

For starters, Qimir wholly resembles the infamous Star Wars character known as Ren.

Star Wars comics introduced the leader of the Knights of Ren. He’s the one who lured Ben Solo to the group and, therefore, the dark side. Known simply as Ren, this gregarious, friendly, charismatic figure was unconcerned with concepts of good or evil. He simply embraced the dark side and did what he wanted. He lived without rules and answered to no one. As Qimir might say, Ren had freedom.

Ren didn’t even want others to follow him. He wanted them to follow the ideas he believed in. That made his Knights more akin to acolytes than apprentices. The skilled warrior who could kill Jedi also had great hair under his sinister mask. He also wore a cape and had muscular arms he was happy to display.

That all might as well be describing Qimir. If not for the huge gap in their stories, we might think that Qimir and Ren are the same person. (Which we can’t actually rule out, considering lifespans in the galaxy far, far away. But for now, that possibility seems doubtful.)

Qimir Played Kylo Ren’s Theme During The Acolyte Episode Five’s Final Moments

If Qimir’s resemblance to the Knights of Ren leader wasn’t enough, The Acolyte actually played Kylo Ren’s theme music during Qimir’s final scene in The Acolyte‘s fifth episode. If there was any doubt, The Acolyte wanted us to at least notice the possible connection between its dark Master Qimir and the Knights of Ren leader, it made sure we heard that connection. Viewers certainly did.

When Qimir healed Osha and spoke of triumph and despair at the end of the episode, The Acolyte played Kylo Ren’s theme. In the language of Star Wars, that musical is basically big flashing red lights.

Does any of this prove The Acolyte‘s Qimir will go on, even indirectly, to found the Knights of Ren? No, we don’t have enough evidence of confirmation yet. What we can’t do is dismiss the possibility.

Nor can we ignore the even more intriguing potential the show has raised.

The Story of the Sith, the Ren, the Jedi, and the Force May All Unite Through The Acolyte‘s Qimir

We’ve been waiting to meet the Sith who will bring the dark Order out of the shadows and onto a path of prominence. It’s the one that leads to the near-total destruction of the Jedi and Darth Sidious becoming Emperor. But what if Qimir is something more than even that? What if he is the dark side figure who will not only make the Jedi fall possible, but give birth to Kylo Ren?

Those two stories are one and the same already. The Knights of Ren’s own journey will lead them into the arms of the Sith they hated. Kylo Ren will lead them, but he’ll do so while unknowingly following Palpatine. It would be fitting if the story of the Sith, the Ren, the Jedi, and the Force was always connected as all things are.

The Sith will one day claim Anakin Skywalker as their own. It might also be the story of how Ben Solo will follow his grandfather to the dark side following a different way that leads to the same place.

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The Acolyte finally unmasked Mae’s master during the show’s shocking fifth episode. The mysterious Jedi killer in The Acolyte is the person we suspected from the very first time we met him: Manny Jacinto’s Qimir. The soft-spoken trader is actually a deadly dark side Force user. But what is he exactly? What does he have against the Jedi Order? And what does he ultimately want? The answers to those questions reveal that an unleashed Qimir is even more dangerous than one operating in the shadows.

What Did The Acolyte Reveal About the Jedi Killer Qimir’s Past? Was Qimir Once a Jedi Padawan?

The Acolyte revealed Qimir has a personal connection to the Jedi and that the Order once knew him. Qimir called his opponent “Master Sol” when the two faced off. The dark side user then said, “You don’t remember me,” when the Jedi asked who he was. Sol must have known him at some point, because the Jedi said he “sensed something familiar” in the Jedi killer.

While Sol doesn’t say Qimir had once been a Padawan, The Acolyte strongly suggested he was. Qimir called Sol “Master.” Considering Qimir’s own protege, Mae, was also someone the Jedi tried to recruit to join their ranks, denying her the freedom of using her powers as her coven saw fit, it seems more than possible Qimir was once a student of the very Jedi he now aims to kills.

Is The Acolyte‘s Qimir a Sith?

Qimir told Sol he has “no name,” but that the Jedi would might call him “Sith.” Star Wars fans know the significance of that phrase. They also know the Sith kill Jedi and use red lightsabers. But it is noteworthy Qimir didn’t actually call himself a Sith, let alone a Sith Lord. That could be nothing more than a turn of phrase, or it could be a subtle clue Qimir is actually something else. (That could explain why a century later a Jedi Master will say no one has seen a Sith in a thousand years.)

The Sith spent millennia in hiding after the Jedi Order nearly wiped out their dark side foes. Yet the Sith always planned to reveal themselves one day. That’s when they would usurp the Jedi as the dominant Force users in the galaxy. That day is coming soon to the galaxy far, far away. The seeds for Palpatine’s rise might have begun with Qimir’s attack in the forests of Khofar.

There is one other major reason to believe Qimir truly is a Sith, too.

What Does Qimir Want on The Acolyte?

Qimir told Sol he wants two things. The first is “freedom, freedom to wield my power the way I like, without having to answer to Jedi like you.” As Osha and Mae’s coven knew, the Jedi do not allow other Force users to use their powers as they like. The Jedi Order believes they, and they alone, can control the Force and dictates who can use it and how. Qimir does not believe in the ways of the Jedi. “The Jedi makes the rules,” and the Jedi say Qimir—who doesn’t follow any rules—“can’t exist.”

Qimir has accepted and embraced his “darkness” (same as a Sith), while he believes Jedi deny theirs. That’s what he accused Sol of when he asked what the Jedi had done with his own darkness. But it’s the second thing Qimir wants that indicates he really is a Sith

“I want a pupil,” he told Sol, “An acolyte.” The Sith, which is a religious dark side order, have existed in the shadows for thousands of years thanks to the Rule of Two. There can only ever be two Sith Lords at once a Master and an Apprentice. Qimir wants his own apprentice, and he thought he found it in Mae (someone he seems to have both a common past and common cause with), but she betrayed him.

Qimir might have already found a replacement, though.

Why Did Qimir Save Osha on The Acolyte?

Qimir survived a giant bug attack and found an (accidentally) abandoned and unconscious Osha on the ground. He did not strike her down or even leave her alone, though. Instead he healed her while saying, “What extraordinary beings we are. Even in the revelation of our triumph, we see the depth of our despair.”

Qimir won a fight against many Jedi. He revealed himself to his enemy and triumphed, yet in his moment of revelation he stood over a former Jedi Padawan and saw “despair.”

What exactly did he mean? Does he see himself in Osha because he too was a Jedi student once? Did they take him like they tried to take Mae and Osha? He knows the Jedi did something “dark” on Brendok long ago. Will he reveal their secret to Osha in an attempt to make her embrace the dark side and become his Acolyte?

Osha wouldn’t be the first good person to turn the dark side and a charming master in her moment of despair. And if Qimir really is the Sith Lord who will make Palpatine’s rise possible someday, it’s only fitting he had his own Anakin as the Sith Rule of Two demands.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist and Manny Jacinto superfan. You can follow him on  Twitter and  Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

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If there was one character that stood out in all of The Acolyte‘s promotional materials, it was the mysterious Sith Lord who hides his face behind a mask. Truly, this enemy of the Jedi is one of the most fearsome creations to ever emerge from a Star Wars property. But although his identity remains shrouded in mystery, Star Wars dark side fans didn’t have to wait long to meet his evil Sith. What did we learn about the menacing evil referred to as “The Master” in The Acolyte‘s first episodes and what has been revealed about him since? Let’s take a look.

The Sith Lord Known as “The Master” Wants Mae to Kill Jedi Without a Weapon in The Acolyte

We only saw The Acolyte‘s villainous Sith Lord once in the series’ first two episodes. Mae meets with him on a deserted beach located on an unknown planet. But in her later scenes with Qimir, we learn a bit more about this so-called “Master” and his agenda for Mae.

Mae reveals she has been tasked to kill four Jedi, seemingly by The Master. But from what she shares, the Sith Lord specifically wants her to kill a Jedi without using a weapon. So far, Mae has not been successful in these pursuits. She kills Jedi Master Indara with a knife and Jedi Master Torbin with poison from Qimir. But she notes that she has two Jedi left to kill in order to fulfill The Master’s command.

Qimir also seems to be in some way involved with the masked Sith Lord. When Osha poses as Mae, he believes for a moment Mae has succeeded in her task and notes, “Wait, you killed Torbin without the poison. He will be so pleased.” It remains to be seen how Qimir, who on the face appears more innocent than the rest, is mixed up with the Sith.

The Master and His Speech

When Mae meets with The Acolyte‘s villain at the end of the first episode, the Sith Lord offers the following speech. He intones, “The Jedi live in a dream, a dream they believe everyone shares, if you attack a Jedi with a weapon you will fail, steel or laser are no threat to them, but an Acolyte, an Acolyte kills without a weapon. An Acolyte kills the dream.”

Perhaps this has to do with why The Master is so set that Mae kills a Jedi without a weapon. The Sith Lord’s speech seems to imply that Jedi can only be taken down via emotional attacks/attacks to their spirit. And maybe that’s what The Master hopes Mae will learn to do. But for now, the practical aims of this villain’s mission remain unclear.

The Master Kills Wookiee Jedi Kelnacca

Although the Master wants Mae to kill the Jedi who oversaw the tragedy on her planet, as she begins to shy away from her mission, he intervenes. But for all his talk, he doesn’t seem to kill without a weapon, either. In episode four of The Acolyte, we find the Wookiee Jedi dead in his home with two lightsaber slashes decorating his chest. Outside the hut, our Jedi heroes gather to take Mae in, but they’re interrupted as the Master emerges from the woods of Khofar. The Sith Lord uses the force to fling Osha away and draws his red lightsaber, ready for a fight.

Who Is Star Wars: The Acolyte’s Mysterious Sith Lord?

But just who is Star Wars: The Acolyte‘s mysterious Sith Lord villain? Well, it turns out that the smuggler Qimir is actually the villainous, masked Master on The Acolyte. His identity is revealed in episode five. Qimir says the Jedi might refer to him as a Sith, but we speculate “the Master” might actually be connected to the Knights of Ren instead.

Is this Villainous Sith Lord the Titular Acolyte on The Acolyte, Is Mae, Or Someone Else?

Another natural question around Star Wars: The Acolyte is related to the identity of the titular Acolyte. Of course, the series seems to imply Mae is the Acolyte in question. Qimir reveals that he is looking for an Acolyte, but Mae has disappointed him. It seems he may turn to Osha instead. We’ll have to wait and see who becomes the true Acolyte.

Here Are Other Looks at Star Wars: The Acolyte‘s Sith Lord Villain

Click To View Gallery

The motivations of Star Wars: The Acolyte‘s villainous Sith Lord Qimir will surely unroll over time. And though he’s unmasked now, we still enjoyed the menace of his disguise. Here are some others images of “The Master” that we’ve seen so far.

The Acolyte is now airing on Disney+.

Originally published on June 4, 2024.

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Star Wars: The Acolyte proved right away that it was a series unafraid to kill its major characters. And ever since it dispatched Jedi Master Indara in its first episode, the Star Wars series has pulled no killing punches. But in episode four of The Acolyte, we were truly stunned by one character’s sudden death. Beware, spoilers await you in this article.

In episode four of Star Wars: The Acolyte, we could not have expected to find Wookiee Jedi Master Kelnacca dead in his forest hideaway. We knew, of course, that Mae was on the hunt for the Wookiee Jedi. He was one of the four Jedi stationed at Brendok during her childhood tragedy. Two of those Jedi are already dead. As mentioned, Mae killed Master Indara, and she also killed Jedi Master Torbin in previous episodes. But we at least got to see both of those Jedi battle for their lives before they met their ends. (Even if Master Torbin did it while in the deep trance of the Barash Vow.)

However, Kelnacca, the very first Wookiee Jedi to ever appear in live-action Star Wars, did not get that chance. Instead, when Mae finds him on the planet Khofar, ready to turn herself into the Jedi, death has already visited the Wookiee Jedi. The mysterious, villainous Sith Lord, known to us only as the Master, got to Kelnacca first. We see two lightsaber slashes decorating the Wookiee Jedi’s chest, and, yep, he seems quite dead.

We do get to see Kelnacca in flashbacks during episode three of Star Wars: The Acolyte. And it’s possible we will see him again in other looks at the past. But this The Acolyte death still feels incredibly premature. After all the excitement at finally bringing a Wookiee Jedi to live-action, we really only see him alive for a scene or two. And we don’t even get to see him in action. It would at least have been cool to see the Wookiee Jedi take on the Master in an epic lightsaber battle before meeting his death. But, instead, all we get is a slumped-over version of the Wookiee character, dead where he sits before we can ever encounter him in real-time.

Kelnecca’s actor, Joonas Suotamo, shared that the death of the Wookiee Jedi was a shock to him. He reveals that Kelnecca dying was a surprise for him, sharing, “No, that wasn’t discussed. I learned it as we went, and it was very surprising. So I wasn’t aware initially, but ever since studying film at university, I’ve been on the story side as well, so I thought it was a necessary thing to happen in terms of it follows the story and is very sad and very dramatic. And what a shock too to see all these powerful Jedi to meet their fate in such a way!”

Perhaps there’s still a chance Kelnacca is not fully dead but only partially dead. We’ll have to wait for more episodes to see. But The Acolyte really did kill Jedi Master Indara in its first episode. So it feels like we have to believe Kelnacca’s death is also a permanent one. And that seems like a huge shame given the no doubt fascinating existence and history of the character. Wookie Jedi don’t come around every day, after all… Not to live-action Star Wars outings, at any rate. Maybe one day we can visit Wookiee Jedi Master Kelnacca in a show all of his own.

Originally published on June 18, 2024.

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The Acolyte‘s fourth episode saw Mae’s mysterious dark master step out of the shadows. Who is this sinister Force user wielding a red lightsaber and sending his student to murder Jedi? That unknown masked figure has kept their identity a secret even from their disciple, but might we already know who they really are? These are the four most likely Star Wars suspects for The Acolyte‘s unknown Master.

Mother Koril and Mother Aniseya

We’re combining these two under one banner because they’re both obvious candidates to be Mae’s Master for the same reasons. The Jedi tracked down a coven of powerful witches in hiding because the Jedi didn’t want any unauthorized people training young kids in the ways of the Force. (Especially in ways some consider “dark.”) The Jedi knights didn’t stop Mae from ascending, but they did prevent Osha. They then tested the two girls in the ways of the Force for possible acceptance as Jedi Padawans. That unwelcome intrusion led to the coven’s destruction. An angry Mae, who already had dark side tendencies, caused a deadly fire when her sister was about to leave with the Jedi.

Master Sol said everyone died in that fire, but there’s plenty of reason to doubt the Jedi have been completely honest about what happened on Brendok. Even if Sol is telling the truth, though, he thought Mae died only for her to show back up years later. What if someone else also survived? Someone like the leader of the group, the girl’s powerful Mother Aniseya? Or the stern but loving witch who carried the twins. Mother Koril? Either would make for a powerful Master, both literally and thematically.

