Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Star Wars: The Acolyte episode 5.

The Acolyte has finally formally introduced audiences to the series’ villain, “The Stranger,” but the lightsaber-wielding dark sider’s affiliation is not yet known. In The Acolyte episode 5, The Stranger emerges from the shadows with a red lightsaber and slays seven Jedi on screen, definitely making him a formidable foe, but also a confusing one. Despite this ambiguity, the series has dropped several hints in previous episodes, and this episode, about whom the man formerly known as Qimir really is.

The Stranger was first seen in the final scene of the first episode of the series, while Qimir was first introduced in the second episode as Mae Aniseya (Amandla Stenberg)’s quirky sidekick. But from then on, more and more hints revealed themselves in episodes 3 and 4 that led many viewers to already assume The Stranger is Qimir. Episode 5 took the helmet off, though, and introduced a few more clues that really seem to be hinting at what Qimir actually is.

Star Wars Has Strongly Implied The Stranger Isn’t A Sith At All

“You Might Call Me… Sith”

The biggest question on everyone’s mind after seeing all the reveals so far in The Acolyte is whether The Stranger is a Sith or not. During this part of the Star Wars timeline, the High Republic era, the Sith are known to be extinct to the Jedi. This has led to the characters onscreen not defaulting to the “Sith” conclusion that many viewers have. Some, however, have also theorized that Qimir could actually be the original Knight of Ren.

The aforementioned hints seem to be implying that The Stranger is not a Sith, though, as well. The character himself says “I have no name. But the Jedi like you might call me… Sith,” which seems to, at face value, pretty clearly state that while the Jedi might call him a Sith, he actually is not one. He says he has no name, after all – but based on The Stranger’s eclectic armor and apparent philosophy, there might actually be a group from Star Wars Legends that he fits in to.

One Star Wars Legends Force Cult May Hold The Answer

The Legendary And Rebellious Jensaarai

The 1998 novel I, Jedi by Michael A. Stackpole introduced the Jensaarai to Star Wars, yet another non-Jedi Force-using group. Much like the witches of Brendok draw from Legends, Qimir’s true nature could also be inspired by concepts from the old Star Wars timeline. The Jensaarai are a group of Force-users that were mostly former Jedi, who left the Order to pursue Sith-inspired teachings. This could be why The Stranger seems to be so vague in his statement. He’s not a Sith, but he is adjacent.

Jensaarai warriors were powerful fighters who, after their founder’s death, believed that the Jedi were a murderous, evil group. This could easily explain The Stranger’s attitude. While not everything about him matches up with the Jensaarai, the Jensaarai were known for using cortosis in their unique, bronze armor sets, something very distinct about the menacing character in The Acolyte. This metal disabled lightsabers when they struck it, something seen clearly in episode 5.

Could Qimir Be A Canon Jensaarai?

Not A Jedi, Not A Sith, Inspired By Both

Being a very prominent cortosis user, and specifically having armor made out of the metal, definitely draws a connective line between The Stranger and the Jensaarai. With The Acolyte showrunner Leslye Headland’s status as a big fan of the old Star Wars Expanded Universe, it seems possible that he could actually be part of this Force cult. The Jensaarai of Legends were a complicated group that began its existence during the Clone Wars, so things wouldn’t line up perfectly, but it’s still possible.

In fact, this wouldn’t even be the first time that previous non-canon things were shifted further in the timeline for The Acolyte. Ki-Adi-Mundi’s age was brought to over 100 years earlier, so if that can happen, why not bring the Jensaarai earlier too? The Jensaarai were founded by a Jedi that left the Order to pursue Sith teachings he’d found in the Jedi Archives. That kind of backstory could absolutely make sense for Qimir in The Acolyte, especially with his cortosis armor and disdain for the Jedi.

The Acolyte episode 5 is now streaming. New episodes are released every Tuesday at 9 PM ET on Disney+.