Star Wars: The Acolyte Episode Guide

Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for The Acolyte season 1.

Summary

• Star Wars: The Acolyte will have eight episodes in total, released weekly on Tuesday nights on Disney+.
• The Acolyte follows a rash of Jedi killings set in the High Republic era, and the dark forces behind them all.
• Each episode of The Acolyte is packed with new information and references, Easter eggs and trivia from the history of the franchise.

The newest Star Wars show, The Acolyte, has now begun, and each episode is packed with interesting details. The Acolyte follows a weekly release schedule where episodes debut on Disney+, but its first two episodes premiered together on June 4. The Acolyte will have eight episodes in total, with the finale set to release on July 16. New episodes are available at 6 p.m. PT, 9 p.m. ET on Tuesdays in the United States, and 2 a.m. BST on Wednesdays in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

As it is set in the High Republic era, The Acolyte breaks quite a bit of new ground for the franchise. It’s the first live-action Star Wars show or movie that has so far broken away from the Skywalker saga era, and The Acolyte features a cast of new characters. With so many new elements being introduced in each episode, as well as the references to other parts of Star Wars lore, it can be hard to keep up. This guide can serve as a way to navigate each new episode, and it has everything you need to know about The Acolyte.

1 The Acolyte Season 1, Episode 1 “Lost/Found”

Written By: Leslye Headland

Lost/Found begins with a masked assassin challenging Jedi Master Indara to a fight. After a prolonged battle where it is revealed the two previously knew each other, the attacker kills Indara and makes her escape. Osha Aniseya, a former Jedi Padawn turned meknek for CorpSec, is arrested by Jedi Knight Yord Fandar, as she matches the description of Indara’s killer. Jedi Master Sol is sent to question his former student, but Osha crash lands on a snowy planet after the other prisoners on her transport attempt to escape. Sol, his Padawan Jecki Lon, and Yord find Osha, where she reveals the attacker was her twin, Mae.

Biggest Takeaways

• Mae Aniseya killed Jedi Master Indara, but the Jedi initially suspected her twin sister, Osha.
• Osha was Master Sol’s former Padawan, but she left the Jedi Order and became a meknek for CorpSec.
• Jedi Knight Yord Fandar knew Osha when they were both Padawans, and he arrested her for Indara’s murder.
• The Jedi want to keep Indara’s murder secret to avoid giving their political enemies an advantage.
• After the other prisoners’ escape attempt, Osha crash landed on Carlac and received a vision of her twin, Mae.
• Sol, along with his Padawan Jecki Lon and Yord, apprehended Osha on Carlac, and chose to believe that Mae was still alive and responsible for Indara’s murder.
• Mae’s Master wants her to kill a Jedi without using a weapon.

References & Trivia

• The Acolyte began with introductory text on screen that was different from the classic opening crawl featured in the Skywalker saga. Another Star Wars show, Ahsoka, has featured such an introduction.
• Indara used Force Stasis several times, a power that allowed its user to stop something in midair and was first seen in live-action when Kylo Ren used it in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
• A major part of becoming a Sith apprentice was killing a Jedi and “bleeding” their kyber crystal to turn it red. Despite this, Mae did not take Indara’s lightsaber, indicating she still had more to do before her initiation.
• Osha uses magnetomic gription boots to stick to the hull of her ship while working as a meknek. The boots first appeared in Solo: A Star Wars Story, when they were used by the range troopers during the train heist.
• Osha’s droid, Pip, is the first handheld droid depicted in Star Wars.
• The Acolyte features the first Neimoidian in live-action since Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. They represent the Trade Federation, as they did in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace.
• Yord Fandar’s Padawan, Tasi Lowa, is the first Zygerrian to appear in live-action, and the first on-screen depiction of a Zygerrian Jedi since the species was introduced to canon in Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
• Yord mentions that Osha is in “CorpSec,” a reference to the Corporate Zone, a sector in the Outer Rim that was governed by the Corporate Sector Authority. The CSA was first introduced in “Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel.”
• Vernestra Rwoh has a long history with the High Republic novels, where she was introduced as a very young Knight. She now appears to be a high ranking member of the Jedi Council.
• Sol mentioned that the Jedi had to keep Indara’s murder secret because of their “political enemies.” It’s unclear who he is referring to, but the Jedi of the High Republic had one standout enemy 100 years before The Acolyte: the Nihil, a group of marauders who controlled a large part of the Outer Rim known as the Occlusion Zone.
• Mae’s words to Osha during her vision, “Always one, but born as two,” could be a reference to the Force dyad, and could indicate that the twins are part of one together.