If the Master is really Mother Aniseya or Mother Koril (no other witch we met makes sense as a serious possibility) it will mean Jedi arrogance about who can use the Force will have created the very enemy who will destroy them. They could have left those witches to live their lives in peace. Instead they gave them a reason to hate the Jedi.

Of course, someone else on the show who also has close ties to Mae hates the Jedi, too.

Qimir

The number one, most obvious Master suspect—the one we’d wager on—is Mae’s associate, Qimir. He helped her kill Jedi and already seemed to be hiding a big secret before episode four made his activities even more suspicious. Manny Jacinto’s soft-spoken former smuggler is way too capable and knows way too much to just be a random trader. His introduction to the show made us wonder if he’s really a dark side user like Mae.

Our suspicions only grew during episode four. Qimir, who easily stopped a surprise Mae attack in episode two, somehow fell for a basic trap. He then got tied up and left behind right before Mae decided to turn her back on their Master and turn herself over to the Jedi. Except that’s when she found Master Kelnacca already murdered. How did someone cut down a Wookiee Jedi? And in his own home? No one, not even his fellow Jedi, even exactly knew where Kelnacca lived.

Except Qimir. And he wasn’t seen after Mae left him hanging in that tree.

The strangely capable, brilliant Qimir is an otherwise unknown figure aiding and abetting the murder of Jedi. He also (correctly) speaks about Jedi arrogance and knows things about the Order no one else does. And in episode four he disappears right before a powerful Jedi is killed and the Master reveals themself to the Jedi.

That’s a pretty big series of coincidences, enough to have us believing Qimir is the Master. But we can’t be totally sure just yet, especially when there’s a notorious fourth candidate. It’s a “wise” figure Star Wars fans first heard about from the most infamous Sith Lord ever.

Darth Plagueis

In Revenge of the Sith Chancellor Palpatine emotionally manipulated Anakin, worried about Padmé dying, with a story the Jedi would never tell him. Palpatine recounted the tale of the Sith Lord, Darth Plagueis the Wise.

“Darth Plagueis was a Dark Lord of the Sith so powerful and so wise, he could use the Force to influence the midi-chlorians to create life. He had such a knowledge of the dark side, he could even keep the ones he cared about from dying.“

Star Wars later confirmed what the scene only suggested, that Darth Plagueis was Palpatine’s master. Palpatine did tell Anakin Plagueis taught his apprentice “everything he knew.” Unfortunately for Plagueis, who had been obsessed with immortality and saving those he loved, he could not save himself when Palpatine murdered Plagueis in his sleep.

Star Wars has further expanded Plagueis’ story offscreen, albeit only slightly, and shown what he’s look liked. But he’s never appeared in a movie or TV show. That is unless he already has because Mae’s masked Master, the one who will put the Sith on the path to power in the galaxy far, far away, is Plagueis. That would further connect the twins to Anakin…

It’s also possible our third and fourth candidates are one in the same, because Qimir is Plagueis. That would be quite a revelation, but it might not be the show’s biggest secret. Because while we will inevitably learn the identity of Mae’s Master, the show might be hiding something even more important behind that zippered mask: the Master is actually the Acolyte of the show’s title, which means they have an even more powerful master.

To find out why read our piece Who Is The Acolyte’s Title Actually Referring To?

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist who can’t wait for Darth Plagueis to finally show up. You can follow him on Twitter and Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

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Before you go on, make sure to check out our piece on Who Is ‘The Master’ on The Acolyte?

The Acolyte‘s first three episodes appeared to feature a traditional Sith partnership that follows the dark order’s Rule of Two. That ancient decree says there can only ever be a Sith Master and a Sith apprentice. At this point in the galaxy far, fay away, Mae is the student of her masked leader. Only, Star Wars: The Clone Wars established that hierarchy does not preclude a dark side apprentice from having their own follower. And since the show’s fourth episode seemed to prove Mae has never been a Sith Lord (and never will be), it’s not clear who The Acolyte‘s title is truly referring to.

If it’s not her, who is the titular character? The only real candidate is Mae’s secret teacher. And if that’s true, that masked figure is serving an even more powerful figure we have yet to meet.

Yoda introduced fans to the Rule of Two in The Phantom Menace. It began with the infamous Sith Lord Darth Bane. He implemented it thousands of years before. He was hoping to save his dark religious order from their worst instincts so it might one day fight back against the Jedi that had nearly wiped them out. Bane’s rule meant there could only ever be two Sith Lords at once. From StarWars.com‘s entry on this important figure:

An ancient and legendary Sith Lord, it was Darth Bane who saw that the Sith traditions of old were ultimately a dead end. All too often, squabbling Sith in their bid for power upended carefully laid plans. After the Sith were decimated by the Jedi Knights of a thousand years ago, Bane enacted the Sith rule of two: there would be only two active Sith at one time — a Dark Lord to embody the power, and an apprentice to crave it. These Sith would operate in the shadows, favoring guile and conspiracy to bring down their opponents rather than brute force — that is, until it was time to rise and subjugate the galaxy.

That hard and fast Rule of Two turned out not to not be quite as hard or fast as we thought. On The Clone Wars former Count Dooku—secretly Darth Tyranus, apprentice of Sith Lord Darth Sidious— had his own dark side apprentice. Dooku was the master of the powerful Force user Asajj Ventress.

The Rule of Two does not mean a Sith apprentice (who is still a Sith Lord) can’t train another in the ways of the dark side. For that reason alone it’s very possible The Acolyte‘s mysterious Master has their own secret, more powerful Master. What makes that possibility even more likely is that Mae does not appear to be a Sith just as Asajj was not. Mae doesn’t even complete the sacred Rule of Two.

Asajj knew her Master’s identity. Asajj also used a red lightsaber. Mae doesn’t know who is leading her and uses steel daggers. She actually seems to have no use for a lightsaber. In episode one the show made a point to highlight that Mae had no interest in taking Indara’s after she killed the Jedi.

If Mae’s Master has a Master (who could be one of her moms, the strangely capable Qimir, or even the infamous Darth Plagueis!), does that mean the masked figure on the show is the titular Acolyte? Is that term itself a clue they are? Considering Jedi call students “Padawan” and Sith Lord call theirs “apprentice,” the show’s name is a peculiar one in Star Wars. Was it chosen to do more than just reflect the dark religious nature of the Sith? Was it chosen to highlight things are not as they seem in the galaxy and in this story?

That would be fitting when it comes to a story about the Sith. Darth Bane implemented the Rule of Two so his order could operate in the shadows. That is until they were ready to reveal themselves, just as The Acolyte‘s Master did in episode four.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. He’s also forever waiting for Darth Plagueis to show up in live-action. You can follow him on Twitter and Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

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In the lead-up to Star Wars: The Acolyte, official sources gave us a tease of the characters we expected to meet in the series. One of the characters prominently featured in discussions of The Acolyte was that of Mae, played by Amandla Stenberg. But those who have watched The Acolyte‘s first episodes will know that Mae isn’t the only character Amandla Stenberg plays in the Star Wars series. No, Amandla Stenberg takes on a dual role in the series, twins Mae and Osha. But are Mae and Osha both really present in the world of The Acolyte? And if they do both exist, what is their relationship and history with one another? Let’s dive into everything we know and theorize so far about The Acolyte‘s Mae and Osha.

Is The Acolyte‘s Mae Real, or Is She in Osha’s Mind?

The first episode of The Acolyte seemingly wants you to question whether Mae really exists or whether she is just a presence within Osha. We see Mae fight and kill Jedi Master Indara in the opening sequence of the series, but then The Acolyte‘s first episode cuts to Osha asleep as if it were all a dream. Osha and the other characters in the world also seem to truly believe that Mae died in a fire as a child. This includes Jedi Master Sol, who appears to be a reliable source and claims to have witnessed the death with his own eyes.

Later in The Acolyte‘s first episode, Osha is led into a vision by a younger version of her twin. The two exchange cryptic words, which do nothing to ease the suspicion that Mae lives only inside of Osha’s mind and does not really exist.

However, despite the surreal nature of these early encounters, by episode two of The Acolyte, it seems far more likely that Mae does really exist as her own person in the Star Wars series. We see Mae attacking Jedi Master Torbin at a Jedi Temple at a time confirmed to be temporally identical to Master Sol’s encounter with Mae on Carlac. Additionally, throughout the episodes of The Acolyte, it seems that Mae and Osha are having different conversations and engagements. Mae interacts primarily with Qimir, and Osha remains with Master Sol, Yord, and Jecki. A moment of doubt is cast again when Mae disappears after having poisoned Jedi Master Torbin only for Osha to be found with the vial.

For Now, It Feels Like Mae Is Real on The Acolyte

But Mae and Osha’s face to face meeting in episode three seems to dispel this notion. It still could be possible that Mae isn’t real and is a figment of her twin’s imagination. But for now, we’ll assume Mae and Osha are two separate and existing characters.

Mae and Osha’s Star Wars History

Now that we feel reasonably certain Mae and Osha both exist on Star Wars: The Acolyte, what do we know about their history? Well, from what the first two episodes reveal, Mae and Osha are twins who lived on the planet Brendok. In broad strokes, in their childhood, Mae started a fire in their home that killed their entire family. It seems that neither Mae nor Osha knew their twin survived into adulthood.

But Star Wars: The Acolyte episode three delves much deeper into Mae and Osha’s past. The third episode of The Acolyte takes us back to the twins’ childhood and reveals the events that led them down their current paths. The Acolyte reveals that four Jedi were stationed on Mae and Osha’s childhood planet during the fire. These were Jedi Master Sol, Indara, Torbin, and the Wookiee Jedi Kelnecca. When the Jedi discovered the coven of witches on Brendok, they accused them of teaching children how to use the Force in ways they deemed irresponsible. Of course, the coven on Brendok was simply following their understanding of how to use the Force, or the Thread, as they call it and seemed to be doing just fine. Intervening in the coven’s ceremonial rites of ascenion, the Jedi insist on testing the young twins to see if they are fit to become Jedi.

While Mae resents this idea, Osha welcomes it. The coven tries to convince the pair to lie during their questioning so they fail the Jedi’s tests, but Osha wishes to pass. After she does so successfully, she decides that she will leave with the Jedi. Enraged by this, Mae starts a fire, which seemingly leads to the destruction of the coven. Both sisters think, as mentioned, that the other has died. It seems that after these tragic events, Mae holds the Jedi responsible for dismanteling her life and now seeks revenge.

Mae and Osha’s Force Connection

Of course, even though Mae is not Force possessing Osha, there seems to be something special about their connection. When they meet in Osha’s vision, whispers of the Force swirl around them. Additionally, Mae admits to killing Indara. So, although neither sister appears to remember the vision, it appears to be in some ways real. Both Mae and Osha are Force users.

In their shared vision in episode one, Mae and Osha recite the following cryptic poem: “You’re with me, I’m with you, always one, but born as two. As above sit the stars and below lies the seas, I give you, you, and you give me, me.” At the end of the poem, Mae’s eyes turn black.

In episode three, we learn that Mae and Osha are literally born from the Force/Thread. Like Star Wars‘ Anakin, they have no father and had virgins births. The exact details of how their existence came to be are not yet fully fleshed out, but we know that Mother Anieysa created them and they were carried to term by Mother Koril.

Could Mae and Osha Be a Force Dyad on Star Wars: The Acolyte?

All of this seems to hint toward the possibility that Mae and Osha are part of a Force dyad on Star Wars: The Acolyte. The Star Wars sequel trilogies introduced us to the idea of a Force dyad, two individuals that are one in the Force. In Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, we learn that Rey and Ben Solo/Kylo Ren, make up one such dyad. Those who are in a Force dyad are able to connect their minds across time and space, including over long distances. In The Rise of Skywalker, we learn a Force dyad hasn’t been seen for generations. But, of course, the High Republic era is several generations before the New Republic.

In sum, all the information seems to point to the idea that Mae and Osha form a Force dyad on Star Wars: The Acolyte. And, of course, the way they describe their relationship, “always one, but born as two,” echoes the very definition of a Force dyad. Still, there could be other forces at work that we don’t yet know about. For example, we don’t know if being born of the Force as twins acts similarly to being in a Force dyad, or if one can cause the other.

We’ll have to wait and see if this concept is explored further as we watch the relationship between Mae and Osha develop on Star Wars: The Acolyte.

Originally published on June 4, 2024.

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“I carried them.”
“I created them.”
“And what happens if the Jedi discover how you created them?”

We knew The Acolyte, which takes place more than a century before The Phantom Menace, would show the early days of the Sith plan to destroy the Jedi. But the series’ third episode raised an unexpected and troubling connection to Darth Vader and the Skywalker Saga. Like Anakin, The Acolyte‘s twins Mae and Osha have no father because they are children of the Force in the Star Wars universe. While it’s not clear what that means for the power, it is a dark omen for the role they might play in bringing darkness to the galaxy far, far away. It’s also a sign the Jedi helped create their own destroyer.

“Who is his father?”
“There was no father. I carried him, I gave birth, I raised him. I can’t explain what happened.”

Shmi Skywalker told Qui-Gon Jinn her son Anakin was a miracle conception. Star Wars comic books have expanded the lore surrounding the Chosen One’s birth since The Phantom Menace. His creation is canonically more sinister and less magical than it comes across in the film. Palpatine is responsible for Anakin’s virgin birth. He used dark side powers to manipulate midi-chlorians in Shmi’s womb. Even with that revelation, though, Anakin’s very Star Wars existence remains rooted in the Force itself. He is a literal child of the Force. He also grew up to kill countless beings.

“You and your sister are special, Osha. I want you to stay special.”

Now, long before Shmi will give birth to Anakin, Star Wars: The Acolyte has introduced two more like him. The twins Osha and Mae were conceived in a similar, possibly identical way to Anakin. Mother Aniseya, the witch some accuse of using dark magic, created her twins via the Thread, her name for the Force.

They “have no father.” Unlike Shmi and Anakin, though, The Acolyte’s Mother Koril carried the twins to term. Why did Mother Aniseya do this? The show suggested that the outcast coven forced into hiding had been unable to grow their ranks any other way. The girls are a “miracle” that offers the group hope. But it’s not yet known exactly what Mother Aniseya was trying to create in terms of their power. No matter her intentions, though, like Anakin, capable of both light and dark, the two girls seem to represent both sides of the Force. And if you know Star Wars lore, you know why breaking up a powerful duo like that is so dangerous.

“Ascension is about walking through fear. It’s about sacrificing a part of yourself.”

During the Ascension, two celestial bodies over Brendok, one red and the other blue, converged in the sky. Only the two sisters meant to ascend together did not converge. Mae, so full of anger and already capable of hurting others, went through. The reluctant Osha didn’t even get the chance to refuse her mother, though, because the Jedi showed up and stopped the event. That Jedi interruption, rooted in Jedi hubris and a desire to control a Force that belongs to all living things, produced the very danger they were hoping to avoid in the first place.

The Jedi did not want any unauthorized people using the Force/Thread, especially witches thought to harness their power from the dark side. But Mae and Osha seem to be two parts of the same whole (maybe even a Force dyad). They are a living, natural balance of the very Force that created them. And very bad things happen when the Force is not in balance.

