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WARNING: This article contains major spoilers. If you do not wish to know vital information on plot / character elements in a story, you may not wish to read beyond this warning: We hold no responsibility for any negative effects these facts may have on your enjoyment of said media should you continue. That is all. |
| “ | 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. | „ |
| ~ The Stranger to Mae Aniseya. |
| “ | The Stranger: I have no name. But the Jedi like you might call me… Sith. Sol: Why risk discovery? The Stranger: Well, I… I did wear a mask. Sol: What do you want? The Stranger: Freedom. The freedom to wield my power the way I like. Without having to answer to Jedi like you. I want a pupil, an Acolyte. But this one… went back on our deal. She exposed me. So, now I have to kill every single last one of you. I don’t make the rules. The Jedi do. And the Jedi say I can’t exist. They see my face, they all die. |
„ |
| ~ The Stranger reveals his identity to Sol. |
| “ | The Jedi teach there's only one way to access the Force, and if you don't do it their way it fades. But there is another way. Below the surface of consciousness are powerful emotions: anger, fear, loss, desire. | „ |
| ~ The Stranger explaining his beliefs to Osha. |
Qimir, more commonly known as The Master or The Stranger, is the main antagonist of the 2024 Star Wars Disney+ series The Acolyte.
A former Jedi-turned-Sith Lord who seeks revel in his power without rules or Jedi interference and to expand knowledge of such power by taking on an acolyte. To hide his identity, he took on the name "Qimir" and posed as an ex-smuggler and kept his true identity a secret from Mae. He is the master of Osha Aniseya, along with Mae Aniseya on a previous occasion, and the former student-turned-archenemy of Jedi Master Vernestra Rwoh and Jedi Master Sol.
He is portrayed by Manny Jacinto in his first villainous role.
Appearance[]
The Stranger was an adult human male with an athletic, strong build who stood at five feet and nine inches tall. He had small brown eyes, pale light skin, greasy black hair, and a prominent scar on the center of his back in a shape similar to the letter "y".
So far, "The Master" has been shown to be a black-dressed figure like the Sith Lords of past cloaked with a mask with little visors and pointy metallic teeth. His mask is made of Cortosis and is capable of destroying Lightsabers. He owns a red lightsaber, that hides a second shoto lightsaber inside his hilt.
Biography[]
A man who claimed to have no name was born as a powerful Force user. He was a member of the Jedi Order. At some point, he became the apprentice of Jedi Master Vernestra Rowh. However, for unknown reasons Rowh later inflicted a scar onto her student’s back. Angered, the man fell to the dark side and became a Sith Apprentice to Darth Plagueis. The Stranger took well to Darth Bane’s policy for the Sith and remained hidden at all costs.
Publicly, he was known as Qimir and claimed to be an ex-smuggler who worked for the Hutt Clan. At some point, Qimir met Mae Aniseya, taking her as his Dark Side Acolyte. However, Qimir would keep his true identity hidden by wearing a black mask and cloak. Qimir was eventually made aware of Mae’s desire to kill the four Jedi involved with the Brendok incident; Masters Indara, Torbin, Kelnacca, and Sol.
Qimir urged Mae to kill them without a weapon. The Master later met with Mae after she killed Indara on Ueda and reminded her of why he chose her as his acolyte, telling her the only way to truly defeat a Jedi is to “kill their dreams.” Mae would later meet Qimir in his civilian identity, unaware that it was her Sith Master. On the planet Olega, he staked out in a store owned by an apothecary to assist her in her plan against Master Torbin who was stationed in the nearby Jedi temple.
Qimir worked with Mae as an associate in her mission to kill the Jedi and claimed to have a close relationship with The Master, telling her that he “collects” people. Qimir later killed a shop owner (well at least, that’s what he claimed) and took his place to blend in.
After Mae failed to kill Jedi Master Torbin, She met with Qimir, unaware that she was actually speaking with her Master. Qimir supplied her with a poison Bunta to kill Torbin. Mae would later confront Torbin again and this time convinces him to drink the poison.