2 The Acolyte Season 1, Episode 2 “Revenge/Justice”

Written By: Jason Micallef, Charmaine DeGrate, Leslye Headland

Mae continues her attack on the Jedi, this time travelling to Olega to kill Master Torbin. After a failed first attempt, Mae meets her ally, a smuggler named Qimir, who mixes a poison for her. Yord voices his distrust of Osha, but Sol assures him that his former Padawan is an ally in their mission. When the Jedi arrive at the temple on Olega, Mae convinces Torbin to drink her poison just before Osha can discover them. The Jedi then interrogate Qimir with Osha’s help and set a trap for Mae, but she was able to escape and continue her Jedi hunt before she could be captured.

Biggest Takeaways

• Osha and Sol both feel like they failed each other during Osha’s Jedi training.
• Qimir is a smuggler who knows Mae’s Sith Master, and he helped her on her quest to kill four Jedi Masters by creating a poison for her.
• Torbin drank Mae’s poison willingly, and claimed he thought they were doing the right thing 16 years earlier, when Sol and other Jedi rescued Osha on Brendok.
• The Jedi learned that Mae has a Master after setting a trap for Qimir and interrogating him.
• Osha is angry with Mae and wants revenge against her for starting the fire that killed the rest of their family on Brendok.
• Osha and Mae both know the other is alive, but since Osha tried to stun Mae, they likely won’t have a happy family reunion.
• Sol and the other Jedi must report back to the Jedi Council and await their decision before helping the Wookiee Jedi Master Kelnacca.
• Mae and Qimir are headed to Khofar to confront Kelnacca, one of the four Jedi Mae wants to kill.

References & Trivia

• The Acolyte episode 2 features a two-eyed variation of the TT-8L security droid. This also marks the droid’s fourth live-action appearance after being introduced in Return of the Jedi outside Jabba the Hutt’s palace and appearing in two episodes of The Mandalorian.
• The Temple on Olega was part of a Jedi Outpost, which the Order had established on various planets throughout the galaxy to help the local population and establish a Jedi presence in the area throughout the High Republic.
• Qimir’s line that “peace is a lie” is the first line of the Sith code, a dark side counterpart to the Jedi code.
• Mae mentions that Torbin took the Barash vow, which saw a Jedi dedicate themselves only to the Force as a form of atonement. It was first introduced in Darth Vader (2017) #2.
• The scavengers at the end of the episode were speaking Huttese, which was the language of Jabba the Hutt and spoken in many parts of the Outer Rim.
• Master Kelnacca is the first Wookiee Jedi to appear in live-action. He is one of only 10 Wookiee Jedi in Star Wars canon and Legends.
• Each episode’s title seems to reference the dichotomy between Osha and Mae, and the light and dark sides of the Force.

3 The Acolyte Season 1, Episode 3 “Destiny”

Written By: Jasmyne Flournoy & Eileen Shim

Sixteen years before the rest of The Acolyte, Mae and Osha’s family, a coven of witches led by Mother Aniseya, hide on Brendok. As a ritual called the Ascension draws nearer, Osha expresses hesitancy about becoming a witch. During the Ascension, four Jedi – Indara, Sol, Kelnacca, and Torbin – interrupt and demand to test Mae and Osha’s Force abilities. Mother Aniseya instructs them to fail the test on purpose, but Osha refuses to lie. Mae then starts a fire to kill Osha. As Osha escapes, Mae seemingly falls to her demise, and Sol rescues Osha. On their way out, Osha sees the dead bodies of the coven’s witches.

