Star Wars: The Acolyte’sManny Jacinto has expressed hope for the return of his Sith Lord villain, The Stranger, despite the Disney+ show’s cancellation. Released in 2024,The Acolytefollows former Jedi Padawan Osha Aniseya (Amanda Stenberg) and Jedi Master Sol (Lee Jung-jae) on a quest for the truth after Osha is accused of killing a Jedi Master.
Leslie Headland’sThe Acolyteran for only eight episodes, marking the firstStar WarsTV series to be canceled after one season. Unfortunately,The Acolyte’scancellationwas due to low viewership and production costs, as well as the divisive reaction fromStar Warsfans, with the show receiving a 19% Popcornmeter on Rotten Tomatoes from review bombing.
Despite the show’s fate, in a recent interview withComicBook,The Acolyte’sManny Jacinto revealed that he would love for his character — the unassuming smuggler Qimir, who is actually the Sith Lord behind the killings — to return. Speaking of The Stranger’s comeback, Jacinto stated: “I would love to run it back. I love that character, that franchise, that team.”
Previously, it was revealedThe Acolytewas planned for three seasons, which would have completed the story following season 1’s cliffhanger ending. However, while the show’s cancellation has thwarted those plans,Jacinto went on to say that, “Star Wars is a big universe, galaxy, what have you. But if the fans want it, I’m down and ready to go.”
What Manny Jacinto’s Comments Mean For Star Wars
The fact that Jacinto is onboard to reprise the role ofThe Acolyte’sSith Lord is promising, as his character was quite an interesting addition. As theStar WarsTV showwas originally intended to have multiple seasons,there is certainly a lot of lore and story surrounding Qimir that could be explored in futureStar Warsprojects.
However,as Jacinto points out, his Sith Lord character’s return is purely dependent on “if the fans want it.“Unfortunately,The Acolyte’snegative reception caused division within theStar Warsfanbase, with many shunning the show. Therefore, it doesn’t look likely thatManny Jacinto’s Qimirwill reappear because many fans simply aren’t interested, as shown byThe Acolyte’slow viewership.
Our Take On The Stranger / Qimir’s Potential Return
The Acolyteprovided a new story from the end of the High Republic, a previously unexplored era ofStar Wars, 100 years beforeEpisode I – The Phantom Menace. Thus, there was a lot of pressure on theStar WarsTV seriesto set up lore that would fit within the canon we already know from the franchise’s later installments.
As a consequence,The Acolytewas always going to be divisive.That being said, The Stranger is one of the most compelling parts of the TV series. Qimir’s rejection of the Jedi Order and complex relationship with Osha make him a fascinating character, and his unsettling design and presenceonly add to the mystery.
I personally enjoyed Manny Jacinto’s Sith Lord, who is a figure less like Darth Vader and more akin to a supernatural horror figure. His combat style was refreshing to see, and I found The Stranger and his lineage to be the most intriguing aspect ofThe Acolyte— so hopefully, we could still see him return, even if it’s only in comics.
