The Sith Lord of The Acolyte decimated the Jedi in episode 5, but they may have damaged themselves more than the Stranger did. The Acolyte episode 5 saw the Stranger, also known as Qimir, wipe out seven of the eight Jedi sent to Khofar, leaving only Master Sol alive. It was the biggest Jedi massacre since Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, but it still may not have been the thing that damaged the Jedi most that night. The Stranger told Mae that he wanted her to “kill the dream” of the Jedi, and he took a big step in accomplishing that.

The High Republic era, when The Acolyte takes place, was a time when the Jedi Order was at its absolute best. The prequel trilogy of Star Wars movies, however, saw the total annihilation of the Order and the fall of the Jedi. The Acolyte has promised to bridge this gap and give more context into how the Jedi fell so far, and episode 5 got that ball rolling more than anything else in the show so far. It did so by exposing an ugly truth about the Jedi, and one they brought about themselves.

The Jedi Do Exactly What They’d Criticize Qimir For

Aside from killing seven Jedi in The Acolyte episode 5, the Stranger also did quite a few things the Jedi would criticize. He practiced the deceptive Trakata lightsaber combat form, the Sith Lord had a new trick lightsaber, he used cortosis in his helmet and gauntlet to shut down his opponents’ lightsabers, and he killed Yord Fandar while he was unarmed. Those tactics gave the Stranger an “unfair” advantage, and any one of them would easily earn the Jedi’s scorn and be considered a dishonorable way to fight. Even if he hadn’t killed seven Jedi, they would have condemned Qimir outright.

The Jedi would condemn everything the Stranger did on Khofar, but they had no problem with using the same tactics themselves.

The Acolyte, however, seemingly asserted that the Jedi were no better. Throughout the fight on Khofar, many of the Jedi practiced the very tactics and tricks they would have criticized the Stranger for using. Both Sol and Yord attacked Qimir while his back was turned. Jecki Lon used two lightsabers, which gave her an advantage many of the other Jedi didn’t enjoy. Sol likely tapped into his rage and the dark side and nearly killed Qimir when he was unarmed. The Jedi would condemn everything the Stranger did on Khofar, but they had no problem with using the same tactics themselves.

Qimir Implies The Jedi Are The True Aggressors Here

The Stranger’s decision to expose himself to the Jedi on Khofar didn’t make much sense when he first engaged them. It seemed like the only thing he could really accomplish was letting the Jedi know that the Sith weren’t actually extinct, which would have been detrimental to their plans. By forcing the Jedi to fight dirty and then pointing out their hypocrisy, however, the Stranger seems to have made major progress in his goal to “kill the dream” of the Jedi. After Khofar, the Jedi seem much less like perfect, peace-keeping servants of the light. Qimir has exposed them as hypocrites and aggressors.

There’s also a sense that none of the Jedi would have died, and none of their hypocrisy would have been exposed, if they simply granted the Stranger the freedom he desired. If the Order wasn’t so intent on battling any sign of the dark side they saw, Qimir never would have sent Mae after them, or attacked them himself. The Stranger’s sentiments match the downfall of the Jedi in the Star Wars prequel trilogy: they brought their destruction upon themselves. With the Stranger and the Jedi’s hypocrisy both fully exposed, The Acolyte‘s critiques of the Jedi Order may become even more extreme.