Star Wars Cut More Brutal Version of The Acolyte’s Best Scene (Should It Have?)

Star Wars: The Acolyte star Manny Jacinto details a more brutal version of the show’s standout action sequence that was cut. During an appearance at Denver Fan Expo (via Screen Rant), the actor talked about the scene in Episode 5, “Night,” where his character Qimir, aka the Stranger, wipes out a group of Jedi single-handedly. The set piece was an incredible display of Qimir’s power, establishing him as a formidable villain. At one point, the Sith’s takedown of the Jedi was going to be even more merciless, but Jacinto hinted it was altered in order to make it more family friendly.

“Star Wars has always been PG, but you want to find some brutal aspects of these fights,” Jacinto said (via Screen Rant). “There was one moment, I think, where I just take one Jedi and keep slamming his head on to a rock, because we wanted to show how brutal this guy could be, without any remorse.”

Set around 100 years before the events of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, The Acolyte takes place in the High Republic era and chronicles a Jedi investigation into a series of crimes. Narratively, the show was disconnected from the main Skywalker Saga, but it seemed to be laying the foundation of how the Sith emerged in the time leading up to the Clone Wars. The finale included a cameo from Darth Plagueis, a tease that won’t be followed up on now that the series has been cancelled.

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Data Reveals Disney Shouldn’t Have Cancelled The Acolyte Season 2 (Could It Return?)

Since The Acolyte was cancelled, Jacinto has been vocal about his experience on the project. He’s said that getting a second season off the ground is now his life’s goal, and he’s also shared that showrunner Leslye Headland had a plan in mind for three seasons. He lamented that they had “so much more to explore” with a Season 2.

Disney’s Star Wars hasn’t been afraid to dial up the brutality before. There’s an infamous part in Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi where Darth Vader snaps a child’s neck as he tries to draw his former master out of hiding. Additionally, Vader’s hallway massacre in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story plays like something out of a horror movie. Lucasfilm has also demonstrated a willingness to push Star Wars’ boundaries regarding mature themes and subject matter (Andor), so a more ruthless Qimir wouldn’t have been out of the ordinary for the franchise. His fight against the Jedi might have been even more memorable if the head-slamming moment stayed in. The creative team could have found a way to keep it within a PG/PG-13 framework (i.e. limiting the amount of blood shown) while still getting the main point across.

If The Acolyte kept this scene in, it would have been shocking, but it wouldn’t have been included simply for shock value. It would have served a larger purpose within the story by shedding more light on Qimir and demonstrating what the character is capable of. Audiences got a great idea of what the Jedi were up against in the finished product, but Qimir continuously smashing someone’s face on a rock would have really stood out. Fans have watched plenty of Star Wars villains kill people and dismember heroes with a lightsaber; the original plan for Qimir would have been unlike anything people have seen before, cementing his status as an unpredictable and vicious antagonist.