The Acolyteseason 1’s Darth Plagueis cameo was certainly shocking, with showrunner Leslye Headland outlining the true nature of his appearance in the story. The Acolyte season 1’s ending mostly wrapped up the many plot threads it had crafted across the eight-episode story. Osha and Mae’s story with the Jedi was resolved, leaving the twins off for an interesting story should The Acolyte season 2’s story be confirmed. Qimir’s storyline was also furthered, seemingly teased to link to Star Wars’ Sith Lord Darth Plagueis.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, The Acolyte‘s showrunner Leslye Headland revealed more about Plagueis’ role in the show. Headland explored the need for her and her team of storytellers to answer major questions in The Acolyte‘s season 1 finale. As it turns out, Plagueis was one of these questions, as outlined by Headland herself:

“We wanted to answer a lot of questions. We wanted to show Qimir’s master. We weren’t going to wait a second season for that. We wanted to wrap up the twin storyline. We were not going to leave everybody hanging. They’ve sat through all of this, and we want to reward people for watching.”

Darth Plagueis Is Officially The Stranger’s “Master”

Qimir’s Connection To Plagueis Has Been Revealed

Undoubtedly the most interesting reveal about Plagueis from Headland is that the mysterious Sith Lord is Qimir/The Stranger’s master. Since Qimir revealed himself as a Sith warrior, the burning question for many has been his place in the Sith hierarchy. The Sith Rule of Two has long been around by the time of Star Wars’ High Republic Era, begging the question of whether Qimir was the student, the master, or a pretender.

According to Headland, Qimir is an official Sith apprentice, with his master being none other than Plagueis. Little about Plagueis has been revealed in Star Wars canon thus far, though The Acolyte‘s potential future seasons will undoubtedly change that. Interestingly, Headland’s comments reveal that Plagueis had an apprentice before Sheev Palpatine, offering a wealth of stories to delve into should The Acolyte continue.

This Revelation Cements The Stranger’s Fate

Qimir Is Unlikely To Live Long After The Acolyte

Custom Image by Kevin Erdmann

While the reveal that Plagueis is Qimir’s master is incredibly exciting, it is less so Qimir himself. As is known from Star Wars canon, Plagueis eventually trains Palpatine in the ways of the Force. Palpatine then usurps Plagueis and takes Maul, then Dooku, then Anakin as his apprentices. This line, stretching all the way back to Darth Bane of the Old Republic, is known as the Baneite Line of Sith, which Qimir is now confirmed to be a part of.

Plagueis will outlive Qimir, eventually taking Palpatine as his student and leading to the events showcased in the Star Wars prequel trilogy…

However, knowing who comes after Qimir confirms his tragic fate. Qimir will ultimately fail to supplant Plagueis as the Sith master, something that he is evidently trying to achieve by taking Osha as his own apprentice in The Acolyte‘s ending. Plagueis will outlive Qimir, eventually taking Palpatine as his student and leading to the events showcased in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, a century after The Acolyte.