Without their other half, each girl became lost. Mae was lost to the dark side, while Osha gave up on the light side. Separating the two drove Mae to embrace her natural darker nature we saw on display at the episode’s start. Meanwhile, taking eight-year-old Osha away from her protective and adoring sister resulted in so much loss. That experience left Osha with lifelong scars she has yet to heal from. They prevented her from becoming a Jedi. The Jedi meddling in Mae and Osha’s lives led to the twins’ entire coven dying. This The Acolyte occurrence mirrors how the Jedi taking a young, scared Anakin from his mother led to all those Tusken raiders dying. And the Younglings. Alderaan…

Anakin’s fear, hate, and anger led to innumerable suffering. Suffering only he was able to stop when a family member showed Anakin there was another way, the way Osha might have shown Mae on The Acolyte. Instead they’re both angry at one another. For Osha that has meant walking away from everything she wanted. For Mae, it has led to anger. That anger has led to hate. That hate…we know where that leads, both now and in the galaxy’s future.

By creating two girls with the Force, Mother Aniseya might have been trying to embrace her coven’s mantra that the power of two not only overcomes the power of one but gives you the power of many. If nothing else, she recognized her daughters were stronger together, not because both were flawed but because they balanced each other. Only, her girls never had the chance to grow together or ascend together because the Jedi believed they knew better and only they had the right to use the Force.

That hubris pushed Mae to follow a Sith leader we know will help ultimately bring down the Jedi. Osha and Mae’s story, a story of the Force out of balance, will make Palpatine’s rise possible one day. That means the Jedi will have created their own destroyer in The Acolyte, just as they did when they took Anakin Skywalker from his mother without concern for what that would mean.

The Jedi believed they, and they alone, had the right to use the Force. But the children of the Force continue to show why such an attitude is anything but balanced.

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In episode three of The Acolyte, we see a flashback to the planet Brendok, where four Jedi approach the local clan of witches to take the two children, Osha and Mae, to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. One child wants to stay, while another wants to go and become a Jedi Padawan. The practice of Jedi taking children from their families at a young age has always seemed problematic. But what if it’s actually a necessary evil? Star Wars as a franchise has never made a good case for why it must be this way. But over at Marvel, the X-Men comics and films have done something similar, in a way that makes sense.

“He’s too old. Yes, too old to begin the training.” — Yoda, The Empire Strikes Back

Ever since The Phantom Menace, we’ve learned that the Jedi Order begins training their Jedi Padawans at a very young age. In fact, the Jedi Council deemed 9-year-old Anakin Skywalker as “too old” in that film, and initially rejected him. In later canonical Star Wars content like Clone Wars, Tales of the Jedi, and even Obi-Wan Kenobi, we learn the Order typically takes children as young as three or four years old into the order, essentially separating them from their parents for the rest of their lives as toddlers. And it seems, for the most part, parents are doing this willingly. But why?

Thus far, Star Wars has done a poor job of explaining why it’s standard galactic procedure for parents to essentially give up their children for adoption to an organization that will never allow them to see their kids again. At the very least, not until they are adults. These parents are all seemingly ok with it. However, it actually does make sense. We’ve seen something similar in the pages of Marvel Comics. However, the X-Men franchise has done a much better job of explaining why than Star Wars ever has.

Jedi Children Have Midi-Chlorians, Marvel Mutants Have the X-Gene

In Marvel Comics lore, a mutant is born with the X-gene, allowing their powers to develop at puberty. In the case of some mutants like Nightcrawler of the X-Men, the mutation can develop at birth. That is rare, however. For most mutants, their abilities start to flourish at moments of heightened emotional distress, usually at puberty. These powers can be not only dangerous to themselves, but to their families and communities as well. So it makes sense that they would need to go somewhere to train in the use of their powers. Not only for the good of humanity, but to make sure no one around them gets hurt. That’s why the most powerful moments need to go to a place like Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters to train.

The Jedi in Star Wars are very similar. Except, for Force-sensitive children of the galaxy far away, their powers can emerge from childhood. We saw it with young Ahsoka in Tales of the Jedi. Even as a toddler, she could unconsciously wield the Force. If a potential Jedi child can do this, they can also hurt those around them. A small child is pure Id. They are all “want,” and not much else. If they don’t get that cookie they want, they may accidentally Force-choke their parent. If another kid is mean to them on the playground? Then they might use the Force to hurt them, or possibly even kill them. Whether they mean to or not.

We think that things like this probably have taken place around the galaxy. Young Force-sensitive kids doing damage without thinking. This explains why it’s standard procedure for parents to give up their Force-sensitive kids to ensure the safety of those around them, however painful that decision may be. Yet that’s something not well communicated in The Acolyte. Or, frankly, in any Star Wars. The Jedi come across as cold, recruiting small kids for the benefit of their own Order. In truth, it’s actually for their own protection and the protection of others. So how does the Star Wars franchise fix this?

The Jedi Temple and Xavier’s School, Are They One and the Same?

This is where Star Wars can take a cue from X-Men, from both the comics and in other media. In the comics, we’ve seen how the emerging powers of characters like Sunspot put the lives of others at risk. In the movies, we saw how Rogue put a boy who kissed her in a coma for weeks when her powers activated. For their own protection, and to stop a witch hunt of everyone with similar gifts, those with the greatest powers must go to a place like Xavier’s School. If only to learn to control their abilities, forget being a superhero of any kind. Star Wars needs to show the bad things that happen when a Force-sensitive child uses their powers for destructive reasons. Even if it’s not on purpose. Only then can we truly understand that what the Jedi Order does is by necessity.

Of course, there are differences. The students at Xavier’s School are not forced to never see their families again once trained. Actually, Star Wars isn’t really clear if adult Jedi are allowed contact with their loved ones when their training is complete. Hopefully, The Acolyte, or other future Star Wars projects, makes all that clear. If that’s the case, and seeing a loved one once you’ve learned to use your powers is against the Jedi Code, it doesn’t paint the Jedi in a forgiving light. But the idea they must leave home for the safety of all is something that does make sense. The folks at Lucasfilm just need to take a cue from the X-Men franchise though when it comes to showing exactly why this is all for the greater good.

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In episode three of The Acolyte, we get an extended flashback to the childhoods of Osha and Mae (Leah and Lauren Brady) on the planet Brendock. We see they were the only children raised by a coven of female witches, led by Mother Aniseya (Jodi Turner-Smith), who seemingly “created” them via supernatural means. It seems Aniseya’s partner, Mother Koril, carried the twins for her, but the how and why remains a mystery. These witches, whose sigil is a white, dotted circle painted on their heads, view the Force differently, referring to it as something no one can wield. Instead, they view it as “a thread that can be pulled.” Although they never name this coven, they are certainly not the first Force users, primarily women, who use the term “witch” to describe themselves in Star Wars.

The First Force Witches in Star Wars Canon

The notion of Force witches began decades ago in non-canon Star Wars lore. “Mind witches” bedeviled Luke Skywalker in Star Wars comics in the early ’80s. However, the most famous Force witches first appeared nearly thirty years ago, in the Legends novel The Courtship of Princess Leia. That 1994 book by Dave Wolverton dealt with Han Solo and Leia’s marriage after Return of the Jedi, and was the first introduction to the Nightsisters of Dathomir, not to mention, the planet Dathomir itself.

In Legends lore, the Nightsisters were founded by an exiled Jedi, some 600 years before A New Hope. When this female ex-Jedi was exiled to Dathomir, she trained Force-sensitive women on the planet into a coven of witches, neither Sith nor Jedi. A handful of Expanded Universe merchandise even showed what the Nightsisters looked like. Some of this later informed their in-canon looks later on. However, by the time of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, George Lucas decided to canonize the concept of witches innately powerful in the Force. He largely tossed out the backstory of the Nightsisters in the novels and made his own.

The Nightsisters in The Clone Wars and The Mandalorian

In the Clone Wars, they eventually reveal Count Dooku’s dark side apprentice, Asajj Ventress, a primary villain in the series, was a Nightsister from the planet Dathomir. During this prequel era, the Nightsisters channeled the dark side of the Force into something akin to magic. They felt their power most strongly on their homeworld. So they rarely, if ever, left Dathomir. That changed when the coven came under the sway of Mother Talzin, who collaborated with Darth Sidious during his climb to power. In fact, Talzin gave her son to Sidious to train as a Sith. That child grew up to become Darth Maul.

In the Clone Wars episode “Massacre,” we witness the genocide of the Nightsisters, orchestrated by Count Dooku and General Grievous. Almost all of the Nightsisters die in this brutal attack. Even when the Nightsisters cast spells to resurrect their dead as warriors, they all fall in battle. We later discover that at least two girls survived the genocide. One was Asajj Ventress, and the other would grow up to become Morgan Elsbeth. Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto) would first appear in season two of The Mandalorian, as a warlord steward of the planet in the New Republic era. She’d later play a central role in Star Wars: Ahsoka, where they further explored her ties to the Nightsisters.

The Great Mothers of Peridea

In season one of Ahsoka, Elsbeth returned, as we learn that the witches of Dathomir actually originated in another galaxy, on the planet Peridea. Members of their sect traveled to the main Star Wars galaxy, presumably via Purgill, thousands of years prior. There, they established an offshoot clan of Nightsisters on Dathomir. Although they massacre the clan on Dathomir, the descendents of the original witches still live on that planet. Morgan is attempting to jump to another galaxy to find her master, Grand Admiral Thrawn. When she finds him, he’s not alone. He’s accompanied by several Great Mothers on the planet. The Great Mothers attempt to help Grand Admiral Thrawn return to his proper galaxy.

The Witches in The Acolyte Are a New Breed of Force Witches

So does the coven in The Acolyte have a connection to the Nightsisters? They don’t seem particularly dark-sided so far. While they have facial markings, they are nowhere near as intentionally creepy-looking as the Nightsisters. Mother Aniseya mentions that the coven was exiled to the planet Brendock. But exiled by whom? This is pre-Empire after all. The Nightsisters on Dathomir seem to more or less co-exist with the other clans, as we saw in Tales of the Empire. Perhaps they singled out Mother Aniseya’s clan for unknown reasons, forcing them to leave Dathomir. It’s possible they fought the Nightsisters with light-side magic, and lost, leaving them no choice but to flee.

Similar to the Nightsisters, there seems to be a visual component to the use of their powers. When the Jedi or Sith use the Force, it’s invisible. When the Nighsisters and the coven from Brendock cast spells, there’s a visual element to it. We see it as a green mist for the Nightsisters. And for the coven on Brendock, it’s more like vibrations in the air, like ripples in the water. Having more than one coven of witches in the Star Wars galaxy makes sense, however. Other cultures would perceive the Force differently, and wield it in different ways. The galaxy is a big place after all. Although we see this coven destroyed, we have a feeling they are not the only coven of similar witches in the galaxy. Or maybe even on Brendock. We are sure to learn more in the remaining episodes of The Acolyte.

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Few Star Wars video games are as beloved as Knights of the Old Republic. The BioWare game first came out in 2003, and was an instant smash. Taking place 4,000 years before the events of the Skywalker Saga, the game took fans back to an era when there were thousands of Sith battling thousands of Jedi Knights. For years, there have been rumors about KOTOR becoming a film, or possibly, a Disney+ series. While doing press for The Acolyte, showrunner Leslye Headland mentioned she’d love to tackle an adaptation of KOTOR, focusing on one character in particular — Kreia from KOTOR II. Here’s what she told Omelete, via IGN:

“I’ve always wanted to explore a live-action version of the Knights of the Old Republic game and Kreia’s character. I think it would be a really interesting story to bring to life.”

In the game, Kreia is a character who is blind, yet Force-sensitive. She has a different kind of relationship with the dark side and light side of the Force than the average Jedi. She was the Jedi Master who trained one of the game’s principal characters, Revan. It was he who turned against the Jedi and founded a new Sith Empire. For this and other reasons, she was exiled from the Jedi Order. Star Wars fans often cite her as one of the best characters in the franchise.

So when will Lucasfilm finally adapt Knights of the Old Republic? The epic war between the Sith Empire and the Galactic Republic is one of the most requested live-action projects. And Lucasfilm has teased the possibility of making it for several years. Due to their involvement with Game of Thrones, many believed that Dave Benioff and D. B. Weiss’ now-canceled Star Wars film was based on KOTOR, but it was actually another project. We genuinely believe that if and when Lucasfilm formally announces a live-action Knights of the Old Republic, it would be as big a deal as if they were to announce a Star Wars: Episode X. We’ll just have to wait and see if it ever happens.

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The Acolyte is only two episodes in but it is already a Disney+ darling. According to Deadline, the Star Wars series gained 4.8 million views in its first day, making The Acolyte the biggest series premiere on Disney+. That’s a big deal. People are obviously loving this dive into the High Republic era that’s full of secrets and mysterious happenings.

It will remain to be seen if The Acolyte can continue to keep those views up as the season progresses. There’s a whole lot going on in June with House of the Dragon season two and The Boys season four coming soon. Of course, some people may only watch one series and others may watch them all. But there’s certainly some stiff competition for viewership on the horizon.

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The newest chapter in the Star Wars Universe, The Acolyte, has been chock full of dramatic twists and turns. From the family drama at the core of the story to the larger tensions between the Republic and the Jedi Order, The Acolyte has made it clear in its first two episodes that fans should set aside their expectations. As the series’s opening fight shows, absolutely anything can happen. 

This also applies to the source material that The Acolyte pulls from. As the Star Wars Universe’s first live-action project set during the High Republic, a century before the events of the prequels, the show is in a unique position to incorporate details about the time period from existing High Republic novels, comics, manga, and audio dramas. So far we’ve seen a Wookiee Jedi, a familiar sight to High Republic readers. But one moment in episode 2, “Revenge/Justice,” forges an even deeper connection to The Acolyte’s source material as it introduces the concept of The Barash Vow. 

The Acolyte Introduces the Barash Vow to Live-Action Star Wars

While on her quest for revenge against the Jedi who were stationed on her home planet of Brendock, Mae (Amandla Stenberg) tracks down Master Torbin (Dean-Charles Chapman) at a Jedi Temple on Olega. Torbin is in a state of deep meditation, levitating high off the ground, and is impenetrable to Mae’s attacks. Later, another Jedi at the Olega temple notes that Master Torbin “hasn’t spoken to anyone in years,” suggesting that he has been in this state for quite a long time. When Mae confronts him again, she states that she knows he has taken “the Barash Vow,” explaining the meditative form that he has been in. 

What Is The Barash Vow?

The Barash Vow was first represented in Darth Vader #2 (2017) by Charles Soule (one of the architects of the High Republic publishing initiative) and Giuseppe Camuncoli. But it wasn’t officially named until it popped up in the 2021 young adult High Republic novel, Into the Dark, by Claudia Gray. There, it the Barash Vow was described as a vow that a Jedi takes in order to reform their relationship with the Force, typically after they’ve made a mistake they wish to atone for. Those who take the vow go into a state of silent meditation, sometimes for years. Not every Jedi who takes the Barash Vow committed a grave error like Torbin, but it can certainly provide some respite after traumatic events. 

Where Does the Name “The Barash Vow” Come From in the Star Wars World?

