One of the most important villains in all of Star Wars makes a surprise appearance in episode 8

No, Qimir is not the Sith master and true puppet master of The Acolyte – as episode 8 of the Star Wars series now reveals. Image source: Disney/Lucasfilm

The eighth and (for now) final episode of The Acolyte has given a legendary Sith his live-action debut: Yes, the mysterious creature in Qimir’s cave on an unknown planet is actually Darth Plagueis.

Also the master of Sheev Palpatine/Darth Sidiouswhose tragedy we, or rather Anakin Skywalker, are informed about in Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith. However, Plagueis doesn’t have too much to do in The Acolyte.

In episode 8, he just lurks behind a rock to get a glimpse of the stranger (Manny Jacinto) and Osha (Amandla Stenberg). (What a creep.) What role Plagueis plays exactly is only implied.

Who or what is Darth Plagueis anyway?

But let’s start from the beginning: Plagueis actually made his Star Wars debut in Revenge of the Sith. His backstory was then fleshed out in a novel named after the Muun. As before, Plagueis is Sidious’ master, who was active even during the prequels, but never appeared in person.

Plagueis is considered to be a particularly powerful and wise Sith, who was even able to create or at least manipulate life. As Palpatine notes, however, this knowledge could not save him – after all, he betrayed his own master and murdered Plagueis in his sleep. Tragic.

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The knowledge of Darth Plagueis would ultimately enable Darth Sidious to draw Anakin Skywalker to the dark side of the Force. And also to cheat death in Episode 6 and again decades later in Episode 9. somehow

Darth Plagueis’ Rolle in The Acolyte

The Acolyte takes place approximately 100 years before the events of Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. At this point, at least in the old canon, Plagueis is still the apprentice of Darth Tenebrous, whose existence was only hinted at in the new lore.

So what role does Plagueis play in The Acolyte? As already mentioned: Actually only a tiny one. But his presence has big implications for the background story of the new Star Wars series.

Because Master Sol (Lee Jung-jae) reveals that Mae and Osha were created by Mother Aniseya (Jodie Turner-Smith) using the Force. And The Acolyte makes it unmistakably clear in episode 8 that Plagueis now comes into play.

Osha (Amandla Stenberg) is likely to play a key role in how Darth Plagueis came to his great power. Image source: Disney/Lucasfilm

How The Acolyte prepares for the prequels and sequels

There may also be a connection to Anakin Skywalker here: It’s not 100% clear how exactly the Chosen One was created. Maybe Plagueis is responsible, maybe Palpatine, or maybe even the Force.

The Acolyte seems to at least confirm what many fans already suspected: Qimir or the stranger is not the master, but rather the student. Plagueis himself could already be the master at the time of the series or he could have taken Qimir on his side to overthrow his own master – Tenebrous.

If The Acolyte gets a second season, it would definitely be exciting to see what happens next with Osha and Qimir. The Sith Rule of Two is repeatedly bent to breaking point in the Star Wars canon, but the stranger is also likely to suffer a tragic fate in the long run.

Because even if Plagueis does not make Osha his student, Sooner or later Palpatine will have to come into play: They are always two. No more, no less. A master and a student – as Yoda himself noted.

You can read more about what’s next for new films and series in the Star Wars universe after The Acolyte using the links above.