Fans who saw The Acolyte must be wondering if Qimir, aka The Stranger, is the First Knight of Ren who inspired Kylo Ren. The fifth episode of the new Star Wars revealed that Qimir was actually Mae’s mysterious dark side master and the latest episode revealed a bit more about his origins and backstory. However, Qimir, having sported a mask eerily similar to Kylo Ren’s own prior to his reveal, has made fans wonder whether he inspired Adam Driver‘s character in the sequel trilogy in any way.
So, is Qimir the First Knight of Ren? How does the Stranger connect to Kylo Ren? Here are your answers.
Is Qimir the First Knight of Ren?
The Acolyte does not explicitly refer to Qimir as the First Knight of Ren. However, the fifth episode contained some instances that seemed to hint he was likely the First Knight of Ren or at least a precusor figure who would eventually lay the foundation for the group.
The first instance is his insistence on wearing a mask and refusing to take it off, when demanded to do so by Master Sol. Qimir threatened to kill the Jedi when his mask was broken by Jecki Lon and his anonymity was ruined. In Star Wars canon, the Knights of Ren were known for wearing a mask as they believed it made them more anonymous and thus more frightening.
The second instance is the appearance and design of Qimir’s mask. Each member of the Knights of Ren, including Kylo Ren, had a unique design in their mask, as seen by their brief appearances in the sequel trilogy.
The third instance is Qimir not referring himself as a Sith. Moreover, the latest episode also saw him reveal he was a former Jedi. Given that he is proficient in the ways of the Force and is currently neither Jedi nor Sith, it makes him a force-user similar to the Knights of Ren. This teases the possibility that he may eventually find a group that would likely become the earliest iteration of the Knights of Ren or a precusor group whose ideologies would flow into them.
How is Qimir connected to Kylo Ren?
Qimir does not have any explicit connection to Kylo Ren. However, his mask, use of force-healing and Kylo Ren’s theme playing in the background when he force-heals Osha in the fifth episode appear to tease some kind of connection.
But Qimir explicitly stated in Episode 5 that he had a disregard for rules. This would make him similar to Ren, who, as per Nerdist, lived a lawless and rule-free life and did what he wanted. He was eventually killed by Kylo Ren himself before the latter usurped his leadership position within the Knights of Ren.
