The Stranger

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"The Stranger"

AForce-sensitivehumanmale who claimed to have no name, and thus became known as "the Stranger," was aSith Lord active during theHigh Republic Era. Beginning as aPadawan ofJedi MasterVernestra Rwoh, he was eventually cast out of theJedi Order. Sometime afterward, he was trained by theDark Lord of the SithDarth Plagueis, although his actual loyalty to theSith tradition was unclear. Afterward, he began to search for anacolyte of his own. At some point following the murders of acoven ofwitches onBrendok, the Sith encounteredMae-ho "Mae" Aniseya and began training her to take up the role of hisapprentice. During her training, he never revealed his name or face, and was known to her simply as "the Master."

Tasking Mae with killing aJedi without a weapon, he disguised himself as "Qimir," an unassuming former armssmuggler for theHutt Clan, and supplied her with the intelligence and equipment needed to defeat her foes, all while keeping tabs on her. However, after Mae's twin sister,Verosha "Osha" Aniseya, was revealed to be alive in132 BBY, Mae resolved to betray the Master and turn herself in to the Jedi in order to be reunited with her sister. Her sudden betrayal forced the Stranger to reveal himself as the true identity of both Qimir and the Master, killing most of the Jedi investigation team sent toKhofar, along with self-exiled Jedi MasterKelnacca, while targeting Mae.

Despite failing to kill his former student, the Stranger managed to capture Osha and became enamored with the idea of training her instead. On Brendok, Qimir dueled Sol for a final time, but this time, the Jedi Master destroyedhis lightsaber. The Stranger, atlightsaber point, removed his mask and surrendered, until the twins entered the battle. Following the revelation that MasterSol, Osha's former Jedi teacher, slew hermother and withheld this fact from her, Osha embraced thedark side of the Force and killed Sol usingForce choke, finally agreeing to the Sith's offer of training in exchange forerasing Mae's memories and allowing her to live.

Biography[]

Double life[]

Claiming to have no name^[7] and going by the alias "Qimir"^[1] in his public life,^[8] the enigmatic^[9]male individual^[2] who became known as "the Stranger"^[1] was ahuman alive during theHigh Republic Era.^[7] At some point in his life, the individual became aJedi and was trained by a master,Vernestra Rwoh.^[5] However, he later left theJedi Order after becoming disillusioned with its ideology ofthe Force^[2] and falling to thedark side of the Force, something Rwoh discovered.^[5] In the Stranger's account, he claimed to have lost everything and been thrown away by someone he trusted, who also gave him a permanent scar across his back.^[2] Rwoh, meanwhile, would go onto claim her apprentice had given into "evil." She was left under the impression her apprenticedied.^[5]

Having secretly survived,^[5] the Stranger eventually became aSith warrior^[10] andSith Lord^[11] after training under^[6] theDark Lord of the Sith^[12]Darth Plagueis, hisSith Master.^[6] In his double identity of "Qimir,"^[7] the individual was supposedly employed as a formersmuggler^[1] who claimed to have transported armaments for theHutt Clan. Intime, however, "Qimir" would shift careers^[8] to take up the life of atrader^[1] and supplier of unusual items. In that new capacity, he enjoyed a leisurely life, having survived some ofthe galaxy's shadierstarports.^[8]

As the Stranger, meanwhile, he created a makeshift home for himself within acave on anisland retreat, which itself was located on anUnknown Planet^[13]—a world that was later named Bal'demnic^[14]—in theOuter Rim Territories.^[15] Inside his cave retreat, he was also able to harvest veins ofcortosis, which he used for ahelmet andgauntlet.^[2] The planet was also known to Plagueis,^[5] who came to lurk in the shadows nearby the Stranger's lair. Due to Plagueis' actions and the Stranger's own preference to call himself someone without a name, instead of heralding himself as a Sith, it was unclear to what extent the Stranger was loyal to the Sith tradition or to Plagueis himself.^[16]

Training Mae Aniseya[]

In time, the Stranger began seeking out aSith acolyte of his own,^[7] with whom he hoped to unlock "the power of two."^[2] While pursuing his personal agenda, he also desired to take on many Force users, of both the light and dark sides, to train them into a powerful faction.^[9] In134 BBY,^[18] the Stranger encounteredMae-ho "Mae" Aniseya, a surviving Forcewitch from theBrendok coven,^[19] and the two struck upon a bargain^[3] where he began training her as his acolyte,^[20] promising to hone her natural abilities. Putting his student through rigorous training that perfected her skills, as part of their deal, the Sith warrior familiarized Mae with deadly arts and taught her to temper her anger into a precisely controlled weapon.^[3]

