Darth Plagueis in The Acolyte Signals Doom for Two Star Wars Characters

The villain in “The Acolyte” is Qimir, played by Manny Jacinto. Qimir is a practitioner of the dark side during a period in “Star Wars” lore when such figures were scarce. He wears a fearsome mask and has been training Mae for years to seek revenge on the Jedi who wronged her and killed her mother. Qimir pushes Mae to embrace ruthlessness and power. Meanwhile, Osha spent her childhood training to become a Jedi, striving to master the light side, but eventually burned out and became an engineer. At some point, the two twins switch places, leading Osha to find herself in Qimir’s company.

Darth Plagueis makes an appearance in a cave located on Qimir’s remote beach hideout in the finale episode of “The Acolyte” season 1. His presence has sparked a great deal of speculation among fans, with some quickly assuming that he might have a hand in the creation of Mae and Osha.

The show’s creator, Leslye Headland, wanted Darth Plagueis to be part of the story from the beginning but was initially uncertain about how to introduce him into “The Acolyte.” She eventually decided to reveal him about a third of the way through the show’s eighth episode, reserving the final “stinger” at the end of season 1 for another notable “Star Wars” cameo—Jedi Master Yoda. Headland felt that introducing Plagueis at the end would detract from Osha’s story arc. “I was okay,” she explained, “with having the cameo come so early if it meant I could wrap up these characters in a way that their final shot was not [an] ‘And he’s been pulling the strings the whole time’ feeling.”

However, Headland quickly pointed out that Plagueis’ presence signals doom for both Qimir and Osha. It’s an ending filled with hope, yet subtly overshadowed by the ominous figure lurking in the background.