Warning! This episode contains SPOILERS for The Acolyte episode 6.

Summary

• Qimir's helmet serves multiple purposes.
• When Osha puts on the helmet, her vision is severely impaired.
• While wearing the helmet, Qimir defeats a dozen Jedi, showcasing his true power.

The Sith Lord’s threatening helmet in The Acolyte episode 6, “Teach/Corrupt,” Mae’s (former) dark side Master, Qimir, has taken Mae’s sister Osha to his lair on an unknown planet. Interestingly enough, the two begin to bond, as Qimir believes that Osha is his perfect pupil and Osha becomes increasingly receptive to Qimir’s thoughts about the Force, the dark side, and his suggestive advances.

Together, they make an interesting pair – one that not only has the potential to be incredibly powerful but one that might also create Star Wars’ first proper dark side romance. Qimir seems to be telling Osha the truth about his desires and beliefs, and that includes telling her the truth about his helmet and the purpose it serves. Though The Acolyte episode 6 finally confirmed that cortosis ore – a rare material originally introduced in Legends that can temporarily disable a lightsaber – the helmet is important in other ways, too.

You Can't See Anything When You're Wearing That Helmet

One of Osha’s greatest hurdles is the fact that she can no longer access the Force. She hasn’t communed with the Force since she decided to leave the Jedi Order and believes that her power has waned. Qimir disagrees – he suggests that she merely needs to access suppressed emotions like “fear, anger, loss,” and “desire,” and that doing so will allow her to connect with the Force once more. Though Osha is quick to point out that those emotions lead to the dark side, Qimir remains unfazed. He continues to give Osha advice and even encourages her to try on his helmet.

Eventually, Osha relents, and it is revealed that her vision, and thus, by extension, Qimir’s, is completely obscured by the mask. All that can be seen is a faint sliver of light and some vague, shadowy shapes. Qimir explains that his cortosis-infused helmet is also a sensory deprivation mask, like the one used by Jedi when they train, and that it will allow Osha to find her center and the source of her power within the Force once more. It turns out that the mask's purpose is threefold – it hides his identity, short circuits lightsabers, and amplifies his connection to the Force.

The Sith Lord's Helmet Is The Reason He's So Dangerous

Though some of Qimir’s most brutal and personal kills in The Acolyte episode 5, “Night,” occurred once his helmet had been taken off – Jecki and Yord’s deaths were particularly harrowing – most of the Jedi in the search party were killed while he still had the mask on. Qimir was taking on a dozen Jedi, if not more, by himself, and all the while, he was unable to see a thing. Between the darkness of the trees, all Qimir likely would have seen would have been blinding flashes of the Jedi’s lightsabers, and yet he still managed to defeat them all effortlessly.

Qimir’s helmet didn’t just hide his identity – it made him a more threatening predator, a true force to be reckoned with.

Imagine the concentration that takes, the natural ability to sense your opponents through the Force with no visual guide or sense of direction. That’s true power. A dozen Jedi weren’t enough to take him down. Qimir’s helmet didn’t just hide his identity – it made him a more threatening predator, a true force to be reckoned with. Qimir wearing his helmet during most of the massacre only makes his dark feats all the more impressive, and the Jedi certainly have their work cut out for them in Star Wars: The Acolyte.

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