However, he took great care not to reveal his identity to her, simply calling himself "the Master"^[20] and only allowing himself to get acquainted with her as Qimir, who was supposedly a fellow follower of the Master^[8] she met around the same time. While operating beneath his public alias, "Qimir" supplied Mae with a custommagnetisedrestraining bolt that enabled her to override shielded droid processors^[3] and expressed hisnegative opinions about the Jedi to her, declaring that the monastic order dominated the galaxy, but claimed that it was conducted in the name of peace, even though such peace was a lie, which Mae was familiar with.^[8] As her nameless master, he caused his apprentice great fear.^[20]

Mission for the acolyte[]

At some point by132 BBY^[21] the Master gave Mae amission tokill the fourJedi stationed in her home planet ofBrendok,^[20] whom Mae thought responsible for the apparent death of hersisterVerosha Aniseya during an intervention in the coven'sfortress.^[19] Qimir specified that one Jedi in particular,WookieeJedi MasterKelnacca, should be killed without using any weapon, a test which he called "the final lesson" and Mae considered impossible.^[20]

After Maekilled the Jedi MasterIndara onUeda, she met with the Master, who demonstrated hisred-bladed lightsaber to her and explained that an acolyte does not kill with alaser or withsteel, but by killing the Jedi's dream.^[17]

Following this lesson, Qimir followed Mae toOlega City on theplanetOlega, staked out in a store owned by an apothecary to assist her in her plan against MasterTorbin who was stationed in the nearbyJedi temple. After an initial failed attempt to kill Torbin, Mae entered the store and abruptly woke Qimir—who had attempted to wait up the entire previous night for the acolyte but fell asleep after consuming the store's merchandise—by throwing a mug next to him. Mae explained to Qimir that she had failed to kill Torbin, calling the Jedi "impenetrable." Qimir suggested finding the Master's weakness, claiming everyone had a weakness when Mae protested and instead handed Qimir a bag ofbunta, asking him to make apoison. Qimir claimed Master Torbin needed absolution that only Mae could provide, referring to his toxic concoction. The acolyte then left the building, telling Qimir that it would not bode well for either of them were he to inform her master of their plan.^[8]

After Mae's successful second attempt at murdering Torbin, a JediPadawan of the nearby temple spotted Qimir entering the store, noting that he was not the apothecary who ran it. The Jedi sent Verosha Aniseya, Mae's twin sister, to masquerade as her sister and get a confession from Qimir. The man quickly became skeptical during their conversation but asked if the poison had worked, stating that Mae's master would be pleased if she managed to kill Torbin without the poison. The Jedi, who were eavesdropping on the conversation, considered Qimir's question a confession, and just as he revealed that he knew Osha was an imposter, Osha pulled astun blaster on him, with the JediYord Fandar,Sol, andJecki Lon entering immediately after to interrogate him.^[8]

Enemy of the Jedi[]

Sol offered to consider letting Qimir off with only a warning if he cooperated. When asked about his relationship to Mae, the man claimed he was simply her supplier, having started out gunrunning for theHutts before simply supplying people with "what they need" for the right price. Sol asked about the individual Qimir had mentioned and whether Mae had a master. Qimir denied knowing what was going on aside from the fact that Mae wanted revenge on four Jedi but let the Jedi know that Mae would be returning later that night, as he was holding some items for her.^[8]

That night, the Jedi laid a trap for Mae, but the acolyte escaped capture. The following morning, she confronted Qimir and threatened to kill him for betraying her to the Jedi. The man offered to make it up to her by getting her out of thecity and to theOuter Rim retreatKhofar, where the Wookiee Kelnacca, one of the four Jedi Mae was seeking out, lived.^[8] The pair traveled to Khofar on the^[20]Exile II,^[22] landed inmountains outside theforest where the Wookiee Jedi dwelled, and began their trek with threehours of sunlight remaining.^[20]

Forest battle[]

Journey to betrayal[]

As the two journeyed through the mountains, Qimir inquired as to how Mae planned to kill Kelnacca without a weapon, as she had failed to do so with Torbin and Master Indara previously. In return, Mae asked Qimir about his relationship to her master. Qimir denied having made any deals with the Master, simply stating that he owed him. Mae then asked how Qimir felt about her sister after their interaction on Olega, which he answered by saying that she seemed in over her head but displayed a fondness for Master Sol.^[20]

