Warning! This post contains spoilers for The Acolyte finale.
Summary
The Acolyte’sshowrunner Leslye Headland confirmed in a recent interview that Master Sol’sStar Warsarc is meant to mirrorAnakin Skywalker’s, which certainly explains the way his story ends.The Acolytefinale brought a close to many of the show’s major mysteries (although, notably, not all of them) and also had significant implications forStar Warsmovies and TV shows, the prequel trilogy in particular. However, one of the most shocking revelations was the connection the once seemingly sweet Master Sol had to one ofStar Wars’most powerful Sith.
In an interview withStar Wars,The Acolyte’sshowrunner, Leslye Headland, confirmed that Sol’s complex narrative in the show is meant to be reminiscent of Anakin’s in the prequel trilogy. Specifically, Headland explained:
“There’s this big theme of duality in the show: the twins, the idea that Sol is kind of split in half in terms of his duty as a Jedi, but then also this paternal love that he has for Osha. Those two things cannot coexist, and yet he is attempting to make them coexist.”
Subtly, this meansThe Acolytehad a message very similar to the prequel trilogy’s own:the Jedi who have major attachments are doomed to fail.
Why Vernestra Lies About Sol In The Acolyte Episode 8
The Acolyte finale revealed that Vernestra Rwoh took it upon herself to conceal what had transpired from the Senate and the Jedi out of necessity.
Sol
Like Anakin,Master Sol struggled with attachments, and it led to his demise. However, Master Sol’s attachment to Osha was much more confusing than Anakin Skywalker’s attachments were. In Anakin’s case, his obsession with not losing the people he loved (not only Padmé but also Obi-Wan Kenobi, his master, and Ahsoka Tano, his Padawan) stemmed from trauma, specifically the death of his mother inStar Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones.
Master Sol’s attachment to Osha was much more confusing than Anakin Skywalker’s attachments were.
While, yes, Anakin’s attachment to Padmé was undoubtedly stronger and more problematic in the long run than the rest were,his issues with attachment went beyond just one person. This was not true of Master Sol, who seemed downright obsessed with Osha and the thought of saving her essentially as soon as he met her. Most curious of all was that this issue with attachment didn’t seem to extend to Sol’s other Padawan, Jecki Lon. In fact, Jecki seems bewildered by Master Sol’s change in behavior at the beginning ofThe Acolyte.
Nevertheless, as Anakin did, Master Sol proved that attachments can quite literally be deadly. Attachment to Osha was the very reasonwhy Master Sol killed Mother Aniseya, as he believed her to be in danger and would have stopped at nothing to ‘rescue’ her. This obsession persisted until the very end, when Sol was convinced he had still done the right thing by killing Mother Aniseya.Osha, who choked Sol to death upon learning what he’d done, didn’t agree.
Master Sol proved that attachments can quite literally be deadly.
As Headland explains, this dynamic is a parallel to Anakin’s own story and his struggles. While it may have been the thought of losing Padmé that ultimately drove Anakin completely to the dark, Ahsoka leaving the Jedi Order nevertheless propelled him toward that dark path, too, because he couldn’t really bear to lose her. Moreover, Anakin’s inability to choose between the life of a Jedi and a life spent with Padmé tore him apart and contributed to his fall, mirroring Sol’s inability to decide between his paternal love for Osha and following the way of the Jedi inThe Acolyte.
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.