Later, Mae’s twin sister, Osha Aniseya, who was long thought by Mae to be dead, pretends to be Mae by wearing a cloak to get a confession out of Qimir. The man asked her if the poison worked, stating that The Master would be pleased if she managed to kill Torbin without the poison. Qimir then reveals he knows Osha is an imposter, but Osha pulls a stun blaster on him, with the Jedi Yord Fandar, Sol, and Jecki Lon arriving to interrogate him on Mae or her master.
Sol asked Qimir about his relationship with Mae, with the former smuggler claiming he was simply her supplier. Sol then asked about the individual Qimir mentioned and whether Mae had a master. Qimir claimed that all he knew was that Mae wanted revenge on four Jedi. The Jedi attempted to capture Mae, but the Acolyte escaped capture.
The following morning, Mae confronted Qimir and threatened to kill him for betraying her to the Jedi. Qimir offered to make it up to her by guiding her to her next target, Kelnacca. As the two journeyed through the mountains on Khofar, Qimir asked Mae how she planned to kill Kelnacca without a weapon. In respond, Mae asked Qimir about his relationship with The Master, but Qimir denied having made any deals with him and simply states that he owns him.
As they neared Kelnacca’s shelter, Mae opted to stop and rest to prepare for her fight with the Wookiee and began to express doubts that her mission was even possible. Qimir tried to persuade her to continue with her mission as a way to make sure his pupil wouldn’t betray him.
Qimir decided to go fetch some water as Mae regained her energy. Suddenly, Qimir heard Mae screaming for help and rushed to her aid, only to stumble into a trap laid by Mae. Mae then revealed her intention to betray The Master and confess her crimes to the Jedi. Qimir tries to warn her that The Master would kill her, but to no avail. Mae then left Qimir to dangle upside down from a tree branch.
Enraged at Mae’s betrayal, Qimir released himself, donned his suit and helmet and killed Kelnacca himself, as Mae discovered his body seconds later and shook in horror at the realization that her master was here. Qimir then confronted the Jedi Knights who came for Kelnacca's rescue, Force pushing Osha away and engaging the Jedi Strike Team led by Jedi Master Sol.
The Master was a formidable fighter and managed to slay several Jedi with ease. As he prepared to kill Yord Fandar, Osha fires a stun blast at him. However, the stun bolts bounce off of him with no effect and the Dark Lord turned to Osha.
Osha then fled at Yord’s request while the masked warrior pursues her. Sol then shows up and pleads Osha and Yord to get to safety. The Master engages in a lightsaber duel with Sol, who asked who he is. The Master says that he’s surprised Sol doesn’t recognize him, prompting Sol to recognize something familiar about his adversary.
As the two duel, Sol demanded that the Master reveals his true face, but The Master refuses and states he’s unwilling to allow Sol to read his thoughts. When Sol asks why he hides his face from Mae, The Master throws back the same question before resuming their fight. The Master manages to briefly disarmed Sol and leaves to engage his Padawan, Jecki Lon. The Master tells Mae he could learn from her, since she was a loyal pupil.
The Master continues to duel Jecki and destroyed one of her lightsabers before pursuing Mae. The Master condemns Mae for betraying him. When Mae begs for forgiveness, The Master chides her for being weak, but before he could kill Mae, he’s attacked by Sol and Jecki, who both engage him in a lightsaber duel. Jecki manages to unmask The Master, but he ignites a second shoto lightsaber and stabbed her in the torso three times.
The unmasked Qimir then hurls his cloak at Sol and uses the Force to levitate Mae towards her. He then holds her by the neck and ridicules her for not realizing he was her master all along. Sol attacked him with his lightsaber but Qimir dodges it and takes Mae hostage. He then taunted Sol for attacking him while his back was turned, noting that wasn’t the Jedi way.
Sol asks what he is, Qimir replies that he has no name before adding that the Jedi would call him a Sith. Qimir then reveals that he wants the freedom to wield his powers without having to answer to the Jedi. He says that he wanted an acolyte but since Mae went back on their deal, Qimir vows to kill everyone present, including Mae.