While in the forest shortly before sunset, and roughly ten minutes' travel north ofKelnacca's shelter, Mae opted to stop and rest in preparation for her fight with the Wookiee and began to express doubts that her mission was even possible, much to Qimir's disapproval. Regardless, the man decided to go fetch water as Mae regained her energy. While he was away, Mae decided she no longer needed to kill the Jedi, as her sister was alive, and instead decided to turn herself in. She set a trap for Qimir and screamed for help to get him to return. The Sith ran into her trap and was hoisted upside down from a tree branch, with Mae then leaving him behind to confess her murders to Kelnacca.^[20]

Battle against the Jedi[]

After Mae left him, Qimir freed himself, donned hisarmor, and went to kill Kelnacca himself with hislightsaber, leaving the Wookiee's body in his domicile. Then, just as a team of several Jedi, among them Jedi Master Sol, arrived at the scene hunting Mae, the Master emerged from the forest and drew his lightsaber against them. The Jedi attempted to run to him, but the Masterpushed them away usingthe Force.^[20] Despite being outnumbered, the Master would engage the Jedi in single combat^[7] and, with relative ease, was able to cut through the grouping.^[9] Through a combination of unpredictable blade work and hiscortosis armor, the Master managed to kill most of the Jedi search group, includingIthia Paan andWellig Yuns, wounding Yord Fandar in the process.^[7]

After shrugging off a shot from Osha's stun blaster, the Master would attempt to kill Osha before being intercepted by Sol. The two warriors then engaged each other in a fierce lightsaber duel before the Master disengaged to find Mae. After finding Mae subdued by Jecki Lon, the Master mocked his apprentice by suggesting she could learn from the Padawan's loyalty. Mae then ran off while the Master was distracted by Jecki who attacked him again. Determined to make sure that Mae would not escape to expose him to the Jedi, the Master attempted to silence Mae before again being confronted by Sol and Jecki.^[7]

During the fight Jecki managed to breakthe Master's cortosis helmet by smashing the hilt of her lightsaber on it. As the helmet dropped on the ground, distracting Jecki, the Master pulled out a hiddenlightdagger from the bottom of his hilt, and stabbed Jecki three times in the chest, killing her. With the Stranger's identity as both Qimir and the Master now revealed, the Stanger used the Force to pull Mae to himself, holding his lightsaber against her head. Sol, still wishing to save Mae, threw down his own lightsaber, demanding to know the Stranger's affiliation. The Stranger revealed that the he was what the Jedi might call aSith. When asked what he wanted, the Stranger claimed he desired the freedom to wield his power openly without answering to the Jedi Order who claimed that the Sith Order should not exist, and that he wanted an apprentice of his own, which he no longer considered Mae to be after her betrayal.^[7]

In a surprise attack, Yord returned to the fight, breaking the Stranger's cortosisgauntlet, which left a scar on his arm, and using a piece of the broken cortosishelmet to disable the Stranger's lightsaber. Despite being without a weapon, the Sith grabbed Yord and broke his neck with his bare hands. Enraged, Sol attacked the Stranger, beating him into submission and moving to decapitate the unarmed Sith with his lightsaber, only to be stopped by Osha. The Stranger gleefully asked Osha if she still trusted Sol after his display of aggression. Sol argued that the Stranger's mind was twisted by thedark side, to which the Stranger responded that he had accepted his darkness, but taunted Sol by asking him what had he had done with his own. At this point, Osha discreetly pointed to a group ofumbramoths she and Yord had lured to the clearing, prompting Sol to deactivate his lightsaber, claiming that Jedi do not attack unarmed opponents. The Stranger scoffed at Sol's use of the Jedi Code before retrieving his own lightsaber and turning it on, unaware that the light attracted the creatures. To further entice them, Osha attached her PIP droid to the Sith's back after turning historch function on, causing the umbramoths to attack the Stranger, picking him up and dragging him up into the trees. The Stranger eventually freed himself from the creature's grasp, and stumbled upon an unconscious Osha, who had been knocked out by Mae. Draping hiscloak over her, he attended to her wounds.^[7]

Meeting with Osha[]

Reaching out[]

Afterhealing Osha's wound with the Force,^[7] the Stranger brought her on boardhis starship and took her to hisshelter in anisland where he let her rest. He then packed his things and ventured out of the shelter to a nearby shallow cove to take a bath. As he left, Osha, who had awakened by that point, followed him to the cove intending to ambush him with one of Mae'sdaggers she had retrieved from the shelter. After the Stranger undressed, leaving his lightsaber behind to enter the water, Osha revealed herself and grabbed it ordering him to stay where he was. The Stranger, however, defied her and exited the water, politely asking to be allowed to put on some clothes as Osha held him at saber point. Osha questioned why he had not killed her, deducing that she was his prisoner, but the Stranger reminded her that she was the one with a weapon. After taunting her for her feelings for her former master Sol, the Stranger walked away, with Osha following him.^[2]

