The Acolyte showrunner Leslye Headland has talked about that mysterious Kylo Ren reference in episode 5 – and, though she's pretty tight-lipped on what it all means, it is there for a reason.
At the end of the episode, Qimir, unmasked as the Sith Lord, takes Osha as a student. But, as he uses the Force to heal her wounds, Kylo Ren's theme plays.
"Ah, wish I could," Headland told Inverse when asked if she could talk about the moment. "It is there on purpose, but I can't tell you why, and I can't go into what it is. But you shall see."
That's certainly very enigmatic, and the moment has already spawned plenty of theories, including the possibility that Osha is part of a dyad in the Force – or that Qimir is actually not a Sith at all, but is instead the first of the Knights of Ren.
The Acolyte episode 5 was the Star Wars show's most shocking yet. Not only was Qimir finally unmasked, but Jecki and Yord were both tragically killed by the Sith Lord, and Mae switched places with Osha and is now leaving the planet with Master Sol, while Osha is in Qimir's care.
What happens next is anyone's guess, but we won't have long to find out, as the show drops a new episode weekly on Disney Plus. Episode 6 will arrive on Tuesday in the US and Wednesday in the UK.
For even more on The Acolyte, check out our deep dives on:
- The Acolyte episodes 1-4 review
- The Acolyte release schedule
- What is The High Republic? The Acolyte’s new Star Wars era explained
- When does The Acolyte take place on the Star Wars timeline?
- Who is the masked villain in The Acolyte? What we know about the Star Wars Sith explained
- New Star Wars show The Acolyte's sets were so big and detailed, the actors needed a map to get around and were literally “tripping on mushrooms”
- Squid Game’s Lee Jung-jae on joining The Acolyte, making history as a Jedi, and why he thinks Russian Doll’s Leslye Headland has a "fresh take" on Star Wars
- The Acolyte creator talks pitching The High Republic – and the biggest challenge behind the new Star Wars era
- Star Wars' cute new droid has an incredibly wholesome inspiration behind it
- The Acolyte crew built lightsabers for the new Star Wars show that could be used "the way Darth Maul and Qui-Gon Jinn use them"
- Upcoming Star Wars movies
- Star Wars timeline
- How to watch the Star Wars movies in order
