The Acolyte's Sith Lord Is The Dark Mirror Of One Beloved Jedi

Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for The Acolyte episode 6.

Summary Qimir's cortosis helmet acts as a sensory deprivation headpiece, enhancing his connection to the Force.

Qimir's blindness is by choice, seeking power, while Kanan Jarrus' blindness in Star Wars Rebels increased his connection to the Force without seeking power.

The Acolyte episode 6 highlights the potential dark side temptations when using the Force to "see" like Kanan Jarrus, who resisted the dark side despite his blindness.

The Acolyte episode 6 revealed a fascinating detail about the Sith Lord’s cortosis helmet, and it shows just how different he is from one beloved Jedi. The Acolyte episode 6 showed Osha (Amandla Stenberg) waking up on an unknown planet in what is seemingly Qimir (Manny Jacinto)’s base before she attempts to confront and kill the Sith. It was an interesting look at how Qimir is trying to recruit Osha. The Acolyte episode 6 also gave audiences a lot of information about Qimir’s past, as well as how his fighting style is unique.

The end of The Acolyte episode 6 showed Qimir repairing the cortosis helmet he had worn in the previous episode. As he solders the pieces back together, he reveals to Osha that the helmet acts as a sensory deprivation headpiece, and encourages her to try it on. The episode ends with Osha putting on the helmet, showing audiences how this helmet limits visibility and makes Qimir’s actions in The Acolyte episode 5 during the Jedi massacre that much more impressive. However, this isn’t the first time audiences have seen a Jedi go into battle unable to see.

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Qimir's Helmet Blinds Him Out Of Choice

It Acts As A Sensory Deprivation Chamber

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Qimir explains to Osha that his helmet is useful in battle, not only because it’s made of cortosis and is effective against lightsabers, but also because it helps him connect to the Force better. Because the helmet dulls all of his senses, it allows it to just be Qimir and the Force while it’s on. This creates a much stronger connection and would allow him to command the Force better than the Jedi he encountered on Khofar. This was a conscious choice by the Sith to dull other senses such as sight to better engage others.

While Qimir wasn’t able to “see” in the traditional sense, he was able to sense every little thing that happened around him.

Being able to engage in lightsaber combat without the ability to see requires deep concentration and an intimate relationship with the Force. While Qimir wasn’t able to “see” in the traditional sense, he was able to sense every little thing that happened around him. It’s especially impressive when thinking of when Qimir turned his head to look at Jecki Lon (Dafne Keen)’s second lightsaber in The Acolyte episode 5; he couldn’t physically see the blade, but he could sense its ignition and was still surprised by it.

Kanan Jarrus Was Blind Due To Circumstance

He Was Blinded by Maul In Star Wars Rebels

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One of the protagonists of Star Wars Rebels, Kanan Jarrus, was blinded on the planet Malachor after engaging in battle with Darth Maul. The aftereffects of Kanan’s blindness weren't explored until Rebels season 3, where it was shown that he had isolated himself from other members of the Ghost crew, as well as his Padawan Ezra Bridger. With the help of the mysterious Force user Bendu, Kanan learned how to use the Force in order to see.

As part of his blindness, Kanan Jarrus had to reimagine how he used the Force on a daily basis. It wasn’t the same as it was prior to his blindness, but he instead had to connect to everything and everyone around him in order to “see.” This new and stronger connection in the Force made Kanan a better Jedi and teacher. Because of his blindness, Kanan often let the Force guide him, something that wasn’t done just because he was a Jedi but also out of necessity.

Maul blinded Kanan by hitting his eyes with his lightsaber blade. While it did not cut Kanan's face, it did burn his eyes, causing his vision loss.

Kanan Jarrus A Jedi Padawan who survived Order 66 in large part thanks to his master's sacrifice, Kanan survived during the Dark Times of the Empire's reign and became an important member of the Lothal rebel cell. Kanan sacrificed much over the years, but gained much as well, falling in love with Hera Syndulla. Although he gave his life for his friends, he left a legacy behind in his own Padawan Ezra Bridger, as well as his son Jacen. Created By Dave Filoni Cast Freddie Prinze Jr. First Appearance Star Wars Rebels Died Star Wars Rebels TV Shows Star Wars Rebels , Star Wars: The Bad Batch

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Both Must Rely On The Force, Not Their Sight

But They Do It For Different Reasons

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Qimir is perfectly capable of seeing, but he chooses to eliminate his sight so that he can gain a stronger connection to the Force. However, he does this in the pursuit of power and nothing else. Qimir’s stronger connection to the Force is solely for him to gain the power he yearns for, and having his helmet eliminate his senses helps him achieve this. However, the opposite is true for Kanan. While his connection to the Force grew because of his reliance on it, he never craved power or control over others.

In battle, Qimir wearing his helmet allows him to “see” through the Force but also allows him to wield more power. On the other hand, Kanan Jarrus taps into the Force not to gain power, but to essentially put him on an even playing field. While Kanan had a stronger connection to the Force after he went blind, he never abused that connection to do better in battle. In fact, throughout all of Rebels, Kanan never sought more power than he wielded, but stuck to the Jedi code even when the odds were not in his favor.

Star Wars Rebels Where to Watch *Availability in US stream

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buy Not available Not available Not available Set between Episodes III and IV of the Star Wars film franchise, Star Wars Rebels is a canon animated series that follows a group of ragtag heroes who band together to face the Empire. In an age where the Galactic Empire is hunting down the last of the Jedi, a teenage outcast named Ezra Bridger is discovered to be force sensitive by a surviving Jedi known as Kanan Jarrus. Agreeing to join them and accept Jedi training, Ezra becomes a part of a small but growing crew of rebels determined to destroy the empire covertly. Cast David Oyelowo , Steve Blum , Freddie Prinze Jr. , Tiya Sircar , Vanessa Marshall , Jason Isaacs , Taylor Gray Seasons 4 Streaming Service(s) Disney+ Franchise(s) Star Wars Writers Dave Filoni , Greg Weisman Directors Dave Filoni Showrunner Dave Filoni , Simon Kinberg Expand

Qimir Proves How Easily Kanan Could Have Fallen

Kanan Could’ve Easily Been a Different Character

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Knowing that both Qimir and Kanan Jarrus use similar methods to be able to “see” while blind, it seems like utilizing that kind of power could’ve easily corrupted a Jedi like Kanan and caused him to fall to the dark side. Qimir is actively losing his sight on purpose to enhance his dark side connection. It's likely, then, that part of using the Force to “see” for Kanan also involves constantly having to resist temptation from the dark side.

Qimir is actively losing his sight on purpose to enhance his dark side connection. It's likely, then, that part of using the Force to “see” for Kanan also involves constantly having to resist temptation from the dark side.

Audiences who have watched Rebels know that Kanan wasn’t a Jedi who was even remotely tempted by the dark side, even if he was disillusioned by the old Jedi ways. However, for much of Rebels season 2 and 3, Kanan had to guide Ezra Bridger away from the temptation of the dark side. If using the Force to “see” may be a pathway to the dark side, it makes Kanan Jarrus’ resolve that much more impressive.

With Osha putting on Qimir’s helmet, it will be interesting to see what her experience with sensory deprivation will be. If losing one’s sight and using the Force to see is truly a path that could lead to the dark side, this experience may be a critical tipping point for Osha. The final two episodes of The Acolyte will likely give audiences these answers, and hopefully provide more details on how Qimir began using a cortosis helmet.

The Acolyte episode 6 is now streaming. New episodes premiere Tuesdays at 9PM EST on Disney+.