As the two walked back to the shelter, Osha suggested that the Stranger was keeping her as leverage to lure Sol back to him. She then asked the Sith why he spoke as if he was a Jedi, to which he answered that he indeed was, a long time ago. He then pointed to a nearby island where his starship was kept and suggested that Osha should either start swimming towards it then or wait for the tide to go out, inviting her for dinner in the meantime. Osha accepted the invitation and joined the Stranger in the shelter, however keeping her distance from him.^[2]

Fighting the emotions[]

As the Stranger was cooking dinner, Osha asked him what he meant about her being strong in the Force, as it had been years from the last time she trained and according to the Jedi that would cause her skills to fade. The Stranger mused about the Jedi's narrow-minded views and explained that there was another way to access the Force, tapping into one's raw emotions including anger, fear, and desire. Osha pointed out that this was the path to the dark side, to which the Stranger agreed, pointing out that it was "semantics." Furious, Osha reminded him that he murdered her friends, but the Stranger clarified he merely killed Jedi who threatened his existence. He then reminded Osha that Yord had arrested her for a crime she did not commit and that both Jecki and Sol whom she had feelings for would never commit to her, asking her why she chose to be close with people who would only go so far.^[2]

Conflicted, Osha stormed out of the shelter, but the Stranger followed her and reminded her that she had stayed in the island to take revenge on him. He then grabbed her hand and placed the lightsaber she was holding against himself, inviting her to turn it on. Osha refused, stating that the Jedi would not attack the unarmed, but the Stranger reminded her that she was no Jedi. Osha said that it was her choice to leave the Order, but the Stranger pushed her, asking whether the Order left her behind, causing Osha to ignite the lightsaber and push him against the wall, shouting that she left the Order because she failed. The Stranger reassured her by placing his hand on hers and revealing that he had also lost everything once, but when one loses everything it is when they are finally free. Understanding, Osha turned off the lightsaber and followed the Stranger back into the shelter.^[2]

Invitation to the darkness[]

As Osha was eating the dinner the Stranger prepared, the Sith made repairs to his cortosis helmet, which had been damaged by Jecki Lon during the battle at Khofar. Osha asked if the discussion they had was the same pitch he gave to Mae, but the Stranger admitted he had made a mistake with Osha's sister, believing she wanted more than just revenge, specifying that he wanted something more, "the power of two." He then pulled up his shirt to wipe his face, revealing the scar on his back. Osha asked where it had came from, the Stranger suggested that it was from someone who stabbed him in the back and thrown him away. When Osha asked if that was his Jedi master, the Stranger stayed silent.^[2]

Instead of an answer, the Stranger rapped on his helmet, explaining it was made of cortosis, which besides providing protection from lightsabers also worked as a sensory deprivation headpiece, allowing the wearer to commune alone with the Force. He then picked up his equipment and prepared to leave, inviting Osha to try the helmet on. After a long period of contemplation, Osha ultimately accepted and put the helmet on.^[2] Upon arriving, the Stranger let out a soft chuckle and smiled. As Osha meditated, however, she began to struggle. The Stranger, panicking, attempted to help her, outstretching his hand to access her mind, in doing so getting caught by the effects of Osha's struggle. Though he fell into a dark trance similar to those used by the witches of Brendok, the Stranger managed to get the helmet off of Osha. She revealed that she had a vision of what she assumed was her sister, killing Sol without the use of a weapon, which the Stranger noted with fervor.

As they walked to theExile II to confront Mae, Osha asserted that they would go together, as only she knew where her sister was, so the Stranger resolved to see who got to Mae first. Though the Stranger was surprised Osha expected him to act fairly, Osha invoked his expectation for Mae to have held up their deal. The Stranger asked if Osha would ever consider being trained by him, which Osha denied twice, saying that she was not her sister. The Stranger agreed, as Mae had made such a deal without even thinking about it. As they departed, the two were unknowingly watched by a figure lurking in the shadows of the Stranger's cave abode—theMuun Sith LordDarth Plagueis.^[5]

Back to Brendok[]

