Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for The Acolyte episode 7.
Summary
The Acolyteepisode 7 finally revealedwhat truly happened on Brendok, and with that revelation came these 10 incredible insights aboutStar Wars’mysterious twins, Osha and Mae.The Acolytestands out as truly unique amongStar Wars’movies and TV showsbecause it is billed as a mystery thriller. Thus far, the show has proven that description true, with countless massive plot twists.
Now,The Acolytehas just one episode left before its season 1 finale (although no second season has been confirmed), and the penultimate episode provided brand-new, pivotal information ahead of that conclusion. Specifically, one of the most significant mysteries in the show has been what truly transpired between the Jedi andthe witches of Brendok16 years prior to the events ofThe Acolyte, and finally, that has been uncovered. In fact, not only did episode 7 finally address the mystery of Brendok, but it also revealed these 10 shocking details about Osha and Mae’s origins.
All 10 Star Wars Easter Eggs In The Acolyte Episode 7
The Acolyte episode 7 features a collection of exciting Easter eggs and references to the High Republic Era and greater Star Wars canon.
Episode 7 Confirmed The Fire Was A Mistake
Mae
The former Padawan of Jedi Master Sol, Mae gets swept up into a sinister mystery—one that puts her into the center of a conflict in unexpected ways.
As many had suspected asThe Acolyteprogressed,Mae didn’t really mean to start the fire on Brendok. Although Mae had threatened to kill Osha and lit Osha’s book on fire, the larger fire that grew was due to an accident, wherein Mae dropped the book, allowing the flames to spread. In fact, Mae went from a terrifying villainous character in episode 3 to a scared little girl who ran to find her mother for help in episode 7.
Mae went from a terrifying villainous character in episode 3 to a scared little girl who ran to find her mother for help in episode 7.
The Acolytehas yet to address why Mae made such an alarming threat to Osha at this point, although it’s unlikely to do so. This moment, although alarming, can likely be chalked up to harsh words expressed between sisters, especially with the added context that Mae’s mother, Mother Koril, had encouraged her to tap into her anger (and therefore the dark side) to keep her sister from leaving. Nevertheless, Mae has been proven innocent, at least to the extent that she didn’t intentionally start the fire—although Osha doesn’t know it.
Despite Master Sol’s Perception, Mother Aniseya Was Not The Aggressor
Mother Aniseya
Mother Aniseya is the leader of a coven of Witches who value their independence and the preservation of their beliefs and powers.
Mother Aniseya has proven to be an incredibly complex character, and, in truth, episode 7 only made her even more complicated. The methods she used to create the twins still remain ambiguous, but it’s clear that she was incredibly strong with the Force, and she led a coven of witches with arguably questionable intentions. However, for Mother Aniseya specifically, it seems as though her intentions were in the right place.
Indeed,episode 7 revealed not only that Mother Aniseya was going to let Osha go with the Jedi but also that she wanted the encounter with the Jedi to remain non-violent. While episode 3 had already suggested that Mother Aniseya was going to support Osha’s choice, the revelation that Mother Aniseya had actively wanted the confrontation with the Jedi to remain peaceful was new. Truthfully, episode 7 shed greater light upon how tragic Mother Aniseya’s death was, as she seems to have genuinely been a good mother who wanted the best for her girls.
Master Sol Became Obsessed With “Saving” Osha, Jeopardizing His Morals
Sol
Master Sol is a wise, highly respected, powerful Jedi Master, strong in the ways of the Force, who is going through emotional conflict.
One of the most shocking reveals inThe Acolyteepisode 7 was thatMaster Sol was primarily at fault for what happened on Brendok, and it had plenty to do with his almost odd interest in Osha. Despite the twins being (generally) happy and safe on Brendok, Sol got it in his head that they were in danger—especially Osha. In fact, Sol reached nearly delusional heights in his pursuit of protecting Osha, and as Master Indara accurately pointed out, this stemmed from attachment.
Sol reached nearly delusional heights in his pursuit of protecting Osha.
