Leslye Headland explains how the classic wuxia film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon influenced The Acolyte’s Qimir and Osha dynamic.

Despite proving to be extremely divisive amongst the Star Wars fanbase, The Acolyte is now gaining some steam as it approaches the inevitable conclusion of its first season. Created by Leslye Headland, the series primarily follows twins Osha and Mae, who find themselves on opposite sides of the Force.

The Acolyte is receiving praise for Osha and Qimir’s dynamic (Credit: Lucasfilm).
However, in the show’s sixth episode, the dynamic changes when Osha meets Qimir and is encouraged to see his way of harnessing the power of the Force. During an interview, Headland spoke about the dynamic between Osha and Qimir, citing one Michelle Yeoh movie as a major inspiration, and here is what she had to say in that regard.

Leslye Headland Reveals How Michelle Yeoh’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Inspired The Acolyte

Leslye Headland created The Acolyte, which has generally received negative reactions from critics and fans. However, the series managed to shock some viewers by setting up the possible twist of Osha turning to the dark side in the sixth episode.

Leslye Headland admitted that Michelle Yeoh’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon inspired The Acolyte (Credit: Columbia Pictures).
During a conversation with Collider, Headland opened up about the shift of dynamic between Osha and Qimir. In the process, Headland admitted to drawing inspiration from the iconic 2000 martial arts drama movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, starring Chow Yun-fat and Michelle Yeoh in the lead roles.

The intentional parallel is that they are equals and their relationship is earned through mutual vulnerability, not intimidation or manipulation.

Headland made the above statement, referencing the relationship between the characters Lo and Jen in the film.

The showrunner explained that the relationship was a major influence in the writer’s room for The Acolyte, with the writers referencing it over and over, especially while crafting the dynamic between Osha (Amandla Stenberg) and Qimir (Manny Jacinto).

Leslye Headland Breaks Down Qimir’s Dynamic With Osha in The Acolyte

Leslye Headland denied taking inspiration from the sequels for Qimir and Osha’s dynamic in The Acolyte (Credit: Lucasfilm).
In the same interview, Headland also broke down Qimir and Osha’s dynamic, especially after the cliffhanger ending of episode 6, which sees Osha buying into Qimir’s ideology and wearing his helmet.

Osha’s inner conflict fits with his ideology, and yet they’re on opposite ends of the spectrum just like she and her sister started at the beginning of the show.

Headland made the above comment, explaining how Osha’s inner conflict has led to her aligning with Qimir’s ideology in the first place.

Meanwhile, despite the obvious parallels with the Kylo Ren-Rey dynamic from the sequels, Headland insisted that she did not draw from it while designing the dynamic between Qimir and Rey.

Furthermore, Headland added that she tried staying true to the characters, and reiterated that Osha buying into Qimir’s ideology wasn’t an act of manipulation. Instead, she saw it as a rebuilding of their spiritual foundation since both were discarded by the Jedi in the past.

The Acolyte is streaming on Disney+ and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is available on Max.