Summary
This article contains spoilers for The Acolyte episode 5.Star Warshas just offered a tantalizing hint thatThe Acolyte’s villain may not be a Sith Lord at all. The true identity ofThe Acolyte’s villain, Mae’s mysterious Master, had been something of an open secret; there had been countlessclues that Qimir was really the Sith. His reveal inThe Acolyteepisode 5 was still tremendous, though, in light of Manny Jacinto’s phenomenal performance. But so many questions remain - including whether he should be considered a true Sith at all.
Lucasfilm has updated theStar Wars Databankwith a new entry on the villain, who they simply call “The Stranger.” Curiously, it drops a hint that he may not be a Sith Lord at all.
“With a specialized cortosis gauntlet and a mask permanently twisted into a frightful grin, the Stranger with a red-bladed lightsaber appears as if out of thin air.While some may call him a Sith, little is known of this dark sider who has been training Mae Aniseya in secret, hiding his face from his pupil. When needed, he has adopted the alias Qimir, acting as a shiftless drifter and supplier with seemingly no cares at all other than his own amusements.”
This echoes dialogue fromThe Acolyteepisode 5, in which Qimir said some may call him a Sith - butdid not actually claim that title for himself.
Star Wars: The Acolyte Episode Guide - Cast Members, Biggest Takeaways & Easter Eggs
Here’s everything you need to follow along with Star Wars: The Acolyte, from references and trivia to main takeaways from each new episode.
Could Qiimir Just Be A Dark Sider Who’s Absorbed Sith Teachings?
This could explain a long-standing Star Wars mystery
This raises the intriguing possibility the Stranger is not really a Sith Lord at all; rather, he is a dark sider who has somehow gained access to Sith teachings. That would explain why, when the dust has settled fromThe Acolyte,the Jedi still believe the Sith to be extinct; they simply consider Qimir to be someone who tried to revive their rivals. It would also potentially explain a problematic bit of lore fromStar Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace; Qimir could tell them something of theRule of Two.
Oddly enough, this would be the same approach taken by Legends - the previousStar Warscontinuity, erased from canon after Disney acquired Lucasfilm. There, Abel Peña’s 2006 Holocron articleEvil Never Dies: The Sith Dynastiesrevealed the Jedi encountered a dark sider named Kibh Jeen who had been exposed to Sith teachings and fallen to the dark side. The Stranger could be the canon version of Kibh Jeen.
One thing is certain, though;The Acolyteshowrunner Leslye Headland likes writing stories that have many twists and turns, meaning there are still more surprises to come. It feels as though the Stranger is somehow tied to events on Brendok some 16 years ago, and the truth of these events will surely be revealed in more flashbacks. It’s only a matter of time before viewers get a true sense of who - and what - the Stranger truly is.
The Acolyte
Cast
The Acolyte is a television series set in the Star Wars universe at the end of the High Republic Era, where both the Jedi and the Galactic Empire were at the height of their influence. This sci-fi thriller sees a former Padawan reunite with her former Jedi Master as they investigate several crimes - all leading to darkness erupting from beneath the surface and preparing to bring about the end of the High Republic.
