One Year Later, Star Wars Confirms The Biggest Acolyte Theory About Darth Plagueis

One year after The Acolyte’s release, Star Wars has confirmed a major theory about Darth Plagueis. As seen at the end of the High Republic series, Sheev Palpatine’s Sith master was hidden in the shadows, observing Qimir aka The Stranger and Osha on a mysterious ocean world. Now, this planet has finally been confirmed, supporting some key ideas about Plagueis (and Qimir) in the official Star Wars canon.

Known as Darth Plagueis the Wise, Palpatine’s master had only ever been referenced in Revenge of the Sith when Palpatine told the story of the Sith Lord’s great power to Anakin Skywalker. However, Plagueis finally made his live-action debut in The Acolyte, and was later confirmed to be Qimir’s master as well. Now, a new Star Wars visual guide has revealed the planet where Plagueis and Qimir were based, connecting to Legends and confirming one of the biggest Acolyte theories.

The Acolyte Never Revealed The Planet Darth Plagueis & Qimir Were On

A Mysterious Ocean World With Islands

Later this month, Lucasfilm Publishing is set to release the new Star Wars: The Acolyte Visual Guide from Pablo Hidalgo. Thanks to preview pages, we’ve already learned some key new facts, including an exciting detail about the mysterious ocean planet Qimir called home and where Darth Plagueis was lurking in the shadows. Although the planet goes unnamed, the guide does reveal that “an intelligent reptilian species lives far from the islands, but Osha sees no trace of them.“

While seemingly innocuous, this is actually a nod to the Kon’me, the reptilian inhabitants of the planet Bal’demnic from Legends. What makes this reveal so important is Bal’demnic’s connection to Plagueis and his history in Star Wars Legends, specifically the history revealed in the Darth Plagueis novel by James Luceno. This book was one of the last novels to be published before Disney purchased Lucasfilm in 2012, and its subsequent continuity purge aside from the movies, shows, and anything they made going forward.

Star Wars Has Finally Confirmed This Planet Was Bal’demnic

Connecting to Darth Plagueis’ Legends History

Bal’demnic was already suspected during the release of The Acolyte due to a few different factors. Firstly, the ocean world matches the description of the planet from Luceno’s novel, and Plagueis’ presence on the planet was another big hint. This is because Bal’demnic was the site where Darth Plagueis killed his own master Darth Tenebrous.

Because Qimir is seeking to train an acolyte to presumably aid in the defeat of Plagueis, it’d be rather fitting if Bal’demnic was where Qimir called home. Now, this new reveal about the Kon’me is more than enough to confirm that this world is indeed Bal’demnic, effectively reintegrating the planet into the official Star Wars canon. However, it’s also worth noting that the reason Plagueis and Tenebrous visited Bal’demnic in the first place further supports Qimir making the world his base of operations: cortosis.

Bal’demnic Explains The Stranger’s Helmet And Gauntlet

The Planet Was Rich in Cortosis

Beyond The Stranger’s sinisterly impressive lightsaber with its deceptive split function, Qimir also wielded a gauntlet and helmet made from cortosis, a rare ore that can temporarily deactivate lightsabers. In Luceno’s Darth Plagueis novel, Bal’demnic’s rich cortosis deposits were why Tenebrous and Plagueis were investigating the planet at the beginning of the book, prior to Plagueis ultimately murdering his master. As such, Star Wars all but naming this world as Bal’demnic makes all kinds of sense, especially considering The Stranger’s cortosis weapons, which he used to brutally murder several Jedi Knights in The Acolyte episode 5.

All episodes of The Acolyte are now streaming on Disney+.

Acolyte

Showrunner

Leslye Headland

Directors

Leslye Headland

Writers

Leslye Headland