The Acolyte: "Day" offers 4 more reasons why Qimir could be the masked Sith

The Acolyte has reached its halfway point, leaving fans on a cliffhanger of what will happen with their favorite Jedi characters from the series as they face off against a masked Dark Side Force user on Khofar.

It has been largely speculated since Episode 2 that Qimir could be a Sith Lord, either a ‘Master’ to Mae posing as a shiftless drifter or even the Acolyte himself treating Mae more like an Asajj Ventress-like character. If Palpatine is any example, the Sith like to hide in plain sight. Though Manny Jacinto (Qimir) is good at playing aloof, as he does well in The Good Place, he is also very capable of delivering subtle creepy layers as his character reveals he is wiser than he lets on. Not only does Qimir assist Mae with carrying out her mission, but he also knows a surprising amount about the Jedi and proves he can hold his own against Mae (a skilled assassin) physically.

Let's dive into 4 more reasons we think the masked Dark Side user is Qimir.

 1. Qimir’s Quest

In addition to the previous clues, Episode 4, titled “Day,” has Qimir accompanying Mae to Khofar to hunt the Wookiee Jedi Master Kelnacca, and he is doling out knowledge along the way. There are moments when Qimir attempts to be clumsy or vulnerable, but a lot of dialogue suggests he is more than he appears to be. He sounds like a Master checking in on his Apprentice when he says things to Mae like, “You’ve failed so much” or “You have to kill the Wookiee without a weapon.” He even slips up at one point, telling her “I…” and then correcting himself to “We” when speaking about the Master.

2. Manipulating Mae

With the mission at hand for Mae to take out Kelnacca, she refers to her sister as Jedi scum, at which point Qimir stokes the flames by telling Mae that Osha is fond of Sol - a man he should know very little about. Mae is convinced the test is impossible, but Qimir insists it is doable with his help. In a surprise move, Mae lays a trap for Qimir and decides to leave him tied up. She tells him that she intends to surrender and turn herself over to the Jedi, as she would prefer to be with her sister than the Master. This aligns with Sol's belief that there is still hope for Mae.

3. KO Kelnacca

The sad turn in the episode begins when Mae finds Kelnacca (while the Tynnan alien Bazil alerts the rest of the Jedi). Kelnacca is revealed to have been slain by a lightsaber across the chest. It is conceivable that Qimir escaped Mae’s trap and beat her to the punch. It was originally supposed to be Mae who did the deed, but since she claimed to Qimir that she would give herself into Kelnacca, it makes sense that the Dark Lord would want to take him out first. Qimir pointed out that bounty hunters wouldn’t even enter the forest but that he had to do it by himself to locate Kelnacca in the first place (so he was already aware of the location).

4. Quiet Qimir

Before the Jedi can get to Mae, possibly the creepiest entrance from a Dark Side Force User comes when the masked man slithers into the frame, gliding through the Force towards Osha before igniting his red lightsaber. The episode ends on a cliffhanger with the dark figure Force pushing Osha out of the way, and the moment from the trailer where the presumed Sith Lord attacks all of the Jedi at once. Unless some unforeseen twist occurs in the second half of Season 1 of The Acolyte, all signs point to Qimir being revealed as Mae’s Master behind the mask. Now that Mae has deceived her Master/Qimir, it will be interesting to see if the Dark Lord sets their sights on Osha instead.