The Acolyte Episode 8: Theories About the Finale’s Big Sith Mystery

With just one episode to go, there’s still a big Sith mystery The Acolyte has yet to resolve: what is The Stranger’s true Sith identity? Have we been watching the story of a Sith Lord from Star Wars‘ past all along or is he someone completely new? More importantly, is he the master or the apprentice? While The Stranger has already shown that he’s very powerful in the dark side, is there an even more terrifying threat preparing to reveal itself in the finale?

As we prepare for the final episode, let’s take a look back at the major theories surrounding the show’s Sith…

The Stranger Is Actually Darth Plagueis

The show has really gone out of its way to not reveal Qimir/The Stranger’s true Sith name, suggesting that it’s a name that’ll have quite a bit of impact once it’s said. After all, there wouldn’t be much of a point hiding a whole new Darth name no one’s heard of before. Which is why some fans have theorized the Sith Lord is actually the infamous Darth Plagueis, who was first mentioned by Palpatine in Revenge of the Sith.

Yes, turning Plagueis into a human Sith Lord would be a departure from Legends continuity, in which Palpatine’s former master was a Muun. Since the show takes place 100 years before The Phantom Menace, you also sorta have to squint to make the dates work, since this would mean Plagueis was old as all hell when Palpatine usurped him. That said, Plagueis was obsessed with prolonging his life indefinitely, so he would be old as hell, wouldn’t he?

There’s some evidence to support the Plagueis theory, including The Stranger’s use of cortosis, which the Sith Lord mined for his master Darth Tenebrous in Legends. Then there’s The Stranger’s base of operations on an ocean planet. In Legends, Plagueis mined cortosis on the ocean planet Bal’demnic, which is also where he eventually killed Tenebrous. Are these connections more than just coincidence?

Not Darth Plagueis, But Darth Tenebrous?

While Plagueis is the most popular theory regarding The Stranger’s identity, others think he’s actually Darth Tenebrous, Plagueis’ master as established in both current canon and Legends continuity. Yes, Tenebrous was a Bith in Legends, but that’s not set in stone in canon, and if it hasn’t been established onscreen anyway, there’s nothing stopping the show from making Tenebrous a human Sith Lord.

Just like Plagueis, Tenebrous had a connection to cortosis and Bal’demnic in Legends. The main reason some believe The Stranger is Tenebrous is because of the show’s place on the timeline. In Legends, Tenebrous was the reigning Sith master until 67 BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin), when Plagueis killed him. Since The Acolyte takes place in 132 BBY, Tenebrous would fit this specific time period, if the show decides to follow what was established in Legends.

Mother Koril Is the Sith Master Pulling All the Strings

In the penultimate episode of the season, we learned what really happened on the planet Brendok 16 years before the start of the show. A series of very bad choices led to the slaughter of a coven of witches. It’s revealed that Mother Aniseya died by Sol’s hand, while the rest either perished in the fire accidentally started by Mae or were killed by Master Indara through the Force.

But there’s one witch we never actually watched die in the flashback episodes: Mother Koril, Osha and Mae’s other parent. While the series made a point to show the bodies of witches littering the floors of the base, Koril was not among the victims. Instead, her whereabouts are currently unknown, leading some to believe she may be the big bad of the series, pulling the strings from the shadows as the Sith master while her apprentice, The Stranger, does the dirty work and recruits Osha and Mae to the Sith cause.

Koril also happens to be Zabrak, the same race as Darth Maul. Surely that’s no accident?

Master Indara Is the Sith Master

Carrie-Anne Moss’ very welcome casting as a Jedi Master seemed to promise countless scenes of gravity-defying Force fu. You simply don’t cast The Matrix legend for a few talk-y scenes; sci-fi genre fans want to see her kicking ass in fast-paced fight scenes. Unfortunately, while the show kicked off with the latter, it quickly killed off Moss’ Master Indara in the present, relegating her to flashback scenes for the rest of the season.

Having Mae kill off a Jedi Master as powerful as Indara in the first scene of the series was a clear way to establish that the young assassin was a force to be reckoned with, but it’s left some viewers wondering whether it was all a setup to hide Indara’s true identity as a Sith Master testing Mae’s capabilities. Did Indara have ulterior motives when she led the Jedi mission to Brendok in search of a vergence 16 years ago? Was she looking for Osha and Mae all along in order to one day turn them into Sith acolytes?

It’s a far-fetched theory for sure, but it sure would be cool to see Carrie-Anne Moss play a bigger villain role on the show in the future!

Master Vernestra Was Corrupted By the Dark Side Before the Start of the Show

This twist would certainly hurt. While it seems very, very unlikely—especially considering Vern’s status as one of the most beloved characters of The High Republic books and comics—one theory suggests Master Vernestra is secretly working as a Sith Lord to corrupt the Jedi Order from within. Consider that she almost definitely has a connection to The Stranger, who has scars on his back that look like they were caused by a lightwhip, Vernestra’s unique take on a lightsaber. Also consider how she’s very clearly interested in covering up the Osha/Mae mess throughout the series—she says it’s to protect the Jedi Order from scandal but perhaps she’s actually covering her own Sith tracks?

No, we don’t really believe this one either, as it would simply be too dark a twist. But for others, the fact that she’s popped up in the periphery of the story a few times now makes her a suspect.

When Does The Acolyte Episode 8 Come Out?

The Acolyte episode 8 will release at 9 pm ET/6 pm PT/2 am BST on Disney+.