Warning: The following article contains spoilers for The Acolyte Season 1, Episode 6, “Teach / Corrupt.”
In The Acolyte Season 1, Episode 6, Osha and Qimir/The Stranger seemingly stop off at a key location from the Star Wars sequel trilogy: Ahch-To. But do Osha and the Stranger really visit Ahch-To in The Acolyte‘s latest episode, or are they on another, equally legendary planet?
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Is Ahch-To in The Acolyte Season 1, Episode 6?
No, the Stranger and Osha probably aren’t on Ahch-To in “Teach / Corrupt.” After all, the on-screen caption that introduces the pair’s location simply reads “Unknown Planet.” This doesn’t track with Ahch-To, which – despite it’s near-mythical status – is very much known, to viewers at least.
Even so, it’s easy to see why some folks are nevertheless convinced the Stranger and Osha are kicking around Ahch-To. For one thing, the unknown planet and Ahch-To look remarkably similar. Notably, the former’s “islands rising out of endless water” aesthetic is very Ahch-To. The shape and terrain of both world’s landmasses are virtually identical, too.
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Plus, the Star Wars sequel trilogy establishes Ahch-To as the Jedi Order’s birthplace, so there would be a certain dramatic irony in it keeping the Sith Order afloat, as well. It’s also not as if The Acolyte has shied away from linking in with the Star Wars sequels, either. For example, sequel trilogy antagonist Kylo Ren’s musical motif features in Season 1, Episodes 5 and 6.
So, it wouldn’t come as a shock of The Acolyte showrunner Leslye Headland had indeed recycled Ahch-To as the Stranger’s hideout. But (pending any official word from Lucasfilm), that’s almost certainly not what happened.
Did The Acolyte Just Re-introduce Bal’demnic to Star Wars Canon?
Alongside the Ahch-To truthers, there’s another contingent of fans who believe the Stranger’s lair is on another planet from earlier Star Wars lore: Bal’demnic. Never heard of it? That’s probably a sign you’re not au fait with the Star Wars Expanded Universe.
In this version of the franchise’s continuity – most of which was erased after Disney acquired Lucasfilm in 2012 – Bal’demnic was an ocean world that (you guessed it) had islands all over it. What’s more, Bal’demnic was full of cortosis: the lightsaber-resistant metal the Stranger fashioned his helmet from. So, a lot of overlaps here.
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Does this mean The Acolyte just sneakily reinstated Bal’demnic’s canonical status? It might. Again, we’ll have to wait for official word from Headland or a Lucasfilm rep to know for certain. But if Bal’demnic is back, it lends further weight to theories The Acolyte will feature Sith Lords Darth Tenebrous and Darth Plagueis (as the pair investigated Bal’demnic’s cortosis in the EU).
The Acolyte Season 1 is currently streaming on Disney+, with new episodes dropping Tuesdays.
