Following with the big reveal of its mysterious Sith villain in Episode 5, “Night,” The Acolyte’s most compelling mysteries have suddenly become centered on figuring out what the deal is with Qimir (Manny Jacinto), who we’re now supposed to call “the Stranger.” In Episode 6, “Teach/Corrupt,” Qimir gives Osha (Amandla Stenberg) a bunch of his opinions on the nature of the Force, his beef with the Jedi, and why he wears such a sick-ass helmet. But, Qimir also isn’t explaining his entire backstory just yet. He’s only hinted at his past as a Jedi who seemingly trained on Coruscant in the Jedi Temple.
The Acolyte is very interested in figuring out who is who when it comes to masters and apprentices. Now that we know Mae’s master was Qimir, the big question is who was Qimir’s Jedi master before he broke bad? This question will probably be answered before the end of the series, and there may be a massive clue hiding in plain sight that already reveals everything.
Warning! Spoilers for The Acolyte “Teach/Corrupt” ahead.
As Qimir takes a swim early in the episode, we see a massive scar on his back. Later, when he’s tinkering inside, Osha asks “Who gave you that scar?” Qimir only replies, “Someone who threw me away?” Osha wonders if he’s referring to his former Jedi master, but Qimir doesn’t confirm or deny this assumption. Earlier in the episode, he mentions that he was a Jedi “a really long time ago,” which could imply that he’s much older than he looks.
Another character in The Acolyte who is much older than they might appear is Vernestra Rwoh (Rebecca Henderson). In the setting of the Disney+ series, Vernestra is 116 years old, and although her early adventures have been chronicled in various comics and novels set in the High Republic continuity, her role throughout The Acolyte constitutes her first onscreen appearance in Star Wars canon. In fact, “Teach/Corrupt” also gives us the first onscreen glimpse of her modified purple lightsaber, which is also a lightwhip. So, why is it that in the same episode where we see lightwhip on screen for the first time, we’re also given a mystery about a character who bears a scar that looks mysteriously like it was given by a whip?
Is Vernestra Qimir’s former Master?
On social media, several Star Wars fans are already guessing that this visual connection is no accident. Vernestra is super-concerned about Sol’s mission and has gone out of her way to keep it secret from other Jedi, including the High Council. In Episode 6, she insists on investigating the situation herself, and even briefly goes along with the theory that Master Sol could have been responsible for the slaughter of all the Jedi on Khofar.
Earlier in the episode, Vernestra is also preoccupied with some kind of “external review” of the Jedi Order that is being pushed by a senator named Rayencourt. While we don’t know if this subplot will play out in the final two episodes of The Acolyte, but, it feels like another detail that can’t be an accident. All signs point to Vernestra being super-concerned about some Jedi dirty laundry and is doing her best to keep several things quiet.
Because of the lightwhip theory, and her age, it’s also conceivable that yes, Vernestra was Qimir’s master a long time ago, and that he left the Jedi Order to try and do his own thing. It seems likely that Vernestra is also somewhat aware of whatever secret Sol is hiding about the truth of what happened on Brendok all those years ago. But those events probably aren’t directly related to Vernestra’s hypothetical mentorship of Qimir.
Darth Stranger?
But this could all be misdirection. Qimir could have been scarred by a Sith master, and in some ensuing battle, maybe Qimir slayed his master and is now looking for a new Sith apprentice. This would make sense since he tells Osha he’s trying to get “the power of two,” which sounds like a very Sith-like goal. Then again, Qimir seems to eschew labels, which could suggest he’s trying to establish another Dark Side group, which could result in the Knights of Ren.
It’s also possible that the Vernestra backstory is the origin of Qimir leaving the Jedi Order, and that he’s also on the path to becoming — or revealing himself — as a major Sith Lord. In Revenge of the Sith, Palpatine tells Anakin that Darth Plagueis discovered the ability to use the midichlorians to create life. Now, Qimir probably isn’t literally Darth Plagueis (canon-ish material says Plagueis is a Muun, not a human) but, what if Qimir learned of this power from Osha and Mae, and that knowledge passed to Plagueis, and then... to Darth Sidious?
Certain themes tend to echo throughout all of Star Wars, so if Qimir is a Sith Lord looking for a new apprentice, then perhaps he’ll become Darth Qimir The Not-So-Wise. Because if Sith legends tell us anything, it’s that Sith apprentices almost always slay their masters. This means either Mae or Osha could take out Qimir before the story of The Acolyte concludes, which simply isn’t a story the Jedi would have told you.
