'The Acolyte' Episode 5 Takeaway: Brutal Jedi massacre foreshadows Jedi Order's fate
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: 'The Acolyte' Episode 5 premiered on Disney+ on June 25, 2024. Fans of the 'Star Wars' franchise waited with bated breath for the exciting revelation of the masked master and it finally happened in this gripping episode that had the most high-octave action choreography that you will ever see.
'The Acolyte' has been teasing the identity of the masked master for the last few episodes and in this episode the revelation did happen but it happened after a brutal massacre of the Jedi at the hands of the masked master who fought everyone in sight and killed most of the Jedis and their padawans.
The masked master was revealed to be Qimir (Manny Jacinto) who addressed himself as a Sith for the first time. He expressed his desire to exercise his power without having to abide by the Jedi Order. This massacre of the Jedis could be the beginning of the end for the Jedi Order.
Jecki Lon and Yord Fandar among the Jedis who were killed in the massacre
Qimir who is revealed as the masked master is seen swinging his red lightsaber against the lightsabers of the Jedi who are no match for Qimir. Even Master Sol (Lee Jung-jae) appears to be no match for Qimir.
He had already killed Kelnacca in the fourth episode and in this episode, he proceeds to kill Jeck Lon (Dafne Keen) who unmasks him but gets a lightsaber through her chest for her actions.
He is busy schooling Mae (Amandla Stenberg) for her betrayal when Yord Fandar (Charlie Barnett) appears to fight against Qimir but eventually gets defeated by Qimir who snaps his neck to the dismay of Master Sol.
The event could be a significant one as it occurred 100 years before the events of 'The Phantom Menace' when the Jedi Order was at its peak. The rise of a Sith who could take down the Jedi pretty convincingly is a precursor to what would eventually happen as Darth Sidious took the Jedi Order down.
Why did nobody know about Sith before the prequel trilogy?
Episode 5 clarified one of the biggest confusions among the fanbase. People wondered why the news about the existence of a Sith never spread even as the Jedi knew about him.
The reason became clear as Qimir killed most of the Jedis apart from Osha and Master Sol who put the pip on Qimir attracting umber-moths to attack him. Master Sol and Osha think that the threat of the Sith is over.
Master Sol is then incapacitated by Mae so he doesn't know that Qimir survived the umber-moth attack. Osha is killed by her twin sister Mae who also doesn't know that the Sith survived.
So now that no one thinks he is alive, there remains no question about the news about his existence spreading. The only one who does see Qimir survive is Bazil (Hassan Taj) and he is the only chance that the Jedi have of tracking Qimir down.
Episodes 1-5 of 'The Acolyte' are streaming on Disney+.
