Warning: this article contains spoilers for The Acolyte's fifth episode! If you haven't already, be sure to check out IGN's review of The Acolyte: Episode 5.
The Acolyte's fifth episode rejuvenated Star Wars fans' affinity toward the series thanks to its kick-ass lightsaber fight scene and palpable online fervor for its villain's exposed musculature. While The Master's ties to series villains like Kylo Ren have yet to be officially revealed, his flowy armor and yoked arms owe their inspiration to a surprising source: scantily clad Elden Ring badasses like Let Me Solo Her.
In a recent interview with Inverse, The Acolyte showrunner Leslye Headland shed some light on the early character design process of The Master (AKA The Stranger AKA Qimir), played by Manny Jacinto. Speaking with Inverse, Headland revealed that Qimir's look — which ditches heavy armor for minimalistic flowing garments — took visual cues from Elden Ring player summons.
"So much of Qimir was understanding how to use your body and not just standing there in a suit or being encumbered by a suit," Headland said. "We were like, 'We have to get him in something flowy.' As soon as I said he didn’t have armor, everyone lost their mind. 'How can you not have armor?' I was like, 'Why would you wear armor if you’re not going to get hit?' It’s like the Elden Ring costume. The Elden Bling. When you summon people, you always summon the people that aren’t wearing anything, and it’s like, 'These people are fucking crazy.'"
At one point in the interview, Headland responded to Qimir's arms being a huge draw for newfound and longtime fans, saying she and Jacinto anticipated the reveal to be a big moment for fans. What's more, the design almost didn't get to see the light of day.
"His character design was a long process. I mean, it was for everybody, but specifically for his character, to create a new Sith. Sith have been done so well, so it was very difficult to say 'All right, this is a guy in hiding. This is the guy that moves differently. This guy’s helmet has a different purpose…' and having to unpack that," Headland said. "I remember we were showing [Jacinto] a Qimir costume sketch, and it just showed his arms a little bit, and he was like, 'No.' He’s not a guy that says no very often. He’s very collaborative. He’ll do anything for you. I was surprised. But then I saw his first screen test with the whole outfit, and I was like, “Ha, ha, ha!”
Although Headland didn't explicitly state that Qmir's design was inspired by Elden Ring community legends like Let Me Solo Her, his visual motifs and fighting style do evoke the gamer's style. Let Me Solo Her made a name for themselves in the Elden Ring community as a sword for hire of sorts who'd take on some of the game's hardest boss fights for players, like Malenia. A key component of Let Me Solo Her's lore is that they would accomplish all these feats with dual blades. Qimir doesn't go so far as to fight virtually in the nude, but his lightsaber-disabling helmet, dual-blade saber, and aggressive fighting style elicit a similar combat style to seasoned Elden Ring players.
"Yeah, you have to go in with that offensive attitude, especially with those bosses," Headland said in reference to Elden Rings's boss fights. "You can’t be getting back and panic rolling. You have to be aggressive with them. You have to roll into things."
In our review, we gave The Acolyte Episode 5 a 9/10, writing, "In a notably exciting and brutal episode, The Master is unleashed and unmasked, leading to thrilling and shocking results that truly upend the series."
Isaiah Colbert is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow them on Twitter @ShinEyeZehUhh.