This is a far cry from how Master Sol seemed in episode 3. Originally, Sol came across as a compassionate Jedi who just wanted to give Osha a true choice about the shape her future would take. The truth was so much more disturbing, and it opens up some interesting questions about what comes next for Sol and Osha, especially as she has grown to see him as a father figure and doesn’t know he killed her mother.
7The Jedi Framed Mae
The Jedi Allowed Osha To Believe Her Sister Killed The Coven
The revelation that the Jedi framed Mae for the murder of her entire coven, her mothers included, was absolutely devastating. Sol successfully convinced Osha that it was Mae who killed the coven because of the fire she started (which Osha believed because she had seen Mae start the fire, and Mae seems to have always had violent tendencies). In truth,Sol stabbed Mother Aniseya with a lightsaber as she tried to protect Mae, right in front of Mae’s eyes.
Mae was left sobbing over the corpse of her mother, which the Jedi bore witness to, and still, they used her as a scapegoat. For Mae, obviously, this was cruelty on top of cruelty, as she was blamed for the murder of her beloved mother by the very people who actually killed her. For Osha, this is equally tragic; she grew up wrongly resenting her sister, presumably her only living family member remaining, and was effectively raised by her mother’s true murderer.
She grew up wrongly resenting her sister, presumably her only living family member remaining, and was effectively raised by her mother’s true murderer.
6Sol Chose To Let Mae Fall
Master Sol Decided To Save Osha’s Life Over Mae’s
Sol really couldn’t have looked worse in this episode, and that continued even after he killed Mother Aniseya. Specifically, the scene in which Mae and Osha are each reaching for one another but Mae falls to what Osha believed was her death had essential context added in episode 7. In the episode, it is revealed that Master Sol was holding up both sides of the bridge, each with one twin atop it, but in the end, he dropped Mae to save Osha.
This just furthers the point that Master Sol’s fixation on making Osha his Padawan had entirely clouded his judgment. Already, viewers have pointed out that it’s illogical for Sol to have been trying to hold up two sides of the bridge when he could have just used the Force to catch the girls themselves. Rather than poor writing, though, this shows Sol’s mindset at the time;all he cared about was ‘saving’ Osha.
5Mae Saw Her Mother’s Murder
Mae’s Trauma Was So Much Worse Than It Seemed
As mentioned,The Acolyteepisode 7 revealed that Mae had directly seen Mother Aniseya be killed by Master Sol. Because episode 3 hadn’t shown her death (as that was a major part of the mystery), this aspect of Mae’s background hadn’t been revealed. Instead, in episode 3, Mae told Osha that their mother was dead, but Osha, along with the audience, believed that she knew this because she was at fault, either intentionally or accidentally.
This new information significantly changes Mae’s character. Now,she has gone from the ruthless killer she seemed to be inThe Acolyte’sfirst few episodes to a traumatized little girl on a quest for revenge. In fact, frankly, this quest for revenge now seems much more justified.The Acolytefinale will undoubtedly include fascinating character development for both Mae and Master Sol, but the show might be hard-pressed to make Mae seem like the villain and Sol seem like the hero in light of all that has transpired.
4The Witches Of Brendok Wanted To Control Their Fates
Only Mother Aniseya Wanted To Let Osha Choose Her Future
Although the Jedi were unquestionably at fault for much of what happened in episode 7,the witches of Brendok weren’t entirely innocent. On the contrary, their willingness to control Mae and Osha for their own benefit makes them look at best selfish and at worst nefarious. While Mother Aniseya wanted to honor Osha’s wishes and allow her to go with the Jedi if she so chose, the witches were outraged, demanding that Mother Aniseya think of the coven as much as if not more than she thought of her daughters.
Their willingness to control Mae and Osha for their own benefit makes them look at best selfish and at worst nefarious.
This is one of few examples of Sol being right during episode 7. Sol had told Indara that the witches did not treat Osha and Mae as children. While Mother Aniseya arguably did, it seems the rest of the coven truly didn’t; rather, they saw Osha and Mae as their hope for the future, which they clearly intended to use to their advantage, even if it came at the girls' expense.
