Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for ‘The Acolyte’ Episode 5 “Night.“The Acolytehas made it clearthere is more to the slaughter of twins Osha and Mae’s (Amandla Stenberg) covenon Brendok than at least the former knows, with Sol (Lee Jung-jae) seeming to know some tragic details that he hasn’t yet shared with his former Padawan. In last week’s episode, he promised to tell Osha “the truth” when they accomplished their mission and got Mae into custody. But before they could do so, their Jedi team was attacked by the masked Sith who serves as Mae’s cruel master. Although this week’s episodefollows on directly from that cliffhanger, depicting the Jedi’s desperate fight for survival against the villain, it puts off resolving the series’ central mystery, and instead deepens it,casting suspicion on Sol by implying a connection between him and the Dark Lord.
The Acolyte
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.
‘The Acolyte’s Sith Villain Talks Like He Knows Sol
While fighting each other individually, the Sith refers to Sol as “Master Sol,” prompting the Jedi to ask who he is, to which the Sith mockingly replies, “You don’t remember me?”Sol admits he senses something familiarbefore they reengage one another. While this would suggest the pair have a dramatic history, this idea is complicated by the reveal of the Sith’s identity. Later, while Sol and his current apprentice, Jecki Lon (Dafne Keen), are fighting the Sith in tandem, Jecki lands a series of blows that shatter the Sith’s mask and knock it off his head.
When he subsequently defeats her by separating his lightsaber into two halves and stabbing her in the chest, seemingly killing her, it is then shown that the Sith is none other thanQimir (Manny Jacinto), the criminal confidant that’s been aiding Mae.He and Sol already came face to face in a prior episode, so it’s possible Qimir’s line could have simply been referring to that brief early encounter.
‘The Acolyte’ Introduced Qimir as a Low-Level Criminal
InThe AcolyteEpisode 2, “Revenge/Justice,” Osha posed as Mae to covertly obtain information on her plans from Qimir. When Qimir realized he was talking to the wrong twin,he attempted to flee before the Jedi team, including Sol, confronted him. Qimir pretended to be a meek underling with little knowledge of Mae’s motives and allowed the Jedi to plan a trap for her the next time she spoke with him, though she ultimately escaped. Qimir later told Mae the location ofKelnacca (Joonas Suotamo), one of the Jedi she was tasked with assassinating, seemingly to make amends for what she would see as a betrayal, but, Mae subsequently found Kelnacca dead despite her own decision to abandon her mission, with the implication now being that Qimir, presumably in his Sith guise, killed him.
It makes sense that a Jedi as skilled as Sol would partially recognize the sense he got from Qimir, even if the latter used his own Force abilities to alter and/or mask it, especially since their prior encounter was both recent and an important part of Sol’s investigation. So Qimir could very well just be mocking Sol for not fully identifying him before his unmasking. But given how the overall story, and especially Sol’s part in it, has been progressing,it seems more likely that the connection between him and Qimir will be more elaborate. The series seems to be headed towards a revelation that Sol was culpable in some way for at least part of the tragedy on Brendok, which will likely drive a wedge between him and Osha and possibly lead one or both of them to make a more firm separation fromthe Jedi Order. Having Sol also be involved in the backstory that led Qimir to become a Sith would add to the former’s feelings of guilt and cast further doubt on his morality.
As Qimir himself indirectly points out, the issue with this theory is, again, why wouldn’t Sol recognize Qimir in Episode 2? But there are plenty of plausible explanations for that. The pair could have simply encountered one another so long ago thatQimir looks significantly different, or whatever happened between them might not have seemed significant enough to Sol that he immediately remembers it.The Star Wars galaxyalso offers a nearly limitless supply of more fantastical alternatives. Qimir’s appearance could have been altered through science fiction technology or Force magic and either of those things could have also altered or erased parts of Sol’s memory.
My Worst Fear With ‘The Acolyte’ Has Officially Been Avoided
I demand justice for Gungi!
Qimir and Yord Might Also Have History
Later on in the episode, Osha andJedi Knight Yord Fandar (Charlie Barnett)arrive to give Sol back up. Yord uses Qimir’s discarded helmet, which is able to temporarilyshut down lightsabers, to negate the Sith’s own weapon. Butwhen he first sees Qimir’s face in full, he is surprised, saying, “You?”This gives Qimir a momentary opening which he uses to gain the upper hand and snap Yord’s neck. Some might take Yord’s notable reaction to mean he also has a history with Qimir, but it’s important to remember that Yord was also part of the team that questioned him in Episode 2.
While it’s possible that the series will also retroactively reveal a significant connection between the two of them neither of these options seem particularly likely. As upsetting as fans may find them, Yord and Jecki’s deaths, more so than those of the other unnamed Jedi or the other Brendok team members briefly featured like Kelnacca andIndara (Carrie-Anne Moss),emphasize the seriousness of the threat Qimir poses. They also potentially add more to Sol, Osha, and Mae’s story arcs.
So, while Yord’s line is possibly no more than a recognition of the earlier sequence with Qimir, there’s a good chance there is more between the young Sith and Sol than viewers, and maybe even Sol himself, know so far. But whether he’s aware of the nature of their connection or not, Sol definitely has some explaining to do, and, given how the series is getting progressively darker,it seems like he will ultimately be revealed to not be as noble as he initially seemed.
New episodes ofThe Acolyterelease Tuesdays on Disney+ in the U.S.
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