Still, you may be wondering, why is this Star Wars state even called the “Barash Vow?” It takes its name from the first Jedi who took the vow, Barash Silvain. The origins of the concept can be seen in Star Wars: The High Republic – The Blade comic book miniseries by Charles Soule, Marco Castiello, and Jethro Morales. Barash Silvain was a Kage Jedi who formed a very close bond with one of the greatest swordsmen the Jedi Order has ever seen: Porter Engle. Porter and Barash met as younglings, and eventually became so close that they referred to each other as “brother” and “sister,” doing everything together. 

While on a mission to the planet Gansevor, Barash made a huge error in judgment, resulting in dramatic political consequences. Though Porter assured her that everything would be smoothed over, Barash felt immense guilt for letting her emotions get in the way of assessing the situation. After taking a moment to reflect, she decided that it would be best for her to mend her relationship with the Force before she entered back into the fold of her usual Jedi activities. 

The Origins of the Barash Vow Mirror The Acolyte‘s Story

The Acolyte bringing in the Barash Vow is a pointed choice, considering the parallels between Barash Silvain and Porter Engle’s relationship with that of Osha and Mae’s relationship on the show. Jedi are discouraged from forming attachments with anyone or anything—hence why the Jedi Council was hesitant to accept 8 year-old Osha into the Order. The Jedi view familial relationships as potential sources for distraction, the type of emotional interference that prevents a Jedi from acting impartially through the Force. Both Osha and Barash had memories of their families before they joined the Order, putting them at risk. For Barash, this was even more serious because the memory of every member of the Kage species begins from birth. Even though the Jedi had taken her in at a young age, she still had years and years of crystal clear memories with her family that she had to reconcile. 

Clearly, by the time The Acolyte takes place, Barash Silvain’s sabbatical from the Jedi Order provided a template for later generations of Jedi to reconnect with the Force. Perhaps the origin of the Barash Vow informed Master Torbin’s decision to take it, considering the role he played in Mae and Osha’s separation. Either way, for fans of the High Republic novels and comics, it is immensely gratifying to see an element of a beloved character like Porter Engle get incorporated into a live-action project. The Acolyte is set centuries after the events of Porter and Barash’s separation, so it is heartening to see their legacy live on, even if the circumstances are tragic. 

A More Unified Future for Star Wars

Ultimately, seeing elements from High Republic stories in The Acolyte points to a more unified future for the Star Wars franchise. Since the High Republic publishing initiative began in 2021, the line has grown to include dozens of novels, comics, manga, and audio dramas spanning two different time periods within the High Republic. As such, it would fair to say that the High Republic has its own distinct mythos. It would be remiss for Disney and Lucasfilm to ignore this in their live-action projects. So far, The Acolyte has struck a fair balance between forging its own vision of the High Republic and honoring the source material that has come before. 

Unfortunately for Master Torbin, the Barash Vow did not provide him with the solace he sought. Barash’s decision to take the vow would continue to affect Porter Engle for decades, even though he understood why his sister needed to take time away from the Jedi Order. Hopefully, for the Jedi’s sake, the Order can strike a balance between achieving atonement for their mistakes and justice for those they’ve wronged on The Acolyte. 

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We knew The Acolyte would bring Star Wars fans back to the era of the High Republic, a century before The Phantom Menace. What we didn’t know is that it would also deliver a shocking death. The Disney+ show’s first episode featured a demise we did not see coming. Who met their end during the series’ start? And more importantly, what does that mean for the show? Here’s everything you need to understand about the death of Carrie-Anne Moss’s Master Indara in the first episodes of The Acolyte.

May the Force be with you, because spoilers definitely will be ahead.

Who Died in The Acolyte‘s First Episode?

The Acolyte opened with Amandla Stenberg’s Mae attacking a Jedi Master, Carrie-Anne Moss’s Indara. At first Master Indara tried not to fight back, merely to avoid being struck. But as the battle continued she realized this unknown young warrior was Force-trained. That’s when Indara became more actively engaged in the duel.

Things completely changed when Indara unmasked Mae and recognized her. After Mae Force threw Indara, the Jedi drew her lightsaber, which Mae took as a sign Indara meant to kill her. The Jedi Master then turned off her lightsaber. Mae threw one of her daggers at the bartender, and as Indara used the Force to stop the knife and save him Mae threw another dagger into the Jedi’s heart.

Why Did Mae Kill Jedi Master Indara?

During their encounter a vengeful Mae insisted Indara attack her with “all her strength.” Later, after Indara said Jedi don’t attack unarmed people, an angry Mae said, “Yes, you do.”

That exchange hints at a dark past between the two, one where Indara or her colleagues did something we would not expect a Jedi to do. From what we saw and heard of Osha’s own sad memories, whatever happened between Indara and Mae happened when Mae was a child.

Creator Leslye Headland Comments on The Acolyte‘s Shocking Death

The Acolyte‘s creator, Leslye Headland, has shared some insights into why Carrie-Anne Moss’s Indara’s death occurred so early in the show.

She noted to Variety, “I thought it was a good tone-setter for the show. [It shows] that the Jedis are going to take some losses, and that the good guys and the bad guys are not always who you think they are.”

Headland additionally shared the following with GamesRadar+ about the death of Indara, “From a filmmaker perspective, I just felt like with the cold open, especially with a new story, that you just have to go hard… You have to say the Jedi are going to take some Ls; you’re not going to know who the good guys and the bad guys are. And it’s going to feel very visceral… Even if you already know it’s going to happen, it doesn’t have to be a big gotcha moment. It just has to be a moment where the emotional and the physical – meaning the fights – melt together. Carrie-Anne, not just being an action legend, is also a phenomenal actress. She was able to play all those beats within the fight as well as, of course, her death scene”

What Does Indara’s Death Mean for The Acolyte?

Like with Drew Barrymore’s death in the opening scene of Scream, The Acolyte began by letting us know nobody is safe on this show. If a Force-using student without a lightsaber can kill an experienced Jedi Master—played by a major star—she can kill almost anyone. (And just imagine what her Master can do.) Indara’s death fully shows the peace of the High Republic is more vulnerable than ever before. As are the Jedi.

Mae’s masked Master said, “The Jedi live in a dream.” Master Indara’s death proves they’ll need to wake up quickly before they are all living in a nightmare.

Originally published on June 4, 2024.

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The galaxy far, far away is a big place, and every new Star Wars show and movie makes it a little bigger by introducing new planets. That’s especially true on Disney+’s new High Republic era show The Acolyte. Which worlds has it visited? And how many are entirely new or places we’ve seen before? We’re keeping track of all the planets seen in every episode and what we know about them.

The Acolyte Episode 1 Planets

Ueda

The Acolyte‘s first location was all-new to the franchise. Mae attacked Jedi Master Indara in a bar located in a village on the planet Ueda. The Jedi was sitting with a diverse group of many species. While we didn’t get to see much of Ueda, its denizens clearly held the Jedi in high esteem.

Coruscant

The Acolyte’s premiere brought fans back to Coruscant, the Galactic Republic’s posh capital planet and main location of the Star Wars prequels. Coruscant and the Jedi Temple looked just as they will during The Phantom Menace, when the Jedi will still call it home.

Carlac

Osha’s prisoner transport ship crashed into the icy, snow-covered world of Carlac, a place Star Wars fans have seen before. Located in the Outer Rim Territories and covered in mountains and forests, it first appeared on Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

During that episode Ahsoka Tano helped save a Ming Po tribe from total destruction at the hands of Death Watch. The Mandalorian sect had built an outpost there.

Brendok

Mae and Osha’s childhood home world only appeared in a vision Osha had after her crash. That pseudo flashback showed the girls running through a forest. It also showed a raging fire, an event that haunts Osha.

Mystery Ocean Planet

The Acolyte‘s premiere ended with Mae returning to her Master on an unnamed ocean planet. The two spoke on a rocky coast.

The Acolyte Episode 2 Planets

Olega

The Acolyte‘s second episode introduced Olega, a planet of obvious importance because of its sacred Jedi Temple. Much like Ueda, Olega also appeared to be a bustling world with communities made up of a diverse citizenry. It’s also where Mae convinced Master Torbin to atone for his past sins with a fatal poison.

Khofar

Wookiee Jedi Knight Kelnacca is living in solitude deep in the woods on the heavily forested planet of Khofar in the Outer Rim Territories. Like Olega, Khofar is an entirely new world in Star Wars.

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In The Acolyte‘s second episode Jedi Knight Yord uttered one of the most iconic lines in all of Star Wars: “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” But Charlie Barnett almost didn’t get to to say that oft-repeated worry. Neither did anyone else in the cast. Showrunner Leslye Headland told Entertainment Weekly she had to fight to keep that famous line in the show.

Unlike Vanestra Rwoh saying, “May the Force be with you,” Headland said Yord’s talk of having a bad feeling was “hard to get that in.” The fear among some at Lucasfilm was the line could “either take viewers out of the moment, or fail to live up” the impact of the line itself.

Whether it landed or not is up to each individual audience member, but Headland said she simply had to include this Star Wars line. “I just feel like when you get the opportunity to do Star Wars, you’re just going to shoot your shot,” she said to EW. As long as she shot first no one can begrudge her that.

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The latest Star Wars show, The Acolyte, features a new type of character that’s never been shown in a live-action film or television show: a Wookiee Jedi. Fans have loved Wookiees ever since Chewbacca won their hearts in Episode IV: A New Hope, with his skeptical but loyal personality. Now, The Acolyte will expand fans’ horizons about Wookiees and Wookiee culture with the character of Master Kelnacca. Wookiees are already formidable warriors without the Force, making a Wookiee Jedi even more fearsome. Master Kelnacca is the only Wookiee Jedi we’ve seen in live-action. But he is not the only member of his species in the Jedi Order during the High Republic period. In fact, it could be argued that Wookiee Jedi are a staple of the High Republic as a whole. 

The History of the Wookiee Jedi in the High Republic Era

The Acolyte, set during the tail end of the High Republic, takes place a hundred years before The Phantom Menace. In total, the High Republic lasted four hundred years. The Jedi Order was at its most powerful during this period, with scores of Jedi from a diverse array of species scattered in temples across the galaxy. Given how the Jedi Order flourished during the High Republic, it would be strange for there not to be any Wookiee Jedi. 

The High Republic as a time period within Star Wars was first championed by a multimedia publishing initiative that introduced the era’s key players, geopolitics, and more across novels, comics, manga, and audio dramas. It kicked off with Charles Soule’s novel, Light of the Jedi, the cover of which prominently features a Wookiee Jedi named Burryaga. Standing directly behind Master Avar Kriss, the Padawan Burryaga Agaburry (or “Burry” to his friends) fiercely holds his distinctive blue lightsaber, growling at a threat in the distance. 

Burryaga is a beloved member of the Jedi Order because of his selfless and empathetic nature. In fact, Burry has a unique Force power where he can detect emotions with a much greater intensity than other Jedi. This makes him skilled at comforting people in distress, even using the Force to remove some of the emotional burden. He also wields a lightsaber specifically designed for his tall stature, its length nearly as great as a double-bladed lightsaber. The hilt of the saber is made from materials found only on his native planet of Kashyyyk.

The Challenges of Being a Wookiee Jedi

Being a Wookiee within the Jedi Order isn’t without its difficulties though. In Burryaga’s case, he can understand Basic, but he only speaks his native language, Shyriiwook. His master, Nib Assek, is one of the few non-Wookiee Jedi who can speak and understand Shyriiwook fluently. As Light of the Jedi shows, this can be sometimes distressing for Burry. This is particularly true in tense battle situations when he senses vast amounts of fear or danger and can’t convey it easily to other Jedi. 

Master Arkhoff, a Famous Wookiee Jedi in the Star Wars Universe

While Burryaga eventually became a Jedi Knight, there is another, more seasoned Wookiee in the Jedi Order: Master Arkhoff. Master Arkhoff is a wise mentor to many other Jedi, particularly Master Lily Tora-Asi, who was once his apprentice. Briefly appearing in Light of the Jedi, Arkhoff was a principal character in the manga series, The Edge of Balance by Justina Ireland, Shima Shinya, and Mizuki Sakakibara. There, he helped settle refugees on the planet Banchii who were displaced by the Great Hyperspace Disaster. (This took place in Light of the Jedi).

Arkhoff is immediately recognizable thanks to his braided beard. (Or is it facial fur? Do Wookiees even have beards?) His tall stature made him a little intimidating to the younglings at Banchii’s Jedi Temple. Nonetheless, he played a vital role in helping his former Padawan, Lily Tora-Asi, mentor her own Padawan. Unlike Burryaga, Arkhoff worked with Jedi who understood Shyriiwook.   

Master Kelnacca, the Wookiee Jedi in The Acolyte

This leads us now to The Acolyte’s Master Kelnacca. The elusive Jedi Master has hidden himself on the planet of Khofar, known for its thick forests. It has been long established within Star Wars lore that Wookiees prefer wooded environments that resemble their home planet of Kashyyyk. Though we only get a small taste of Kelnacca’s life on Khofar in episode 2 of The Acolyte, we have to assume that the Wookiee was living his best life in seclusion. 

So far, Kelnacca seems to be the only Wookiee Jedi in The Acolyte. Given how instrumental Burryaga in particular was to the very start of the High Republic initiative, it would be a treat to see other Wookiee Jedi in other live-action projects. If we can agree on anything, it’s that the sight of a Wookiee Jedi will always be a winner.

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The Acolyte‘s official description of Qimir makes Manny Jacinto’s character sound like a fun rogue, the type of secondary figure we frequently meet in the galaxy far, far away. Lucasfilm calls him a former smuggler-turned trader and supplier of unusual items who has “survived in some of the shadier starports” around. He’s also known as a “shiftless drifter with seemingly no cares at all other than his own amusements.” But his debut in episode two of the new Disney+ Star Wars series indicated there is much more to the insightful and cunning Qimir than he wants anyone to know. His dark side affiliations, unusual wisdom, and clear purpose suggest he’s hiding the biggest secret in the High Republic.

The Acolyte takes place during the High Republic, a time when the Jedi dominated the galaxy without any equals. As the series has shown, the guardians of peace also had outposts on every planet. Denizens of every world interacted with the highly-esteemed Jedi. They also thought no one could realistically fight those powerful Force users. Bar customers laughed at Mae when she challenged Master Indara in the show’s premiere. People of this era clearly had a personal awareness and intimacy with the Jedi Order a century and a half later before Order 66.

And yet, the ubiquitousness of the Jedi does not fully explain Qimir’s deep insights into them. He doesn’t just know about them like most people. He’s not intimidated or awed by them, either. Qimir has a meaningful understanding of who they are, what they want, and how they operate. He also sees they are vulnerable.

“Everyone has a weakness,” he told Mae about the Jedi everyone else thinks unbeatable. She proved him correct twice when she killed two Jedi in very different ways. The death of Master Torbin especially showed the depth of Qimir’s intuition about the Order and its members. He knew Torbin’s decade-long trance (as part of his Barash Vow) indicated the Jedi had not really found peace. Qimir somehow understood—even though the Jedi hadn’t spoken to anyone in ten years—the past still haunted Torbin enough he’d willingly atone with fatal poison.

