Star Wars: The Acolyte Episode 5, Night, finally revealed who Mae’s (Amandla Stenberg) mysterious Sith Master is: Qimir (Manny Jacinto). Though some weren’t surprised by this big reveal, with many theories pointing out that he might be the show’s big bad, the revelation left questions about his origin. As the Disney+ series has yet to reveal who his master is and where he comes from, showrunner Leslye Headland teases “really big clues” about The Stranger’s backstory.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Headland said that not much about The Stranger’s background would be seen in The Acolyte, given that it would mostly focus on Osha’s (Stenberg) story. However, she teased that there would be some clues in the show’s future episodes about how he came across this path and became the way he is now.
“Because it's Osha's story, you don't know much about the Stranger's background, and you're not really going to learn much about it,” she explained. “But there are a bunch of things in episode 6 and episode 8 that are really big clues as to why he is the way he is and why his philosophy is the way that it is.”
When Jedi Master Sol (Lee Jung-jae) asked the villain what he wanted, the latter answered he wanted freedom. The series creator furthered that The Stranger would use this freedom to do what he fancied. However, though fans may have yet to learn more about his desire in the first season, Headland promised to explore the character even further if the show receives a second-season renewal.
“He wants freedom to be able to be who he is and wield his power the way he wants to,” she continued. “But he also wants freedom on a second level that I think we'll get more into if we get a Season 2.”
Leslye Headland Reveals Why The Stranger Has to Kill the Jedi in Star Wars: The Acolyte Episode 5
Five episodes into the series, The Acolyte has proven that it’s not afraid to kill major characters, even if a great actress like Carrie-Anne Moss plays it. The Matrix star’s role as Jedi Master Indara was killed off in the premiere episode, followed by Jedi Master Torbin (Dean-Charles Chapman) in Episode 2, the coven of witches led by Mother Aniseya (Jodie Turner-Smith) in Episode 3, and the Wookie Jedi Master Kelnacca (Joonas Suotamo) in Episode 4.
And in what was dubbed the biggest Jedi massacre since Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Episode 5 showed the deaths of Jedi Padawan Jecki Lon (Dafne Keen) and Jedi Knight Yord Fandar (Charlie Barnett), alongside five other Jedi who had accompanied Sol in his mission on Khofar to save Kelnacca and capture the assassin, Mae. While talking to Sol, The Stranger revealed he had to kill every one of them after Mae exposed her.
“They see my face, they all die,” he said.
Headland explained that the killing wasn’t just for fun but for preservation. As the Jedi had threatened The Stranger’s existence, he felt the need to kill them. She even revealed that it was the reason that he opted to cheat, as he was fighting for survival.
“In a way, not that you agree with him necessarily, but you also understand. It's one of the reasons we had him cheat and resort to trickery because when you're fighting for survival, there's no such thing as a fair fight,” she elaborated. “You have to survive. And the Jedi cannot know he exists. They must die as far as he's concerned. So, it felt like it had to happen.”
Though there are talks about The Acolyte having a second season, Lucasfilm and Disney have yet to renew the show. However, there are three episodes left, and they may reveal a thing or two about The Stranger and the mystery surrounding this character.
The Acolyte Episodes 1 to 5 are available on Disney+, while new episodes are set to release every Tuesday.
