The Acolyte showrunner Leslye Headland recently admitted that The Stranger originally had a smaller screen time for the rest of the season after the major reveal.
Last week's episode revealed that Qimir is the identity behind the mysterious Sith Lord that the series has been setting up since the end of the first episode. While fans have predicted the reveal, it was still a great moment as it heightened the stake of the story.
It was also confirmed that the Sith Lord's official nickname is "The Stranger," and fans are looking forward to seeing more of him and how the reveal will impact the fate of the surviving characters.
The Stranger Originally Had Lesser Screen Time in the Rest of The Acolyte Season 1
In a recent interview, Headland revealed that The Stranger was originally supposed to have lesser screen time in the rest of The Acolyte's first season following the episode 5 revelation.
However, after seeing Manny Jacinto's impressive performance as Sith Lord, she decided to write more material for the character.
"This is an interesting tidbit: Originally, even up until shooting, The Stranger was not in a lot of the rest of the season. He was much more of a tee-up for a second season arc," the showrunner explained.
"But I saw Manny’s screen test early on in pre-production, and I just thought, 'There will be riots in the streets if I don’t [go further]. Here we go. I guess I’m rewriting an episode.' Manny was so impressive in every aspect."
Headland also revealed in another interview recently that The Stranger's backstory will not be explored in the rest of the season as she plans to explore more of him in the potential second season instead.
"Because it's Osha's story, you don't know much about The Stranger's background and you're not really going to learn much about it. But there are a bunch of things in episode 6 and episode 8 that are really big clues as to why he is the way he is and why his philosophy is the way that it is," she said.
While The Stranger may seemingly have fewer major moments in the rest of the season, it is still great to hear that we will be seeing more of him and find out what his next step is after his confrontation with Sol and the Jedis.
Qimir's The Stranger has become an instant fan-favorite for many fans since the reveal in last week's episode, and there has been anticipation about what else the character brings to the table as the story moves forward.
New episodes of The Acolyte premiere every Tuesday night on Disney+.
What do you think of Headland's remarks? Let us know in the comments!
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