The Acolyte Episode 5 featured a lot of easter eggs and references to the wider Star Wars universe, amidst all the action sequences and plot twists. Needless to say, these easter eggs enrich the viewing experience for dedicated Star Wars fans by establishing connections to the franchise’s broader mythology. So, for those of you who missed out on all the easter eggs and references and want to know how many of them were hidden throughout the episode, we have listed them below.
Here are some easter eggs and references you may not have caught on while watching the latest episode of The Acolyte.
All major Star Wars Easter Eggs spotted in The Acolyte Episode 5
The Acolyte Episode 5 features the following major easter eggs that connect to the wider Star Wars canon.
Force healing
At the end of The Acolyte Episode 5, Qimir, Mae’s dark side teacher, uses force to heal an unconscious Osha. This is a reference to the ability of force healing, which first appears in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, as Rey attempted to use force to heal a severely injured Kylo Ren following a furious combat.
Dejarik or Holochess
Towards the end of The Acolyte Episode 5, Mae, disguised as Osha, is shown accompanying Master Sol, where she passes by two people who seem to be playing a non-tech version of Dejarik, a popular holochess game that appeared in the very first Star Wars movie in 1977.
Jedi’s recruitment of child soldiers
After Master Sol’s padawan Jecki Lon dies in their duel against Qimir, the former angrily lashes out at Qimir for dealing a killing blow to her. To this, Qimir says that Sol was responsible for her death as it was he who brought her to help fight him. Qimir is not wrong, as past Star Wars projects, like The Clone Wars, have often shown young Padawans like Ahsoka Tano getting recruited, trained, and then thrust into dangerous situations or battles.
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Mother Aniseya expressed similar sentiments in Episode 3, accusing the Jedi of stealing children and teaching them to be soldiers.
The ‘They’ve Turned You Against Me’ line
After Mae and Osha reunite, the former tells the latter that the Jedi brainwashed her and that they turned Osha against Mae. This is a big flashback to a pivotal moment in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith when after Darth Vader strangles Padme, he shouts at Obi-Wan Kenobi saying he turned her against him.
An ‘X-Men’ reference
When Master Sol demands Mae’s master to take off his helmet, he refuses to do so. This is because he claims that Sol can read his mind if he takes it off. While not connected to anything from previous Star Wars projects, it serves as a nod to the X-Men universe, where Magneto wears his iconic helmet to avoid Charles Xavier’s probing of his thoughts.
Kylo Ren’s theme
As per Screen Rant, towards the end of the episode, when Qimir heals an unconscious Osha’s wound and speaks to her, Kylo Ren’s theme from the Star Wars sequel trilogy plays in the background.
The ‘You Are No Jedi’ line
After Master Sol sees Qimir wielding a Jedi lightsaber, he tells him, “You carry a Jedi weapon, but you are no Jedi.” The last half of his line is a callback to a moment in Star Wars Rebels when Darth Vader and Ahsoka Tano are battling each other, and Ahsoka says “I am no Jedi” in response to Vader’s statement of “revenge is not the Jedi way.”
