So far in the High Republic Era of Star Wars, the Sith haven’t been a major presence. Other evil forces have terrorized the galaxy across the books and comics, but one nameless, faceless Sith master has been looming large over Star Wars: The Acolyte. The master’s identity has been kept a secret across the show’s first four episodes, building up to an epic character reveal. In this week’s new episode, the mask is finally removed, and Star Wars fans were treated to a twist as they met the first Sith of the High Republic Era. WARNING: This article contains MAJOR SPOILERS for The Acolyte! Continue reading at your own risk…
Heading into the fifth episode of The Acolyte, one of the most popular theories regarding Mae (Amandla Stenberg)’s mysterious master was that it was secretly Qimir, the character played by Manny Jacinto. That theory was proven true on Tuesday night. While fighting the entire group of Jedi in the middle of a forest, Qimir’s mask was removed and everyone learned of his true identity. Remember, the Jedi had already run into Qimir earlier in the season, when he was pretending to be a shopkeeper as a way to feed Mae information about the Jedi she’d been trying to kill.
(Photo:
Manny Jacinto as Qimir in Star Wars: The Acolyte
– Lucasfilm)
Qimir seemed to be a meek, affable sidekick, but it was an all act by a much colder, darker villain. His reveal was actually the most devastating sequence of the series so far. He was in a one on one duel with young Padawan Jecki Lon (Dafne Keen) when she removed his mask, though she was positioned between him and the other Jedi, so his face remained hidden. He then stabbed her three times in the chest with his lightsaber, and his face was finally revealed when her body fell lifelessly to the ground.
Shockingly, Jecki wasn’t the only victim of Qimir’s in the battle. He also snapped the neck of Yod Fandar (Charlie Barnett), arguably the most popular character on the show.
By killing two beloved Jedi in a matter of minutes, Qimir has set himself up to be one of the most devastating villains in Star Wars. All eyes will be on Disney+ next week to see what happens next.
Set during The High Republic, Star Wars: The Acolyte delivers an investigation into a mysterious string of crimes, which pits a Jedi master against his former apprentice in a race to uncover the truth. The more that the pair learn about the situation, the darker their journey becomes, as they confront things that darker than either of them could have imagined.
The series stars Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, Charlie Barnett, Jodie Turner-Smith, Rebecca Henderson, Dean-Charles Chapman, Joonas Suotamo, and Carrie-Anne Moss. Star Wars: The Acolyte airs new episodes on Disney+ every Tuesday night.