Star Wars: The Acolyte: Manny Jacinto Breaks Down "Selfish" New Character Qimir

Manny Jacinto says his Star Wars: The Acolyte character comes from a selfish standpoint.

By Timothy Adams

Manny Jacinto says the Jedi character he plays in Star Wars: The Acolyte comes with a "selfish" perspective. The newest Star Wars show on Disney+ officially premiered Tuesday night with two episodes, taking fans back to the High Republic era of Star Wars history, over 100s of years before the Skywalker Saga begins. Jedi serve to keep the peace and there are hardly any Sith to be found. However, that doesn't mean there aren't threats on the horizon. Jacinto plays a Jedi named Qimir who appears to be a tough character to get a sense of, and the actor discussed some of Qimir's motivations.

ComicBook spoke to Manny Jacinto before the premiere of Star Wars: The Acolyte, where he was asked to describe his character's perspective on the Jedi in this era at the end of the High Republic. "With Qimir it's very much he comes from a very selfish standpoint," Jacinto said. "He's not really about the Jedi, not really about the Sith, but it's moreso who he can use to his advantage in order to survive."

He added, "Everyone just wants to survive. How does a regular person survive in a world where you have the Jedi in power, but also the Sith lurking. [Qimir] having to constantly watch his back? How do you weasel your way through this adventure and mission? It's an interesting character to play, and also a fun one because I don't necessarily have to abide by the rules. Pretty malleable, so you never know where he'll end up by the end of the story."

Star Wars: The Acolyte Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes

With critics getting a chance to check out Star Wars: The Acolyte early, that means the show's Rotten Tomatoes score is also available to the public. As of yesterday, Star Wars: The Acolyte had a certified Rotten Tomatoes score of 83% on the Tomatometer.

ComicBook's review of Star Wars: The Acolyte gave it 3 out of 5 stars, though your mileage may vary depending on how big of a Star Wars fan you are and how familiar you are with its lore. "The Acolyte is less adept at building tension around its central mysteries than it is at framing exciting action scenes, less keeping its secrets tightly under wraps and more keeping them behind a thin strip of sheer fabric, obscured enough to be frustrating," the review states. "…Eventually, the show does offer a first-hand account of what happened, but while it leaves crucial moments unseen, it isn't hard for anyone paying attention to figure out what they're not being told.

Related:

What is Star Wars: The Acolyte about?

Set during The High Republic, Star Wars: The Acolyte delivers an investigation into a mysterious string of crimes, which pits a Jedi master against his former apprentice in a race to uncover the truth. The more that the pair learn about the situation, the darker their journey becomes, as they confront things that darker than either of them could have imagined.

The series stars Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, Charlie Barnett, Jodie Turner-Smith, Rebecca Henderson, Dean-Charles Chapman, Joonas Suotamo, and Carrie-Anne Moss. Star Wars: The Acolyte premieres on Disney+ on June 4th.

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