Leslye Headland’s The Acolyte has fully embraced the murder-mystery genre and delightfully introduced it into the world of Star Wars. Every week fans get bits and pieces of a greater story, and one of the major players is Manny Jacinto’s supposed Sith Lord Qimir aka The Stranger.
Multiple theories have been coming out about who Qimir really is in the story, and some fans suggest he could actually be a character from Legends and a red herring for something a lot more sinister that's brewing.
Could The Acolyte be Hinting at Darth Venamis?
The fan theory mill (next door to the rumor mill) churned out the idea that the Acolyte's good old Qimir is actually a character called Darth Venamis, who was introduced in James Luceno's Legends book, Darth Plagueis.
In the book, Venamis was one of Darth Tenebrous' two apprentices and a foil to the better known pupil, Darth Plagueis, who would train the future Emperor Darth Sidious. More of a plot device than a fully-fledged character, Venamis was meant as someone for Plagueis to compete against.
The Acolyte's latest fan theory suggests that Qimir is actually Venamis, and his master, Darth Tenebrous—played by actor David Harewood—would appear as the main villain, which would also open the door for an appearance of Plaguies.
Should The Acolyte keep going, the series could connect to Palpatine eventually getting trained up as a Sith—making him the titular acolyte of the show.
Could Qimir be the First Knight of Ren?
Admittedly, Qimir being a red herring for another lore-established villain kind of diminishes his character—who has become quite the fan-favorite online.
There are still some holding on to the theory that Qimir is actually Ren or at least one of the first Knights of Ren. Besides the fact that Kylo Ren’s theme plays during a pivotal scene featuring Qimir, The Stranger’s look, complete with helmet and cloak, do lookes verpretty similar Ren's outfit in the comics.
In the expanded universe, the Ren are considered an offshoot of the Dark Side in the sense that they don’t see the Force as right or wrong; they merely accept that it exists—and they do what they please based on their own moral compass.
Qimir has never outright called himself a Sith (i.e., “But a Jedi like you might call me… Sith.”); he merely says that it’s what Jedi would call him. He also clearly values having the freedom to do as he pleases, and Jedi during this time period have seemed to police what Force-sensitive beings should do; hence the clash with the coven of Mother Aniseya.
For now, fans are just waiting for the series to reveal more about their favorite characters. As of the latest episode, it does look like Osha is willing to hear Qimir out when it comes to his view of the Jedi and the Force; but there’s also the case of Sol figuring out that he’s actually on the ship with Mae. Why would Sol turn off communications just as the Jedi arrived? What is he hiding that Qimir might know about?
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