After Star Wars: The Acolyte Episode 5, Night, revealed that Qimir (Manny Jacinto) was the Sith behind the smiling helmet, later named The Stranger, fans strongly believed that there was a real Sith Lord that the show hadn’t introduced then yet. This led to many theories that Mother Koril (Margarita Levieva) could be Qimir’s Sith Master. However, Episode 8, The Acolyte, finally unveiled the real Dark Lord in the series with the surprising Sith cameo, which showrunner Leslye Headland now addressed.
In an interview with IndieWire, Headland confirmed that the mysterious figure hiding in the shadows and watching Osha (Amandla Stenberg) and Qimir on the Unknown Planet was Darth Plagueis. For the first time in nearly 20 years, Plagueis finally made his live-action appearance after being mostly referenced in the 2005 Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith as part of Palpatine's (Ian Mcdiarmid) speech as he tried to convince Anakin (Hayden Christensen) to join the dark side.
"Plagueis was always in the finale, in every version," Headland said.
The series creator revealed she had been waiting for Plagueis to appear in Star Wars proper for many years. Fortunately, she was the one who finally did so. However, she admitted that adding the part of the legendary Sith Lord in the series was a tricky one. He was supposed to appear in the final scene instead of Grand Master Yoda, but it didn’t feel right for her. She wanted his appearance to happen when Osha cooperated with Qimir.
"There was a version where he was the button of the finale [instead of Yoda]," Headland explained. "You want to feel Osha’s triumph. You want to feel her joining forces with The Stranger. Plagueis stepped on [that moment]."
Headland explained that putting Plagueis early on in The Acolyte finale wouldn't snatch the spotlight away from Osha as she embraced the dark side and became Qimir’s acolyte. She realized that if she put Plagueis at the end of the final episode, she would make it appear that he was behind everything that had happened, and it just added more mystery to his role in the series.
"I was OK with having the cameo come so early if it meant I could wrap up these characters in a way that their final shot was not a ‘And he’s been pulling the strings the whole time’ feeling," she continued.
Darth Plagueis' Appearance Left a Big Question in Star Wars: The Acolyte
Aside from Plagueis' role in the series, his role in Qimir's life is yet to be seen. It hasn't yet been revealed whether he is Qimir's Sith Master. And with the Sith's rule of two, where there's only one master and one apprentice, adding Osha to the fold left a big question: who is the master and apprentice?
Even though [Osha and The Stranger] are standing there, sort of looking out at the sunset, ready to conquer the world, the tragedy is we know they don't. We know there can only be two. We know Plagueis is there. We know that these two are doomed in some way. So, to me, it's a bittersweet tragedy, this foreboding ending. But that's because I know about the Sith lineage and all these other things, whereas I think a different subset of the audience can be like, 'They're married!'
Headland also discussed how they designed Plagueis based on his appearance in Star Wars Legends with long fingers, yellow eyes, and sinister looks. Hence, they based it on Guillermo del Toro's Crimson Peak when designing him.
"Obviously, the species has been determined, if not by [Star Wars] canon, then by Legends and definitely by head-canon for everybody," she added. "So, when we were designing him and talking about his appearance, it was a lot of Crimson Peak of Guillermo del Toro."
Aside from his appearance, she wanted the viewers to feel that there was something deeper about Plagueis, and seeing him watching Osha and Qimir meant he wanted things. She also tried to show that the Sith were not as always as powerful as they were in the film trilogies. This time, they were hiding in the shadows and fighting to survive.
"They’re not running the First Order. They’re not running the Empire. They’re not the Chancellor of the Senate. They’re hiding out," she stated. "The Sith [in this time] are fighting for survival."
Plagueis may play a bigger role in The Acolyte, which may contribute to his rise in power in the Star Wars universe. This just adds to the many mysteries the show has to resolve when it gets the chance to continue and receive a second-season renewal.
All episodes of The Acolyte are available on Disney+.