Qimir also apparently knows what planet the wookiee Jedi Master Kelnacca is living on, something the Force sensitive Mae didn’t. He also managed to talk himself out of what seemed like an obvious and inevitable arrest by the Jedi. Qimir then skillfully eluded their detection when he helped smuggle Mae off the planet. And that followed the supposed smuggler-turned-trader without a care in the world physically overpowering Mae, a warrior who’d just bested multiple Jedi.

Indara didn’t even consider Mae a real threat until she recognized Mae could use the Force. Yet somehow Qimir quickly fought back and overtook Mae when she surprise attacked him in that alley. How did he do that? Han Solo couldn’t beat a Force-user in hand-to-hand combat, but this rogue can? And that’s just one of the many intriguing questions the second episode of The Acolyte raised about Qimir. How does he know so much about the Jedi, including what they seek, the lies they tell themselves, where they live, and their own vulnerabilities? And how did he so quickly recognize Osha wasn’t Mae?

One possibility is that Qimir is Force-sensitive himself and has received the same training Mae has from her mysterious Master we saw at the end of episode one. Qimir said he serves that masked figure with the red lightsaber, just seemingly in a different way than Mae. She’s the warrior, he’s simply an accomplice. But it’s not as though a dark side devotee couldn’t hide their identity from another Force user like Mae. Palpatine kept his Sith identity secret from the entire Jedi Order while working closely with them.

There’s an obvious issue with that explanation, however. If the masked Master is the very Sith who will revive the dark Order, they would only have one Padawan. “Always two there are. No more, no less. A master and an apprentice.” If Mae is the Master’s “acolyte,” Qimir can’t also be.

But what if he is the mysterious Master? Despite his official character description, Qimir obviously cares about something. He has a purpose. He’s not just helping Mae kill Jedi, he wants to expose the lie the Order tells itself. That’s the same purpose the Master has. He/she said they wants to “kill” the dream the Jedi live in.

Qimir is also is working with Mae, who knows almost nothing about him (just as she doesn’t even know her Master’s true identity.) Yet Qimir is sharing seemingly unknowable knowledge about the Jedi with her, all while he can physically overmatch her. All of which points to the fact he’s pretending to just be a normal servant of their mutual leader.

Star Wars fans know a powerful Sith Lord can keep a secret identity from everyone. Qimir might be hiding his own as the Master. If he is there, his story would be the kind of poetry George Lucas said drived Star Wars. Qimir’s own story would mirror that of Palpatine, whose own rise was made possible by a dark side user who took on the Jedi during the time of the High Republic.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist who thinks Manny Jacinto deserved an Emmy for The Good Place. You can follow him on Twitter and Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

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Soon, we’ll be heading off into the galaxy far, far away for a brand new Star Wars adventure. Star Wars: The Acolyte will be released on Disney+ on June 4. This series will be set about a century before the events of The Phantom Menace. It’s a period of time that live-action and animated Star Wars projects haven’t really explored to date. And so, The Acolyte will feature a whole host of brand-new Star Wars characters for us to get to know. Until recently, these figures were largely a mystery. But now, The Acolyte‘s main players have received descriptions from the official Star Wars website.

Let’s meet all the new characters that will feature in Star Wars: The Acolyte.

Star Wars: The Acolyte‘s New Characters

Jump to: Mae // Jedi Master Sol // Jedi Master Indara // Wookiee Jedi Master Kelnacca // Vernestra “Vern” Rwoh // Jedi Knight Yord Fandar // Padawan Jecki Lon // Former Smuggler Qimir // Mother Aniseya

Mae: The Acolyte‘s Masked Marvel

Mae is the main character of The Acolyte. Her official description reads, “Mae gets swept up into a sinister mystery—one that puts her into the center of a conflict in unexpected ways.” And additionally, we know that this new The Acolyte character is “a masked marvel who isn’t afraid to go toe-to-toe with a Jedi.” Finally, Mae is said to be “a dangerous warrior from Jedi Master Sol’s past.”

Who Will Play the Character of Mae in Star Wars: The Acolyte?

Amandla Stenberg will play Mae in The Acolyte.

Sol: The Acolyte’s New Jedi Master Character

We’re about to meet many Jedi in The Acolyte, but one new character we meet is Jedi Master Sol. Sol’s official description is as follows: “Master Sol is a wise, highly respected, powerful Jedi Master, strong in the ways of the Force, who is going through emotional conflict.” Lee Jung-jae shares of Master Sol, “I definitely was inspired by a lot of the past Jedi Masters and the wonderful actors that played them. And one of my favorite characters was Qui-Gon Jinn, played by Liam Neeson. I really kind of tried to find the connective tissue between him and my character, Master Sol.”

Additionally, The Acolyte‘s synopsis shares, “an investigation into a shocking crime spree pits a respected Jedi Master against a dangerous warrior from his past.”

Most mysterious indeed.

Who Will Play the Character of Sol in Star Wars: The Acolyte?

Lee Jung-jae will play the new character of Sol in The Acolyte.

Indara: Another New Jedi Master in The Acolyte

Jedi Master Indara is referred to as a “protector of the peace.” In The Acolyte this new Star Wars character is described as “a Jedi Master of great physical and mental skill.”

Who Will Play the Character of Indara in Star Wars: The Acolyte?

Carrie-Anne Moss will play Jedi Master Indara in The Acolyte.

Kelnacca: The Acolyte‘s Wookiee Jedi

Wookiee’s can be Jedi too. And Jedi Master Kelnacca will certainly prove that when he appears as a new character in Star Wars: The Acolyte. Kelnacca is described as “a Wookiee Jedi, a loner who lives a solitary life.” Star Wars: The Clone Wars was the first canon story to bring a Wookiee Jedi to life, but Jedi Master Kelnacca marks the first Wookiee Jedi in live-action. This new The Acolyte character will also be the first canonical Jedi Master Wookiee in Star Wars because The Clone Wars‘ Gungi was a Youngling.

Who Will Play the Character of Kelnacca, the Wookiee Jedi, in Star Wars: The Acolyte?

Joonas Suotamo will play the Kelnacca, the Wookiee Jedi, in The Acolyte.

Vernestra “Vern” Rwoh: A New The Acolyte Character but a Familiar Star Wars Face

Fans of The High Republic book series will know Vernestra “Vern” Rwoh. In The Acolyte, Vern Rwoh will leap from page to screen as she debuts in the live-action world. Vernestra Rwoh will be the only character we’ll see from The High Republic books, though. But still, we’re very happy to have her.

Vernestra’s description reads, “Vernestra Rwoh is an elder Jedi Master who has ascended the ranks of the Jedi from a teenage prodigy to a leader in the Order. She became one of the youngest Jedi Knights in a generation at age 15, and solidified her status as a prodigy when she took Imri Cantaros as a Padawan the next year. With a purple-bladed lightsaber that can change into a lightwhip, young Rwoh led with unwavering faith in the Force and devotion to the Jedi Order. But in the year after the fall of Starlight Beacon — while mourning those lost in the destruction, including her own Padawan — Vernestra pulled back from the Order and shifted her focus to heal herself.”

Additionally, Vernestra Rwoh is a Mirialan character. According to an Empire interview with the showrunner, Rwoh is 116 years old in the series and has been through some serious trauma that will alter her personality from The High Republic books.

Who Will Play the Character of Vernestra “Vern” Rwoh in Star Wars: The Acolyte?

Rebecca Henderson will play the live-action version of The High Republic‘s Vernestra “Vern” Rwoh in Star Wars: The Acolyte.

Jedi Knight Yord Fandar: The Acolyte‘s Jedi Temple Guardian

Another character new to The Acolyte will be Jedi Knight Yord Fandar. Yord is “a Jedi Knight and guardian from the Jedi Temple, [who is also] an overachiever and a rule follower. His need to be a by-the-book Jedi can cloud his mind.”

We can’t say Yord sounds like the most fun new character from The Acolyte, but we guess we’ll have to wait and see.

Who Will Play the Character of Yord Fandar in Star Wars: The Acolyte?

Charlie Barnett will play Yord in Star Wars: The Acolyte.

Jecki Lon: A New Padawan Character From Star Wars: The Acolyte

Padawans can be critical characters in the Star Wars world, and so we’re glad to meet another one in The Acolyte. Jecki Lon “is the Padawan apprentice to Master Sol. Although she is young, she projects calm and conducts herself with maturity.” With her close connection to Sol, she’ll undoubtedly be a critical character.

Dafne Keen shares of her new Star Wars: The Acolyte character, “I’m very happy that I get to say that she’s an alien and that she’s a Padawan and that she’s a Jedi. She’s a mixed species — part Theelin, part human. She’s very cool and I have some very cool fights I do with the lightsaber.” And additionally adds, “‘d say she is a very dedicated Padawan. She’s definitely in awe of him in a very kind of sweet way. She thinks the absolute world of him in a way that I think they have a very sweet relationship, but she’s much more aware of the authority difference than, for example, Obi-Wan and Anakin. She’s very much like, “No, he’s the master and I’m the Padawan and he’s perfect. And everything he says, I have to follow to the T.”

Additionally, Keen reveals her character is like a Jedi David Bowie. She notes, “For sure – ‘Starman’ was, like, my tune while we were filming. I had it in my trailer all the time. As soon as we put that makeup on, I went to Leslye and I was like, ‘This is David Bowie.’ And she was like, ‘You’re absolutely right.’ We had the running joke that it was like Jedi David Bowie. Jedi Bowie, like, duh! It’s almost funky ‘70s, ‘80s-looking, which is really cool. I was so excited by the braid – as a Star Wars fan, to get a Padawan braid is, like, the sickest thing ever. I was so excited when they put it in. ‘Oh my god, I have my own Padawan braid!’ It was really cool. There were a ton of Bowie songs on set, all the time.”

It sounds like Jecki will be a Padawan like we’ve never seen before. We can’t wait to meet her.

Who Will Play the Character of Jecki in Star Wars: The Acolyte?

Dafne Keen will play Jecki in Star Wars: The Acolyte.

Qimir: Star Wars: The Acolyte‘s Former Smuggler and Trader

Who doesn’t love a charming rogue? Qimir joins a long line of dashing smugglers that have lived in Star Wars‘ world. This new The Acolyte character “is a former smuggler who now makes his living as a trader, procuring unusual things and enjoying a life of leisure.” Manny Jacinto recently commented on his The Acolyte character to Total Film (via Slash Film), sharing some interesting details. He noted, “Qimir isn’t the most fashionable person,” the actor said when describing his character’s digs. “I think he’s spent a lot of his money eating at his home planet’s cantina. His fashion sense is basically hobbit meets … poverty.” That’s quite the description.

Jacinto added, “Qimir is an everyday guy minding his own business,” and he’s “doing his own thing and gets pulled into this whole storyline, whether he likes it or not.” Total Film notes that “Jacinto doesn’t seem keen to categorize him as a hero or villain.” He also doesn’t appear to wield a lightsaber at any point. Ultimately, this Star Wars: The Acolyte character is “trying to do his best, but has certain faults,”

Qimir sounds like fun. Though we bet Yord won’t think so.

Who Will Play the Character of Qimir in Star Wars: The Acolyte?

Manny Jacinto will play Qimir in Star Wars: The Acolyte.

Mother Aniseya: A Leader of a Coven of Witches

We are obsessed with Mother Aniseya. She’s Mother, after all. This new witchy character is Star Wars: The Acolyte‘s independent thinker. Her description reads, “Mother Aniseya is the leader of a coven of Witches who value their independence and the preservation of their beliefs and powers.”

These new Witches may have some kinship with the the Nightsisters of Dathomir. Showrunner Lesyle Headland shares, “The Clone Wars [inspired The Acolyte], a lot being inspired by Nightsisters. We don’t have any Nightsisters in this show, but being inspired by them, being inspired by Asajj Ventress. My favorite episode is ‘The Wrong Jedi.”‘ I definitely took some inspiration from that.”

Who Will Play the Character of Mother Aniseya in Star Wars: The Acolyte?

Jodie Turner-Smith will play the new character of Mother Aniseya in Star Wars: The Acolyte.

Originally published on March 21, 2024.

The post Meet THE ACOLYTE’s New STAR WARS Characters appeared first on Nerdist.

The next few years are going to bring about many exciting Star Wars series to Disney+, including Ahsoka and further adventures for The Mandalorian and Andor. But one, in particular, announced in 2020, is The Acolyte.

In a wholesome video, Anakin Skywalker himself, Hayden Christensen, welcomes The Acolyte‘s Amandla Stenberg to the world of Star Wars. Christensen offers, “I just wanted to send you a quick message to say congratulations. And I’m very excited for the show, and wanted to wish you all the best and welcome you to our Star Wars family. Hopefully I’ll get to meet you soon, maybe at a Star Wars Celebration or something.” This is the kind of content we love to see.

Here’s everything we know about The Acolyte, a set a century before the events of the Skywalker Saga.

Title

The official title for the upcoming Lucasfilm Star Wars series is The Acolyte. Its official title may or may not wind up as Star Wars: The Acolyte.

The Acolyte’s Plot

The Acolyte‘s trailer gives us our first good look at the series, which cautions that even in times of peace, evil is always rising. A synopsis shared with the trailer reveals:

In “Star Wars: The Acolyte,” an investigation into a shocking crime spree pits a respected Jedi Master (Lee Jung-jae) against a dangerous warrior from his past (Amandla Stenberg). As more clues emerge, they travel down a dark path where sinister forces reveal all is not what it seems….

When Disney officially announced the series back in December 2020, we got a slightly different description, which noted:

The Acolyte is a mystery-thriller that will take viewers into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark-side powers in the final days of the High Republic era. A former Padawan reunites with her Jedi Master to investigate a series of crimes, but the forces they confront are more sinister than they ever anticipated. 

We’ve also learned that the drama unfolds about a century before the events of The Phantom Menace, during a time when the Sith were still in hiding, getting ready to make their move to take over the galaxy. Aside from canon novels, the High Republic is an era totally unexplored in any live-action or animated Star Wars projects.

Behind the Scenes

Leslye Headland is on board as writer and producer. Headland also directed the premiere episodes (Eps. 101 & 102). A release shares, “Directors Kogonada (Eps. 103 & 107), Alex Garcia Lopez (Eps. 104 & 105) and Hanelle Culpepper (Eps. 106 & 108) round out the directing duties on the series.”

The Acolyte’s Cast

The Acolyte‘s cast is turning out better than we could have imagined. Playing the lead role in the show is Amandla Stenberg, recently seen in Bodies Bodies Bodies. Joining Stenberg are Lee Jung-jae, Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, Jodie Turner-Smith, Rebecca Henderson, Charlie Barnett, Dean-Charles Chapman, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Joonas Suotamo. Suotamo is playing a Wookiee and Henderson will portray Vernestra Rwoh. This High Republic character was one of the youngest ever to become Jedi Knight. Of course, we’ll see her much older in this Star Wars series.

In The Acolyte, the green-skinned Jedi Master, played by Rebecca Henderson, is a cool 116 years old and lives in the temple on Coruscant. In an interview with Empire, series creator Leslye Headland affirms that Rwoh is the only character from that book series who will be in The Acolyte …at least, for now. Headland speaks more on the character’s personality, saying she’s been through a lot. “That has resulted in her going from this fun-seeking adventurer character [in the books], to a little bit closer to the [type of] Jedi that we see in The Phantom Menace.”

