The big picture
- The Acolyte's Qimir displays Sith Lord-like attributes, such as being cunning and well-prepared.
- The Sith Lord has connections to the Brendok incident and may want the Jedi dead for personal gain.
- Other possibilities for the identity of the Sith Lord include him being a big-name Sith, not someone already established in the series.
This week's episode the acolyte, “Dia,” ends in one hell of a cliffhanger. With the Sith Lord making an appearance, there has been a lot of speculation about who he really is, and the episode does its best to lead us in a specific direction. In all his interactions with Mae (Amandla Stenberg), Qimir (Manny Jacinto) makes it seem like he knows too much about his master and his plans. Some viewers have connected the dots, and they are convinced that Qimir is actually the Sith Lord — But is it really? Or is it just a red hint, and someone else is under that creepy grinning helmet?
What indicates that Qimir is “the Sith Lord of the Acolyte?
Everything Qimir has done could be an indication that he is the Sith Lord hiding in plain sight. In episode 4, he is suspiciously concerned about Mae's progress with her missionincluding the fact that he has yet to kill an unarmed Jedi and is now about to face a Wookiee Jedi Master, Kelnacca (Joonas Suotamo). He also dodges all of Mae's questions about his relationship with his master, including how they know each other and whether Qimir has ever seen his face. “You know how it is, it collects people,” Qimir says of the mysterious figure.
Let's face it, Qimir doesn't look like a Sith Lord, but he does show some attributes. In episode 2, “Revenge / Justice”, he kills an apothecary to take over his shop and helps Mae kill Master Torbin (Dean-Charles Chapman) to Oleg. Later, after Mae has fought Master Sol (Lee Jung-jae) and seeing Osha (also Stenberg), he also quickly subdues her at the exit of the citadel. He is cunning and well prepared, as a Sith Lord should be. He's so well-prepared, in fact, that he implies that he knows Mae has been trying to capture the Jedi's lightsaber in combat and use it against them, and he also knows Sol's name without ever having heard it. first hand Their goofy personality always hides a deeper motivation about what's really going on, and Sith Lords are often known for being masters of disguise as well as hiding in plain sight, such as Darth Sidious (Ian McDiarmid).
Another good point is something that the creator of the series Leslie Headland has said about his influences in the acolyte. In an interview with Den of Geek, he mentioned that Darth Traya, a character in the game Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, was a great inspiration. In the game, Traya hides her identity as a Sith Lord for most of the game, always hinting that she also knows more about what's going on. The reveal that she is, in fact, a Sith Lord and the main antagonist of the game is one of the best twists in any Star Wars medium, so it would make sense for Headland to try to do something similar with Qimir and Mae in the acolyte, right? Or maybe that's what the series wants us to think…
'The Acolyte's Sith Lord is related to the Brendok incident
There are very few objective facts revealed about the Sith Lord so far. Both Mae and Qimir say “he” when talking about their master, so it's clearly a man. Also, when he appears in that terrifying final scene, his steps are heavy on the ground, his arms are bulky, and his skin looks eerily pale even in the darkness of Khofar's night. What's more interesting, though, is that he calmly walks up to Osha and studies her in silence, as if he had the same “looks exactly like her” reaction to Qimir in episode 2. So the Sith Lord knows who Osha is and why she is important.
Another clue is that Mae seems to have made a deal with the Sith Lord to kill the four Jedi who were stationed at Brendok sixteen years earlier. “You made a deal,” Qimir reminds her as they land on Khofar, and later when Mae traps Qimir, she says she “doesn't need to keep that deal.” While killing an unarmed Jedi may be a final lesson, killing the four specific Jedi he's targeting is a mission Qimir seems to be aware of as well. It's possible that the Sith Lord gave Mae this mission because of personal stakes he has for her, but that seems unlikely since he's willing to kill her if she fails. However, it makes more sense if the mission is of personal importance to himconnecting him to Brendok.
In episode 3, “Destiny”, mother Aniseya (Jodie Turner-Smith) talks about how he “created” twins Mae and Osha. This unnatural ability to create life has been the ultimate goal of the Sith forever, as evidenced by Palpatine telling Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) about his master, Darth Plagueis, a Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, which had this ability. The Sith Lord connected with the Brendok incident would explain why he wants these four specific Jedi dead, as well as why does he push Osha aside instead of just killing her – since she and Mae were created by manipulating the Force, they are the key to learning this power. So far, we've only seen the Brendok incident from Osha's perspective, but other points of view may be even more revealing.
What are the other possibilities for 'The Acolyte's Sith Lord Identity?
The Sith Lord's connection to the Brendok incident is the only theory that makes sense so far. That he is Qimir may be what the series wants viewers to think, but it seems too obvious, as everything he does implies that he knows more than Mae about what's going on. He definitely has skin in the game though. “Observing” a Sith Lord is not something one does; they simply do as they're told and are killed if they fail, which might explain Qimir's concern about the mission.. The fact that he knows a lot about targets and where to find them may also indicate that he is a “man in the chair” for Mae, providing support and making sure she follows her master's orders; otherwise, both die.
Being someone related to Brendok, it can be speculated that the Sith Lord could be one of Aniseya's coven mothers. That also seems unlikely, though, since they wouldn't threaten to kill Mae, and we know the Sith Lord is a man. The pale skin might make Mother Koril suspect (Margarita Levieva), but actually carried Mae and Osha during pregnancy. Aniseya herself seems too loving to put her own daughter in danger. Some speculation even argues that one of the Jedi may be an impostor and be the Sith Lord, like Master Indara (Carrie-Anne Moss), but even if possible, it seems too far-fetched.
Instead, the Sith Lord is more likely to be someone new, but who has been in the background all the time: a big Sith name, like Darth Plagueis himself or even his master, Darth Tenebrous, which would make sense in the Star Wars timeline. The Jedi probably foiled the Sith's plan to learn the secret to creating life, which is why he wants them dead. Preserving Mae and Osha is also important. A big name would be the only way to justify it not being one of the series' already established characters. Let's face it: Qimir could never.
New episodes of the acolyte airs weekly on Wednesdays on Disney+.
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