The Acolyte: Manny Jacinto on Possible Qimir/Stranger Star Wars Return

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Posted in: Disney+, Star Wars, TV | Tagged: star wars, The Acolyte

The Acolyte: Manny Jacinto on Possible Qimir/Stranger Star Wars Return

The Acolyte star Manny Jacinto (The Good Place) opens up about his interest in returning for a second season and the "Star Wars" universe.

Published Sat, 13 Jun 2026 15:37:08 -0500
by Tom Chang
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Article Summary

  • The Acolyte is trending on Disney+ again in 2026, fueling fresh calls for the canceled Star Wars series to return.
  • Manny Jacinto says he would love to return as Qimir/The Stranger, praising Leslye Headland and the team behind it.
  • Leslye Headland says growing discovery of The Acolyte could spark demand to bring some form of the story back.
  • With Dave Filoni now leading Lucasfilm, speculation is growing that The Acolyte could still get a second chance.

With the buzz surrounding The Acolyte recharting on Disney+ again in 2026, following its cancellation in 2024 after its lone season, thanks in part to the combination of the recently released animated Maul: Shadow Lord and the streamer's algorithm, pairing with the Leslye Headland-created series given its similar dark themes. Upon hearing about renewed fan interest, Headland told Empire that she's still interested: "As more people discover it, I think people may want to see some form of the story come back." You can add star Manny Jacinto, who played the mysterious Qimir/Stranger. Speaking with Collider at the Indiana Comic Convention, The Good Place star chimed in on also wanting to return to the role.

The Stranger (Manny Jacinto) in Lucasfilm's THE ACOLYTE, season one, exclusively on Disney+. ©2024 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.

The Acolyte Star Manny Jacinto on Return Interest for a Season Two

When asked, Jacinto responded, "Oh, yeah. I mean, there is no Stranger without Leslye Headland. Again, it's the people that helped build this character — it's not just me. It's the costume designers, our writers, all that stuff. It took a team to build Qimir, to build the Stranger. I'd love to work with them again as well," he said. The Acolyte stars Amandla Stenberg as twin sisters Osha and Mae, at opposite ends of the Force: Osha embraces her path to becoming a Jedi before leaving, while Mae is on a mission of revenge on the Dark Side path, trained under Qimir/The Stranger. As Osha reconnects to her former master, Sol (Lee Jung-jae), the dark truth emerges about him and the Jedi whom Mae is assassinating following the events in Osha's and Mae's village.

(L-R): Osha Aniseya (Amandla Stenberg) and the Stranger in Lucasfilm's THE ACOLYTE, season one, exclusively on Disney+. ©2024 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.

At the end of the season, it's Osha who turns on Sol, Mae gets her memory wiped and is left with the Jedi, and Osha becomes the apprentice of Qimir, who is revealed to be the apprentice of Sith Lord Darth Plageus. Sol's master, Vernestra (Rebecca Henderson), cleans up the mess that cost Sol and his team their lives by pinning all the Jedi deaths on him, wrapping up the conspiracy, and turning her attention to Yoda, who's only seen from behind. As for how likely Disney+ is to do an about-face on The Acolyte, that remains to be seen, but now would be as good a time as any, with Dave Filoni now serving as Lucasfilm President since January 2026, undoing the cancellation from the previous regime.

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