First, it was the arms heard round the internet. Now, it is back muscles. The Acolyte really is just a great show for fans of Manny Jacinto, and we’re not complaining about it! Episode 5 and 6 really delivered for the Jacinto hive.
In episode 5 “Night,” Qimir (Jacinto) is revealed to be the Stranger, and what we all were gifted with was a lot of arms—arms killing, arms flexing … arms. It broke us. So many of us could not stop talking about arms, and the entire internet had to have a “come to Jesus” moment about Jason Mendoza from The Good Place. (Not me, I was already there, but I guess I’m different.)
What we saw in episode 6, “Teach/Corrupt,” was Qimir just climbing into a pool of water, naked as can be, and not caring who saw him. Don’t act like you didn’t see Osha (Amandla Stenberg) do the up/down with her eyes. I saw it. I respect it, girl.
Qimir knows Osha is watching him, but he strips down, gets into the pool, and relaxes for a moment. Once she picks up his lightsaber, he begins talking to her, and he even quips that if she’s not going to get in with him, he’s going to get dressed. And he does so without hiding anything from her. I saw that!
This scene, much like the arms, has broken fans. In fact, it has broken systems on Disney+. Even the audio description for this scene was talking about Qimir’s muscles.
As Erik Voss wrote, “I understand the purpose of these is to give as accurate a description of the visuals as possible, but someone somewhere gave the note: ‘Oh they’re gonna need to know that back is WELL TONED.'”
Let the Qimir love continue
Honestly, maybe that’s the trick to Star Wars: Give us a cute boy and we’re all going to lose our minds. Han Solo, Lando Calrissian, Ben Solo, Anakin Skywalker, Poe Dameron, Finn, Din Djarin, Ezra Bridger, Cassian Andor, and now Qimir (also Yord RIP)? They’re all boys who are cute who stole our hearts. Can you blame us?
With Qimir, fans work so incredibly hard to make him the only thing people are talking about on the internet. The arms were on my timeline for an entire week, and now we already have fancams of Qimir naked in the pool.
Others are asking the right questions. Just as arms, back muscles, and pecks have broken us the last two weeks, what is going to be next?!
We really have Leslye Headland to thank for making Star Wars horny again.
We still have two episodes of The Acolyte left, and I am honestly terrified to see what internet-breaking thing Qimir does next.
