Warning: Spoilers follow for Episode 6 of The Acolyte.
The Acolyte's latest episode visited an "unknown planet," but Star Wars fans think they have already identified the location.
Move over, Bazil — Star Wars fans have potentially tracked down the mystery spot where Qimir and Osha are stationed during Episode 6. The title card on the screen referred to it as an "Unknown Planet," but viewers saw glimpses of luscious green land, rocky cliffs, and deep dark caves — one of which seemed riddled with Cortosis.
Cortosis is a metal that is not only resistant to lightsabers but also briefly shorts them out (as witnessed in Episode 5). The rare material is extremely difficult and expensive to mine, so it is typically only used by powerful Sith Lords and others with very deep pockets. Qimir appears to have hit the jackpot with his chamber.
While some people drew comparisons between the mystery locale and Ahch-To from the Star Wars sequel trilogy, others put a pin in the galactic map for Bal'demnic due to its Cortosis connection. Those speculating about the spot on X/Twitter shared descriptions of the planet from Wookiepedia to strengthen their theories.
According to its data entry, Bal'demnic is "an ocean planet adorned with rocky tropical islands in the Bak'rofsen system of the Auril sector, located within the Outer Rim Territories." It also has "rich deposits of Cortosis ore," which, at one point in time, "fell into the hands of Sith Lords Darth Tenebrous and Darth Plagueis."
wait a minute… #TheAcolyte pic.twitter.com/C8FRF35Sdb
— Vader's Order (@VadersOrder) July 3, 2024
#TheAcolyte spoilers
Ahch-To truthers it might be over. The lingering shot of the cortosis ore vein is probably a hint that the unknown planet is actually Bal'demnic from the Plagueis novel! pic.twitter.com/R0SHyNNIki
— The Lalolyte 🍵 (@clonehumor) July 3, 2024
Pretty certain that "unknown planet" Qimir is stationed on is Bal'demnic, which was featured on the original clone wars show.
It has rich deposits of Cortosis, and is where Darth Tenebrous and Darth Plagueis sourced the material for their using.
Wow ✨#TheAcolyte pic.twitter.com/aLTUoSzciJ
— Darth Thunder ⚡ (@XDarthThunderX) July 3, 2024
Ocean planet with cortosis veins…pretty sure that’s Bal’demnic from the Darth Plagueis book and not Ahch-To.#TheAcolyte #starwars pic.twitter.com/0CuqzNycdO
— benpbandjamin (@benpbandjamin) July 3, 2024
It will be a huge win for me, a fan of Genndy Tartakovsky’s STAR WARS: CLONE WARS, if Bal'demnic, a planet that first appeared in a montage in Ch. 22 of that Legends animated series (in which Anakin eats bugs), before showing up in the novel “Darth Plagueis,” is in THE ACOLYTE. pic.twitter.com/0zP5fP4tXS
— a.c. mackenzie (@ACMacKenZ) July 3, 2024
Love the theory that the planet Qimir resides on could be Bal'demnic due to the Cortosis, in the Darth Plagueis novel, Plagueis killed his master Darth Tenebrous whilst they visited a Cortosis mine. #StarWars #TheAcolyte #Qimir pic.twitter.com/bkev1mtyql
— Iain (@starwarsiain) July 3, 2024
As Legends tell us, Plagueis' and Tenebrous' travels would take them to the planet of Bal'demnic, home of a rich deposit of Cortosis ore. However, after a mining droid triggered a gas pocket, nearly killing the pair, Plagueis saw an opportunity to kill his master, burying Tenebrous under tons of rock before snapping his neck.
Some are convinced The Acolyte will eventually reveal a connection to the Sith Lords. Speculation about Plagueis arose before the series even began, and now people are wondering whether he has ties to the Witches of Brendok or had a hand in the creation of Osha and Mae. Others think Qimir is working as his apprentice.
With only two episodes of The Acolyte remaining, there are plenty of mysteries to be solved (and perhaps four or five more to explore in a potential Season 2). IGN's review of Episode 6 notes that "next week's penultimate episode looks to finally fill in the blanks about what happened on Brendok," at the very least.
Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on X/Twitter here.
