The Acolyte Episode 4 Offers Huge Clues About the Sith Lord’s True Identity

This article contains spoilers for Star Wars: The Acolyte episode 4.

We’re halfway through Disney+ Star Wars series The Acolyte, and while episode 4 “Day” put us on the brink of war as Master Sol (Lee Jung-jae ) faced off against the mystery Sith master, fans think they’ve clocked the show’s big reveal. The focus of The Acolyte, created and run by Leslye Headland, has been the duality of twin sisters Mae and Osha (both played by Amandla Stenberg), however, there’s an altogether bigger mystery about who’s pulling the strings behind Mae’s Jedi hit list. 

Unless The Acolyte pulls a Solo: A Star Wars Story to introduce some random character under the mask of the fan-nicknamed Sith “Darth Teeth,” the series has almost certainly already introduced us to Mae’s master. Wild theories range from Master Indara (Carrie-Anne Moss) to Mother Koril (Margarita Levieva), Yord (Charlie Barnett) and Master Vernestra (Rebecca Henderson), but as we approach episode 5 and some of these are debunked, the evidence is beginning to mount against Manny Jacinto’s Qimir. Here is why.

Qimir Seems to Know a Lot More About Sith Doctrine Than He Claims

Introduced in The Acolyte’s second episode, Qimir masquerades as a sleepy smuggler who is known for hanging around the galaxy’s shadier spaceports. Suspicion was originally raised when Qimir easily managed to dodge Mae’s knife attacks and pin her against a wall after he betrayed her to the Jedi. Remember, it was Qimir who suggested Mae find the weakness of Master Torbin (Dean Charles-Chapman) and reiterated that everyone has one. When it comes to Mae, Qimir has been hammering home that her ties to her sister could be her weakness. 

Just hours after The Acolyte debuted its two-part premiere, fans thought they’d unmasked Qimir as the stranger seen at the end of episode 1. When chatting to Mae in episode 2, Qimir showed an apparent knowledge of the Sith doctrine, uttering, ”The Jedi justify their galactic dominance in the name of peace, and peace…” Mae cut him off by saying, “Is a lie, I know,” and with the first line of the Sith doctrine reading, “Peace is a lie,” it’s not very subtle.

We know Qimir has some affiliation with Mae’s Sith overlord, as when the pair head to Khofar in episode 4, he cryptically says he ‘owes’ her master. Note that Qimir knows exactly where Wookiee Jedi Master Kelnacca (Joonas Suotamo) is hiding out and reminds Mae she made a deal with her master.

Going with the theory that Qimir is Mae’s master, it seems like a test to solidify her as his apprentice. He’s particularly interested in Mae sticking to the plan of killing the Jedi without a weapon, reminding her of her failures so far and being far more invested in the rules of the deal than he should be. Qimir claims he’s never met the man beneath the mask, but when Mae probes further, he quickly changes the subject. He acts increasingly shifty and, at one point, reminds Mae of Sol’s closeness to Osha.

Similar to how Sheev Palpatine cast doubt into Anakin’s mind, and just like the duality of his Palpatine and Darth Sidious personas, Qimir pulling double duty as the drunken smuggler and Sith master would be a case of history repeating itself (or preceding given The Acolyte’s place in the timeline). As there’s only Sol left on Mae’s kill list, we could be heading for an emotional showdown between the pair. Still, we’re not buying that the Jedi are exactly innocent in this.  

Qimir Could Have Actually Killed Kelnacca

Okay, so we’ve got the motive, but what about the means? Episode 4 came to a head when Mae’s change of heart saw her tell Qimir she’d abandon her master’s mission and turn herself over to the Jedi. Qimir was clearly unhappy with this decision, but hinting at some classic Star Wars misdirection, he was conveniently tied up when Darth Teeth attacked the Jedi at the end of the episode. Speaking of THAT final scene, eagle-eyed fans picked up on the Sith’s enthusiastic hand gestures. While it might seem odd that this could give away their identity, these mannerisms matched those of the exuberant Qimir. 

If you still think Qimir is just some bungling sidekick, he was out fetching water when Master Kelnacca was seemingly slain. Even though it’s not confirmed the Sith master was behind the Wookiee Jedi’s murder, Qimir knew exactly where he’d be. It all clicks that someone knows the importance of the twins and their Force dyad potential – needing both of them to execute the Sith’s master plan. Mae’s master could’ve easily dispatched Osha when they came face to face at the end of the episode, but like Qimir’s obsession with Mae, there’s something more here. 

Is Qimir a Famous Sith?

Back in episode 2, there was a swirling theory that not only is Qimir Mae’s Sith master, but also the legendary Darth Plagueis. Revenge of the Sith briefly touched on Darth Plagueis the Wise, mentioning how he tried to cheat death by creating new life but was betrayed by his own apprentice. That was revealed as franchise big bad Palpatine, and since Episode III, fans have been dying to know more about Darth Sidious’ master. Palpatine recalled how Plagueis was poisoned in his sleep, which conveniently could tie into both Qimir’s knowledge of poison and his love of napping. 

It’s also possible that the mystery master is Darth Tenebrous, who served as Plagueis’ own master and was supposedly around during this period. Either way, the way in which the masked Sith hovered into view and made light work of the Jedi forces in The Acolyte suggests they’re a terrifying presence. Even if Qimir is none of the above, it looks increasingly likely he’s Mae’s mystery master and The Acolyte’s own Palpatine-esque puppet master. 

Star Wars: The Acolyte is streaming now on Disney+.