Biggest Takeaways

• Mae wanted her and Osha to be almost inseparable, but Osha was much more independent as a child. Throughout the episode, the connection between Osha and Mae was heavily emphasized, and it was implied that nothing could separate them for long.
• Mother Aniseya’s coven settled on Brendok to hide themselves from the galaxy, who was hostile to the idea of Force-sensitive witches.
• The coven referred to the Force as “the Great Thread” and took a unique view of it. Like the Jedi, they saw the Thread as something that connected all living things, but they also viewed it as a type of destiny, although that destiny could be changed.
• Mae completed her Ascension ceremony and was given a marking on her forehead, but the Jedi interrupted before Osha could finish hers.
• Mother Aniseya instructed Mae and Osha to fail their Jedi tests on purpose, but Osha told the truth and succeeded. Osha later revealed she wanted to become a Jedi, not a witch.
• Mother Aniseya had previously expressed that Osha’s desires were just a result of her young age, but she accepted that if Osha wanted to “pull the Thread,” she could change her own destiny, even though that meant they would never see each other again.
• Mae started a fire to kill Osha as an attempt to keep her from leaving with the Jedi.
• Sol saved Osha’s life, but they saw the notably unburnt bodies of the witches on their way out. Sol then took Osha to Coruscant to be trained as a Jedi.

References & Trivia

• The Acolyte season 1, episode 3 broke from the first two episodes’ lead and has a one-word title. Previously, the titles emphasized opposing ideas, and this episode’s title could be a reference to the fact that it depicts a time when Mae and Osha were more closely linked together.
• There were two references to food items in Star Wars. One was the spice creams, which were first introduced in a Galaxy’s Edge cookbook, and the other was the fruit Mother Aniseya levitated, which was likely a jogun, a fruit that appears in various projects, notably Star Wars Rebels.
• There are several parallels between The Acolyte‘s coven and the Nightsisters of Dathomir. Like the Nightsisters, the coven was being persecuted by the galaxy and featured exclusively female Force-wielders.
• Koril mentioned that Mother Aniseya “created” Mae and Osha, which could be a reference to how Darth Plagueis created life with the Force. It also serves as a reference to Anakin Skywalker, a notable example of a person who was born without a father.
• “The Great Thread” is not the first alternative name for the Force. For example, the Lasat called it “Ahsla,” the Fallanassi called the light side the “White Current” and the dark side the “Dark Tide.” Other groups had several other names for the same concept.
• The moons of Brendok, which eclipsed during the Ascension, resemble The Acolyte‘s logo, and could be a reference to Mae and Osha’s representation of the light and dark sides of the Force.
• The show will likely revisit the Jedi’s visit to Brendok, as there are still several unanswered questions after The Acolyte episode 3.

4 The Acolyte Season 1, Episode 4 “Day”

Written By: Claire Kiechel & Kor Adana

Osha tells Jecki that she can’t face Mae again while Sol reports what he knows of Mae and her Master to the Jedi. Mae and Qimir land on Khofar and begin searching for Kelnacca. Sol convinces Osha to join him on his mission to save Kelnacca’s life, along with Yord, Jecki, and several other Jedi. With the help of Bazil, the Jedi begin tracking Kelnacca, but Osha awakens a creature that attacks them in the jungle. Mae traps Qimir and tells him that her allegiance is to Osha, not her Master, and that she plans to surrender herself to Kelnacca. When she arrives at his hiding place, Kelnacca has already been killed. A helmeted Sith Lord then descends from the shadows and attacks Osha and the Jedi.

