Warning: Spoilers follow for the first two episodes of The Acolyte.
The first two episodes of The Acolyte were full of mystery and intrigue, but one particular character spiked curiosity among Star Wars fans.
No sooner had the premiere dropped a huge twist than a masked villain walked onto the scene. Mae (Amandla Stenberg) met up with the character, a Sith Lord who goes by "The Master," at the end of Episode 1, Lost / Found, but the identity of the cloaked figure remained obscured from view as they stood off in the distance.
The Master seemingly tasked Mae with killing the Jedi who were present on her home planet when her family died in a blaze, though he made it clear that "an Acolyte kills without a weapon." Viewers only glimpsed this enemy of the Jedi once in the two-part premiere, but some fans think the character could be hiding in plain sight.
Mae's only ally is a shifty trader called Qimir (Manny Jacinto). He is a rare main character in the galaxy far, far away, as he doesn't seem to be involved with either side of the Force and is instead just trying to survive. However, a few fans believe there is more than meets the eye with him, and he could even be the Sith Lord.
Bro defended himself against Mae a little too easy, I think Qimir might be her master ?#TheAcolyte pic.twitter.com/GFqraBadCF
— BLURAYANGEL ? (@blurayangel) June 5, 2024
Manny Jacinto’s Qimir reveals exceptional fighting skill by handily reversing Mae’s ambush. Qimir’s restraint spares a bewildered Mae from death by her own blade…
— Joey Technicolor (@JoeyTechnicolor) June 5, 2024
Qimir is the mysterious sith villain.
Mystery solved. #StarWars #TheAcolyte #Disney #Sith #Jedi #Qimir #Mae pic.twitter.com/9sZxSM4vOl
Him? #Acolyte #Qimir pic.twitter.com/MYjZHgv0ns
— Commander Brom Titus (@BromTitus) June 5, 2024
Qimir is 1000% Mae’s master but he’s playing the schlub role to hide in plain sight and keep an eye on her
— brett baumler ?️? (@DoomerSkelly13) June 5, 2024
#TheAcolyte spoilers
— hellsw0rth (@hellsw0rth) June 5, 2024
Calling it now. Manny Jacinto’s character, Qimir, is Mae’s master. And she has no idea, as confirmed by Sol saying she couldn’t say who he is if she wanted to.
The Sith are used to living in a state of duality. A public face, and their real Sith identity.
so Qimir is totally the Sith Lord right? he's hitting Mae with the Sidious/Palpatine split. the Sith Lord persona on the one hand and then the "I'm just a boy I'm just a little birthday boy" ally persona that he uses to influence her without her realizing it's still him
— Alexis (@alex1sandyou) June 5, 2024
My #TheAcolyte prediction for the master of Mae is Qimir. I don't buy his bumbling act. I think it's a cover.
— ✶✶Jon Forsythe & the Infinite Player Support✶✶ (@JonJForsythe) June 5, 2024
The fact Qimir started to recite the first line of the Sith Code (a mantra that expresses the core beliefs of the Sith) while speaking to Mae fuelled speculation that he is Sith or, at least, a supporter. "The Jedi justify their galactic dominance in the name of peace, and peace..." he begins before Mae finishes: "is a lie."
"I swear Qimir is going to end up being the Sith. He fought off Mae with ease and they spoke about 'don't tell the Master I did this,' when it's probably him so he already knows," one Redditor theorized. "Sith during this time had to hide their true identity, so it's similar to the Darth Jar Jar theories about seeming incompetent so no one suspects you."
"There's definitely more to him than meets the eye, he seems to be more interested in the Sith than Mae is. He even says several things in line with Sith doctrines," someone else pointed out on another Reddit discussion, as a third hedged their bets: "He's another acolyte and they're both competing for the spot (or he is HIM)."
With six more episodes of The Acolyte remaining, it is too soon to say whether any of these theories will turn out to be true — but fans will no doubt keep combing for clues as to who is behind The Master as the Disney+ Star Wars series continues (if they're not too distracted by Osha's adorable droid Pip, that is).
IGN has a spoiler-free review of the premiere, plus a full-blown critical analysis with a 6/10 rating. "The first two episodes of The Acolyte make an exciting live-action introduction to The High Republic, but they don't quite capture the vibe of classic Star Wars," it notes, adding that it sometimes feels "tonally and visually off."
Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on X/Twitter here.