As the Stranger and Osha arrived at Brendok and descended into theatmosphere, the Stranger noted that Osha was all the way back home; Osha shut down the opening to the conversation by disabling his cockpit controls. Osha observed that Mae and Sol were already on the planet, and Sol watched the two land from the surface as the Jedi looked for Mae. As the Stranger and Osha approached the witches' derelictfortress, Osha explained that with the door inoperable, the only way in was to climb, though the Stranger skillfully floated away, leaving Osha to find a way in on her own.^[5]

Donning his helmet, the Stranger worked his way into the fortress's shadowy catacombs, finding Sol. He thanked Sol for leading him back to Mae and chided that they made a great team, igniting his lightsaber to attack the Jedi. The two dueled fiercely, fighting their way outside to a bridge, carving the metal barriers with stray saber swings. The two floated down from the bridge and Sol voiced his determination to destroy the Stranger if he must. The Stranger, splitting his saber into two, jabbed that Sol would not if "she" got to him first. Though the Stranger continued to battle Sol, the Jedi bested him repeatedly, using his mastery of lightsaber combat to outmaneuver the Sith, disabling him with kicks and calling on the Force to send his dual lightsabers flying away. As the the Stranger reassembled his lightsaber and continued their duel, he noticed a Jedi ship descending from afar. Sol was determined the Stranger would now pay for everything he'd done, but the Sith was certain that the Jedi weren't coming for him. The two continued their duel once more, locking and clashing sabers ferociously, but with a final swing, Sol cut through the hilt of the Stranger's lightsaber, ending the fight. Breathing heavily, the Stranger accepted defeat, throwing down his broken lightsaber and removing his helmet to stare down Sol's blue blade.^[5]

At that moment, Mae ambushed Sol, disarming him and claiming his lightsaber. The Stranger goaded her on, telling her to feel her anger, the source of her pain, and to strike Sol down to complete her journey. Mae refused, however, determined to see Sol face justice and admit his crimes to the Jedi Council, the Senate and the Republic. Sol tried to defend his actions, deliberating on Mae and her sister's origins. As Sol explained his belief that Mother Aniseya held great power and used the Force to create the twins, the Stranger appeared to grow concerned. The Stranger looked on as Sol admitted to killing Aniseya, which Osha, who had just arrived, witnessed. At this revelation, Osha, in her rage, brought Sol to his knees with aForce choke; Sol tearfully told Mae it was okay, accepting his fate and falling dead at the feet of his former apprentice. Overwhelmed, Osha fell to the ground sobbing, moving the Stranger to comfort her with a touch. Osha reacted violently, igniting Sol's lightsaber, though before she could take a swing, the blade's color changed from blue to red, thecrystalbleeding from Osha's powerful emotions.^[5]

A new acolyte[]

Suddenly, the Stranger sensed something - the presence of his former Jedi Master, Vernestra Rwoh, who had just landed on Brendok's surface with her team of Jedi Knights. The two recognized each other in the Force and the Stranger, startled, reequipped his helmet and vanished, leaving the Aniseya twins to escape on their own.^[5]

As Master Rwoh and the other Jedi entered the courtyard to find Sol's body, the Stranger watched from the shadows. Rwoh sent the other Jedi away to find Sol's killer and knelt by the body of the fallen Jedi. Contemplating quietly, Rwoh looked up to where the Stranger was watching just a moment before, only to see nobody there.^[5]

The Stranger reunited with Osha and Mae at thebunta tree where the twins would spend time asyoungsters. He greeted them by summoning Sol's saber from Osha with the Force. Though Osha explained her plan to confess Sol's actions to the Jedi, the Stranger expressed his bewilderment that Osha would still put faith in the Jedi after everything. He, along with Mae, determined Osha would meet a similar fate to her mother if the Jedi discovered the truth of her power. Knowing that the Stranger likely wanted Mae dead for her failure, Osha offered a deal: to train with the Stranger as an acolyte if Mae were to go free. The Stranger offered to attempt amemory wipe so that Mae could go free while being unable to provide the Jedi with information that could lead to her sister or himself. Osha and the Stranger sealed the deal with a handshake as he passed Sol's saber to her. As the twins tearfully embraced, Osha promised Mae that she would find her, and as they recited their childhood rhyme, the Stranger began to erase Mae's memories of himself and her sister.^[5]

Having forged a new partnership, the Stranger and Osha returned to their island hideout. As the two gazed upon the world's churningocean, the Stranger held Osha's hand as she clutched Sol's lightsaber, now bled and claimed as her own.^[5] Plagueis, all the while, continued to lurk on the same world.^[11] Meanwhile on Coruscant, Rwoh would meet with aGalactic Senate tribunal, giving a version of the recent events that bore no mention of her former student, framing Sol for the murders done by the Stranger and his acolyte. Later, as Rwoh met with an amnesic Mae, the Jedi Master was determined to make things right, and asked for Mae's help in finding her pupil who had turned to evil.^[5]