Qimir was them ambushed by Yord, who grabbed his mask and used it to short circuit his lightsabers. Yord recognizes Qimir from their encounter on Olega which baffles him. The dark warrior takes advantage of Yord’s shock and quickly subdues him before snapping his neck.
An enraged Sol then beats up Qimir and prepares to kill him in cold blood, only to be stopped by Osha. Qimir then tries to sow in Osha about her former Jedi Master and asks Sol what he’s done with his darkness. Sol then stepped away from Qimir and deactivates his lightsaber.
Osha then takes the opportunity to stick her PIP repair droid on Qimir’s back. The droid acts as a beacon for several Umbramoths, who quickly surround the Master and carry him away into the forest. However, Qimir manages to break free from their grasp and retrieves his helmet and cloak. As he walked past the bodies of the fallen Jedi, he gazes upon an unconscious Osha, wrapping his cloak around her before tending to her, and healed her with the Force.
Qimir abducts the unconscious Osha to take her to his base on an unknown oceanic world. Osha looked as the Stranger walks across the rocky shore. Osha follows the Stranger to a rocky pool where he begins to undress. She sees a long scar sliding down his back.
The Stranger wades into the pool and proceeds to scrub himself. Osha notices his lightsaber among his belongings. The Stranger senses her presence through the Force and asks how does it feel. Wielding the lightsaber, Osha adopts a combat stance and ordered the Stranger not to move.
The Stranger flatters Osha about her lightsaber handling techniques and asks if she left her lightsaber behind when she left the Jedi Order. The Stranger gives her the choice of not joining him but says he will like his clothes back. Osha wields the lightsaber in combat stance as the Stranger climbed out of the pool. He invites her to consider the ethics of killing him when he is unarmed and vulnerable, as opposed to in the heat of battle.
The Stranger says he cannot read her thoughts but that her anger betrays his thoughts. While the Stranger dresses, Osha asked why he brought her to this island. When Osha asks if she is his prisoner, the Stranger countered that she was the one wielding a weapon.
When Osha asked if he killed Sol, the Stranger says no. When Osha asks if he killed Mae, the Stranger responds no but adds that Osha seems to be more concerns about Sol than her sister. The Stranger deduces that Sol was more than a teacher to Osha, and points out the singularity of the master/apprentice relationship.
He keeps his guard lowered as to convince her of his helpful intentions, while also noting yet exaggerating similarities between them, likely to replace Mae with Osha as his new acolyte.
He deflects responsibility for killing the Jedi he fought, and undermines Osha's grief about Yord and Jecki as misguided, since he argues that they wouldn't have cared as much about her ever. He advocates the use of the Dark Side, slightly changing his words to sound less sinister whenever Osha disputes his beliefs, and twisting the differences between Light and Dark as a matter of semantics, rather than philosophy.
Osha notices and points out Qimir's knowledge and abilities suggest that he was once a Jedi, which he admits to have been until supposedly suffering betrayal from his Jedi Master a long time ago. Osha questions why she was brought to his lair, and he answers with an allusion to "the Power of Two," hinting at a Dark Side ideology.
Osha warned that Master Sol would be looking for her and that he is strong in the Force. The Stranger disagrees that Sol's strength lies in the Force and countered that it was her strength in the Force. He says that someone ought to teach her to harness her strength in the Force.
Osha demands to leave, and he challenges her to swim to a nearby small isle upon which his ship is landed; likely due to wanting to learn more about the man who corrupted her sister, Mae, Osha abstains from escaping to remain listening to his explanations. Qimir continues walking and asks if she is hungry. Osha turned her neck to stare at the ship before continuing her walk.
Osha follows the Stranger back into the cave. She asks what did he mean when he referred to her strength in the Force. Qimir says that he mean exactly what he said. Osha recalls the Jedi teaching that strength in the Force is something that requires constant training or else it will fade. Qimir responds that the Jedi teach there is only one way to access the Force and that if Force wielders do not do it their way it fades, while stiring soup in the pot.
