The Acolyte has seemingly revealed something fascinating about Palpatine’s lightsaber duel with the Jedi in Revenge of the Sith. As seen in The Acolyte episode 5, the show’s powerful dark side user has finally made his full debut, emerging to face a team of eight Jedi after murdering the Wookiee Jedi Kelnacca. To that end, the Jedi’s struggle to defeat Qimir aka “The Stranger” features a critical reveal regarding the duel where Darth Sidious similarly faced multiple Jedi Masters single-handedly.

In Revenge of the Sith, Jedi Master Mace Windu confronts Chancellor Palpatine after Anakin confirmed he was the Sith Lord the Jedi had long been searching for. Despite being joined by Jedi Masters Kit Fisto, Saesee Tiin, and Agen Kolar, Windu and his fellow Jedi were all slain by Sidious despite being highly skilled members of the Jedi High Council. To that end, The Acolyte confirms a key dark side ability which may help explain Palpatine’s victory just before the dawn of his Empire.

A Battle Against A Sith Isn’t Just A Physical Fight

The Dark Side Can Affect The Mind

Despite being significantly outnumbered in The Acolyte episode 5, Mae Aniseya’s master (whom she’d known as Qimir) murders each member of this Jedi team in quick succession (save for Master Sol). Highly skilled and trained in the dark side of the Force, “The Stranger” also utilized his dark helmet and gauntlet to temporarily deactivate lightsabers, confirming that they were forged using a cortosis weave. That said, one might argue that the Jedi should have been able to rally and overpower the dark side warrior through sheer numbers.

However, Jedi Knight Yord Fandar confirms something critical about “The Stranger” just before his own tragic death by Qimir’s hands in The Acolyte episode 5. According to Yord while talking about The Stranger’s methods and abilities, “he (Qimir) gets into your head and he stays there.” This is something Osha confirms Mother Aniseya could also do, cementing that idea that dark side users can manipulate and twist the minds of their opponents mid-battle, granting them a dark edge over their opponents beyond their physical skills with a lightsaber alone.

Revenge Of The Sith’s Jedi Masters Had Never Faced Anything Like Palpatine

The Full Force Of A Sith Lord And His Great Power

It’s highly unlikely that The Acolyte’s Qimir/Stranger is a true Sith Lord like Darth Sidious. Nevertheless, it stands to reason that affecting the minds of his foes was a dark side power Palpatine also likely employed while dueling four Jedi Masters simultaneously in Revenge of the Sith. Having never faced a Sith Lord before in their lifetime, it’s logical that Windu’s fellow Jedi were caught extremely off-guard, much like The Acolyte’s Jedi team, the assault on their minds resulting in their ultimate defeat as Palpatine and The Stranger physically murdered their respective Jedi foes one by one.

Mace Windu’s Unique Lightsaber Form Gave Him The Chance To Fight Back

Windu Used The Rare Form Vaapad

It’s worth noting that Mace Windu held his own against Palpatine for much longer than his fellow Jedi Masters, even in the face of Palpatine’s dark power. This is likely due to a few key factors, particularly Mace Windu’s use of the lightsaber form Vaapad, the seventh known lightsaber form also known as the Ferocity Form. Rarely used by Jedi due to its focus on one’s internal emotions, it stands to reason that Mace’s variation of the form he developed to align with the Jedi Code aided in his duel with Sidious, while also likely guarding him from any mental assaults from the Sith Lord.

Even if Palpatine feigned weakness against Mace Windu to sway Anakin once the Chosen One arrived at the duel, it stands to reason that Windu’s near-victory largely came from his own great skill as the Jedi’s elected Master of the Order. Windu’s use of Vaapad must have been invaluable, a form dedicated to the mastering and controlling of darker emotions that Sidious likely tried to exploit through the Force. At any rate, it’s fascinating to see “The Stranger” affecting the minds of his Jedi foes in The Acolyte, so much so that he could similarly take on multiple Jedi at once just like Palpatine.

New episodes of The Acolyte release on Tuesdays at 9 PM EST/6 PM PST on Disney+.