Biggest Takeaways

• A group of Jedi Masters believed Mae was trained by a Jedi, not a Sith.
• Vernestra Rwoh convinced the other Jedi to keep the information about Mae and her Master secret from the Jedi High Council, so they wouldn’t have to report it to the Galactic Senate. Vernestra also seemed more nervous about Mae’s Master than the rest of the Jedi.
• Qimir and Mae discussed whether it is even possible to kill a Jedi without a weapon. Qimir said that he “owes” their Master.
• Sol convinced Osha to come with him and a group of Jedi to Khofar to confront Mae and protect Kelnacca. Sol believed that there was still good in Mae, and that Osha could help her realize it.
• With the help of a tracker named Bazil, the Jedi began searching the forest for Kelnacca. Yord told Osha that he believed Sol brought her on the search so Osha could confront her past.
• After being attacked by an Umbramoth, Osha told Jecki that she sensed it, and was troubled by its death. Jecki told her that what she survived was more important than what she lost.
• Mae began to openly question her Master to Qimir, who tried to steer her back to their plan. Later, Mae trapped Qimir in a snare and explained that she would surrender herself to Kelnacca. Mae said Osha’s survival changed everything, and she no longer believed in her revenge mission.
• Sol told Osha they would both face their past, and that he would tell her “everything” after they captured Mae.
• When Mae reached Kelnacca, he had already been killed. Kelnacca had a still-smoldering lightsaber wound in his chest.
• The Sith Lord appeared to Osha and the Jedi. The episode ended with the Sith Lord using a Force blast as their battle began.

References & Trivia

• Kelnacca’s hiding place featured several symbols on the wall. They included the Yin and Yang symbol from Chinese philosophy, as well as some of the spiral patterns seen on Mae’s head and during the Ascension ceremony with the Witches of Brendok.
• Jecki Lon was training with a Bokken, the wooden stick used as a substitute for lightsabers. It was last seen in live-action in Ahsoka.
• Ki-Adi-Mundi, a Cerean Jedi who was on the High Council during the prequel trilogy, made a cameo appearance. He was one of the Masters Vernestra and Sol spoke to about Mae.
• The Jedi reference a “splinter order” that has not appeared in Star Wars canon before. Splinter orders could be a way to explain why the Jedi thought the Sith were extinct during The Phantom Menace.
• Sol’s line about Mae, that there was “still good in her,” seems to be a reference to the original trilogy. Luke Skywalker famously told his father, Darth Vader, “I know there is good in you.”
• Bazil is a Tynnan, a species that first appeared in the Legends novel “Han Solo at Star’s End.” He was designed by Neal Scanlan and his team, who worked on the special effects department of several Star Wars movies and created characters like BB-8 and Babu Frik.
• A Kel Dor Jedi Master was among the party who went searching for Kelnacca. The most famous Kel Dor in Star Wars was Plo Koon. This character is named Ithia Paan, and they are only the second live-action Kel Dor character in the franchise.
• The Acolyte episode 4 introduced a new species, the Umbramoth, to canon. They were attracted to light and rested on the trunks of Khofar’s trees.
• The Sith Lord used levitation to drop in on the Jedi unnoticed, which was a Force power commonly associated with the dark side.

5 The Acolyte Season 1, Episode 5 “Night”

Written By: Kor Adana & Cameron Squires

As Osha regains consciousness, the Sith Lord is easily killing the Jedi by shutting off their lightsabers with his helmet and gauntlet. Sol orders Osha back to the ship, and Yord escorts her back. Meanwhile, Jecki tries to arrest Mae, and after a brief fight, Jecki puts handcuffs on her. Sol and the Sith Lord duel each other until the Sith escapes and goes after Mae. Osha convinces Yord to go back. The Sith Lord cuts Mae’s handcuffs off accidentally while Jecki and Sol team up against him.