The Stranger tells Osha that there is another way to use the Force. Below the surface of consciousness are powerful emotions such as anger, fear, loss, and desire. Osha responds that is the path to the dark side. As the Stranger puts a piece of food to his mouth, he replies that is semantics. He added that Osha would have had the same relationship with Jecki that she had with Master Sol, which he describes as one-sided. The Stranger asks Osha why she loves people who can only go so far while offering Osha a bowl of soup.
Qimir says that Osha has more potential that the Jedi realize. Osha says that she is not her sister Mae and that she is not as easily corrupted. She exits the cave to the rock outcrop and stares at the sea. The Stranger follows her and reminds her that she is still holding his lightsaber. He says that she stayed here to do something. Qimir dares Osha to stab him with his own lightsaber.
Osha counters that a Jedi does not attack the unarmed. Qimir grabbed her and asks why she still thinks of herself as a Jedi despite them rejecting her. Osha counters that she willingly left the Jedi Order. When the Stranger questions her motives, Osha demands that she let him go. Qimir says that she is feeling pain and anger, which define her identity and says that is why the Jedi threw her away.
When Osha disagrees, the Stranger asked why she is not a Jedi repeatedly. Osha shouts that she failed and ignites the Stranger's lightsaber. She uses the blade to trap him against a rockface. As she stares at him fiercely, Qimir says that he understands. He explains that he lost everything but added that is when one becomes "truly free." After staring at the Stranger's face, Osha withdraws the blade and switches it off.
Later in the cave, Osha has a bowl of soup while Qimir repairs his damaged helmet with an electrical tool. When Osha asks if he made the same pitch to Mae, Qimir admits that he made the mistake of thinking that she wanted more than just revenge. He says that he thought Mae wanted what he wanted, prompting Osha to probe further. Qimir explained that he wanted the power of two.
Due to witnessing Qimir's scarred back again, Osha asks him about it, which he answers by asking her what it looks like; she describes it as looking like a stab in the back, which he confirmed, using it as evidence of the "justice" in his murder of Jedi, and the corruption he sees in the Order. Qimir says it was caused by someone who threw him away. Osha asked if it was his Jedi Master who was responsible but he changes the topic.
When Qimir is mending his helmet, he explains that it is made from cortosis, a useful material to counteract lightsabers; he also explained his helmet nullifies the senses, thus forcing him to rely further on the Force, which makes him more powerful than any opponent. Qimir invites her to try out a cortosis headpiece. Osha still does not trust the Stranger but he encourages her to learn to trust herself.
Qimir strategically leaves his helmet on his work bench before leaving the cave with his box and tool on an errand; Osha's curiosity compels her to follow his suggestion of wearing the helmet and puts it on. Qimir later returns and smiles at Osha wearing the helmet. However, when Osha begins convulsing, Qimir panics and attempts to use the Force to remove the helmet. In the physical world, his eyes turned black. With difficulty, he manages to help her remove the helmet.
Osha reveals that she just a witnessed a vision of Mae killing Sol. Mae had a lightsaber in her hand but she did not use it. Qimir suggests it was a vision of the future and thinks that Mae can kill without a weapon. Qimir turns around and says that he will be leaving aboard his starship. Osha asked where he is going and adds that he knows where Sol and Mae are. The Stranger says that they will then go together.
Osha and Qimir cross a stony causeway to the Stranger's starship. Qimir questions Osha's unwillingness to reveal their destination. Osha counters that they will go together or not go at all. Osha and Qimir agreed to go together to find Mae and Sol. When the Stranger asks if he gave her the impression that he is a fair person, Osha reminded he that he made a deal with her sister Mae and expected her to uphold it. She says that is fair and so is trusting her to take them to their destination.