Personality and traits[]

A mysterious figure,^[23] the Stranger had pale skin, brown eyes, and greasy black hair, which hung down both sides of his face.^[8] He was 1.82meters tall.^[1]

As an alleged Sith^[15] who answered only to the title of "the Master,"^[8] the human male^[2] kept his identity secretive via his voice-modulating and face-obscuring mask,^[7] ensuring Mae did not know who he was^[20] despite her working relationship with his public persona of Qimir.^[7] His secrecy puzzled the Jedi because they could not imagine anapprentice not knowing their own Master. As he stated as Qimir, the Master was known to "collect" people, such as himself; in his public persona, he had been "collected" by the Master and did not know whom he was working for.^[20] Instead of displaying any adherence about being called a Sith, however, the Stranger had a habit of considering himself someone without a name. As such, what exact loyalties the Stranger had to the Sith Order, particularly in regard to Plagueis, were unclear.^[16] The Jedi who encountered him on Khofar did not live long enough to study if he was a real Sith or merely a pretender to their station.^[15]

The Stranger believed the Jedi justified their dominance over the galaxy in the name of peace, but that peace was a falsity. He also believed Torbin was not an impenetrable meditator, and that the Master erroneously thought he had found peace.^[8] Even so, he was open to becoming a mentor figure to light side users and dark side users alike, hoping to forge his own powerful grouping of students.^[9] A shiftless drifter as "Qimir," "Qimir" seemed to have no concerns other than his own amusements,^[1] covering up his true nature.^[7]

In combat, the Stranger was a brutal and ruthless combatant, stabbing aPadawan multiple times and violently snapping another Jedi's neck with just his arms. After seeing the loyalty that Jecki Lon showed towards her master, the Stranger mockingly mused that her commitment was something that his own apprentice Mae could learn from. After killing Lon, he callously referred to her as "it."^[24] The Stranger did not find being without clothing in front of others to be a problem, and argued that the dark side was the key to freedom and overcoming the ideas of the Jedi. Due to his dark side status, he found nothing wrong with killing those who he felt might be a danger to him.^[2]

Powers and abilities[]

The Stranger was a figure of undeniable Force power.^[9] He also was skilled enough as a swordsman to get to the point of slashing Kelnacca to death with ared-bladed lightsaber. Moreover, Qimir was able to offer training in the Force without needing to reveal his face.^[20] Able to cut through an entire Jedi team on Khofar with relative ease,^[9] he was able engage in a multi-way lightsaber duel, taking advantage of his cortosis gear in the conflict by disabling lightsabers for a brief moment by smacking them with his bracer or helmet. He was also resistant to beingstunned using his armor.^[7][24] Willing to adopt whatever fighting style was needed to defeat his enemies,^[25] the Sith also did not follow the traditional rules oflightsaber combat,^[7] making extensive use ofTràkata^[26] and displaying no reluctance to take on those "forbidden" forms of combat.^[25]

He used his dagger-like secondary blade to gut Jecki when he had her saber caught on his main one, andgot into the minds of his enemies, depleting his opponent's composure. His mental probes also let him track down those he was attacking.^[7] The Sith also could chain into his melee unarmed attacks, like a Forceful kick that sent Sol sprawling down.^[7] In his last battle with Sol, he had the upper hand at first and for many parts of the battle drove Sol back, though in the end, he was overcome and his saber broken, forcing him to surrender until his allies of sorts saved him.^[5] Hispowers of moving people and things were such that he could such astelekinetically shove a group of eight Jedi away as they charged him afterfloating down from on high and Force throwing a woman with a crook of his finger.^[20]

He also could pull a Jedi onto a lightsaber and shove another out of his way, would have slain Osha with a telekinetic saber throw if Sol had not blocked it with his own blade (and as he pulled it back he made it cut down three trees), and casually threw around his rogue student. The darksider used his telekinesis also to heave around people and a corpse for his convenience. The Sith was able to survive being swarmed by umbramoths.^[7] Despite his potent powers, Sol was able to sever his effort to pull his lightdagger to himself with a fast saber attack and after the Sith used his powers to reclaim his blade, the Jedi first parried, then in the telekinetic follow-up, repulsed his lightsaber throw, knocking the Sith to the ground despite trying towall out the wave of Force. After this, the Sith pulled his weapons to himself and fought with them as one weapon.^[5]

