In yesterday's episode of The Acolyte, The Master was unmasked and revealed to be the mild-mannered Qimir. That was all just an act, of course, and it quickly became apparent the Jedi assembled on Khofar were no match for him.
Claiming to have no name, the villain told Master Sol he's what the Jedi "might" call a Sith. The fact he's searching for an Acolyte rather than an apprentice could be telling and it's entirely possible Qimir has no ties to the Sith lineage that eventually leads to Emperor Palpatine.
After all, The Acolyte has already made it clear more than just the Jedi use the Force, so he may be just a powerful Dark Side Force user.
Today, we have a theory which could tie The Master to the Star Wars sequel trilogy. We still have a long list of unanswered questions about those movies, including what the deal was with the Knights of Ren.
Fans have noticed Kylo Ren's theme playing during The Master's final scene in "Night," with the prevailing opinion now being he could be the one who forms that off-shoot of the Sith. "Ren" was just a title taken by whoever led the group, so The Acolyte may well end with Qimir taking on the moniker.
While this reveal wouldn't be quite as seismic as the introduction of Darth Plagueis, for example, it would still fill a big gap in our knowledge of the Star Wars franchise and show just how expansive the use of the Force is in the Galaxy beyond just the Jedi and Sith.
The Acolytle showrunner Leslye Headland has said the series could be treated as a standalone story, but has left the door open to a second season...presumably revolving around the Knights of Ren?!
We'll see, but the presence of Kylo's theme can't be accidental...
In The Acolyte, an investigation into a shocking crime spree pits a respected Jedi Master (Lee Jung-jae) against a dangerous warrior from his past (Amandla Stenberg). As more clues emerge, they travel down a dark path where sinister forces reveal all is not what it seems.
The series stars Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, Charlie Barnett, Jodie Turner-Smith, Rebecca Henderson, Dean-Charles Chapman, Joonas Suotamo, and Carrie-Anne Moss.
The next Star Wars TV series comes from creator and showrunner Leslye Headland (Russian Doll), who also serves as executive producer alongside Kathleen Kennedy, Simon Emanuel, Jeff F. King, and Jason Micallef. Charmaine DeGraté and Kor Adana are the co-executive producers, and Rayne Roberts and Damian Anderson are producing.
Five episodes of The Acolyte are now streaming on Disney+.