The Acolyte ended a year ago, but the show's breakout star, Manny Jacinto, has become a popular draw at fan conventions. Recently at the Denver Fan Expo, Jacinto described a disturbing scene he filmed for the High Republic-era series, which was later deleted.
Via ScreenRant, while discussing the lightsaber duel which resulted in the deaths of Yord Fandar and Jecki Lon, among others, Jacinto revealed that he filmed a brutal scene in which he slams a Jedi's head against a rock repeatedly.
"Star Wars has always been PG, but you want to find some brutal aspects of these fights... There was one moment, I think, where I just take one Jedi and keep slamming his head onto a rock, because we wanted to show how brutal this guy could be, without any remorse."
Jacinto's description of the scene makes it sound quite graphic, and while the franchise has its share of shocking moments, it's easy to see why this one was deleted. The scene where 'The Stranger' aka Qimir took on multiple Jedi Knights was well-choreographed, but violent. Everyone remembers the shock of Qimir breaking Yord's neck and stabbing Jecki to death, but the addition of the deleted scene might have been too graphic for Star Wars.
This wasn't The Acolyte's only major duel, with the show's finale featuring an extended fight sequence between Master Sol, Qimir, and Osha Aniseya. While the shocking scene where Qimir slams a Jedi's head on a rock was deleted, the show's finale featured many other shocking moments. The finale includes a surprise cameo appearance by Darth Plagueis, Mae joining Qimir and turning to the dark side, and Master Sol's tragic fall from grace. The Acolyte was a show full of bold twists and turns, and even the show's biggest critics would acknowledge that.
Jacinto's popularity as Qimir has refused to die down in the year since the show ended. The Acolyte wasn't renewed for a second season even though its finale sets up several possible storylines for a potential season 2, including Master Yoda possibly learning the truth about Qimir's turn to the dark side, and the meaty Darth Plagueis storyline.
Despite a handful of new characters, the Darth Plagueis storyline was The Acolyte's most exciting element. Unfortunately, the show's cancellation means we'll never know anything about his connection to 'The Stranger'. If The Acolyte ever gets greenlit for a second season, it can benefit from focusing on Plagueis and Qimir, who many fans believe should've been the central focus of season 1. Most fans thought the show's focus would be on the Sith from their point of view, and while the series does do that to an extent, it's too little, too late.
The Acolyte is streaming on Disney+.
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