Jecki removes his helmet, but the Sith Lord kills her. With his mask removed, the Sith Lord of The Acolyte is revealed to be Qimir. Yord attacks, but Qimir breaks his neck. Osha stuns a fleeing Mae and attracts the Umbramoths to Qimir. Mae then stuns Sol, and the twins have a discussion about their past. Mae knocks Osha out, cuts her own hair, and poses as her twin to gain Sol’s trust. Qimir finds Osha’s unconscious body and puts his cloak over her.

Biggest Takeaways

• The Sith Lord’s helmet and gauntlet could temporarily shut down lightsabers, which gave him a huge advantage in The Acolyte episode 5.
• The Sith Lord knew Mae was going to betray him, and tried to eliminate her for her disloyalty.
• Sol seemingly has a connection to the Sith Lord, likely through Brendok. Sol said he sensed something familiar, and the Sith Lord made multiple references and taunts about Sol’s darkness and his past.
• Qimir is the mysterious Sith Lord of The Acolyte. His identity was revealed after Jecki Lon removed his helmet.
• Qimir killed Jecki Lon using a new trick lightsaber that hid a smaller blade within the handle of his full lightsaber.
• The Sith Lord killed seven of the eight Jedi sent to Khofar. Only Sol, Mae, and Osha survived his attack.
• Mae is convinced Osha was brainwashed by the Jedi, and she still wants them to be family. Osha tried to arrest Mae, but Mae pushed her back with the Force and knocked her unconscious.
• Mae cut her hair to match Osha, and is now pretending to be her while accompanying Sol.
• Qimir seems to have some type of plan for Osha, as he called her an “extraordinary being,” healed her wound with the Force, and covered her with his cloak.

References & Trivia

• Qimir’s helmet and gauntlet were both made out of cortosis, a metal that comes from Star Wars Legends. Cortosis can temporarily shut a lightsaber down, making it useful to the Sith.
• The Acolyte also seemingly confirmed that cortosis can block a Jedi’s ability to read the wearer’s thoughts. Qimir refused to remove his helmet, as doing so would have let Sol see inside his head.
• Yord mentioned that Qimir got inside his head, which seems to be a Sith tactic to throw Jedi off their game in a lightsaber battle. It’s possible Darth Sidious used the same tactic.
• Qimir wields a new type of lightsaber, one that contains a smaller blade hidden within the hilt of the main weapon. This type of dual-wielding lightsaber is similar to Cal Kestis’ lightsaber in the Star Wars Jedi games, but has a few differences as well.
• Qimir’s lightsaber likely used two kyber crystals, which is common among the Sith. Darth Vader and Darth Maul both had two crystals in their lightsabers.
• Kylo Ren’s theme from the Star Wars sequel trilogy plays at several points during The Acolyte episode 5. This could be a hint that Qimir is a member of the Knights of Ren, Kylo Ren’s group, not the Sith.
• Mae echoed Anakin Skywalker’s words to Padmé Amidala in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith when she told Osha that “they’ve turned you against me.”
• Qimir used Force healing on Osha, the first time the ability has been seen in live-action since Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker.

6 The Acolyte Season 1, Episode 6 “Teach/Corrupt”

Written By: Leslye Headland & Jocelyn Bioh

Osha awakens on an unknown planet with the Stranger. Meanwhile, Sol attempts to warn the Jedi on Coruscant of the Stranger and the massacre on Khofar, but the ship’s transmitter malfunctions while Bazil fixes Pip. Osha follows Qimir to the coast, and when he strips down to bathe in the waters, she takes his lightsaber and threatens him, but Qimir says she’s free to leave. Sol tells Mae that he intends to tell the Jedi High Council everything, but the ship loses power before he can. Vernestra Rwoh learns of the massacre on Khofar, and decides to join a small team on a rescue mission. Qimir begins manipulating Osha and questioning Sol.