Before departing, Qimir once again tries to get Osha to become his apprentice, but she refuses. When he says that it is her last chance, Osha says she is not her sister. Qimir is impressed, saying Mae made that deal without thinking about it. She lets the Stranger take the lead and holds back before following him. As they departed, they were watched from the shadows by his master Darth Plagueis from an opening on the rocky shore.
Elsewhere, the Stranger's ship Exile II descends into Brendok's atmosphere. Osha and the Stranger sit in separate cockpits of the twin boom body. Osha flies the ship, not allowing Qimir to operate it. She deactivates the controls and tells the Stranger that there is a landing site near the witches' fortress. At the base of the Brendok fortress, Osha and Qimir reach the elevator.
Qimir and Osha later arrive on Brendok to find Sol and Mae. Qimir and Osha approach the elevator of Brendok’s fortress. Osha proposes repairing the elevator instead of climbing. Qimir asks if she is sure before disappearing. Qimir then puts his mask back on and confronts Sol. The two engage in a lightsaber duel.
Qimir drives Sol toward the bridge where the scouts were stationed. Sol jumps out of the bridge and uses the Force to cushion his landing. Qimir also uses the Force to cushion his landing. In the courtyard, Sol warns the Stranger that he will destroy him if he must.
Qimir taunts not if she gets him first before activating a second red lightsaber. He launches a second assault on Sol, who dodges both blades. Sol manages to knock the shorter red lightsaber out of the Stranger's hand. Qimir attempts to retrieve his weapon with the Force but Sol launches a counter-offensive and kicks the Stranger in the chest. While Sol reactivates his lightsaber, Qimir retrieves his second lightsaber and launches a renewed attack. He hurls his lightsabers like boomerangs at Sol. Sol uses the Force to dodge the Stranger's attacks and push the Stranger towards the edge of the courtyard. Qimir uses the Force to retrieve his longer lightsaber and launches a third assault.
Sol manages to cut Qimir’s lightsabers in half and holds his lightsaber to Qimir’s throat, forcing the Sith Lord to surrender.
Suddenly, Mae arrives and takes Sol’s lightsaber. Qimir tries to goad her into killing him but she refuses, wanting his crimes to be exposed. Mae demanded that Sol confess, but he argued that he did the right thing to protect the sisters. Sol revealed that Brendok held a vergence of the Force, which was harnessed by Mae's mother to create life, whose singular self was divided into Osha and Mae.
Despite this revelation, Mae coaxed Sol into a confession, so he admits to killing Osha and Mae’s mother, which was overheard by Osha. As Sol tries to justify what he did, Osha chokes him to death with the Force, causing Sol’s lightsaber in her grip to turn red. Qimir then senses the presence of his old master, Vernestra Rowh and puts his helmet back on to block out her detection.
Qimir later finds Osha and Mae by a tree. Osha agrees to train as his apprentice if he leaves Mae alone. Qimir proposes on wiping her memory to remove any trace of Osha and him, Qimir watches as the sisters tearfully say goodbye and wipes Mae’s memories.
In the end, Sol accused of orchestrating the massacre of the Witch Coven, and is framed for the murdering his accomplices of Indara, Torbin, and Kelnacca, and Sol's own death was declared a suicide, thus allowing Qimir to take Osha with him to remain hidden. Qimir and Osha later return to the ocean planet and gaze at the sunset. Meanwhile, Rowh set out to find her former student, having realized he was still alive and asked for help from Mae, who agreed to help, after which Rowh alerted Master Yoda.
Personality[]
Plain and simple, "The Master" despises the Jedi Order, thinking of them as fools who naively dream to be invincible if their attackers hold steel or laser weapons, hence why he insists on recruiting an acolyte to do the job for him due to them not needing to wield a weapon to kill.
Judging from Mae's interaction with Qimir, he seems to follow the Sith's belief that the Jedi's Peace is a Lie, and instills this belief into his subordinates.
Unlike many Sith, he doesn't seem to want more power, rather wants the freedom to use his existing power emphasized by the Sith Code, which he feels the Jedi wouldn't allow due to their enmity with the Dark Side; hence, he launched a preemptive strike to destroy the Jedi so they won't hunt him down. While he doesn't display an ambition to control the galaxy, he does still indicate a desire for control, thus his induction of Mae as his acolyte, and subsequent need for a replacement when it appeared she betrayed him.
