A Certain Jedi Council Cameo May Help Solve A Sith Mystery In Star Wars: The Acolyte
There will be spoilers for "Star Wars: The Acolyte" Part 4.
As we get our first real look at the mysterious dark side Force-user training Mae (Amandla Stenberg) in "Star Wars: The Acolyte", it's natural to wonder about the identity of this fierce warrior. There are reasons to believe that they could be a Sith, or perhaps some other adherent to the dark side of the Force. Even Mae, the acolyte of this saber-wielding murderer, has no idea of his real identity, though he has taught her the Sith code. Who is he? What is he? How did he know Mae would turn on him, and how did he know that he would have to handle Kelnacca's murder on his own? How quickly will we learn the answers?
These are the major questions that arise at the end of the fourth episode of "Star Wars: The Acolyte," which is the midpoint of the series. With only four episodes left, there is still a lot of room for more explanations behind their identity and origin — though there are definitely clues that could help us solve this riddle.
Did Jedi Master Ki-Adi-Mundi participate in a cover-up?
"Impossible," Jedi Master Ki-Adi-Mundi declares to the rest of the Jedi Council after Qui-Gon Jinn reveals his suspicions about the Sith involvement in the plot against Naboo. "The Sith have been extinct for a millennium."
This is an important line in "The Phantom Menace" and adds to the council's incredulity at the idea that the Sith could have returned. The cameo of Ki-Adi-Mundi in Vernestra Rwoh's small task force dealing with these Jedi murders says a lot about what we might be dealing with as far as the secret Sith assassins marauding the Jedi. It could say, on its face, that the Sith are not actually involved in the plot against Masters Sol, Indara, Torbin, and Kelnacca. We could learn that this dark warrior is from some other sect of red-lightsaber wielding maniacs with a grudge against the Jedi, and Ki-Adi-Mundi is correct in "The Phantom Menace" in his belief that the Sith have been out of the picture for a thousand years.
It could also suggest something all the more sinister.
What if Master Ki-Adi-Mundi did know that the Jedi are threatened by the Sith. What if they deal with the threat and Vernestra Rwoh's team — already failing to inform the council — decide to simply keep it quiet afterwards? And for the next 100 years, Ki-Adi-Mundi keeps this secret quiet until his ignoble end on Mygeeto, a victim of the Sith's grand plan? "The Acolyte" showrunner Leslye Headland has talked a lot about wanting to show the decay of the Jedi, and what could be more filled with rot than 100 years of lies told by Ki-Adi-Mundi?
"I see through the lies of the Jedi," Anakin Skywalker tells Obi-Wan Kenobi after his transformation into Darth Vader. Perhaps the plan of the Sith for the last 100 years was to force the Jedi into more and more lies to cling to their power. "All who gain power are afraid to lose it," Darth Sidious said wisely to Anakin, "even the Jedi."
Maybe the most insidious thing about Palpatine is that he's usually telling at least some part of the truth.
Sith and the rule of two
Even if the Jedi eliminate this particular threat, Master Yoda and Mace Windu reminded each other in "The Phantom Menace" that there are always two Sith: a master and an apprentice. But if they believe Mae is the apprentice and her ally, who arrives at the end of the episode, is the master, they might think they've successfully covered up the existence of the Sith.
But what if Mae's master is truly an apprentice for an older, wiser Sith, hiding in the shadows? (As an aside, wouldn't it be cool if this master turns out to be a member of the Muun species and could, perhaps, be Darth Plagueis? After all, Plagueis was the master of Darth Sidious, who is only a few decades away from being born,)
Part of the motivation for the rule of two, as it was established after the wars of the Sith, was to keep the Sith from completely wiping each other out. But the goal was also to remain hidden from the prying eyes of the Jedi until such time as their plan for revenge was enacted.
Suspect Number One: Qimir
So who is the Dark side user that murdered Kelnacca before tossing Jedi around like rag dolls at the end of the fourth episode? I think the storytelling points to only one likely candidate. Qimir, played by Manny Jacinto.
In the second episode, we learned that Mae's master has done everything they can to obscure their identity even from her, and we know that she has no idea who it is. We also know that the Sith are completely capable of hiding their darkness in plain sight — just take one look at Palpatine. Mae has been left to deal with the murder of each of the Jedi on her list for revenge as a test. Qimir is the only person to whom she reveals her intention to turn herself in instead of killing Kelnacca.
Naturally, there are two possibilities. The first is that Qimir knows their master is around and alerts them to what is going on. The second is the much more interesting of the two possibilities: that Qimir is the mysterious Sith warrior himself. With that level of Force mastery, it would be easy for him to get out of Mae's trap, don his dark side uniform, murder Kelnacca, and sneak up on the Jedi. He's the only named character on the planet not featured in that final scene, which would make a lot of storytelling sense. Going back to his appearance in the second episode, he does seem to put that poison together rather quickly, and he has a keen insight into what would motivate Master Torbin to take it.
Could Qimir be the apprentice of some larger, darker, more mysterious bad guy in the series? I think signs point to maybe. But if I'm wrong, it's only because Leslye Headland and her team have (hopefully) come up with an even better answer.
New episodes of "Star Wars: The Acolyte" release Tuesdays at 9:00pm ET, only on Disney+.