The Acolyte creator Leslye Headland has teased a bigger connection to villain Kylo Ren after fans spotted an Easter egg in Episode 5.
The Acolyte Episode 5 revealed the dangerous Sith threat known as the Stranger was none other than Qimir, a smuggler and Mae’s master.
While Qimir’s true motivations have yet to be uncovered, a small Easter egg may have hinted at his connection to Star Wars’ popular villain Kylo Ren.
During the Stranger’s final scenes, a portion of Kylo’s theme from the sequel trilogy’s scores can be heard. Though she couldn’t give many details, Headland confirmed the use of the tune does have a deeper meaning that will be explained before the season ends.
“Ah, wish I could. It is there on purpose, but I can’t tell you why, and I can’t go into what it is. But you shall see,” Headland told Inverse.
Including Kylo’s theme could be the showrunner’s way of subtly verifying the fan theory that’s suggested Qimir is a Knight of Ren.
The Knights of Ren are a group of Force-wielding marauders devoted to the Dark Side. The group was very active during the events of the Galactic Civil War, which took place in the original Star Wars trilogy.
After the Empire fell, the group jumped from planet to planet before coming across Luke Skywalker and his Padawan Ben Solo.
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The Knights of Ren leader, also named Ren, sensed darkness within Ben and encouraged him to join their cause. When Ben eventually turned against Luke and the Light side, he changed his name to Kylo Ren and embraced the way of the knights.
It was under the tutelage of Kylo that the Knights became a force to be reckoned with across the galaxy as they were able to learn from the raw power he possessed as the grandson of the ultimate Sith lord Darth Vader.
By playing Kylo’s song during Qimir’s conversation with the Jedi, Headland could be pointing the audience to the fact that he was the first Knight of Ren.
This isn’t the only clue, either. Qimir also doesn’t refer to himself as ‘Darth’ or ‘Sith,’ like other Dark Side masters in the past. Plus, when Yord Fandar described the Stranger’s fighting technique, he mentioned the villain didn’t adhere to the rules of combat, which made countering his attacks nearly impossible.
While the Knights are Force-sensitive like the Jedi and Sith, they do not follow any known fighting pattern or strategy.
Qimir’s status as a Knight of Ren could be another way for the series to tie back to the original Star Wars timeline lore and shed light on what the group was up to before the franchise began.
New episodes of The Acolyte premiere on Disney+ on Tuesdays. If you’re looking for more Star Wars, read everything we know about Andor Season 2 release date and Tales of the Jedi Season 2, or check out new movies and TV shows streaming this month.