The desire for a student may also suggest a fear of being alone, which he had been forced to be to avoid detection, or at least the desire to continue the Sith, which is apparently what he sought to train Mae to be, presumably in accordance with the centuries-old 'Rule of Two'.
He may be prejudiced against non-human species, as when he killed Jecki, Sol called out her name, which Qimir mockingly asked if that was "its" name; although, it may be a dismissal of her worth due to her being a Jedi, rather than non-human, but there were no other moments in which he expressed such a specific kind of dehumanisation, therefore the intolerance was still likely.
After abducting Osha, he treated her with a strange amicability, and consistently kept his guard lowered - even leaving himself helpless by bathing in the sea - and seemed to establish a sense of being all knowledgeable, as to entice her curiosity into making her stay, possibly to lead her into agreeing to become his new student.
This appeared to contrast with his method for Mae, which was based around entirely on deception and intimidation, leaving her terrified of him. While claiming to hide nothing to Osha, he seemed to omit or alter details in information that would add complexity to an issue, thus he ensured it appeared a more binary problem, which encouraged the listener to follow a particular line of thought that he deemed most likely to manipulate and/or recruit them.
Despite his callous and remorseless slaughter of Jedi, he appeared to be capable of sentimentality, since he allowed Osha and Mae a moment to part ways before removing the latter's memories of them. And his reaction upon sensing his old Jedi Master wasn't of anger, but almost fear, and he watched her wistfully from afar; he also accelerated his departure to avoid facing her, even though he could have ambushed her when she was alone - although, it's plausible that she was still more powerful than him. Back in his base in the island on an oceanic world, he tentatively held Osha's hand, implying a peculiar affection (although, it was over her hand that held Sol's lightsaber, with its kyber crystal having been recently corrupted by the Dark Side, thus possibly still pulsating with power).
Powers & Abilities[]
Powers[]
- Force Manipulation
- Telekinesis
- Telepathy
- Mental Clouding/Force Meditation: Yord alluded to feeling the Master infiltrating his mind, which is what he did to the other Jedi while during a battle. He undermines the target's confidence and possibly weakens their focus, thus reducing their overall efficacy in duels.
- Dark Side Obscuration: As a wielder of the Dark Side of the Force, he is able to hide his Force Sensitive nature, as well as prevent the detection of his powers. This veil ends during combat, however. Yet, even in battle, the true depths of his powers were only vaguely sensed, without knowing their full extent.
- Memory Manipulation: He was able to use the Force to completely erase memories, which he did to a voluntary Mae so her mind would leave no leads for the Jedi to find him or her sister, Osha, who had fallen to the Dark Side.
Abilities[]
- Master Duellist: Having been trained in the art of lightsaber combat from a young age, first as a Jedi and then as a Sith, the Stranger was a master duellist. He tended to prefer fast and aggressive movements that kept his opponents on defense, and demonstrated excellent spatial awareness that allowed him to duel enemies from multiple directions at the same time. In addition to the standard single saber combat, the Sith Lord was practiced in "Jar'Kai," the art of wielding two lightsabers simultaneously. He was also a user of "Tràkata," a duelling technique that consisted of turning one's own lightsaber on and off in the middle of combat to bypass an opponent's defense. He preferred employing creative and notably unorthodox fighting tactics, such as his ability to probe into the minds of his enemies and his use of cortosis in combat and the aforementioned Tràkata. His unusual tactics made it difficult for his opponents, particularly Jedi, to remain on balance and counter his actions. The Stranger's combat skills were so great that he was able to defeat Jedi Masters and fight and kill at least six Jedi simultaneously. However, opponents such as Sol who were able to remain on balance while fighting him were capable of besting him.
- Expert Hand-to-hand Combatant: While relying on the Force and a lightsaber, he also proved highly adept at unarmed combat, able to hold his own against Jedi Master Sol, although only for a short time.
