The Acolyte Episode 6 Luke Skywalker Link Is 'Stranger' Than You May Think
This article contains spoilers for "Star Wars: The Acolyte" Episode 6
Over the last two episodes of "The Acolyte," Manny Jacinto's Qimir, also known as the Stranger, has arisen as the biggest new star in Star Wars. Maybe it's the arms. Maybe it's the stylish lightsaber moves. Maybe it's the bad boy, verging on evil boyfriend persona. In truth, it's probably all of the above, and the series' latest installment provides a lot more fuel for the Qimir fandom fire.
Episode 6, "Teach / Corrupt," is split primarily between two locations. Master Sol (Lee Jung-jae) deals with mechanical issues aboard his ship while discovering that the woman he thinks is Osha (Amandla Stenberg) is actually her twin sister Mae. Meanwhile, Osha wakes up on Qimir's private island, where he deploys trick after trick of dark side seduction — and it seems to work. For all his evil ways, Qimir also shares a lot of parallels with Luke Skywalker on Episode 6. It's a curious match given that one character is a murderous Sith warrior and the other is a paragon of light, but the comparison produces some interesting material.
Specifically, "The Acolyte" Episode 6 recalls Luke Skywalker's arc from "Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi," evoking his island exile and several core story beats from the Rian Johnson film. However, "The Acolyte" flips that plotline on its head by placing Qimir equally in the Kylo Ren role as the Luke one.
Is that Luke's Last Jedi island on The Acolyte?
One of the big questions fans may be asking after "The Acolyte" Episode 6 is whether or not Osha and Qimir are on Ahch-To, the secluded planet where Luke lives in exile during "The Last Jedi." Footage of the rocky island in the show's trailers was dissected by fans, and now we have a much better view of the villain's hideout. So, is it Ahch-To? The answer is still a bit elusive, but odds say no.
Episode 6 marks the location as "Unknown Planet," keeping things a mystery. And while the Stranger's island has caves and cliffs very similar to Luke's "Last Jedi" island, it doesn't seem to be the same place. There are also no porgs on "The Acolyte," though the small, trunked creatures Osha sees on the strange planet could be tiny versions of the larger beasts Luke is shown milking in "The Last Jedi." One fan theory is that this could be the Star Wars Legends planet Bal'demnic, described in the no-longer-canon novel "Darth Plagueis" as having vast oceans, rocky islands, and rich cortosis deposits. Sith Lords Plagueis and Tenebrous spend notable time on the planet, and Qimir uses cortosis in his helmet and gauntlet, so there are multiple connections.
Regardless, the shots on "The Acolyte" Episode 6 are clearly meant to evoke "The Last Jedi," with Osha filling the Rey role and Qimir standing somewhere between Luke and Kylo Ren.
The Acolyte flips Luke's arc from The Last Jedi
Externally, Qimir's scenes on "The Acolyte" Episode 6 mirror Luke's in "The Last Jedi." He lives in a cave on a rocky island in the sea, goes about his daily tasks of bathing, cooking, and repairing his helmet, and deals with a would-be apprentice. The difference, of course, is that on "The Acolyte," Qimir actually wants to train Osha, whereas Luke is reluctant to train Rey. In this way, the master-pupil dynamic is flipped.
The same is true of Qimir's similarities to Kylo Ren. He tells Osha that his Jedi master betrayed him, leaving him physically scarred. This is very similar to Kylo joining the dark side after seeing Luke briefly consider killing him because of his violent potential. This time around, it's the scorned dark side pupil who enters exile, not the master. However, Qimir wishes to become a master to Osha, thus forming a proper Sith pair.
All of these parallels seem to encourage both the viewer and Osha to trust Qimir despite his crimes. He murdered Yord and Jecki, sure, but what if he was justified? What if the Jedi are simply getting what's coming to them, and the Stranger's actions are necessary for him to stay alive? We know that this isn't really true, but Episode 6 gives Qimir just enough sympathy to make Osha doubt herself.
The Stranger's helmet references an original Luke Skywalker Star Wars prop
One other Qimir detail references an earlier version of Luke Skywalker. He tells Osha that his helmet, in addition to hiding his identity and intimidating his enemies, is a sensory deprivation mask like the ones the Jedi use to train younglings. For longtime Star Wars fans, this will specifically conjure memories of the helmet Luke uses to train with his lightsaber in "A New Hope." Obi-Wan encourages him to practice with the blast shield down, blocking his senses and making him rely fully on the Force.
It's fun to see a classic Star Wars idea get a dark side twist here, and the revelation makes Qimir's massacre of the Jedi on Khofar even more impressive. The inversion of Luke is completed when Osha tries the helmet on for herself. We see just how isolating it is, and her breath becomes heavy and loud within the cortosis mask, evoking Darth Vader's signature breathing at the end of "The Acolyte" Episode 6. With a single prop, "The Acolyte" blurs the line between Luke Skywalker and his father, setting the stage for the gray territory to which Qimir is trying to pull Osha.