The Acolyte's big new arrival is already the focus of Sith theories

The Acolyte episode 8 was packed with major moments, but one deceptively small introduction could be hiding a massively important character.

The following will contain spoilers for The Acolyte finale, so make sure you're up to date before you read on!

In the episode, David Harewood's Senator Rayencourt is introduced. He's no fan of the Jedi, and he clashes with Vernestra over his plans for an external review of the Jedi Order – and the fact that Vernestra has been covering up a murder investigation.

While on the surface Rayencourt appears to be a regular Senator, some Star Wars fans have already predicted that he'll turn out to be a Sith.

"So my headcanon says the Senator Rayencourt is Darth Tenebrous (an ambitious Senator with an anti-Jedi sentiment gaining in power and popularity – the archetype that Palpatine modeled his career after. Rayencourt wants to weaken the Jedi's power and popularity by bringing them under review and thus the clutches of a bureaucratic Senate. Essentially hobbling them to be subservient to the growing greed and complacency of the political system. The Brendok coverup fell into his lap as a perfect catalyst to enact his 'plan,'" predicts one person .

Tenebrous is Darth Plagueis's Master – and Plagueis is introduced in the finale , too, watching Qimir and Osha from a cave on the mysterious island planet .

Another fan has a similar idea: "What if Senator Rayencourt is Darth Tenebrous. He is training Plagueis and Qimir at the same time. Rayencourt seems to be very against the Jedi. He broke the rule of two and took Qimir as his second secret apprentice. Plagueis got suspicious and eventually discovered Qimir. That scene in The Acolyte is him spying on his competitor."

Some other fan theories about The Acolyte have proved true, like Vernestra being Qimir's former Master and The Stranger's true identity turning out to be Qimir himself, but it remains to be seen if this particular theory proves correct.

The Acolyte is streaming on Disney Plus now. For more on the show, check out our deep dives below:

• The Acolyte episodes 1-4 review
• The Acolyte episode 5 review
• The Acolyte episode 6 review
• The Acolyte episode 7 review
• A guide to The Acolyte
• What is the Great Hyperspace Disaster ?
• What is cortosis ?
• What is vergence ?
• What is The High Republic? The Acolyte’s new Star Wars era explained
• When does The Acolyte take place on the Star Wars timeline?
• New Star Wars show The Acolyte's sets were so big and detailed, the actors needed a map to get around and were literally “tripping on mushrooms”
• Squid Game’s Lee Jung-jae on joining The Acolyte, making history as a Jedi, and why he thinks Russian Doll’s Leslye Headland has a "fresh take" on Star Wars
• The Acolyte creator talks pitching The High Republic – and the biggest challenge behind the new Star Wars era
• Star Wars' cute new droid has an incredibly wholesome inspiration behind it
• The Acolyte crew built lightsabers for the new Star Wars show that could be used "the way Darth Maul and Qui-Gon Jinn use them"
• Upcoming Star Wars movies
• Star Wars timeline
• How to watch the Star Wars movies in order