All the time he wore his helmet, his physical senses originating from his head were all but useless, so he had touse the Force to see and perceive the world around himself.^[2] He also healed Osha's body a bit when she was hurt.^[7] The Sith was skilled in unarmed combat, able to match his student when she ambushed him with a knife,^[8] and carried a brutal fistfight with a Jedi Master, could improvise weapons (like his cloak) and couldForce jump, as he did on Khofar when fighting the Jedi,^[7] and when chasing Sol off a bridge. When Osha wore his helmet and got a vision, the Sith tried to remove it but got sucked into a grey vision, while in reality his eyes turned to black orbs. He was also capable of at least partiallywiping the memory of someone, being able to remove all memories of certain people in a person's life.^[5]

Besides using the Force, the Sith was able to pretend to be just an apothecary^[8] or a servant of his openly dark side persona.^[20] Without his mask, he was vulnerable to having his mind read,^[7] or identity sensed by Jedi.^[5]

Equipment[]

As the Master, he wore a cloak and a black sleeveless tunic. He was armored with a fully enclosed and battle-scarredhelmet, with a thin eye slit and decorations resembling teeth in a predatory grin, as well as avoice modulator to disguise the wearer.^[7] The helmet was composed ofcortosis,^[26] which was capable of shorting out lightsabers. He wore avambrace composed of the same metal on his left arm. Both implements were used to deflect aside incoming lightsaber strikes in combat.^[24][27]

He was armed with a single red-bladedlightsaber, which could besplit into two separate lightsabers, a full-sized blade, and a shortershoto,^[7] which was often used to surprise unaware adversaries^[23] such as the time he stabbed Lon.^[24] The secret second blade was considered a fitting deception for someone as elusive as the Stranger.^[23] In his false identity, Qimir wore stolengarments in dark shades of green and brown while on Olega.^[8]

Behind the scenes[]

Overview[]

Qimir was created for theDisney+ live-action seriesThe Acolyte^[28] and first appeared in the show's first and second episodes, "Lost / Found"^[17] and "Revenge / Justice,"^[8] which were released onJune 4,2024.^[28] The character was first depicted, however, in the first official trailer for the series, which was uploaded onMarch 19 of the same year,^[29] and the name "Qimir" was first revealed in theStarWars.com article "The Acolyte Characters Revealed - First Look," which was posted on the same day.^[30]

Portrayal by Manny Jacinto[]

Qimir was portrayed byFilipino-Canadian actorManny Jacinto, whom creator and executive producerLeslye Headland had specifically in mind when writing the character,^[31] a thought that made Jacinto feel incredibly lucky.^[32] Headland stated that, had Jacinto not accepted the role, she would likely have rewritten the character.^[31] Jacinto was announced as part of the show's cast onMarch 18, 2024, in an article on StarWars.com titled "The Acolyte Trailer, Key Art, and Premiere Date Revealed."^[33]

Several years before the show's debut, Jacinto had a meeting with Headland to discuss the series and felt inspired enough by the conversation to write a two-page essay explaining how to approach a character they had discussed. He emailed it to Headland after some deliberation, but he did not hear back from the showrunner for weeks aside from her thanking him for his passion. Four months later, while inTodos Santos,Mexico, for another project, the actor received a voicemail from Headland stating that she would love to have him in the show. She sent Jacinto an outline of the character he would be playing, as he was still unfamiliar with the final idea for the character.^[34]

The actor was impressed when he first walked on set, with his first day being in the apothecary.^[31] The level of confidentiality required from Jacinto was very high instantly upon walking on set, and he was made to sign multiple non-disclosure agreements and was forbidden from printing scripts or taking on-set photos, though he grew to understand the reasons for secrecy after an immense number of people reacted to the show's trailer. Working onStar Wars was also an emotionally stressful time for Jacinto. He was away from his family for eight months during the project and struggled withseasonal depression while inLondon for the winter, taking salt baths at night to help himself relax. With the intense responsibility of handling theStar Wars franchise, the actor made attempts to separate himself from the pressure of appeasing people.^[34]

The Stranger revealed[]

Qimir's second identity, the Stranger, was also first pictured in the trailer as a mysterious red lightsaber wielder.^[29] The Stranger's reveal in which he "floats down from the cliff and creeps his way over to Osha," as it was put by Jacinto, was filmed in reverse to provide an uncanny, disturbing effect. It became Jacinto's favorite moment in the series.^[36] According to series costume designerJennifer Bryan, the Master's mask went through at least ten versions before it was finalized. In an interview withVariety, Bryan kept quiet on the character's identity but did tease his mask's "teeth" could have a purpose. Variety claimed the figure was a "Sith Master" but did not provide any quotes from Bryan that referred to him as such.^[37]