- Intimidation: Even without initially revealing his full powers or identity, he made Mae subservient to his will, and terrified of consequences of failure that she was prepared to go on the run forever.
- Manipulation: He took Mae as his "acolyte," exploiting her past tragedy and grief around the Jedi to support his own agenda of exterminating the Jedi Order. Even with someone who is antagonistic against him like Osha, he is able to feign helplessness and reason to lower her defenses, beginning a more subtle manipulation than what he did to her sister, including attempting to trigger Stockholm Syndrome.
- Deception: He was able to present himself as Qimir, a skittish and unassuming smuggler, whom neither Jedi nor his own pupil Mae suspected of being a dark sider. He also withheld the fact that Darth Plagueis was also present on his island base, as he presented himself as a Dark Side master operating on his own.
- Stealth: It isn't clear if he used the Force to accomplish this, however, he was capable of vanishing from enemies, if they were even just momentarily distracted. He can remain hidden until he chooses to reveal himself again.
Equipment[]
- Cortosis Armor: In battle, the Stranger wore equipment forged mostly out of cortosis. Cortosis was an exceptionally rare metal with properties that allowed it to absorb and dissipate concentrations of energy. As such, weapons such as lightsabers that produced a constant stream of energy temporarily shortened out when they made contact with the metal. Despite its obvious strengths, cortosis was fairly brittle and as such could only sustain a limited amount of damage before fracturing. The Stranger wore a cortosis bracer on his left forearm and a cortosis helmet. Both were highly useful in lightsaber duels, but were worn down by continued action and repeated repairs; the bracer seemed to be more durable, as it took more hits than the helmet. The helmet completely covered the Stranger's head and protected his thoughts from enemy telepaths. It also had a built in voice modulator that disguised his voice, allowing for complete anonymity. The helmet's constrictive design dulled the Stranger's natural senses, increasing his dependency on the Force as to increase his power from it.
- Lightsaber: He has a seemingly average lightsaber, however, the bottom half of the hilt can be detached to become a secondary shorter shoto lightsaber.
Quotes[]
| “ | The Stranger: The Jedi justify their galactic dominance in the name of peace. And peace… Mae: Is a lie. I know. |
„ |
| ~ The Stranger supplies Mae with poison to kill Torbin. |
| “ | The Stranger: You’re acting so strange. Wait. You killed Torbin without the poison. He will be so pleased. Osha: No, I used it. I just wanted to thank you. |
„ |
| ~ The Stranger meets Osha |
| “ | The Stranger: Master Sol. Sol: Who are you? |
„ |
| ~ Sol and The Stranger |
| “ | Sol: You trained Mae. Show your face. The Stranger: And let you read my thoughts? No. No. No. |
„ |
| ~ Sol and The Stranger |
| “ | The Stranger: Coward. You were going to betray me. Mae: Forgive me. Master, I was weak. |
„ |
| ~ The Stranger confronts Mae for her betrayal. |
| “ | Sol: Jecki. The Stranger: Was that its name? |
„ |
| ~ Sol and The Stranger |
| “ | You really didn’t know it was me? Not even deep down? | „ |
| ~ The Stranger reveals his true face to Mae. |
| “ | The Stranger: Osha. This is your Master? You trust him even after everything he did to you? Sol: His mind is twisted by darkness. |
„ |
| ~ The Stranger and Sol. |
| “ | What extraordinary beings we are. Even in the revelation of our triumph, you see the depth of our despair. | „ |
| ~ The Stranger |
| “ | Osha: You murdered my friends. The Stranger: I killed Jedi. I killed those who threaten my existence. |
„ |
| ~ Osha and The Stranger |
| “ | Good, Mae. Feel your anger. This is the source of your pain. Strike him down and your journey will be complete. | „ |
| ~ The Stranger tries to goad Mae into killing Sol. |
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- A common theory since the show's premiere was that Jedi Knight Yord Fandar was actually "The Master". This was because Fandar was shown to be the most antagonistic towards Osha Aniseya despite their past friendship and how he insisted on harsh measures to deal with her despite Jedi Master Sol's relaxed approach. This theory was been disproven since the fifth episode, which confirmed instead the theories about Qimir being "The Master".
