Warning: Spoilers follow for Episode 5 of The Acolyte.
The Acolyte's latest episode brings a powerful lightsaber defense tool to live-action for the first time, pulling from Star Wars Legends lore.
Episode 5 featured an epic battle between the Jedi and the newly unmasked Master, who had a trick or two up his sleeve, including the ability to disable his opponents' weapons using his armor, which fans quickly identified to be made of Cortosis — a metal that is not only resistant to lightsabers but also briefly shorts them out.
In the old Expanded Universe stories, now dubbed Star Wars Legends, there is a precedent for armor so tough it can withstand lightsaber strikes, thanks to Cortosis. However, the rare metal is extremely difficult and expensive to mine, so it is typically only used by powerful Sith Lords and other people with very deep pockets.
Star Wars fans were elated to see The Acolyte's latest episode bring Cortosis into live-action, as Qimir forcefully headbutted lightsaber strikes with his helmet (which earned him the nickname "Darth Teeth") and blocked the blades with his gauntlets, displaying some of the remarkable properties of Cortosis-made armor.
Beskar eat your heart out, Cortosis has entered the chat https://t.co/CPdBereewg
— FezzsNerdyLife (@FezzsNerdyLife) June 26, 2024
Leslye Headland is GOAT’d for that episode. A CORTOSIS helmet???? If she wants to do #StarWars The Old Republic, let her cook! #TheAcolyte pic.twitter.com/BfP2HOI9jw
— The Wolf of Loth St. (@darthdume) June 26, 2024
So his helmet and gauntlets are DEFINITELY made of Cortosis! I noticed this right away during the episode #TheAcolyte pic.twitter.com/kcWtDFqBNM
— Retney's Holocron (@retneysholocron) June 26, 2024
#TheAcolyte spoilers
I know the mood is heavy rn but DAMN LIVE ACTION CORTOSIS pic.twitter.com/5GGvMoIGrn
— The Lalolyte 🍵 (@clonehumor) June 26, 2024
#TheAcolyte minor spoilers
So I'm guessing the sith master's helmet is made out of cortosis, the energy-absorbent metal which short circuits lightsabers – easily the most niche and nerdy book reference we've seen in one of these shows!!pic.twitter.com/MgUF0aif94
— Conor Brannigan🌹 (@Conchobar2003) June 26, 2024
So cool 🥲🥲🥲
Cortosis ⬇️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/Zj8f2EoaUk
— BlkNtvTerraFFVI (@BlkNtvTerraFFVI) June 26, 2024
Cortosis armor?! 😱😱😱 pic.twitter.com/F9vWvQ82QT
— ⭐️ Ahsoka ⭐️ (@Darth_Ahsoka) June 26, 2024
This is the part where I once again urge people to take a dive into Star Wars novels and comics written after 2013. Cortosis is a legends thing, but it was re-introduced to canon in "Thrawn: Alliances" and "Doctor Aphra."
— Caleb Aniseya (@ThaCalebDume) June 26, 2024
Cortosis originated in Legends but has also appeared in canon before. It came into the new Star Wars canon in John Jackson Miller's Star Wars Rebels prequel book A New Dawn, published in 2014, with another notable mention arriving in Timothy Zahn's sequel novel Thrawn: Alliances, which hit shelves in 2018.
The apparent use of Cortosis in The Acolyte villain's armor was not the only talking point from the episode, as people also quizzed whether the Master has a connection to the Knights of Ren after noticing a Kylo Ren Easter egg amid all of the action.
With three episodes of The Acolyte remaining, there are lots of jigsaw pieces still to slot into place, but the story threads are starting to come together. IGN called Episode 5 an "exciting and brutal episode" in which "The Master is unleashedand unmasked, leading to thrilling and shocking results that truly upend the series."
Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on X/Twitter here.