The Acolyte‘s Release Date

The Acolyte will release on June 4, 2024. It will premiere with its first two episodes.

Originally published on May 10, 2023.

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The Acolyte is almost here and Star Wars fans can’t wait to witness this fresh adventure. We have a solid explanation of The High Republic era in both print and video format but it is impossible to have too much information. Star Wars has an entire YouTube playlist with all the Star Wars: The High Republic episodes to make sure you’re a certified expert. (Thanks to the fantastic Krystina Arielle for bringing this to our attention via the site formerly known as Twitter.) 

Some of the videos are short bites about certain characters while others are longer deep dives and convention panels. So, settle in and get your High Republic knowledge up with this Star Wars playlist. Oh, and please do check out our video below.

The post This STAR WARS YouTube Playlist Will Up Your High Republic Era Knowledge appeared first on Nerdist.

When the newest Disney+ Star Wars series, The Acolyte, was first announced in 2020, one of the big takeaways from the then-enigmatic project was that it would take place during “the waning days of the High Republic.” The promise of a live-action series brought a new spotlight to the ambitious new multi-media literary effort slated to debut in early 2021. It offered a swath of new Star Wars stories set in an era that was older than the New Republic but newer than the Old Republic. This era is The High Republic.

Over the last several years, the High Republic gained a loyal cult following of Star Wars fans to its pages. The Acolyte will be many fans’ first real experience with the storytelling of this galactic era and some of the unique characters created for it. As such, we’ve decided to offer you a history of the era, as far as we know currently. While each book and story within the High Republic has its share of twists and turns, consider this a broad overview of the main overarching throughline of the High Republic as a collective in anticipation of The Acolyte. For a more in-depth coverage, check out our video timeline.

The High Republic Origins 

The real-world origins of the High Republic began in 2018 under the name Avengers Initiative. Wait, sorry, the All-Star Initiative, and later, Project Luminous. The initial project included five authors: Justina Ireland, Cavan Scott, Claudia Gray, Daniel José Older, and Charles Soule. Each are fan-favorite authors, both within the Star Wars canon and their outside work. They would later add more authors to the mix, like George Mann, Alyssa Wong,  Zoraida Córdova, and Tessa Gratton. 

Starting around 500 years before the first Star Wars movie, or “500 Before the Battle of Yavin,” the High Republic era is one of exploration and expansion. The Galactic Republic has largely recovered from the dark ages following the fall of the Old Republic. Now the Republic is trying to expand out again to the Outer Rim. This is especially true for the region known as the Galactic Frontier. This Frontier is popular among pirates including familiar faces like Maz Kanata. 

This is a golden age for the Jedi. Believing the Sith threat fully defeated generations earlier, the Jedi focus on their mission as the “guardians of peace and justice” as Obi-Wan Kenobi would say. These Jedi often rally around the cry “For Light and Life.” They frequently dress in resplendent gold-on-white temple robes, though Jedi in the field still wear the more familiar brown vibes. 

Story-wise, The High Republic consists of three main phases. We’re going to discuss them in chronological order instead of publishing order. We’ll start with Phase 2, which takes place in 382 BBY, 150 years before the rest of the series. Star Wars was like, “we heard you like prequels so here’s some prequel for your prequel.”

The High Republic Phase 2 – 382 BBY

Phase 2 introduces a few different religious groups with affiliation to the Force, including groups that have appeared in previous Star Wars media. These groups include the Guardians of the Whills and the Church of the Force. We also meet a more fanatical cult known as the Path of the Open Hand. They believe the Jedi and any other Force sensitives who use powers are actively harming the Force. Their belief is basically a hyper-extended version of Chaos Theory. The use of the Force, even innocuously, in one spot could cause catastrophe somewhere else in the universe. Their own catchphrase is “The Force shall be free,” because any good cult should have a motto. 

A good cult needs a false prophet too, and the Path has one in The Mother. Despite the cult’s beliefs, the Mother is secretly a Force-user herself, with a bitter personal grudge against the Jedi. She comes into possession of creatures that feed off of Force users, causing them to have intense, terrifying hallucinations before the creatures devour their essence, leaving a lifeless husk behind. The Mother calls these creatures the Leveler, but the Jedi and later books call them the Nameless. 

The Mother’s powers allow her to pass most charisma checks, causing followers to flock to her, often not knowing why they find her so alluring. The Mother manipulates current events and even tries to sabotage the peace talks of a major generational war between two worlds to destabilize the region and drive more followers to her flock.

One such follower is Marda Ro, a member of refugee alien race the Evereni whom the galaxy at large distrusts. A great storm destroyed the Evereni homeworld, and then a corrupt government left the survivors distrustful of everyone but themselves. Marda is a true believer in the Path of the Open Hand. However, her love for the Jedi Padawan Kevmo Zink tests that faith.

Kevmo and his master are killed by the Nameless. Marda, in her fanaticism, interprets their deaths as an example of the destruction that follows from using the Force. This only strengthens Marda’s devotion to the Path’s cause. She claims they are now the Path of the Closed Fist, a more militant version of the cult. Soon more Jedi arrive at the Path’s homeworld of Dalna after their sabotage of a peace treaty leads to a full-scale riot and battle on the pilgrim’s moon of Jedha. Jedha, of course, is where Jyn Erso later visits in Rogue One. 

The Nameless’ effects on the Jedi, as well as internal tensions within the cult, cause events to escalate into a massacre known as the Night of Sorrow. Marda swears revenge against the Jedi. The Path of the Closed Fist now becomes a gang of marauders called the Nihil. 

Afraid public knowledge of the Nameless could harm the Jedi, Grand Master Yoda and other Jedi keep information about them out of the archives. Over the next few decades the Nameless become something of a Jedi folklore, a nursery rhyme to scare younglings in an era before Anakin Skywalker existed. And we come to the end of Phase 2. 

The High Republic Phase 1 – 232 BBY

A cargo ship known as the Legacy Run travels through hyperspace when a strange shadowy object appears in front of it causing a collision. The impact of the crash sends huge chunks of starship careening through hyperspace. These chunks cause more crashes and destruction along many high-traffic routes. These force ships in the region to drop out of hyperspace lanes and become stranded. This event is known as The Great Hyperspace Disaster.

The pieces of the ship emerging from lightspeed threaten to obliterate a system known as Hetzal, home to over 40 billion people. Every Jedi within reach of the system converges in an attempt to avert the disaster. Their leader in this Avar Kriss, a powerful Jedi who uses her impressive Force abilities to guide this task force to work as a collective unit. 

The Republic’s current Chancellor, Lina Soh, engaged in a series of Great Works projects to present the Republic as a shining symbol of hope. One such project is the Starlight Beacon. This Jedi space station positioned near the Galactic Frontier would serve as the Jedi’s base of operations on the Galactic Frontier. It would allow them to respond to calls for aid sooner than the Temple on Coruscant could provide. As the Hero of Hetzal, Avar Kriss becomes marshal of the station.

In the last 150 years the Nihil have evolved, or devolved, into a marauding group of Viking-like raiders with a prominent storm theme. They are led from the shadows by Marchion Ro, a descendant of Marda, who carries her mission of vengeance with him. At first, the Nihil seem like opportunists, extorting worlds threatened by the emerging starship remnants from the Great Disaster. We later learn that the Nihil caused the explosion to begin with. Marchion sacrifices a third of the Nihil during a space battle against the Jedi and Republic, appearing that they lost.

231 BBY

A year after the Great Hyperspace Disaster, the Republic grows complacent thinking that the threat of the Nihil has gone. Chancellor Soh moves forward with her plans for another of her Great Works, The Republic Fair. This is like a World’s Fair but in Star Wars. 

Shocking probably nobody except the characters in the book, the Nihil attack! A massive coordinated assault by the Nihil informs the Republic that they are indeed still around. The Jedi and Republic begin Operation: Counterstrike, an effort to seek out and destroy the Nihil. In an attack on a Nihil base, the Jedi learn that the marauders have some of the Nameless. One of the creatures kills a Jedi named Loden Greatstorm, reducing him to a Force-drained husk. 

The Jedi mistakenly believe that one of Marchion Ro’s top lieutenants, a Twi’lek woman named Lourna Dee, is the leader of the whole organization. Avar Kriss and her Starlight Beacon Jedi defy the council and send Jedi undercover into Nihil territory to capture Lourna. 

230 BBY

Once again the Jedi and Republic mistakenly believe that they’ve defeated the Nihil. Marchion Ro springs the next phase of his plan. He launches a series of assaults on a number of worlds, creating a refugee crisis at Starlight Beacon. A Nihil sabotage team takes advantage of how overwhelmed the Beacon is and slips through, moving quickly throughout the station causing systemic and structural failures. They also unleash a Nameless into the station to cause havoc among the Jedi onboard. Despite their best efforts, the Jedi are unable to save the station. Starlight crashes onto a nearby world, killing many of the Jedi serving on it. The Republic watches in horror as the crash rips the symbol of the Jedi’s light from the sky. It’s at this time that Marchion Ro finally reveals himself to the galaxy.

The High Republic Phase 3 – 229 BBY

The Nihil have installed a massive barrier in space called the Stormwall. This series of disruptive buoys pull ships out of hyperspace preventing lightspeed travel beyond them. The Nihil have declared a region of the Galactic Frontier to be the Nihil Occlusion Zone. Thus far they have prevented the Jedi and Republic from traveling beyond this border. Avar Kriss finds herself trapped behind it in Nihil-controlled space. After months of isolation, Avar manages to get past the Stormwall and return to the Jedi Temple to report on her time behind enemy lines. 

Phase 3 is still in the middle of publishing, so we don’t fully know how the events will play out beyond this point. We also don’t know how they’ll feed into the story of The Acolyte close to a century later. How much the events of these stories still press on the Jedi will become clear when the series debuts on June 4.

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Those concerned about needing to stay up late to watch Star Wars: The Acolyte need not worry. Disney+ has revealed the release time for The Acolyte and it’s in keeping with the latest Disney+ trend.

When Will Star Wars: The Acolyte Episodes Release? 

The Star Wars series will have a “prime time” release. That is The Acolyte will release at 6 pm PT/9 pm ET on Tuesdays. That has been Disney+’s new normal for a while, but it sure is a relief to see it continue.

Will This Earlier The Acolyte Release Time Apply to All Other Disney+ Series?

So, will all Disney+ Marvel and Star Wars series will release in this prime time slot? Although Disney+ has not made an official statement, it does seem like this timing trend is likely to continue for The Acolyte and beyond.

Star Wars: The Acolyte will have a two-episode premiere on June 4 at 6 pm PT. We can’t wait to go on this galactic adventure at a reasonable time.

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The newest show in the Star Wars universe, The Acolyte, is nearly upon us. Set during the High Republic, a century before the events of the prequel films, The Acolyte will introduce fans to a new group of Jedi. However, readers of the High Republic novels and comics will see at least one familiar face: Vernestra Rwoh (Rebecca Henderson). This Mirialan Jedi already has a storied history within the High Republic books. So, let’s look at the Star Wars moments that shaped Vernestra Rwoh. 

Which Star Wars High Republic Books Does Vernestra Rwoh Appear In?

Vernestra Rwoh appears in several High Republic books for adults, young adults, and middle-grade readers. She is also in issues 2-5 and 15 of Cavan Scott, Ario Anindito, and Mark Morales’s Star Wars: The High Republic (2021) comic book series published by Marvel. I don’t want to overburden you with every possible detail about Vernestra’s publication history. So I will tell you that the core of her story is told in middle-grade books A Test of Courage by Justina Ireland and Race to Crashpoint Tower by Daniel José Older. We also get her story in YA novels Out of the Shadows by Justina Ireland and Defy the Storm by Justina Ireland and Tessa Gratton.

She also appears in two short stories in the anthology, Tales of Light and Life. It provides connective tissue for Vernestra’s adventures outside the novels. The novels that Vernestra appears in are tied to major events that happen across all of the High Republic books. They all explore the Republic’s biggest battles from different perspectives. 

The History of Vernestra Rwoh

Vernestra, or “Vern” to her closest friends, is an alien of the Mirialan species, originating from the planet of Mirial. Mirialans have a variety of skin tones ranging from green, to yellow, to pink, and blue. Like Vernestra herself, many Mirialans have face tattoos. In The Acolyte, Vernestra sports tattoos on the outer corners of her eyes, as well as an intricate set on her scalp. Her scalp tattoos are a new addition to her character design. All her other appearances in High Republic books show her with her trademark purple hair. The Acolyte takes place a century after the current setting of the High Republic books. So there is probably a good reason for why Vernestra ditched her previous look. 

Among the Jedi, Vernestra is known as a wunderkind. She became a Jedi Knight at the age of fifteen, and took on her first Padawan, Imri Cantaros, at age seventeen. This made Vernestra one of the youngest Jedi Knights in the Order’s history.

Vernestra and Her Relationship With Her Jedi Master, Stellan Gios

The Jedi Master that Vernestra studied under was Stellan Gios, one of the most important Jedi in the High Republic. Stellan, a human, was immediately recognizable from his ornate blue lightsaber with a crossguard on it. His handsome looks made him popular on the holograms. But Master Gios had a reputation for rambling about minute Jedi lore and philosophy. In contrast to his best friend, the renegade Jedi Master Elzar Mann, Stellan was a traditional, by-the-books Jedi. He felt comfortable politicking where others shied away.

Unfortunately, in one of the most heartbreaking twists of the High Republic, Stellan Gios was killed in the destruction of the Republic’s Starlight Beacon base in the Outer Rim (as seen in The Fallen Star by Claudia Gray). He bravely refused to evacuate the base, instead piloting it in his last moments so others could flee. 

While Vernestra was no longer Stellan’s Padawan at the time of his death, his loss was devastating to her. Before his death, she had considered telling him that she had modified her own lightsaber so that she could use it as a light whip by turning a bezel on the hilt of her saber. This was going to be an important moment for her. In fact, she had procrastinated because she was nervous about how her traditional mentor might view such a modification. To make matters worse, in the destruction of Starlight Beacon, Vernestra also lost her Padawan, Imri Cantaros, who was declared missing after the incident. 

Vernestra’s Journey as a Wayseeker

To deal with her grief, Vernestra became a Wayseeker. It is more or less the Jedi Order’s version of a sabbatical. Wayseekers go off on their own to the furthest reaches of the galaxy to meditate and reshape their relationship with the Force. One crucial part about Wayseekers is that they are not beholden to act as ambassadors for the Jedi Council’s policies. As individuals, they can choose to get involved in political conflicts in the Outer Rim, if they believe that the Force wills them to. Vernestra went to the remote planet of Ibbe where she lived peacefully.

Who are Vernestra Rwoh’s Friends?

That is, until her close friend, Avon Starros, arrived to ask her to help her find Imri Cantaros. Avon Starros is part of a larger network of allies that Vernestra has across the galaxy. A brilliant inventor, Avon is the daughter of Ghirra Starros, a senator of the Republic who defected to the villainous pirate group, the Nihil.

