Darth Plagueis, one of the most important figures inStar Warsloreand the master ofIan McDiarmid’s Emperor Palpatine, made his live-action debut inthe finale ofThe Acolyte, giving a huge amount of energy to theStar Warsfandom who wondered what his next step would be. InThe Acolyte, Plagueis is very quickly and slyly introduced as a hooded figure with those creepily long fingers and a flat nose, spying on our loved-up anti-heroesOsha (Amandla Stenberg) and Qimir (Manny Jacinto)from the shadows. Of course, just as that happened, the show was cancelled in nonsensical fashion, leaving the fandom nothing short of gutted, none more so than Jacinto, who has opened up about how his mysterious character Qimir was—or wasn’t—linked to Plagueis, and what fans could have expected from more ofThe Acolyte.
Answering a fan’s question at a panel at FanExpo San Francisco, hosted byCollider’sMaggie Lovitt, Jacinto tried to play coy about what we could expect from a prospective future season ofThe Acolyte,given its unresolved conclusion, and what his character’s connection was with Darth Plagueis. He said:
“Oh man, that’s a tough question. They’re not [connected], they’re definitely not. Oh man, how do I answer that? What time is it? [laughs] There are definitely a lot of different theories, like who he is, because we never actually know his true identity.Is Qimir’s name actually Qimir?We definitely wanted to explore it. There was definitely going to be more of Plagueis in the second, or if not, the third seasons of the show, but I just can’t say, because, you know, we could come back. I don’t want to spoil anything, or give anybody any false hope, but I would just say there was a lot more to explore, for sure.”
Who Else Appeared in ‘The Acolyte’?
Despite the intrigue surrounding Plagueis’s introduction,The Acolytewas abruptly cancelled after its first season in August 2024, due to allegedly disappointing viewership numbers. The show’s ensemble cast included Stenberg,Lee Jung-jae,Dafne Keen,Charlie Barnett,Jodie Turner-Smith,Rebecca Henderson,Dean-Charles Chapman,Joonas Suotamo, andCarrie-Anne Moss.And while the show’s future is grim, fans continue to make their voices heard across the galaxy. Jacinto’s tease of more Darth Plageuis is hopefully just another beacon to follow in the battle to saveThe Acolyte, which can be streamed now on Disney+. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
The Acolyte
The Acolyte is a mystery-thriller that will take viewers into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark-side powers in the final days of the High Republic era. A former Padawan reunites with her Jedi Master to investigate a series of crimes, but the forces they confront are more sinister than they ever anticipated.
Watch on Disney+
