Wait, is that terrifying Sith figure in ‘The Acolyte’ really called Darth Teeth?

The Acolyte‘s fourth episode marked its official halfway point, and Round 4 of Leslye Headland’s mystery thriller has begun to show a few cracks in its otherwise solid sheen. The story beats were disjointed, the dialogue was in freefall, and whatever tension it did manage to scrounge up just didn’t quite hit the same. By all appearances, this was the low point of The Acolyte so far.

But, perhaps poetically, redemption came in the form of a mysterious Sith Lord who’s finally chosen to show their face (or, at least, the helmet covering it), and that iconic red glow felt every bit as intimidating as the figure’s grotesquely-shapen mask, which might end up being the last thing at least part of this Sol-led Jedi posse ever sees.

While this introduction was cut far too short, we’ve still got four episodes left to learn what their deal is. But, in saying that, why wait another week to plunge ahead with The Acolyte when indulging in fan theories will surely satiate our curiosity just as effectively?

Some fans mused on the possibility of Qimir’s milquetoast demeanor being a front, when in reality, he’s training Mae so that she can kill the Sith Lord. Upon her failure, the Sith Lord will go on to kill Qimir and reveal himself as Darth Tenebrous, who, of course, goes on to train an apprentice by the name of Plagueis, who you may have heard the tale of.

Others, meanwhile, aren’t throwing away the possibility that the figure could actually be Qimir himself, although they admit that that’s far too obvious of an answer to be satisfying.

As such, many of these like-minded gumshoes have turned to the theory that Mother Koril has spent the last 16 years developing a strong enough grudge against the Jedi to channel it into something more proactive.

Whatever the truth may be, it doesn’t stand a chance against the fandom, who are going hard in the paint to manifest the name Darth Teeth, since this helmet has little teeth on it; the 12-dimensional mental chess of the Star Wars fandom never ceases to amaze.

And, of course, it wouldn’t be a proper villain intro without a sprinkle of thirst thrown into the mix.

In any case, with a Qimir reveal being far too obvious to buy into, it’s hard to tell exactly what sort of turn The Acolyte will be making as it enters the second half of the season, especially now that Mae has effectively ended her campaign against the Jedi. Indeed, all—including the identity of Darth Teeth (oh no, it’s spreading!)—will be revealed in due time.

The Acolyte is currently streaming on Disney Plus, with new episodes releasing every Tuesday night until the season finale on July 16.