Vernestra is friends with another daughter of a Nihil member, Sylvestri Yarrow. Sylvestri’s mother, Chancey Yarrow, was mistakenly killed by Jedi Elzar Mann. This happened during the destruction of Starlight Beacon, as she was trying to prevent the base from crashing. Elzar’s poor judgment directly led to the death of his best friend Stellan Gios, adding an extra layer of tension between Vernestra and him. In the absence of her mentor, Vernestra grew close to Stellan’s other best friend, Jedi Master Avar Kriss. 

In addition, Vernestra has close ties to a member of the prominent and wealthy San Tekka family, Jordanna Sparkburn. The San Tekkas made their money as hyperspace prospectors, essentially seeking out “highways” that could be traveled safely through hyperspace. Vernestra’s connections to the San Tekka family would later elucidate her mysterious Force powers. 

Vernestra’s Powers, Abilities, and Lightsaber, Explained

Vernestra has special Force abilities that allow her to see “lanes” in hyperspace. She can also see visions of events taking place in other parts of the galaxy. Because of this, she can navigate a ship manually while in hyperspace without setting coordinates. In the Out of the Shadows novel, Vernestra had hyperspace visions of a long-lost member of the San Tekka clan, Mari San Tekka, who possessed similar hyperspace abilities.

Through a series of visions, Mari San Tekka instructed Vern on how to use her mysterious Force abilities. This eventually led Vernestra to where the elder San Tekka was held captive by the Nihil. While Stellan Gios had encouraged Vernestra to develop her unique Force abilities, she had been reticent to do so. But after learning from Mari San Tekka, Vernestra became more welcoming of her strange skills. 

As mentioned earlier, Vernestra Rwoh has a unique purple lightsaber in the Star Wars universe. It can transform into a light whip by twisting a bevel on the hilt. Vernestra uses her saber as a light whip particularly when she is fighting in close quarters, or is sustaining intense blaster fire. She can spin the whip at such a velocity that it acts as a shield against blasters. 

Thus far, we have only seen Vernestra Rwoh as a young Jedi Knight in the High Republic books and comics. Considering that she is a Jedi Master in The Acolyte and sporting a whole new look, there is lots more to her story that we haven’t yet seen. Did she ever take on another Padawan after Imri Cantaros? What became of her friendships with Jordanna Sparkburn, Avon Starros, and Sylvestri Yarrow? The Acolyte may not answer all of these questions, but it hopefully will build off of everything we already know about Vernestra Rwoh. 

The post Who Is THE ACOLYTE’s Vernestra Rwoh? The Mirialan Jedi’s STAR WARS History, Explained appeared first on Nerdist.

Star Wars is a sprawling universe that fans have only seen a fraction of in movies and television shows. Film and television projects can take years to materialize. However, Star Wars novels and comics have been at the forefront of this expanding universe. The official timeline for the Star Wars universe is in place. Therefore, it’s important that the franchise ties its film and television projects to its canon novels and comics. The upcoming Disney+ show, The Acolyte, seems to be doing this by hinting that the Path of the Open Hand, a High Republic novel group, will make its Star Wars live-action debut.

The Star Wars History of the Nihil and the Path of the Open Hand, Explained

The Acolyte will transport Star Wars fans to the High Republic era. The High Republic is also known as the golden age of the Jedi. The collective was at the height of its power more than a century before the events of the prequel films. In the books, the main enemy of the Jedi during the High Republic wasn’t the Sith. It was a chaotic group of pirates known as the Nihil. As the power of the Republic expanded across the galaxy, the Nihil were an antagonistic force attacking the Republic’s cosmopolitan values. This was first explored in Charles Soule’s novel, The Light of the Jedi, which kickstarted the High Republic publishing initiative. 

The Nihil, however, can trace their roots back to a cult called the Path of the Open Hand. Located in the Outer Rim, far away from the political center of Coruscant, the Path of the Open Hand did not want anyone to ever use the Force. The group believed using the Force in the manner of the Jedi was to “abuse” it, as described in Justina Ireland and Tessa Gratton’s novel, The Path of Deceit. The members of the Path of the Open Hand are “acolytes” who serve their leader, a woman called “the Mother,” in The Path of Deceit novel. 

The Path of the Open Hand Fights Users of the Force

The Path of the Open Hand pursued their goals by stealing artifacts rich in the Force. But eventually, they resorted to something even more terrifying. They would use creatures called the Nameless that hunt Force-sensitives and drain them of their life energy until their bodies are nothing but husks of stone. The Eye of Darkness by George Mann and other novels in the High Republic line affirm that even the most powerful Jedi are helpless against the Nameless. 

With this in mind, the trailers for The Acolyte pepper in several clues to the involvement of The Path of the Open Hand, or another group that holds a similar ideology. A Jedi named Yord Fandar (Charlie Bennett) says that someone has been “killing Jedi” and “it doesn’t make sense.” This matches the sense of confusion that the Jedi experience upon discovering the calcified bodies of Nameless victims in High Republic novels. The Nameless are a horrific and existential threat to the Jedi, disrupting Force-sensitives’ ability to connect to the Force. The fear on so many Jedi’s faces in The Acolyte’s trailers hint at something on par with the Nameless.  

The Acolyte‘s Mother Aniseya Could Be the Path of the Open Hand’s Leader

Additionally, the appearance of a character named Mother Aniseya (Jodie Turner-Smith) also hints at the Path of the Open Hand. Aniseya is referred to as “Mother,” just like Elecia, the Mother of the Path of the Open Hand. (“Aniseya” and “Elecia” sound super similar, don’t they?) Furthermore, Mother Aniseya has a design drawn on her forehead in a circular shape with two dots in the center. The Path of the Open Hand’s acolytes initially drew three horizontal lines on their foreheads. But the group they later turned into, the Nihil, frequently painted a circular symbol with a dot in the center. This represented the eye of a storm, a central element of Nihil philosophy. While Mother Aniseya’s symbol is more intricate than the Nihil’s, their visual similarities are worth consideration. 

Beyond surface-level similarities with the Path of the Open Hand and the Nihil, Mother Aniseya espouses a similar philosophy to both groups. In the below trailer, she says, “This isn’t about good or bad. This is about power, and who is allowed to use it.” Mother Aniseya’s statement fits in with the character arc for the Path of the Open Hand’s Mother.

Mother Elecia was revealed to be Force-sensitive, and used it to fuel her followers’ devotion. Elecia preaching against the Jedi’s use of the Force while hunting them down with the Nameless was a way to consolidate her own power as the leader of the Path of the Open Hand. Additionally, when she was a child, Elecia was not selected to be trained by the Jedi, while her sister was. This prompted a discussion of “who” can use the Force, and how, in The Path of Deceit. We have yet to see what Mother Aniseya thinks about the Jedi. However, it’s clear that the Path of the Open Hand’s Mother provides a compelling template for The Acolyte’s conflict. 

Of course, “acolyte” is also a Sith term. And, the appearance of a red lightsaber in the trailer makes it clear that the dark side isn’t too far away. There also remains a question of how and why the philosophy of the Path of the Open Hand would continue to persist at the tail end of the High Republic. After all, the Path of the Open Hand transformed into the Path of the Closed Fist, before becoming the Nihil. Still, the High Republic publishing initiative spent years developing a conflict over the use of the Force in the galaxy. The fact that The Acolyte’s first trailer begins with a Jedi instructing younglings to reach out to the Force is a hopeful sign that this spirit will continue on in the show. 

Lastly, The Acolyte takes place further down the timeline from where the High Republic novels take place. Perhaps the connective tissue between these two time periods within the High Republic will be Jedi Vernestra Rwoh (Rebecca Henderson). She was a young Jedi Knight at the time of the Republic’s first clashes with the Nihil. In The Acolyte, Vernestra is a seasoned Jedi Master, who will no doubt be instrumental to the Jedi’s fight.

The Acolyte premieres on June 4, so let’s see what Lucasfilm has in store. 

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“No one is safe from the truth.” That tagline for Disney+’s The Acolyte reveals a whole lot more than its brevity suggests. The show’s final trailer, released during this year’s Star Wars Day, teases a big Jedi secret. An ancient secret could ultimately change how we think about the Order forever. But this last The Acolyte trailer also teases another big secret via a nightmarish introduction. It finally lets us see the mysterious dark side figure who will challenge the Jedi Order in the Star Wars series. And he’ll do it from behind one of the franchise’s most terrifying masks ever.

Did Stefon cut this trailer? Cause it has everything: secrets, Padawans lost to the dark side, a coven of witches, a guy with a zipper mask. Speaking of that red lightsaber wielder in The Acolyte‘s trailer, while we don’t know who that horror movie-like figure is, they’re almost certainly the big bad behind the show. At the very least, it’s who showrunner Leslye Headland told StarWars.com is their “favorite character.”

But who is The Acolyte‘s mystery villain? Their identity is certainly going to be a major revelation, and we can’t wait to learn who they are. But we’re even more intrigued by this secret past no one is safe from. This trailer suggests the Jedi’s eventual fall will ultimately result from something the Order itself did long ago. In The Acolyte‘s trailer, Manny Jacinto’s former smuggler and trader Qimir says that the “peace” the Jedi use to justify their galactic dominance “is a lie.” What does he mean by that? What exactly is the lie? And do any of the current Jedi know about this past?

Soon, we’ll have more than a trailer for The Acolyte. We’ll start to get answers to all these questions and more this summer. The Acolyte premieres with two episodes on Disney+ on June 4. Until then, we should be relatively safe from the truth about the Jedi. After that, we can’t guarantee that all of us won’t fall to the dark side.

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The first trailer for Star Wars: The Acolyte dropped on Tuesday and introduced us to a lot of Jedi and at least one foe. Set during the era of the High Republic, the dramatic series promises many, many Jedi. We love seeing more Jedi for a number of reasons. For one, they’re usually interesting—especially given that this time period that hasn’t been explored on the screen yet. What will the Jedi Order be like?! Also, Jedi make for excellent action figures. To that end, Nerdist has a closer look at five of Hasbro’s Black Series figures for The Acolyte. This unveiling is part of a fanstream for Lucasfilm’s Imperial March and comes just in time to celebrate The Acolyte’s trailer release.

The Acolyte Black Series figures include: Padawan Jecki Lon, Jedi Knight Yord Fandar, Jedi Master Indara, Jedi Master Sol, and the assassin Mae. See each individual figure more closely in the gallery below and then learn more about the figures.

Click To View Gallery

All figures are premium six-inch with multiple points of articulation and inspired by the characters as seen in The Acolyte.

• Padawan Jecki Lon – played by Dafne Keen in the series, the Jecki Lon figure comes with a lightsaber accessory with a removable blade.
• Jedi Knight Yord Fandar – played by Charlie Barnett in the series, the Yord Fandar figure comes with a lightsaber accessory with a removable blade.
• Jedi Master Indara – played by Carrie-Anne Moss in the series, the Indara figure comes with a lightsaber accessory with a removable blade.
• Jedi Master Sol – played by Lee Jung-jae in the series, the Sol figure comes with a lightsaber accessory with a removable blade.
• Mae – played by Amandla Stenberg in the series, the Mae figure comes with five entertainment-inspired accessories including four knife accessories and a removable face wrap.

The Acolyte Black Series figures will be available this summer from Hasbro; each costs $24.99. You can pre-order them on March 21 at 1:00pm ET from Amazon, Hasbro Pulse, and other major retailers. The series premieres on Disney+ on June 4.

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Sheev Palpatine was the mastermind behind the Galactic Republic’s demise, but he wasn’t the only Sith who helped bring darkness to the galaxy far, far away. The evil lords who came before him laid the foundation for his empire. Now Lucasfilm is introducing us to those who helped their sinister order return to power. And the first trailer for Disney+’s new Star Wars series The Acolyte offers a tantalizing glimpse at the Sith who rose up against their ancient foes the Jedi.

The Acolyte comes from creator Leslye Headland (Russian Doll). She also serves as showrunner on the series, which marks the live-action debut of Star Wars‘ High Republic era. The Acolyte and its trailer take place a century prior to the events of The Phantom Menace. That was an age of light when the Jedi truly were guardians of peace. But that’s also when a war the Order was not prepared for began. It’s when darkness began its march towards power.

In addition to The Acolyte‘s first trailer, Lucasfilm also released an official synopsis for the series:

In Star Wars: The Acolyte, an investigation into a shocking crime spree pits a respected Jedi Master (Lee Jung-jae) against a dangerous warrior from his past (Amandla Stenberg). As more clues emerge, they travel down a dark path where sinister forces reveal all is not what it seems…

The show also stars Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, Charlie Barnett, Jodie Turner-Smith, Rebecca Henderson, Dean-Charles Chapman, Joonas Suotamo, and Carrie-Anne Moss. The new Star Wars series makes its sinister debut on Disney+ this summer on June 4. The Acolyte‘s trailer also reveals that the show will premiere with its first two episodes, which Headland also directed. Kogonada (episodes 3 and 7), Alex Garcia Lopez (episodes 4 and 5). and Hanelle Culpepper (episodes 6 and 8) round out the series’ directors. And composer Michael Abels (Get Out, Us) provides the score for The Acolyte.

The Sith, as always, will provide the darkness.

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The events of Star Wars happened a long time ago. But in the very near future, they’ll be all over Disney+. Lucasfilm has a full slate of live-action shows coming to the streaming service. Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka, and Andor will soon join The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett in the site’s library. But it turns out we’re getting even more Star Wars than we thought. Two other series are in development. One, titled The Acolyte will explore how the Jedi started to lose control a century before Sheev Palpatine put his plan in place. And we’ve just learned who will star in it. And the other Star Wars series, “created and executive-produced by director Jon Watts and writer Chris Ford,” will bring an ’80s-style Amblin coming-of-age adventure to the galaxy far, far away.

The Acolyte

A new deep dive by Vanity Fair into the current state of the live-action Star Wars series came with some unexpected news. Amid all the updates on the shows we already know about was information that Lucasfilm is currently developing these two other series as well. The first, The Acolyte, is a mystery thriller that we know now will star Amandla Stenberg (Rue from The Hunger Games). The show will take place one hundred years before The Phantom Menace.

Showrunner Leslye Headland (co-creator of Russian Doll) has worked on the series for two years. She told Vanity Fair the show will “look at the political and personal and spiritual things that came up in a time period that we don’t know much about.” That time period will be towards the end of The High Republic, an era Star Wars publishing has been bringing to life. The Acolyte will seemingly serve as a bridge between that time and the time of the Skywalker saga. Headland said her show will try to understand how the Jedi let things get so out of control that not long after a Sith Lord secretly took down the Order and the Republic.

Don’t expect the Jedi to come across heroically on the show. The High Republic was one of grandeur and peace, but that doesn’t mean its guardians were perfect. “The Jedi uniforms are gold and white, and it’s almost like they would never get dirty. They would never be out and about,” Headland said. The Jedi of her show will try to stay out of “skirmishes,” let alone serve as generals.

Could the titular character of The Acolyte turn out to be a Jedi who becomes disillusioned with the Order? Or a Sith apprentice who puts the wheels in motion for Sheev Palpatine’s eventual rise a century later? Or maybe both?