When Mae goes to fix the ship, Bazil and Pip ambush her, but she resets Pip. Qimir urges Osha to kill him in anger, and questions why the Jedi threw her away. Mae tries to get Sol to tell her about Brendok, but the ship’s power is restored before he begins. Sol stuns Mae after Bazil informs him she’s not Osha. Qimir encourages Osha to try on his cortosis helmet. Vernestra and a Padawan arrive on Khofar just after Sol jumps to hyperspace. They discover the dead Jedi bodies on Khofar and begin to question whether Sol could be responsible. Sol traps Mae and tells her she’s going to listen to his story. Mae puts the cortosis helmet on.

Biggest Takeaways

• The Jedi on Coruscant got part of Sol’s original message, and know that Sol’s team was massacred on Khofar.
• Sol feels incredible grief and guilt for not recognizing that Qimir was the Stranger when they first met, and for not saving the other Jedi’s lives.
• Osha was more worried that Qimir had killed Sol than Mae.
• Sol was seemingly willing to tell the Jedi High Council the full story of what happened on Brendok 16 years prior.
• Vernestra Rwoh is experiencing pressure from the Galactic Senate due to an upcoming review of the Jedi Order. Since she didn’t tell the High Council of the mission to Khofar, she needs to fix it before the Senate finds out.
• Qimir wasn’t holding Osha hostage, and would have allowed her to leave with his ship if she wanted to. Osha chose to stay.
• Mae reset Pip to factory settings, essentially erasing his memories and personality.
• Qimir questioned and challenged multiple parts of Osha’s past. He told her the dark side of the Force would allow her to use her potential more than her Jedi training did, and asserted that the Jedi threw her away.
• Osha nearly gave in to her anger and tried to kill Qimir with his lightsaber. Qimir also revealed he used to be a Jedi long ago.
• Sol defended his choice to not tell Osha what happened on Brendok. He said she was too young to understand, but Mae urged him to tell the full story.
• Bazil told Sol about Mae’s identity, so he stunned her. He then jumped the ship into hyperspace, contradicting an order from Coruscant, just before Vernestra arrived at Khofar.
• Qimir’s cortosis helmet is a sensory deprivation device, meaning he was fighting without his eyesight and using the Force alone.
• Vernestra and a Padawan, Mog, begin to fear a fallen Jedi killed the Jedi on Brendok after finding their bodies and seeing they were killed by lightsabers. They seem to suspect Sol, and Vernestra said that he would “tip the scales.”
• Sol trapped Mae and told her that she would listen to what he had to say after 16 years of thinking about it.
• Osha listened to Qimir and tried on his cortosis helmet, seemingly accepting his invitation to join the dark side.

References & Trivia

• The unknown planet Qimir took Osha to strongly resembles Ahch-To, the planet Luke Skywalker used as a hiding place in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, and where Rey Skywalker was trained.
• Sol’s “emergency code zero” comes from a non-canon Star Wars video game, Empire at War.
• The Stranger’s bath was the first time a character stripped naked in live-action Star Wars. Other characters, like Anakin Skywalker and Kylo Ren, have gone shirtless, but Qimir’s shirtless scene was more intimate and revealing.
• When Mae reset Pip to factory settings, his eyes turned red. This mirrored C3-PO’s eyes when he was reset in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
• Vernestra Rwoh used her famous lightwhip for the first time in live-action Star Wars history. Lightsaber whips were first introduced in Legends 39 years ago.
• Vernestra’s line, “Something to tip the scales,” is a callback to the meeting of Jedi Masters where they sent the team to Khofar. Vernestra originally said it because she felt a larger plot was in motion, one that involved more than just Mae.
• Mae’s breathing while wearing the cortosis helmet sounded like Darth Vader’s iconic breathing while wearing his helmet.
• Kylo Ren’s theme music played during The Acolyte episode 6’s credits.

