Manny Jacinto as Qimir peeking around a corner in 'Star Wars: The Acolyte'
(Disney+)

‘The Acolyte’ Episode 5 Is a Masterclass in Arms

We are but humble fans of Star Wars, which means there are some things we cannot help but comment on. This time, it happens to be Manny Jacinto’s arms as Qimir in The Acolyte. If you’re thinking to yourself “this needs an entire article?” Yes, yes it does.

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Spoilers for episode 5 “Night” of The Acolyte lie ahead.

As we were waiting to discover who the Sith master was, we got some great arm action. We left episode 4, “Day,” with the Sith taking on the Jedi who had all come to try to keep Kelnacca alive. What we get in “Night” is a massacre at the hand of the Sith master, and Osha (Amandla Stenberg) wakes up to dead Jedi around her and is trying to find survivors.

The aftermath of the battle includes the mater fighting everyone with his cloak that has his arms on display.

When Jecki (Dafne Keen) knocks the helmet off of the master, she learns very quickly that he is not a foe to mess with. After she’s stabbed three times, we watch as Jecki falls to the ground and the master is revealed to be Qimir!

Here is the thing about me, a straight: A man’s arms are like a work of art. When you see the muscle and it goes “flex”? Nothing quite like it! And Jacinto’s arms in The Acolyte have derailed the entire internet.

It is often we find villains hot (Anakin Skywalker, Reva, and Ben Solo all come to mind in Star Wars), and now we can add Qimir to that list because oh my god arms.

Is finding his arms attractive as he literally broke Yord’s neck something I should unpack with someone? Probably, but wow, watching Qimir show his strength with all the Jedi was something.

The internet loved it

There are things that I love to talk about. Arms are a big one. If you ever need to look at something pretty, an arm really can change your day. Maybe it is some primal thing where you see strong muscles and think, “Oh great, can save me.” In this case, Qimir’s definitely wouldn’t save you, but they’re nice to look at.

If you need a reminder of which muscle is which, here is Tim Curry pointing out a bicep and a tricep from The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Now, to talk about Qimir’s biceps.

For the most part, a lot of tweets about the episode were upset about who we lost, but then two seconds later, you’d see someone writing about arms. One tweet even made jokes about how evil Qimir is but then kept talking about his arms. “Qimir, you’re despicable (omg arms). I hate you (ARMS). I don’t even want to look at you (how did you get those—). Get AWAY from me (oh no I tripped into your biceps).”

There is beauty in the collective experience of fans far and wide watching a show and just all yelling one word. You see “arms” and you just know.

So here is to Jacinto’s arms as Qimir: You might be doing evil things but we see you.


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Rachel Leishman
Rachel Leishman (She/Her) is an Assistant Editor at the Mary Sue. She's been a writer professionally since 2016 but was always obsessed with movies and television and writing about them growing up. A lover of Spider-Man and Wanda Maximoff's biggest defender, she has interests in all things nerdy and a cat named Benjamin Wyatt the cat. If you want to talk classic rock music or all things Harrison Ford, she's your girl but her interests span far and wide. Yes, she knows she looks like Florence Pugh. She has multiple podcasts, normally has opinions on any bit of pop culture, and can tell you can actors entire filmography off the top of her head. Her current obsession is Glen Powell's dog, Brisket. Her work at the Mary Sue often includes Star Wars, Marvel, DC, movie reviews, and interviews.