Grammar Rodeo

While there are countless unanswered questions about that first series, it at least has a title. Lucasfilm’s other new live-action Star Wars show in development, set in a post-Return of the Jedi galaxy, only has a code name: Grammar Rodeo. But, as mentioned, it does have a big name attached to it. This new Star Wars series comes from Spider-Man: No Way Home director Jon Watts. He created the show with Spider-Man: Homecoming‘s Chris Ford. And the show’s code name is anything but random.

Grammar Rodeo comes from The Simpsons‘ season seven episode “Bart on the Road.” In that episode, Bart and his friends rent a car to go on a road trip alone. And since Watts’ series is currently looking to cast four actors around 11 or 12, it sounds as though it will have a similar premise. Grammar Rodeo will also take inspiration from ’80s Amblin films.

Watts’ Star Wars series sounds like the complete opposite in terms of tone and plot to The Acolyte. But with so many Star Wars shows coming to Disney+ Lucasfilm can tell any kind of story it wants. And that’s apparently what the studio is doing.

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A whole lot is happening in the galaxy far, far away. Even through a dozen or so films and a handful of TV series, we’ve still barely scratched the surface of all there is to explore in the iconic space opera’s storytelling landscape. For over 40years, Star Wars’ bread and butter was in films—albeit through mostly episodic storytelling. And while there are some exciting films in the pipeline, the current focus is television projects, each airing on Disney+. An in-depth Vanity Fair story, Lucasfilm took us inside Star Wars’ current television roster and teases some exciting things down the pipeline. And Star Wars Celebration only elaborated further.

Here are all the Star Wars live-action projects currently in the works.

The Star Wars Television Projects for Disney+

Obi-Wan Kenobi

First up is, of course, Obi-Wan Kenobi. The series picks up 10 years after the events of Revenge of the Sith. The titular character, played by Ewan McGregor, is on the run from the Inquisitors looking to hunt him down. He’s hiding in Tatooine, keeping a watchful eye on an adolescent Luke Skywalker. While a decade has passed since their showdown on Mustafar, the Jedi Master is still haunted by his best friend and protege’s betrayal. That former best friend, meanwhile, has fully shed his Anakin Skywalker persona and is in his early days as Darth Vader. 

It’s an exciting on-screen reunion for Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen, each reprising their characters from the prequel films. However, while the series always hinged on McGregor returning, Christensen wasn’t initially slated to appear. Early drafts didn’t involve Darth Vader. However, director Deborah Chow revealed to Vanity Fair that the relationship between Vader/Anakin and Kenobi was vital to continuing the story. So, we’ll see how this broken brotherhood continues to haunt the titular character when Obi-Wan Kenobi debuts on May 27.

Andor

Diego Luna is also making a grand return to Star Wars, but after just a few years away. The actor, who starred in Rogue One will reprise his character Cassian Andor in a series set before the rebel leader met Jyn Erso. Tony Gilroy, who co-wrote Rogue One and worked extensively on the film’s reshoots, is shepherding the series for Lucasfilm. The series dives into the character’s backstory, tracking how the cynical survivor turned into a rebellion leader. And our first Andor teaser indicates as much.

Set during the height of the Empire, the series also features another familiar figure: Mon Mothma. The Rebel leader has appeared throughout the franchise since the original trilogy, always remaining a bit of an enigmatic figure. In Andor, Mon Mothma (played by Genevieve O’Reilly) plays a pivotal role, per Gilroy. However, it doesn’t look like we’ll see Andor and Mon Mothma on-screen together—at least not at first. Describing a “Dickensian ensemble,” Gilroy said the series will feature these two narratives beside one another, presumably eventually folding together as Andor eventually joins in with the rebel cause. We won’t have to wait too long for the series as Andor debuts on August 31, 2022.

The Mandalorian Season 3

This isn’t exactly new information, but Din Djarin and Grogu will return once more. While we, fortunately, caught up with the iconic duo during The Book of Boba Fett’s stronger episodes, the pair will return in full force relatively soon. During Star Wars Celebration we learned that The Mandalorian season three will debut in February 2023.

Ahsoka

After appearing in live-action form in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka Tano’s headlining venture is finally on the way. Rosario Dawson plays the Force-sensitive Togruta. She’s continuing her mission to find Grand Admiral Thrawn. Ahsoka has mentioned this throughout her live-action appearances. Plus, this mission picks up on a thread from Star Wars Rebels.

Speaking of Ahsoka’s story, Dave Filoni, who is taking charge on the series, told Vanity Fair a bit about what to expect. He said, “It is definitely driving toward a goal, in my mind, as opposed to being little singular adventures. That’s what I want the character to be doing, and I think that’s what fans want now. They have such a relationship with her. I’ve only recently started to understand that all those kids that watched Clone Wars are now a lot older—they’re very excited about all the things they grew up with, as they should be.”

While McGregor confirmed to Vanity Fair the reported casting of his wife, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, in Ahsoka, Lucasfilm is still officially keeping mum on Christensen’s rumored appearance in the series. But we’ll find out when Ahsoka debuts in 2023.

The Acolyte

One of the more intriguing elements from the deep dive into Lucasfilm’s current slate of projects is the TV series from Russian Doll’s Leslye Headland. Set 100 years before The Phantom Menace, The Acolyte ventures into newer territory for the Star Wars fans not entrenched deep in the franchise’s lore. According to Vanity Fair, Headland describes The Acolyte, set during the High Republic era, as a “mystery thriller set in a prosperous and seemingly peaceful era” but things are certainly bubbling under the surface. The writer/director specifically looked to The Phantom Menace when talking about the series, sharing that the series examines the landscape that allowed the Sith to infiltrate the Senate.

This all sounds so exciting. But it’s going to be a little bit before we see the series in its final form. Casting is still underway, although Amandla Stenberg is reportedly fronting the series. The Acolyte doesn’t have a release date just yet but hopefully we’ll see it by 2024.

Grammar Rodeo, the Jon Watts Co-Created Series

We only just learned that Spider-Man: No Way Home director Jon Watts and Chris Ford were working on a Star Wars series—codenamed Grammar Rodeo. But now we have a lot more info. Star Wars Celebration revealed the new Disney+ series is called Star Wars: Skeleton Crew and Jude Law is leading the cast. In the vein of a ’80s coming-of-age film from Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment, the series follows a group of kids lost in the galaxy who are trying to find their way home. Skeleton Crew takes place around the same time as The Mandalorian. Who knows, maybe Din Djarin will encounter yet another kid (or four) and help them.

A Star Wars project in the vein of The Goonies? That’s certainly piqued our interests. It’s a little curious to see Jon Watts attached to another big-budget project, given he just exited Marvel’s Fantastic Four film. But his work on the Tom Holland Spider-Man films gives him excellent credibility with coming-of-age adventures. Star Wars: Skeleton Crew debuts in 2023.

Upcoming Star Wars Movies

While TV is currently taking center stage, Lucasfilm is working on a few Star Wars films. Currently, there are two on the way: the Taika Waititi-directed film and Patty Jenkins’ Rogue Squadron. Vanity Fair reported that Waititi’s film, co-written by Krysty Wilson-Cairns, is probably up first. Interestingly, the project is still shrouded in secrecy, so we still don’t really know what to expect from it. Rogue Squadron, initially scheduled to arrive around Christmas 2023, is apparently further down the road. 

As for Rian Johnson’s trilogy and the reported film from Marvel boss Kevin Feige? Kennedy confirmed that the former’s Star Wars series is still happening. But currently Johnson’s schedule is a bit busy with the Knives Out franchise and other films in the works. As for Feige? There’s nothing official actually in the works, at least not yet. 

This movie slate is a pretty stark shift given how many films Lucasfilm churned out—and announced—during the 2010s. But it makes sense, given the company’s current emphasis on TV projects. While so much can change over the next few years, it’s exciting to see all the Star Wars content we have to look forward to.

Originally published on May 17, 2022.

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The long-awaited in-person return of Star Wars Celebration kicked off in major style. A massive, 90-minute presentation of everything on the way from Lucasfilm. The Lucasfilm Studio Showcase gave us updates and first looks at a number of brand new live-action series, and maybe even some movies. We got Andor, Ahsoka, The Mandalorian season three, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew and of course Obi-Wan Kenobi which will debut Friday on Disney+. If it’s a show or movie in a galaxy far, far away, we learned about it in this showcase! And Willow, too. It’s not Star Wars, but hey.

Obi-Wan Kenobi

Nothing new here to report, since the show premieres for everyone on Friday, but the cast did take the stage to give everyone a nice greeting. Plus, folks in attendance will get to see the premiere episodes a few hours before they drop on Disney+. So, hey, fun for them.

Andor

The first big bit of news was for the upcoming series Andor which focuses on the early days of the Rebellion with lead hero Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) who works as the 007 to Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly)’s M. They dropped a teaser for the series, which will premiere on Wednesday, August 31, 2022. Just one episode? No, you fool! Two! Two premiere episodes!

Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning composer Nicholas Britell (Moonlight, Succession) will serve as Andor‘s composer.

Synopsis:

The “Andor” series will explore a new perspective from the Star Wars galaxy, focusing on Cassian Andor’s journey to discover the difference he can make. The series brings forward the tale of the burgeoning rebellion against the Empire and how people and planets became involved. It’s an era filled with danger, deception and intrigue where Cassian will embark on the path that is destined to turn him into a rebel hero. Diego Luna returns as Cassian Andor and is joined by cast members Genevieve O’Reilly, Stellan Skarsgård, Adria Arjona, Denise Gough and Kyle Soller. The executive producers are Kathleen Kennedy, Sanne Wohlenberg, Diego Luna and Michelle Rejwan. Tony Gilroy is the creator and showrunner.

Willow

Some real not-a-Star Wars energy here, but we’re no less excited for Lucasfilm’s follow-up to the fan-favorite 1988 movie Willow. Ron Howard and screenwriter Jonathan Kasdan met on the set of Solo: A Star Wars Story and that led to their collaboration on a Willow TV series. The one and only Warwick Davis took the stage to introduce the first teaser for the series, which will premiere on Disney+ November 30, 2022.

According to the official synopsis:

An epic period fantasy series with a modern sensibility set in an enchanted land of breathtaking beauty, “Willow” features a diverse international cast with Jonathan Kasdan, Ron Howard, Wendy Mericle, Kathleen Kennedy, and Michelle Rejwan serving as executive producers. The story began with an aspiring magician from a Nelwyn village and an infant girl destined to unite the realms, who together helped destroy an evil queen and banish the forces of darkness. Now, in a magical world where brownies, sorcerers, trolls, and other mystical creatures flourish, the adventure continues, as an unlikely group of heroes set off on a dangerous quest to places far beyond their home, where they must face their inner demons and come together to save their world. 

The Mandalorian Season 3

The folks in attendance at the showcase got to see a little sizzle for The Mandalorian season three, though they haven’t released that to the public. It evidently depicted a number of things including meeting the Armorer, meeting with Bo-Katan, and reuniting with Greef Carga. Mando says “I’m going to Mandalore so that I may be forgiven for my transgressions.” Dr. Pershing in hiding, Peli Motto, Carson Teva out of an X-Wing uniform, and Bo-Katan sitting on the throne of Mandalore. Surely that won’t lead to anything bad, right?

The Mandalorian season three will debut in February, 2023.

Ahsoka

Even less new info about Ahsoka. The panel showed a brief hello from star Rosario Dawson in her costume. The creators are still working on the show, so it’ll definitely come out post-Mandalorian. Some time in 2023.

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew

The biggest bit of new-news is that there’s another new show in the works! MCU-era Spider-Man director Jon Watts evidently stepped away from the Fantastic Four movie to exec produce (and probably direct) the new series Star Wars: Skeleton Crew. It will star Jude Law and will be “Amblin-esque.” Exec producer Dave Filoni said it stars kids but is “as much for kids as The Clone Wars.” That’s fairly significant considering The Clone Wars ended with the slaughter of hundreds of Jedi. Fun!

We know Skeleton Crew takes place in the same time period as The Mandalorian, Book of Boba Fett, and Ahsoka. So, firmly post-Empire, pre-First Order territory. The series will also premiere some time in 2023.

Indiana Jones 5

And finally, Harrison Ford took the stage (to deafening applause) to say the movie is almost completed and John Williams (the legend) will compose the music. Williams was also in attendance, conducting the new Obi-Wan Kenobi theme and the Indiana Jones theme. Guy just turned 90 in February. Nothing really new in terms of news, but we do know a fair amount, and the movie will come out on June 30, 2023. They also shared this really rad teaser image.

And there you have it! A lot of Star Wars but just as much other stuff. And that’s only day one of Star Wars Celebration. What will the rest of the weekend hold?

Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Instagram and Letterboxd.

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The next batch of live-action Star Wars projects won’t premiere in theaters. They’ll debut on Disney+. The streaming site is adding to its catalog of original shows from the galaxy far, far away. And soon two previously unannounced series will join them. That includes The Acolyte, which will mark a major departure for the franchise. It won’t take place within the Skywalker Saga timeline. The show will explore the era of the High Republic, 100 years before The Phantom Menace. But The Acolyte will do more than show fans a time period they’ve only read about. Series creator Leslye Headland says her time playing old Star Wars RPGs served as an inspiration for the show.

A new interview with Headland in Vanity Fair offers more insights into the surprise show. We already knew it will be the first-ever live-action Star Wars project to take place outside of the Skywalker Saga time period. That means Headland won’t have to deal with legacy characters (which she says she’d never do). She’ll also get to explore how the golden age of the galaxy was anything but. The show, which will blur the lines between good and bad and likely focus on the Sith, will investigate how the Jedi let unknown foes put the pieces in place for Palpatine’s rise a century later.

But the freedom of working in another era will also let Headland pull on her extensive knowledge of the Star Wars Expanded Universe’s Legends. Those consist of stories that are no longer considered canon after Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm. And Headland’s E.U. knowledge is extensive, covering countless comics, books, and games she grew up with. Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said Headland has “read a gazillion books inside the E.U.” As a result, The Acolyte draws on “little bits and pieces” of the Expanded Universe that “no one has explored yet in the onscreen storytelling.”

The origins for the show go beyond just what Headland read about, though. She also grew up playing Star Wars role-playing games. And creating her own original stories within that world led to the show. Headland said she came at the series as someone who grew up in the ’90s playing those RPGs. Here’s what she said about how those old sessions, which often resulted in her writing the equivalent of fan fiction, influence the show she’s developing:

For someone like myself who was introduced to Star Wars not just through the films, but also through role playing games, I’m also like, ‘You don’t understand what type of escapism this afforded me as a young kid – a kid that did not fit in, that had many, many behavioral problems.’ I was able to escape into that world with my friends, to pretend that I was part of that world. It was not like, ‘And now you have to do a scene from the original movie.’

The Acolyte will still draw on classic martial arts films, same as George Lucas’s films. It will still feature Jedi and the Dark Side. But getting to play around in the galaxy far, far away how you want, when you want, with whomever you want, is a dream many fans have had for a long time. Now they’ll finally get to see that dream come to life. Lucasfilm is letting someone turn their role-playing adventures into something we can all watch.

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