The Star Wars franchise’s new Sith Lord appears to have the perfect countermeasure against a lightsaber whip in The Acolyte. The Stranger, also known as Qimir, is a self-proclaimed Sith who has proven himself to be skilled enough to strike down numerous Jedi Knights in a battle. This could even include Jedi Master Vernestra Rwoh if the two ever duel in a future episode of The Acolyte.
Rwoh uses a unique purple-bladed lightsaber with an alternate mode that turns it into a lightwhip. The lightwhip debuted in the Star Wars Legends continuity’s classic Marvel comic series, with the Dark Lady of the Sith Lumiya using such a lightwhip as her signature weapon. Lightwhips are rare and extremely deadly lightsaber variants in both Star Wars timelines, but one of the weapon’s initial appearances reveals that it can be countered with a specific combination of lightsaber types.
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A Lightsaber & A Shoto Can Defeat A Lightwhip
In their first duel on Kinooine, Lumiya handily defeated Luke Skywalker, thanks to her exceptional skills as a Sith and Luke’s unfamiliarity with her signature lightwhip. Before their next bout, Luke hastily constructed a secondary weapon: a red-bladed shoto (short-bladed lightsaber), which gave him the necessary offensive and defensive augmentations to disarm and defeat Lumiya. Luke rarely used his shoto afterward, but he began using it again decades later when Lumiya resurfaced.
Dual-wielding a lightsaber and shoto allows one to catch the tendrils of a lightwhip with one weapon while attacking with the other, though this, notably, does not guarantee victory over a lightwhip wielder. Moreover, a skilled enough duelist can still manage to defeat a lightwhip wielder with only a single standard lightsaber, as Luke Skywalker demonstrated in his final duel with Lumiya on Terephon. As shown in The Acolyte, Qimir fights with both a standard lightsaber and a shoto, keeping the latter as a hidden attachment to the former. Qimir uses his hidden shoto to devastating effect against Jecki Lon.
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Qimir Specifically Crafted His Weapon To Counter The Lightwhip
It may not be coincidental that Qimir wields both a lightsaber and a shoto. The shoto debuted one issue after the lightwhip in the Legends continuity and, given the strong influence Legends-era lore has had on The Acolyte, a duel between Qimir and Vernestra Rwoh may occur in an upcoming episode. Qimir’s two weapons could give him an advantage over Rwoh, or at least allow the two to duel on equal footing, but there is another implication in Qimir’s weapon combination.
Qimir claims to have been a Jedi before joining the Sith, and he happens to use the exact combination of lightsaber variants ideal for countering a lightwhip. This might indicate that Qimir is aware of Rwoh’s signature weapon, perhaps having once been her apprentice before falling to the dark side. If true, their potential confrontation in The Acolyte will be as emotionally driven as it is visually exciting.
The Acolyte episode 7 is now streaming. New episodes release Tuesdays at 9 PM ET on Disney+.
The Acolyte
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The Acolyte is a television series set in the Star Wars universe at the end of the High Republic Era, where both the Jedi and the Galactic Empire were at the height of their influence. This sci-fi thriller sees a former Padawan reunite with her former Jedi Master as they investigate several crimes – all leading to darkness erupting from beneath the surface and preparing to bring about the end of the High Republic.
- Cast
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Amandla Stenberg
, Lee Jung-jae
, Joonas Suotamo
, Charlie Barnett
, Dafne Keen
, Leah Brady
, Manny Jacinto
, Rebecca Henderson
, Carrie-Anne Moss
, Jodie Turner-Smith
, Dean-Charles Chapman
, Lauren Brady
, Anthony J. Abraham
, Thara Shöön
, Danielle Xin Yao Waterman
, Sienna Khiroya
, Jeramiah Evans
, Dan Milne
, Thomas Coombes
, Archie Singh Swali
, Nick Court
, Ed Kear
, Jumayn Hunter
, Scroobius Pip
, Abigail Thorn
, Margarita Levieva
, Amy Tsang
, Saskia Allen
, Deborah Rosan
, Tabitha Alege
, Paul Bullion
, Indra Ové
, Derek Arnold
, Lewis Young - Character(s)
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Mae
, Master Sol
, Kelnacca
, Yord Fandar
, Jecki Lon
, Little Mae
, Qimir
, Master Vernestra Rwoh
, Master Indara
, Mother Aniseya
, Master Torbin
, Padawan Torbin
, Little Osha
, Fillik
, Tasi Lowa
, Youngling
, Restrained Convict
, Convict
, Olega Urchin
, Olega Master
, Olega Padawan
, Scavenger
, Ensign Eurus
, Mother Koril
, Ensign Rane
, Scout Sarria
, Ensign Shima
, Elder Jaalyn
, Master Lakshay
, Master Holden
, Master Ki-Adi-Mundi
, Jedi Knight - Seasons
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1
- Streaming Service(s)
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Disney+
- Franchise(s)
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Star Wars
- Writers
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Leslye Headland
, Charmaine De Grate
, Kor Adana - Directors
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Leslye Headland
, Alex Garcia Lopez - Showrunner
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Leslye Headland
