How Old Is Manny Jacinto’s Sith Lord In The Acolyte?

Summary

• The Acolyte’s Sith Lord hints at a mysterious past, possibly being older than he looks.
• The character’s age and origin remain a mystery, with some theorizing there are connections to Jedi Master Vernestra Rwoh.
• The dark side’s potential to extend lifespans raises questions about the Sith Lord’s true age.

The Acolyte is raising new questions about how old Manny Jacinto’s Sith Lord really is. In The Acolyte episode 6, “Teach/Corrupt”, we learn a lot more about the newly-unmasked antagonist. Through his conversations with Osha, the Stranger reveals that he used to be a Jedi, and he shows her a mysterious scar on his back. Incredibly, the Sith Lord revealed his cortosis helmet renders him unable to see, meaning he was fighting the Jedi blind.

But the origin of the Stranger is a mystery. He calls himself Qimir, but that is unlikely to be his real name. Given he claims to have once been a Jedi, who was his master, and how high in the ranks of the Jedi did he climb? How did he fall to the dark side? The answers to all these questions are caught up in the secret of his age. And one comment to Osha suggests that secret could be shocking.

The Acolyte’s Sith Lord Hints He’s Older Than He Looks

No matter how old he is, he looks GREAT for his age!

At first glance, it would be easy to assume that The Stranger is around the same age as the actor portraying him. Jacinto is 36 years old, and that’s often a guide to character ages. But during an exchange with Osha on the mysterious planet, the Sith Lord implied he’s older than he looks:

“You speak as though you were a Jedi.”

“I was. A long time ago.”

“I’ve never heard of you.”

“It was a really long time ago.”

Osha joined the Jedi Order 16 years before the events of The Acolyte. If there was a fallen Jedi during her time, she almost certainly would have heard rumors about that. Some have pointed out that the Stranger’s scar looks like it could have been caused by a whip. That might link him to Jedi Master Vernestra Rwoh, who is 116 years old by the time her lightsaber whip is unveiled in this episode. Sith deal in absolutes, so if the Sith Lord says he was a Jedi a really long time ago, he could be even older than we think.

Has The Dark Side Extended The Sith Lord’s Life?

And by extension, what has he lived through?

As Darth Sidious once said, “The dark side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural.” In Legends, there were many ways Sith Lord used the dark side to extend their lifespans. If the Stranger is in fact using the dark side to extend his life or appear more youthful than he actually is, it wouldn’t be the first time.

Through cloning and essence transfers, Sidious attempted to make himself immortal. In Legends, dark side users like Abeloth and Darth Sion were able to prolong their lives using various abilities. We know that The Stranger knows a lot about the dark side already; he understands that it is fueled by emotion, and he also knows about the Power (or Rule) of Two. It’s possible that through his studies or training, he found ways to use the dark side that would keep him young. And if that’s the case, who knows how long he’s actually been around?

The Acolyte episode 6 is now streaming. New episodes premiere Tuesdays at 9 PM ET on Disney+.