Manny Jacinto Talks THE ACOLYTE, His STAR WARS Future, and Qimir’s Connection to the Knights of Ren

When The Acolyte wrapped up its first and only season, Star Wars fans were left divided. Some were intrigued by the fresh take on the galaxy’s lore, while others were frustrated that the series ended before delivering real closure.

Now, thanks to comments from showrunner Leslye Headland and star Manny Jacinto, we’re getting a better idea of what might have been, especially regarding Qimir, The Stranger, and a surprising tie to the mysterious Knights of Ren.

Headland recently revealed that Qimir wasn’t meant to be a Sith at all, but rather the first Knight of Ren. That connection would’ve bridged The Acolyte directly to the sequel trilogy, where Ben Solo, better known as Kylo Ren-led the same shadowy group.

Unfortunately, with The Acolyte cancelled before a second season, those plans never came to life. When TV Insider caught up with Jacinto, the actor shared his thoughts on Headland’s reveal.

"I did run into an article about, and I think Leslye cleared things up a little bit. That a possible path was that Qimir was one of the first Knights of Ren, so that was a possibility to explore."

Jacinto went on to tease what could have been in Season 2, hinting at a deeper story between Qimir and Vernestra Rwoh.

"I think there would’ve been maybe more of a Master-Padawan relationship with [Qimir and Vernestra Rwoh in Season 2], but who knows? I don’t know if we’ll ever see it."

Still, Jacinto hasn’t closed the door on possibly returning to the franchise, saying:

"I am always ready, and I would love to run it back if they’d have me. That was a role of a lifetime, and I’m incredibly proud of what we did in The Acolyte and with Oshamir, with that whole relationship."

Jacinto also spoke about what made the relationship between Qimir and Osha stand out amid Star Wars’ storytelling.

"I feel like with a lot of the franchises that we currently have, it’s missing the romance. It’s missing a lot of love and relationships. We have the big fight scenes and the origin stories of these heroes and whatnot, but they don’t really have a relationship with other people. It’s such a weird thing."

He went on to say:

"And that’s why I loved the Qimir and Osha relationship, because we were taking it back to having a relationship in this big world. I think we just need more of that. I think that’s what made the characters and the story more compelling as opposed to just having big fight sequences, which I loved."

While a second season of The Acolyte seems unlikely, and with Lucasfilm shifting focus away from The High Republic era, fans may never see Qimir’s story continue.

Knowing that The Stranger was nearly the first Knight of Ren adds an interesting element to a show that attempted to take Star Wars storytelling in a new direction, that didn’t quite land with a lot of fans.

If the Force ever brings Qimir back, it sounds like Manny Jacinto will be ready to don the cloak once again.