Thehelmet's final design and creation was done byNeal Scanlan's creature department by designer modelerNick Tyrrell. Tyrrell said on Instagram "a real challenge set down byLeslye was the mask had to have a sinister smile incorporated. The final design was a helmet which had exposed tubes that resembled teeth. My idea was that the tubes were some sort of breathing apparatus/ voice changer that was exposed and that the teeth look was just a happy accident."^[38]

Den of Geek also claimed, despite not providing any quotes that showed as such, the helmeted master was a Sith in its interview with showrunner Leslye Headland. All the same, Headland did discuss the Sith withDen of Geek, statingThe Acolyte was "an expansion of Sith ideology."^[39] She had also toldEntertainment Weekly that telling a story about the Sith had been one of her main hopes in creating aStar Wars tale, explaining that she would be telling a story with "underdog" Sith characters in contrast to the reigning Jedi Order.^[40] The fifth episode, "Night,"^[7] which was released onJune 25, 2024,^[41] confirmed that Qimir and the Master that was known to Mae were one and the same. After the character claimed himself to be one in the episode,^[7] Qimir's identity as a Sith was then outright confirmed as a Sith in behind the scenes material,^[4][10] with Jacinto himself calling his character a Sith Lord the next day after release in anEntertainment Weekly article.^[35] The character's status as a Sith Lord was canonically confirmed by theStar Wars Insider article "Star Wars: The Acolyte Companion" inInsider 229.^[11] Nonetheless, some sources—including another article inInsider 229, its "A Certain Point of View" department^[16]—have risen questions about the Stranger's real loyalties and supposed connection to the Sith.^[15][16]

Teases and plans[]

Highland hoped to explore the Rule of Two inThe Acolyte.^[40] InThe Acolyte, elements ofKylo Ren's theme are used for the Stranger,^[43] which Headland confirmed was an inclusion made with purpose: onJuly 1, 2024, Headland addressed the inclusion but stated she could not explain its deeper meaning.^[44] AfterThe Acolyte's premature conclusion, greater detail surrounding the connection between the Stranger and theKnights of Ren was only revealed via preview images released for the2026 reference bookThe Art of Star Wars: The Acolyte. As confirmed by Headland herself in the text, the design of the Stranger ended up connecting well to that ofKylo Ren's helmet, which built into the idea that the Stranger could end up the first Knight of Ren—with "Ren" even possibly being the character's named—so as to explain why Plagueis would ultimately end up with Darth Sidious as his one Sith apprentice. The inclusion of Kylo Ren's theme in the series was a foreshadow the possible connection to the Knights.^[42]

Further appearances[]

The Stranger appears as a playable character in the sandbox roleplaying video gameStar Wars: Galaxy of Heroes,^[25] where his in-game model was designed by 3D character artistThomas Guillory. Praising the character as one of the coolest Sith Lords introduced intoStar Wars lore, the Stranger was Guillory's favorite part ofThe Acolyte, so he felt honored to have the chance to design the model for a character he described as a "pre-successful" Sith. As an in-game character, the Stranger was about 9,000 verts and made use of 256 diffuse textures, as well as a 256 mask channel to separate black and white values across his model. The Stranger's helmet then added an additional 128 textures to the character. As with all complex characters who are played at a low resolution, Guillory needed to tackle the challenge of keeping the image UVs straight and optimized. After about three weeks of work, the standard for newGalaxy of Heroes characters, Guillory had both a 1024 working files-built version of Qimir he used to showcase the model and a 256-based Qimir for the actual in-game usage.^[45]

Appearances[]

Explore all of Wookieepedia'simages for this article subject.

• The Acolyte: Wayseeker(andaudiobook)(Mentioned only)
• Star Wars: The Acolyte — "Lost / Found"(First appearance, simultaneous with "Revenge / Justice")
• Star Wars: The Acolyte — "Revenge / Justice"(First identified as the Master)
• Star Wars: The Acolyte — "Day"
• Star Wars: The Acolyte — "Night"(First identified as the Stranger)
• Star Wars: The Acolyte — "Teach / Corrupt"
• Star Wars: The Acolyte — "The Acolyte"
• Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes

Sources[]

Notes and references[]

External links[]

• Quiz: Which High Republic Job Is Right for You? onStarWars.com(backup link)