While the reception of Star Wars’ latest TV show, Star Wars: The Acolyte, has mostly been divided, it seems there’s finally a new unifying force that has convinced everyone to tune in: the Sith Lord. The Acolyte episode 5 finally unveiled the mysterious dark side user as Qimir (Manny Jacinto) in what is perhaps Star Wars’ most brutal fight sequence yet. Countless Jedi were massacred at Qimir’s hands, including fan-favorites Jecki Lon (Dafne Keen) and Yord Fandar (Charlie Barnett), and his brutality nearly made Master Sol (Lee Jung-jae) succumb to the dark side.

While Qimir was the obvious choice for the secret identity of the Sith Lord, known officially as “The Stranger,” his reveal was still a shock because of the way it was done. What was most shocking, however, was just how much – and how quickly – The Acolyte viewers would take a liking to him. While The Stranger had already gotten people’s attention with his menacing arrival in The Acolyte episode 4, seeing him in action, and then seeing his face, changed everything – and it’s following a Star Wars pattern that’s been ongoing for decades.

People Are Crushing Hard On Qimir’s Sith Lord

Viewers Already Can’t Get Enough Of The Stranger

In the aftermath of The Acolyte episode 5, there was a lot to process, but one thing was made clear straightaway: Jacinto’s Sith Lord had already become the internet’s newest hyperfixation. The shift Jacinto was able to make from the silly Qimir to the threatening Stranger, as well as the costuming that put his arms on display, captivated audiences in a way that many dark side Force users in Star Wars often have. Despite all the darkness of the episode, the unifying message was that it was worth it to meet The Stranger in such a way.

Now, viewers everywhere are proving just how big the collective crush on The Stranger truly is. Posts about him on X (formerly Twitter) are going viral, and fancam video edits have never been made faster. This has caused the impact of The Stranger to move beyond the mere audience of The Acolyte that has already been tuning in ever since its premiere. There’s a further reach these posts and fancams have that is, at last, giving The Acolyte the promotion it truly deserves.

This Crush Is Convincing New Viewers To Watch The Acolyte

The Stranger Has Drawn A Brand-New Audience

Image via Disney+

Social media is introducing new viewers to The Acolyte via Jacinto’s Sith Lord, and what’s equally surprising and unsurprising is that it’s motivating this new crowd to actually tune into the Star Wars TV show. One such post that’s currently having this effect is a fancam made by jeronandor, which – at the time of writing – has close to 10,000 likes, 2,000 reposts, and nearly 1,500 bookmarks for those who want to watch it again and again. Even better are the replies and quotes, which are full of people declaring that it’s time for them to tune in to The Acolyte.

The consensus seems to be that watching The Acolyte will be more than worth it for these new viewers. This isn’t the first time such a phenomenon has happened, especially not in Star Wars; Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren motivated many new audiences to watch the Star Wars sequel trilogy, and Pedro Pascal’s Din Djarin also led many non-Star Wars enthusiasts to watch The Mandalorian. It seems Star Wars is finally falling into a familiar pattern with The Acolyte, particularly with its main dark side character.

Star Wars Has A Pattern With Its Dark Side Villains

Many Have Drawn The Attraction Of The Audience

The Stranger is simply continuing an iconic Star Wars pattern that has already been running for decades. It could certainly be debated whether this began with Darth Vader himself in the original Star Wars trilogy or Darth Maul in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, but either way, it has since stuck through the years. The two most prominent examples are no doubt Hayden Christensen’s Anakin Skywalker and Driver’s Kylo Ren, both of whom have long since been the apples of many viewers’ eyes, despite their Star Wars crimes. (“I can fix him, no really, I can!”)

It has given The Acolyte another familiar and strong way to market to brand-new audiences – just as Star Wars already has been for decades.

Jacinto’s Sith Lord is now following in their footsteps. This is especially ironic considering that The Acolyte is already drawing a connection between The Stranger and Kylo Ren with its score, which subtly played Kylo Ren’s motif at the end of episode 5. While it’s quite amusing to witness, it’s also quite brilliant, as it has given The Acolyte another familiar and strong way to market to brand-new audiences – just as Star Wars already has been for decades.

The Acolyte Episode 5 Makes The Buildup Worth It

The Stranger’s Reveal Was Obvious, Yet Still Shocking

Now that so many new viewers will be flocking to The Acolyte, the question is whether the four episodes building up to The Stranger’s debut will be worth it or not – and the consensus is that they absolutely are. As a new audience tunes in for Qimir and The Stranger, they will no doubt find themselves attached to other characters as well, which will make them feel all the deep emotions of episode 5. The wait will also be worth it for the incredible fight sequence, which allows The Stranger to shine with his power and unique fighting style.

The Acolyte has so far been a slow burn, but episode 5 proves that it’s worth sticking around for. Much of this is because of The Stranger and Jacinto’s excellent performance in the role, which already has audiences demanding an Emmy nomination at minimum. While the primary motivation for many new viewers will be the crush they have on The Stranger, it’s hard to imagine that the other aspects of this story won’t draw them in further. Time will tell just how much The Stranger impacts The Acolyte and its viewership, but so far, he’s been very convincing.

The Acolyte episode 5 is now streaming. New episodes release Tuesdays at 9 PM ET on Disney+.