The Acolyte showrunner breaks down the big Sith twist in the Star Wars show's latest episode
Jun. 27, 2024Leslye Headland doesn’t mind if you guessed the Sith twist
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The Acolyteshowrunner Leslye Headland doesn’t mind if you guessed the Sith twist ahead of time – in fact, she thinks it’s better that way. Now, the following containsmajor spoilers forThe Acolyte episode 5, so turn back now if you’re not up to date!
If you’re still reading, then you’ll know that, in the latest episode, themysterious Sith Lordwas finally unmasked. It turns out that none other than Manny Jacinto’s Qimir was the bad guy all along. Even more shockingly, he easily wiped out fan favorites Jecki and Yord with barely any effort. How’s that for a twist?
“I think a good twist is not about hiding everything from the audience and then throwing it on them like, ‘Hey, this is what you didn’t see! We hid it so well that you didn’t see this!'” Headland explained toEntertainment Weekly. “I think a good twist is telegraphing what’s going to happen, and then once it does, executing it without an ounce of pity or sentimentality.”
Plus, as Headland added, the obviously expendable nameless Jedi were there as a bit of a red herring. “That’s what I loved about starting with the red shirts,” she said, referring to the Star Trek characters (in red shirts) who are usually killed off. “You’re kind of like, ‘Oh, [they’re] just going to kill a bunch of red shirts, and everybody is going to be fine and… OH MY GOD, JECKI’S DEAD! Okay, I’m listening.'”
The Acolyte continues weekly onDisneyPlus. For even more on the show, check out our deep dives on:
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I’m a Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site’s Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.
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