The Acolyte: Who Is Mae’s Sith Lord Master?

Star Wars: The Acolyte set a major Star Wars mystery into motion. Four Jedi and a tragic fire that claimed an entire community is the incident that sent twin sisters Osha and Mae (both played by Amandla Stenberg)  down very different paths of light and darkness. However, while the sisters are at the heart of The Acolyte‘s story, we know that both have been or currently are, “acolytes” of larger religious orders. 

Osha was revealed to be a former padawan and student of stoic Jedi Master Sol (Lee Jung-jae); Mae was revealed to have become a Force-user assassin, working at the behest of a mysterious dark side master, armed with a Sith’s red lightsaber. But is everything really as it seems in these episodes? Maybe not… 

Star Wars: The Acolyte – Who Is Mae’s Master? 

Before Episode 4 of The Acolyte, we only see “The Master” once (that we know of): During the final scene of Episode 1, when Mae finds him waiting for her by the ocean, on the planet Olega. The Master gave a deep monologue explaining why he’s sending Mae on her murderous mission of revenge, as the true devotion of a dark side acolyte will be what finally breaks the Jedi’s unchallenged hold over Force use. 

Other than that appearance, and declaration of intent, we know nothing about this mysterious “master” character or their identity. 

The Acolyte: Is Qimir The Master? 

The clear theory is that Mae’s handler, former smuggler Qimir (Manny Jacinto), is The Master. 

The Acolyte Episode 2 placed a shadow of suspicion on Qimir, whose affable slacker persona is clearly cover for a more sinister and sharp-witted mind. Qimir seamlessly infiltrated the apothecary of Olega, with the implication that he killed the shop owner to take over his place. He was able to deceive an entire squad of Jedi (some of them with strong Mind Trick abilities), as well as discerning that Osha was posing as her sister Mae. Qimir is also strangely adept at helping Mae locate and kill the Jedi she’s targeting, with Episode 4 revealing that he has been to the forests of Khofar before, to track down Wookiee Jedi Kelnacca. More tellingly, “The Master” appeared before the Jedi right after Mae left Qimir behind in the forest – plenty of time for him to get free and kill Kennaca. Based on what we saw at the end of Episode 4, this helmeted dark side warrior could be Qimir, physically speaking.

However, many fans already feel that ‘Qimir is The Master’ is actually a big red herring being dangled byThe Acolyte showrunner Leslye Headland. Star Wars fans have been looking at the series’ timeline and are keeping the Sith’s “Rule of Two” in mind as they do…

NEXT: Does The Acolyte Have A Second Sith Lord? 

The Acolyte has been selling us the notion that Mae is “The Acolyte” to a Sith Lord master; however, given the Rule of Two, it could easily be the case that the “master” Mae has been meeting with (whether it’s Qimir or not) is just the apprentice of a more powerful Sith Lord who is pulling strings from the shadows. 

Star Wars: The Acolyte premieres new episodes on Tuesdays on Disney+.