Every The Acolyte theory around The Stranger

The Acolyte has become the talk of the town after the release of its fifth episode, emerging as the surprise winner in a week dominated by thrilling new entries from The Boys and House of the Dragon, as well as the hotly-anticipated return of The Bear.

Why you might ask? Well the Star Wars show delivered —and delivered big— with a thrilling, action-packed episode that finally revealed the identity of its mysterious Sith. Manny Jacinto all but broke the internet when he was unmasked as The Stranger, not because his reveal was necessarily a surprise but because of how stunned viewers were to see him in a villainous role (and, let's be honest, by his biceps).

The Stranger has been guiding Mae (Amandla Stenberg) on her path of vengeance against the Jedi Order, hiding in plain sight as affable bounty hunter Qimir earlier in the season. The latest episode shared clues as to who he could actually be and what he might represent in the future within the Star Wars universe.

This, combined with what has been seen of Jacinto before on the show, has led to an interesting number of theories around the character.

Every The Acolyte theory around The Stranger

The Stranger is a founding member of the Knights of Ren

One predominant theory around Jacinto's The Stranger is that his character will create —or is already a member of— the Knights of Ren, the masked group that Adam Driver's Kylo Ren was a part of for the duration of the sequel trilogy.

Apart from Driver's character, the Knights of Ren were not explored in great depth in the movies but what we do know is that they were a group devoted to the Dark Side who wreaked havoc across the galaxy. They were first created by a Force user named Ren, who wielded a red lightsaber just like Jacinto's The Stranger, and were separate to the Sith.

The reason fans are considering this to be The Stranger's origins is because of one simple thing: the soundtrack. The fifth episode ends with Jacinto's character finding Mae's twin Osha (also Stenberg) passed out in the forest of Brendok, and as he speaks to himself and puts his cloak over her Kylo Ren's theme tune from The Force Awakens can be heard.

When asked directly about the choice of music by Inverse, The Acolyte showrunner Leslye Headland said: "Ah, wish I could. It is there on purpose, but I can’t tell you why, and I can’t go into what it is. But you shall see."

This lends even more weight to the theory that The Stranger will be a founding member of the Knights of Ren. As well as the musical clue, there's a lot to be said about the similarities between The Stranger's helmet and armour and that worn by Driver's character and the members of the Knights of Ren.

The history of the Knights of Ren is largely shrouded in mystery before the rise of Kylo Ren, aka Ben Solo, as their leader prior to the sequel trilogy. What we do know is that the Knights of Ren were already an ancient established order, so there's every reason to believe that The Acolyte —which is set over 100 years before the sequel trilogy— is setting up the The Stranger to be their founder.

The Stranger has a connection to Master Sol

Another clue as to The Stranger's identity is the conversations he has had so far in the show about, or with, Master Sol (Lee Jung-jae). The character first referred to the character by name in passing, saying it in such a way that it suggested he knew him but didn't want to let on that this was the case.

This theory was further bolstered in Episode 5 when the pair came face to face and when Sol asked who he was The Stranger simply responded: "You don't remember me?"

One possibility is that The Stranger was once a pupil of the Jedi Master but that they parted ways early enough for Master Sol to not recognise him. The other suggestion is that they were once Padawan and Master, though the fact that Sol only senses "something familiar" about him suggests that they couldn't have had as close a connection as that in the past.

Another explanation is that The Stranger is a child that Master Sol once took from his home and family as part of the Jedi's mission to take in Force-sensitive children — as viewers saw happen with Mae and Osha in Episode 3. If he is indeed a child taken by the Jedi it would certainly explain his hatred of the Order, and also explain why he was so tempted by the Dark Side in the first place.

The Stranger marks the rise of the Sith

Another potential theory around his identity is that The Stranger is one of the first Sith Lords to exist in the Star Wars universe.

The Acolyte's tagline is "in an age of light a darkness rises", which hints that the character could be the start of the Sith. But this seems less likely than the notion that the character is the founder of the Knights of Ren, that's because of what he says to Master Sol in Episode 5: "I have no name, but you Jedi might call me Sith".

The Stranger doesn't call himself a Sith, he says the Jedi would see him as a Sith, suggesting that he is actually something else entirely.

The Acolyte airs every Wednesday on Disney+.