The Acolyte: Where is the unknown planet? Theories explained

The Acolyte Episode 6 took viewers to a mysterious world that Qimir calls home, but the location of the Unknown Planet in the galaxy remains a subject of debate.

Episode 5 revealed Qimir to be Mae’s master, and the next had him holding Osha on a strange planet far away from the Jedi Order.

The majority of The Acolyte Episode 6 takes place in this peculiar location, which is as mysterious as Qimir himself. While comments from the showrunner put some possible explanations to bed, there are still some potential connections to explore.

The episode does not reveal where it is or whether it has been featured in the Star Wars universe before. But while The Acolyte hides the truth, we do have some theories.

Where is the Unknown Planet in The Acolyte Episode 6?

The Acolyte Episode 6 does not confirm the location of the Unknown Planet. It could be an unexplored planet or Bal’demnic.

When viewers catch up with Qimir and Osha, they’re tentatively co-existing in his hideout on a planet with no name.

Unlike other Star Wars planet title cards that give the world a name and coordinates, the title card calls this planet the ‘Unknown Planet,’ which seems fitting as it matches Qimir’s puzzling demeanor.

While they do not give the world’s name and placement, we can obtain some clues by taking a closer look at its physical attributes.

Throughout Qimir and Osha’s scenes, we can see that the planet is mostly comprised of large, rocky caverns and caves.

It’s also surrounded by water; this is a huge clue as not many planets in the live-action Star Wars timeline feature island-type traits.

The other big clue is that Cortosis, the high-energy absorbing metal Qimir’s helmet and gauntlet are made of, can be mined from within the world’s core.

The Acolyte’s Unknown Planet is not Ahch-To

In The Last Jedi, Rey discovers Luke Skywalker has been hiding on Ahch-To, a planet covered mostly in water and home to many Force-sensitive plants.

The planet is incredibly significant to the Star Wars universe. It’s the birthplace of the Jedi Order and holds any remaining ancient texts.

After Kylo Ren destroyed his temple and students, Luke cut himself off from the rest of the galaxy and took the Jedi relics to Ahch-To.

Because of the Unknown Planet’s rocky typography and seemingly endless bodies of water, many believed the Stranger had set up shop in Ahch-To, especially when Episode 6 revealed he was once a Jedi.

However, showrunner Leslye Headland confirmed the planet is not Ahch-To, telling Collider, “It’s not Ahch-To. I know it’s similar, and it was intentionally supposed to be similar in terms of terrain and feeling isolated and surrounded by water and less lush green and more rocky. 

“But the idea is that Cortosis is mined on this planet, so I don’t think that’s the case with Ahch-To. Part of the reason this is his home base is that Cortosis is a very rare metal. I don’t think we say it explicitly in the show, but that’s a reason it’s not Ahch-To.”

Bal’demnic theory explained

Bal’demnic is an ocean planet located within the Outer Rim territories. Its harsh climate keeps people from visiting, so that could be why Qimir would make his base camp there.

Like Ahch-To, the planet also has lots of rocky cliffs, caves, and beaches like the ones featured in Episode 6. And, most importantly, the planet exports Cortosis, which is a huge indicator that this could be the mysterious planet.

Alongside sharing physical traits and resources, Bal’demnic also holds a significant tie to the Sith Order thanks to Darth Plagueis.

Plagueis and his master, Darth Tenebrous, had traveled to Bal’demnic to fix a broken mining probe droid that caused an explosion. However, when they arrived, Plagueis tried to kill Tenebrous by using the Force to pull down giant rocks onto him.

When that didn’t work, Plagueis snapped Tenebrous’ neck, fulfilling the Sith’s rule of two that states only one master and one apprentice can exist at a time.

While Qimir acted as Mae’s Sith master until she abandoned him in Episode 5, the identity of his master (if he had one after his Jedi Master) has yet to be revealed.

Some fans believe the series will end by revealing Plagueis as the main Sith lord, but this argument doesn’t align with the rule of two. If Qimir trained Mae and is now training Osha in the ways of the dark side, and Plaugeis was his true master, there’s no way he could be alive because Qimir would’ve killed him by now.

A simple name drop could reveal this. However, The Acolyte’s placement in the Star Wars timeline points to Plaugies just recently becoming a fully-fledged Sith lord or still being under the tutelage of Tenebrous. So we wouldn’t get our hopes up to see him in the show.

The Acolyte could have debuted a new Star Wars planet

There are approximately 3,200,000,000 habitable star systems in the Star Wars galaxy. In live-action, we’ve only visited around 45 worlds, from Luke’s home planet of Tatooine to the capital of the Galactic Republic Coruscant.

There’s a huge possibility that Headland has taken us to one of the billions of planets we haven’t seen before.

Due to the lack of life there, The Acolyte unknown planet is most likely in the Outer Rim. It’s known to house thousands of small planets – perfect for a rogue Sith to hide on.

From the first six episodes, it’s clear the showrunner wants the series to differ from other Star Wars shows.

From killing main characters without a second thought to exploring the darker side of the Jedi, it wouldn’t be surprising if Headland took viewers to an unexplored corner of the galaxy.

We’ll find out if any of these theories are correct when the new episodes of The Acolyte premiere on Disney+.

For more Star Wars, read everything we know about the Andor Season 2 release date and Tales of the Jedi Season 2. Or check out new movies and TV shows streaming this month.