- Although, the theory is partially correct as to Osha he claims to have been a Jedi until being betrayed. It wasn't yet revealed if the betrayal happened, however, he was confirmed to be a former Jedi.
- The Master's design, namely, his foregoing of armor commonly worn by classical Sith, was inspired by games produced by Fromsoftware, namely Elden Ring, and how players will often remove armor in favor of increased mobility to avoid getting hit all together.
- Prior to his identity being revealed, The Master was nicknamed “Darth Teeth” and “Smilo Ren” by fans due to his helmet.
- The appearance of "The Master" has been pointed out to be similar to those of the Cenobites from the Hellraiser franchise or the Xenomorphs from the Alien franchise, as he seems to have a head with grotesque teeth and barely seen if almost non-existent eyes.
- There is a certain ambiguity as to whether the Master actually is a Sith Lord. He never actually self-identifies as Sith, only stating that it's what the Jedi might refer to him as. Furthermore, statements in promotional material only ever state that he could be called one, but not that he actually is one.
- If "The Master" is indeed a Sith Lord, fans speculate that he is either the apprentice of the current Dark Lord of the Sith and that he is training Mae as his new apprentice so he can overthrow his master or the current Dark Lord of the Sith looking to train Mae to replace his current apprentice. This would explain why she is an "acolyte" rather than a true Sith, to loophole the Rule of Two. There are also theories that said Dark Lord of the Sith could actually be Darth Tenebrous, due to his canonization in The Rise of Skywalker and his later apprentice, Darth Plagueis, having clashes with other apprentices of Tenebrous in Legends and later going on to try, and fail, to create life with the Force.
- The Acolyte writer Claire Kiechel stated that the showrunners originally planned to depict the fight between "The Master" and Kelnacca onscreen, but plans had to be scrapped due to budgetary and story reasons.
- The Master, more specifically his public persona as Qimir, was partially based on the Drunken Cat, a fictional character from the 1966 Hong Kong martial arts film Come Drink With Me. The Drunken Cat was a seemingly harmless drunkard and vagabond whose outward behavior disguised his true identity as a master martial artist of the Shaolin school named Fan Da-pei. Whereas Fan Da-pei was a heroic character, Qimir was deliberately designed as an inversion.
- Manny Jacinto partially based his performance as Qimir off of characters such as Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the Caribbean swashbuckler film franchise, Kikuchiyo from the 1954 epic samurai film Seven Samurai, and Wong Fei-hung from the 1978 martial arts film Drunken Master, all of whom shared similarities with the Drunken Cat.
- It's speculated that maybe "The Master" seems obsessed with getting back at Sol because they are actually brothers as Qimir sounds similar to "Qamar" which means "Moon" in Arabic just like how Sol means "Sun" in Spanish, so maybe "The Master" targets Sol's fellow Jedi as a way to punish Sol for "deserting" his family for the Jedi, as "The Master" seems to hate how Jedi often separated kids from their families.
- This would make "The Master" a foil to Mae, who was also separated from her sibling and is now her enemy.
- While this connection was evidently false, there was still a relation of sorts, since his old Jedi master was Vernestra Rowh, who was a close friend to Sol.
- The Stranger is shown as a "Sith", but it is possibly that he is the first or the true founder of the Knights of Ren and he poses as a Sith to deceive the Jedi including his former master.
- As The Acolyte was cancelled after only one season, the Stranger's fate remains unknown and it's unknown if Osha will remain evil, if Mae will retrieve her memories, or if Darth Plagueis's whereabouts will remain unknown before the The Phantom Menace.
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 Villains
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Path of the Open Hand Nihil Bedlam Raiders Tenoo Pirate Gang Sith and Dark Side Force-Users | ||