Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Star Wars: The Acolyte episode 5.

Summary

• The Acolyte's cast announcement strategy successfully built hype, but the show's execution with these actors left viewers disappointed.
• Disney's trend of wasting big-name actors for shock value feels like false advertising and disingenuous marketing.
• Manny Jacinto's performance as Qimir in The Acolyte has been a refreshing standout, and the show must continue to his character's development.

The Acolyte announced their cast with a grid just as production began on the show in November 2022.

In particular, the cast grid for The Acolyte highlighted the biggest names that were attached to the project, like Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, Charlie Barnett, and Carrie-Anne Moss. This was a brilliant tactic, as it already showcased the diverse talent that would be attached to the show. Even if someone wasn’t completely familiar with all nine names released at the beginning, knowing and being a fan of one or two of these actors increased buzz. However, now that The Acolyte has premiered, I can’t help but feel a little let down ing the original cast announcement.

Disney Keeps Wasting Their Stars

This Trend Has Continued In The Acolyte

While you can’t fault Disney for trying something new, I am tired of seeing actors' talents wasted just for shock value. This has been a trend in recent years, with actors like Cobie Smulders being seen in shows like Secret Invasion, only to be murdered in the first episode. When Disney consistently does this, it feels like false advertising; audiences expect to see and experience one thing but are given something completely different. It’s fine to introduce new talent, but marketing certain big-name actors in advertising just for them to spend less than a few minutes onscreen feels disingenuous.

This trend was seen in the first ten minutes of The Acolyte, when The Acolyte episode 2.

Manny Jacinto Is A Star Who Finally Gets His Chance To Shine

Jacinto’s Limited Screen Time is Okay Because of His Performance

Like most people, I was most familiar with Manny Jacinto after watching him play the loveable goofball Jason Mendoza in The Good Place. I was interested to see what he brought to the table in The Acolyte. When Jacinto’s character, Qimir, first appeared in The Acolyte episode 2, he was very aloof as he had been in previous roles, though Qimir felt much more dangerous than Jason ever was. Despite this, the characters seemingly had the same vibe and attitude.

Because so much of The Acolyte’s story has been focused on the twins The Acolyte episode 5’s Jedi massacre, it seems things will be changing. With fan-favorite characters like Yord and Jecki being murdered by Qimir in episode 5, it may finally be time for Manny Jacinto to shine. Learning that Qimir was the Sith Lord wasn’t a big surprise, but the face reveal was still shocking and has already left a lasting impression on Star Wars fans.

I Hope Manny Jacinto Sets A New Star Wars Trend

The Acolyte Cannot Fail Manny Jacinto

After playing an aloof smuggler in earlier episodes, he was menacing and evil in a way that drew in audiences. Additionally, the change in tenor in Jacinto’s voice showed Qimir’s true nature.

The Acolyte episode 5 allowed Manny Jacinto to show off his acting chops in the best way possible. After playing an aloof smuggler in earlier episodes, he was menacing and evil in a way that drew in audiences. Additionally, the change in tenor in Jacinto’s voice showed Qimir’s true nature. Along with Lee Jung-jae, Manny Jacinto has provided some of the best acting seen in Star Wars in a long time, and it's so refreshing. I only hope that The Acolyte can keep up with the precedent set for Qimir in the remaining three episodes.

Announcing the cast of shows like The Acolyte is a great idea, as it builds hype and gets audiences excited to see how projects come together. However, Disney needs to stop advertising cool names in announcements only for these famous actors to play nobodies in the shows. With Manny Jacinto, it seems Lucasfilm and Disney have flipped the script. Now they only need to make sure they follow through on the promise that The Acolyte will see Manny Jacinto shine as Qimir.

The Acolyte episode 5 is now streaming. New episodes are released on Tuesdays at 9PM EST on Disney+.