The word "Sith" hasn’t yet been said aloud in The Acolyte. That's despite the fact that the series has long been rumored to explore how the Sith survived even during the High Republic era — a period in which the Jedi Order was at its most powerful, widespread, and dominant. The show's creator, Leslye Headland, has even said on record that The Acolyte was inspired by her desire to explore the Sith, which is something that no live-action Star Wars TV show or movie has extensively done up to this point.
Just because The Acolyte's first two episodes make no explicit mention of the Sith doesn't mean that the series hasn't already laid the groundwork for its religious order's reintroduction and presence, though. On the contrary, The Acolyte's second episode makes one huge reference to the Sith. It may go over most casual viewers' heads, but it should leave die-hard Star Wars fans even more excited to see what's to come.
Spoilers for Episodes 1 and 2 for The Acolyte follow!
Mae (Amandla Stenberg) receives some considered counsel from Qimir (Manny Jacinto) in The Acolyte Episode 2.
Early in The Acolyte Episode 2, Mae (Amandla Stenberg) meets with one of her contacts, a mysterious, roguish smuggler named Qimir (Manny Jacinto). She seeks him out and asks for his help killing the meditative, seemingly untouchable Jedi Master Torbin (Dean-Charles Chapman). As he brews a poison for her, Qimir starts to tell Mae, "Everyone has a weakness. The Jedi justify their galactic dominance in the name of peace, and peace—" before she cuts him off, finishing, "—is a lie, I know."
This interaction between Qimir and Mae carries a quiet importance. Not only does it offer some insight into how Mae, Qimir, and the former's masked master view the Jedi Order and its presence in the galaxy, but it also subtly foreshadows the Sith's actual role in The Acolyte and the order's reemergence. "Peace is a lie" is, after all, one half of the first line of the Sith Code.
In its entirety, the Sith Code is essentially a rejection of all the Jedi Order's ideals. It's a creed that principally argues that peace — whether global, political, or personal — cannot be found. Consequently, the Sith believe that it’s better for one to just embrace their most intense emotions and be guided by them. By quoting the code's opening line in The Acolyte, Qimir and Mae have, therefore, revealed their allegiance without ever directly referring to themselves as members of the Sith Order. It's a noteworthy Easter egg for that reason alone — and one that will likely come as a welcome surprise to certain fans.
Right now, not even Mae (Amandla Stenberg) seems to know much about her mysterious Sith teacher.
There is still a lot that hasn't been revealed about Mae and Qimir. If her teacher’s narration at the end of The Acolyte's first episode didn't already make it clear that they and Mae's bond is one forged out of Sith beliefs, though, then Mae and Qimir’s conversation does just that.
Right now, the reasons behind Mae's vendetta against the Jedi seems, at least, partly clear. We'll have to wait, however, to learn more about why Qimir hates the Jedi, as well as how he became so well-versed in Sith ideology in the first place. It also remains to be seen how much further into the history of the Sith and the lore surrounding the Dark Side order that The Acolyte is going to go.
Hopefully, Qimir and Mae's brief interaction in the show's second episode is just the first of more moments like it to come.
