Lucasfilm might not have recognized the potential in The Acolyte, but the Star Wars series is still showing fans what’s possible in that galaxy far away, even a year after its cancellation. Though we’re probably never getting another season of the show, it’s still a topic of constant conversation, with fans sharing love for its doomed twin siblings, Osha and Mae Aniseya (both played by Amandla Stenberg), its hunky anti-hero Qimir (Manny Jacinto), and its incredible lightsaber combat.
It’s the latter that first clued doubters into the true merit of The Acolyte: after a few slow-paced episodes, the series broke out with Episode 5, “Night,” which was basically one long duel between Qimir (who revealed himself to be the Sith-adjacent warrior called the Stranger) and a small army of Jedi. The Acolyte is the rare Star Wars story that sheds a more scrutinous light on the Jedi Order, and “Night” doubled down on that premise by allowing the Stranger to mow down the show’s most stalwart heroes. Not only did the episode bring the concept of cortosis from Star Wars legends into canon, it made lightsabers a frightening, dangerous weapon for the first time in years.
