In episode five of The Acolyte, we learn that its evil Sith-esque villain, Qimir, once trained to be a Jedi “a really long time ago.” But as Qimir tells Osha, his Jedi Master “threw him away,” abandoning him, failing him, and leaving him with a scar. (At least the way he tells it.) Of course, The Acolyte was a series that thrived on its mysteries, so it let the identity of Qimir’s one-time Jedi Master hang in the air. But finally, during the ending of the show, The Acolyte revealed just who helped Qimir get further along on his path toward darkness and Jedi-killing. So, just who is Qimir’s old Jedi Master on The Acolyte? Here’s what we learned in The Acolyte‘s finale.
Vernestra Rwoh Is Qimir’s Old Jedi Master
The character of Vernestra Rwoh, played by Rebecca Henderson, was an exciting inclusion in The Acolyte. Vernestra Rwoh hails from the Star Wars High Republic books and was one of the only familiar faces to appear in this live-action series. But it turns out that Rwoh’s story is about to become even more complicated than it was before. The Acolyte reveals that Vernestra Rwoh has been Qimir’s old Jedi Master all along.
Although there were hints and teases throughout The Acolyte, which we’ll detail below, this reveal was offered to the audience in a pretty straightforward manner. In the final sequences of The Acolyte‘s ending, Vernestra Rwoh tells a now mind-wiped Mae, “I need you to help me find someone, a pupil of mine before he turned to evil.” And there you have it. It was Vernestra Rwoh who once taught Qimir the ways of the Jedi and the Force as his Master. But clearly, their relationship went very sour along the way.
The Clues to Vernestra Rwoh and Qimir’s Jedi Connection Were There All Along
The connection between Qimir and Vernestra Rwoh did not come as a huge surprise to many The Acolyte viewers, although we are happy to receive confirmation of its existence. Fans had theorized that Vernestra Rwoh was indeed Qimir’s old Jedi Master since the question came up in episode six. The best kinds of mysteries leave clues to their solutions, after all. And The Acolyte did leave a certain trail between Master and pupil.
Vernestra Rwoh, Her Lightwhip, and Qimir’s Scar
The biggest clue to Vernestra Rwoh’s identity as Qimir’s teacher on The Acolyte was the juxtaposition of Qimir’s scar with Rwoh’s lightsaber whip in episode six. Those who knew Rwoh from the High Republic books eagerly anticipated her unique weapon making it into live-action. Rwoh herself modified her lightsaber and was the first in canon to wield a lightwhip. The crystals in her lightwhip have internal fixings that make the blade flexible and allow it to flow out of the hilt; the lightwhip blade is also thinner than that of a traditional lightsaber. Interestingly, Rwoh’s lightwhip did not make many appearances in The Acolyte, appearing only once when Rwoh killed an umbramoth in episode six.
It seems like Rwoh really did not need to use her lightwhip to kill the moth, but the appearance of the weapon came just in time for viewers to see it in action just as they first witnessed Qimir’s scar. Qimir confirms to Osha that his old Jedi Master gave him his scar. Osha notes that it looks like Qimir was stabbed, but it really looks much more like he was whipped. And who was that character just wielding a Jedi whip? Oh yes, Vernestra Rwoh. At that point, it seemed highly likely that Vernestra Rwoh was indeed the person who gave Qimir his scar and, thus, his Jedi Master on The Acolyte.
Qimir and Vernestra Rwoh Have Both Been Around a Long Time
If that weren’t enough, The Acolyte also ensured we knew that Qimir has been around for a long time, so long that the only other character who could have trained him as a Jedi is Vernestra Rwoh. Qimir reveals that he was a Jedi “a really long time ago.” He makes it sound as though he’s lived an unnaturally long life. (And now that we know he’s been hanging out with Darth Plagueis, we might assume he’s been living an unnaturally long life extended by dark side dealings.) If that’s the case, we know quite a bit of time has passed since Qimir has trained to be a Jedi. Since, of course, the Jedi are very particular about training Padawans from a young age.
No other major character on The Acolyte could bridge that span of time in order to be Qimir’s Jedi Master except Vernestra Rwoh. As a Mirialan, Vernestra Rwoh lives a much longer life than a human. And we know from the High Republic books that she’s been in the Jedi Order for a very long time.
The Tension Between Them
As The Acolyte neared its season one ending, Vernestra Rwoh and Qimir found themselves on Brendok together. Rwoh seemed to sense Qimir immediately upon arriving on the planet, noting, “You, you’re alive,” as the camera flashes between the pair of them. Qimir, of course, immediately dons his cortosis helmet to escape being sensed by her further and block her Force powers. Despite that, the two of them seem keenly aware of one another. Qimir watches Vernestra from a distance, and though he disappears before she notes him, she seems to be able to tell he was there. These moments of recognition tease a lot of history between the pair.
The Relationship Between Qimir and His Old Jedi Master Will Likely Be a Season 2 Story on The Acolyte
Ultimately though, the real story of Jedi Master Vernestra Rwoh and Padawan Qimir is yet to be told on The Acolyte. Though we now know the history the pair shares in broad strokes, we really don’t know any more about their relationship than we did in episode six. We know more or less that Qimir felt Vernestra threw him aside. And that Vernestra seems to think she’d killed Qimir, or at the very least that he was dead. But the true story between them is likely incredibly complex.
The Acolyte‘s ending teases that in season two, Vernestra Rwoh will be searching for Qimir. So we’ll have to wait for a potential season two in order to see the two of them meet face-to-face again. But we’re sure when we finally do see this meeting, it will be explosive.