3Mother Koril Wanted Mae To Use Her Anger
Mother Koril Was Clearly More In Touch With The Dark Side
Of the witches,Mother Koril seemed to be the most concerning and, perhaps, even corrupt. In truth, there was something unsettling about Mother Koril from the very beginning, as she was much rougher with the girls. While, in episode 3, this really could have come down to different priorities and parenting styles, in episode 7, it became clear that, unlike Mother Aniseya, Mother Koril was operating fully on the dark side of the Force.
Mae’s threat of killing Osha seemed odd and entirely out of left field in episode 7 because, although she clearly had violent tendencies, Mae obviously loved her sister. However, episode 7 revealed that, just before that, Koril had thrown Mae to the ground, telling her to stop Osha and use her anger to do so. Mother Koril encouraging Mae to use her anger is strongly suggestive of the dark side of the Force, and it helps explain why Mae’s behavior in that scene was so terrifying.
2Mae And Osha Are Two Parts Of The Same Consciousness
Osha And Mae Are So Much More Than Twins
Calling upon the controversial concept of midi-chlorians, or m-counts as they are at times called, Indara, Sol, and Torbin discover not only that the twins have high m-counts, but also that their symbionts are identical. WhileThe Acolytehas yet to explain what exactly a ‘symbiont’ refers to in this context,Indara concludes that this could mean Osha and Mae are the same consciousness split into two bodies. That is, the twins wouldn’t truly be twins at all.
Star Wars: Midi-Chlorians, Symbionts, & M-Counts Explained
The Star Wars movies and TV shows have often referenced midi-chlorians and “M-counts”, but what are they and how do they connect to the Force?
This would be brand-new, revolutionary territory even forStar Wars, but it would certainly explain a lot aboutThe Acolyte’stwins. In fact, this truth was hidden in plain sight throughout the show, specifically in the girls' mantra they often repeated.“Always one, but born as two"has always seemed a bit odd and vague in particular, yet this would explain it. Perhaps Osha and Mae are quite literally one born as two, the implications of which would be immense.
Perhaps Osha and Mae are quite literally one born as two, the implications of which would be immense.
Like Anakin, Mae And Osha Are A Vergence
Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader
Conceived by the will of the Force itself, Anakin Skywalker was the prophesied Chosen One, destined to bring the Force into balance. Anakin struggled to balance competing attachments to the Jedi Order and his wife Padmé Amidala, and ultimately fell to the dark side, becoming Darth Vader. For years he served as Palpatine’s right hand man, but he was ultimately redeemed by the faith of his son, Luke Skywalker. Now a Force Ghost, Anakin continues to act as an agent of balance.
Arguably the most controversial decisionThe Acolyteepisode 7 made was to identify Mae and Osha as a ‘vergence’ in the Force, a concept that essentially boils down to a place, object, or person that holds an exceptionally strong Force connection. Already,The Acolytehad received significant criticism for allegedly borrowing from Anakin Skywalker’sStar Warsstory for Osha and Mae, predominantly because they too seem to have been created by the Force. However, revealing the twins as a Force vergence takes this one step further.
In addition to believing Anakin Skywalker wasthe Chosen One, Qui-Gon Jinn identified Anakin as a vergence in the Force, which increased his belief that Anakin had to be trained as a Jedi. Now, Osha’s story has been aligned with Anakin’s even more; the list also includes their mysterious conceptions, older age as Jedi Initiates, and father figure Jedi saviors. What makes this alignment all the stranger is that only 100 years pass between Osha’s and Anakin’s; presumably, someone would have connected the dots.
One episode remains inThe Acolyte, so perhaps these oddities will be addressed. However, how one episode could resolve all of these questions and issues (and so many more) is unclear. Either way,The Acolyteepisode 7 revealed a tremendous amount of new information about Osha and Mae, indicating so much more not only about their complex pasts but also what they will face in the show’s finale.
The finale of The Acolyte releases on Tuesday, July 16th, at 9 PM EST/6 PM PST on Disney+.
The Acolyte
Cast
The Acolyte is a television series set in the Star Wars universe at the end of the High Republic Era, where both the Jedi and the Galactic Empire were at the height of their influence. This sci-fi thriller sees a former Padawan reunite with her former Jedi Master as they investigate several crimes - all leading to darkness erupting from beneath the surface and preparing to bring about the end of the High Republic.
