Who is that mysterious masked Sith Lord in The Acolyte? Finally, thanks to the Star Wars show's fifth episode, we have an answer.
Now, it should go without saying, but the following will contain spoilers for The Acolyte. We'll be discussing everything up to the latest entry, including the much-speculated identity of the person behind the mask.
If you're still reading, then you're ready to start unravelling this mystery. Let's dive into the shadowy masked Sith Lord and what it means for Star Wars…
Who is the Sith in The Acolyte?
At the end of The Acolyte episode 1, Mae first goes to see her mysterious Master – a masked Sith. This Sith has tasked Mae with killing a series of Jedi, all of whom were present on Mae's home planet when she started a fire which killed her family. She believed her twin sister Osha to be dead, too, but has now learned that Osha survived.
The masked Sith is revealed to be Qimir (Manny Jacinto) in episode 5. But it was a long road to finally reveal his identity.
Have we seen The Acolyte Sith in Star Wars before?
Qimir is an all new character who hasn't appeared in any of the High Republic novels or comics. That makes the mystery behind where he came from and, potentially, who he answers to all the more compelling.
The Acolyte Sith identity theories
So, Qimir is the Sith himself, but that might not be the end of it. Still, one line of dialogue was all it took for him to stand out as the prime suspect. And so it proved.
But, The Acolyte episode 3 opened the door to other theories, too. In that episode, we're introduced to Mae and Osha's mothers – Mother Aniseya and Mother Koril. In an episode-long flashback, we see that Mae set a fire that killed all of the witches in the temple, though some have their suspicions and think the Jedi are actually responsible for the deaths. If that is the case, it's possible Koril or Aniseya survived, and one of them is pulling the strings of Qimir and directing Mae to kill the Jedi present on Brendok all those years ago as an act of revenge.
Episode 4 spawned a whole new theory, too, which suggests that there are not one but two mystery Sith Lords. It speculates that Qimir is an apprentice with a dark side Master of his own, and he wants to overthrow his Master to make Mae his apprentice in turn.
But, by The Phantom Menace, the Jedi believe the Sith to have been extinct for a long time. Could that mean this figure isn't a Sith at all, then? It remains to be seen, but episode 4 has also cleared up how the Jedi High Council might be unaware of Mae and the unknown Sith.
The Acolyte is streaming on Disney Plus now. You can keep up to date with the galaxy far, far away with our guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows.
For more on The Acolyte, check out our pieces on:
- The Acolyte release schedule
- When does The Acolyte take place on the Star Wars timeline?
- Squid Game's Lee Jung-jae on joining The Acolyte, making history as a Jedi, and why he thinks Russian Doll's Leslye Headland has a "fresh take" on Star Wars
- The Acolyte creator talks pitching The High Republic – and the biggest challenge behind the new Star Wars era
- Upcoming Star Wars movies
- How to watch the Star Wars movies in order
