The Acolyte has delivered on a lot of what it promised. There was a deep dive into the philosophies of the Sith, plenty of elements from the non-canon Legends timeline were brought into canon, and we got an unprecedented look into Star Wars’ High Republic era where the series is set. But there was one character fans had been clamoring for who never seemed to appear — until the season finale, that all changed. Not only is this an Easter Egg for the ages, but it could also reveal Qimir’s true intentions in The Acolyte.
Warning! Spoilers for The Acolyte Episode 8 below!
Early in The Acolyte Episode 8, Osha and Qimir discuss their next move. The camera then shifts its focus to a cave in the rocks to reveal a hand with long, alien-esque, gray fingers. When we finally see this character’s face it’s grey and wrinkly with red eyes. It’s also wearing a long dark cloak — the universally recognized uniform of the Sith.
But this isn’t just a random Sith. He’s possibly the most influential Sith in Star Wars history. His grey face and red eyes identify him as a member of the Muun species, and the only Muun Sith who would be active at this point would be none other than Darth Plagueis, Palpatine’s master and the subject of the oft-memed “Darth Plagueis the Wise” speech from Revenge of the Sith.
In the Legends novel Darth Plagueis by James Luceno, we learn that Plagueis served under the master Darth Tenebrous but slayed him while the pair investigated the planet Bal’demnic. Plagueis’ appearance on this mysterious planet seemingly confirms it as Bal’demnic, a planet known for its deposits of cortosis (the rare lightsaber-breaking material used by Qimir to create his helmet).
But as exciting as Darth Plagueis’ appearance is in this episode, it also creates a major problem. If Osha agrees to train with Qimir, that would completely mess with the Rule of Two since Qimir is presumably serving under Plagueis. The only way for Qimir to truly train Osha in accordance with the Rule is if he murdered Plagueis, which canonically cannot happen as Palpatine murders him almost a century later (Muuns have a long lifespan and aren’t even considered grown adults until the age of 95.)
Plagueis seems to look on disapprovingly at Qimir and Osha, so perhaps he will oust Qimir as an apprentice for attempting to break the Rule. Or maybe, like his own master Darth Tenebrous, Plagueis will train Osha as a second apprentice just in case Qimir fails.
There are also greater implications here for a possible (unconfirmed) Season 2 of The Acolyte. Darth Plagueis is more than just a spooky-looking guy hiding in the shadows. Much like how Darth Sidious hid under the cover of Emperor Sheev Palpatine, Darth Plagueis hides in plain sight as Hego Damask, leader of the financial institution Damask Holdings. In the future of Star Wars stories told in this timeline, we may see Plagueis out and about acting under his alter ego — the alter ego that would eventually make him cross paths with a rebellious and frustrated young royal on Naboo named Sheev.
Darth Plagueis’ appearance has huge implications for the Star Wars timeline. If he is an active Sith 100 years before the prequels, it means every apprentice he adopts is doomed to fail in one way or another. So while Osha and Qimir may seem ultra-powerful now, only one Sith can truly live on, and that’s Darth Plagueis the Wise.
