Spoilers for the first two episodes of The Acolyte.
At the core of Star Wars: The Acolyte is a mysterious dark side figure. It's unknown at this time if this being is a Sith Lord or not. We gathered from the two-episode premiere that Mae and Qimir refer to this person as a male. He is also the one that Mae serves.
There have already been theories swirling around who this dark sider is. The primary character at the center of these is Qimir. He is the secret Sith Lord hiding. I have been in this camp since the episodes dropped and our writers on Dork Side of the Force covered this theory too.
However, after a discussion with a friend of mine, I'm starting to reconsider this. My alliances to this theory have shifted that Qimir isn't the Sith Lord.
He is the titular Acolyte.
How Qimir is the Acolyte
This idea came from the always creative and analytical mind of my friend and co-podcaster Charles Rogers, who hosts Gold Squadron Gays and rolls dice with me on For Light and Dice. We were chatting after the premiere when I brought up the ever-popular "Qimir is the Sith Lord." Charles countered the conversation with a much more intriguing idea, as he often does.
Qimir isn't the Sith Lord. He is the titular Acolyte in the title. Thoughout the episode "Revenge/Justice," there is something is up with him. Along with Mae, he is aware of the master she is serving and happily assists in her plot to murder four Jedi. He sees through Osha's attempt to pose as her twin, his demeanor and words turning dangerous in an instant. Not only does he easily dodge Mae's surprise attack at the end of the episode, Qimir just so happens to know the location of her next target, the Wookiee Jedi Master Kelnacca. He is so closely tied to the story and the events already, and it's clear that he has a bigger part to play.
Then where does that leave Mae in all of this? Charles blew my mind when he described her as the "Asajj Ventress" of the story.
In The Clone Wars, Ventress was Count Dooku's apprentice. She thought that one day she would join the full ranks of the Sith with either Dooku or his master. However, that would never pan out for her as she was never more than a pawn to Palpatine. Besides, he already had a backup Sith Lord in Anakin Skywalker, whom he had been grooming since he was a kid. Ventress' worth was an assassin to do his bidding and nothing more than that. When her power grew too much, Dooku was supposed to kill her. She escaped the attempt to go on her own path in the Force.
Mae looks to be in a similar place so far in The Acolyte. She has been trained as an assassin to specifically target these four Jedi. It seems the facts have been twisted for her, too. Like Osha, Mae believed that her twin sister had died. The shock on Mae's face when Osha approached her, realizing that Sol was speaking the truth that her sister lived, was a showstopping moment of "Revenge/Justice." Mae is clearly being played. Like Dooku, Qimir is quick to sell her out to the Jedi when he is interrogated by them. Qimir had no problem throwing Mae to them. He doesn't leave her behind, though, fleeing with her to find Kelnacca. She still has use to him in the long run.
It would be interesting to see Qimir as the title character hiding in plain sight. Having Mae in the Asajj Ventress role of the show would make her even more complex. Because when she does realize how she's being used and the hurt she's caused the Jedi, the Republic, and her sister, how she reacts will be a defining moment. It would also open the door for Qimir to take his place as the rightful Acolyte by his master's side.
We'll have to wait and see to watch the mystery unfold each week. You can watch The Acolyte each week streaming on Disney+.