The Acolyte Episode 6 Seems To Confirm A Strong And Steamy Star Wars Couple

This article contains spoilers for "Star Wars: The Acolyte" Episode 6

Romance has always been a part of "Star Wars," from the original trilogy's Han and Leia love story to the fanfic sensation that was and remains the Reylo ship from the sequel trilogy. A bit of sexual tension can be just the thing to get fans talking about a new story, but unfortunately, the last few years of "Star Wars" material have been pretty barren when it comes to shippable couples. The fandom has made the best of the crumbs we've been given, turning a few fights between Sabine Wren and Shin Hati into a steamy headcanon, but other shows like "The Mandalorian," "The Bad Batch," and "Obi-Wan Kenobi" have been largely devoid of any romantic implications.

Well, it's time to rejoice, "Star Wars" shippers, as the drought has finally broken. After the release of "The Acolyte" Episode 5, in which the Sith (?) warrior known as the Stranger (aka Qimir) reveals himself, fans immediately began shipping him and series protagonist Osha. Fanfics popped up overnight, and "Star Wars" devotees on X (formerly Twitter) developed a collective fascination with Manny Jacinto's arms. With the release of Episode 6, that headcanon has shifted to mere inches away from real canon, as roughly half the episode consists of Qimir and Osha Force-pushing sexual tension at each other.

It's fun to have a proper "Star Wars" ship that's actually being supported by "Star Wars" again. It's even more fun that Osha and Qimir's story is one of dark side seduction — an intentional angle developed by showrunner Leslye Headland.

As of now, a proper ship between Osha and Qimir is still just wishful thinking. Nothing in "The Acolyte: Episode 6" outright confirms that's where we're heading. However, if you know the young adult and romance genres, there are tons of clues throughout the episode, and they're all pointing in the same direction.

Let's start with the scene where Osha watches Qimir strip down to his birthday suit for a morning bath. "If you're not going to join me," he tells her, his traps veritably swelling out of the water, "I'd like to put my clothes back on." Later, back in his cave (kinky), he explains the dark side and throws a little rizz on top. "Below the surface of consciousness are powerful emotions," he tells Osha. "Anger. Fear. Loss." A beat. He glances down at his pot of space stew. He drags his eyes back up to Osha. "Desire."

It's obvious that the show is doing this on purpose, though it remains to be seen if fans are being whipped up into a steaming frenzy over nothing. All of Qimir's seductions seem to have the desired effect, though, as he successfully goads Osha into shoving him up against a wall before the end of the episode. Nothing sexier than letting someone steal your lightsaber and daring them to run you through with it, right?

Everything about the writing and staging of "The Acolyte" Episode 6 is designed to convey real sexual tension between Osha and the Stranger. However, there is a second, metaphorical layer to their aggressive flirtations. Since the original "Star Wars" came out in 1977, the dark side has always been described as a "seductive" force, but that's generally shown as a seduction of power. The allure of strength, of absolute control, is what drives people to evil more often than not. Qimir's inclusion of "desire" in his dark side treatise is notable because it's often left out in the movies.

There are two things happening at once: Osha is being seduced by the mystical appeal of the dark side, but she's also being physically seduced by Qimir. He goads her by bringing up Jecki, whom he just killed in "The Acolyte" Episode 5, knowing that there was some attraction between them. "You would have had the same relationship with her that you have with your master," the Stranger says. "One-sided. Why do you love people who can only go so far?"

This whole dynamic is a fun twist on the Jedi dogma — a system of belief that prohibits real emotional attachments. The desire to love and be loved is a natural string for Qimir to pull, especially given Osha's less-than-stellar experience with the Jedi.

Because of the metaphorical layer in Osha and Qimir's relationship in Episode 6, you might be worried that it will only be used as a dark side allegory. After all, would Lucasfilm really allow a murderous Sith to have a proper romance play out on Disney+? Well, hopefully, the answer is yes — and there's some extra evidence to suggest that it will. Osha and Qimir's relationship in Episode 6 evokes other "Star Wars" romances, and that likely isn't an accident.

The most obvious comparison is the Rey and Kylo Ren relationship from the sequel trilogy — a ship that came to define the "Star Wars" fandom for a period of years. Some have theorized that the planet where the Stranger brings Osha is Ahch-To, where Luke lives in exile during "The Last Jedi." Even if that's not the case, Qimir's island is clearly meant to evoke Luke's. That island is where Rey and Kylo's "relationship" really starts, as their powerful Force dyad link allows them to commune with each other from across the galaxy.

Qimir has been set up as a clear Kylo Ren parallel, having been betrayed by his master (or so he says) and even getting a bit of Kylo's theme music in Episode 5. There are also some parallels to be drawn to Anakin and Padmé's arc in "Attack of the Clones," what with all the talk of attachment and desire being forbidden. Of course, in this instance, both parties are Anakin. If that's not rich, chaotic soil in which to grow a ship, then nothing is.