7 The Acolyte Season 1, Episode 7 “Choice”

Written By: Charmaine De Graté, Jen Richards, & Jasmyne Flournoy

The Acolyte episode 3 returned to the night on Brendok from 16 years prior, but told a different version of events. The Jedi were searching for a Force vergence, and Sol accidentally found Osha and Mae. After sneaking into their compound, he was convinced the witches were putting the twins in danger. Mother Aniseya played on Torbin’s desire to return to Coruscant when she possessed him. Torbin determined that Mae and Osha were created with the Force’s vergence’s help, due to their high midi-chlorian count. Torbin and Sol went to retrieve the twins from the compound.

Mae started the fire on Brendok by accident, not to kill Osha. Sol and Torbin confronted Aniseya and Koril about how the twins were created. After Mae reported the fire, Aniseya tried to flee the compound with her by turning into a cloud of smoke. Sol killed her to prevent her from taking who he thought was Osha. The witches possessed Kelnacca and forced him to fight the Jedi. Indara freed Kelnacca, but she incapacitated the witches in the process. Sol was forced to choose which twin to save, and he chose Osha. The Jedi, at Indara’s behest, agreed to hide the truth from the High Council.

Biggest Takeaways

• The Jedi weren’t looking for the witches or the twins on Brendok, they were searching for a collection of Force energy known as a vergence. Sol finding Osha and Mae was an unfortunate coincidence.
• Sol only saw questionable moments in the Witches of Brendok’s treatment of the twins, like when Mother Aniseya was preparing them for battle. That made him think the twins were in danger.
• Mother Aniseya was able to manipulate Torbin’s mind and play on his fears and desires while talking to the other Jedi normally. She seemed to be very powerful in the dark side.
• Indara called the Jedi High Council and asked for their guidance on the situation. They advised them to leave the witches and twins alone, and said they had interfered too much already. Sol disliked that decision, so Indara accused him of forming an emotional attachment to Osha.
• The twins had identical symbionts, which proved that they were created with the Force vergence’s help. The Jedi theorized that Mother Aniseya had split one consciousness into two bodies.
• Torbin went back for the twins to prove the Force vergence existed so he could return to Coruscant. Sol went after him, but eventually decided to help him to save Osha.
• Mother Koril encouraged Mae to prevent Osha from leaving. Though Mae started the fire, she didn’t mean to, as she was just trying to burn Osha’s book about the Jedi.
• Through a series of compounding mistakes, Sol killed Mother Aniseya in front of Mae. The witches then attacked, using Kelnacca as their weapon.
• Indara freed Kelnacca from the witches’ spell, but doing so either knocked them unconscious or killed them.
• Sol couldn’t save Osha and Mae, and he decided to focus on Osha alone.
• Indara convinced the other Jedi to lie to the High Council. She claimed it was because Sol needed to train Osha, as robbing her of her dream to become a Jedi would be too cruel.

References & Trivia

• Indara mentioned a “hyperspace disaster.” This is a reference to the Emergences, when a ship was destroyed in hyperspace and its debris threatened huge swaths of the galaxy upon reentry. It was a major part of the High Republic Phase I.
• Torbin’s desire to return to Coruscant seemed reminiscent of another High Republic Jedi, Reath Silas. He also wanted to return to Coruscant at the start of “Into the Dark.”
• Force vergences have been seen numerous times before in Star Wars canon. One of the most prominent examples came in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, which revealed that Ahch-To was located on a Force vergence. That gave it a strong connection to the dark side.
• Torbin mentioned the Nightsisters of Dathomir, but Indara dismissed his worries as she saw the differences between them and the Witches of Brendok. This is a hint that the Jedi had encountered them prior to The Acolyte.
• Mother Aniseya claimed that the Jedi’s noble intentions would ultimately be their undoing. This foreshadows the eventual fall of the Order chronicled in the prequel trilogy.
• Mother Aniseya’s ability to teleport by becoming a cloud of smoke comes from Star Wars Legends. It first appeared in “The Courtship of Princess Leia,” where it was used by the Nightsisters.
• The Acolyte episode 7 used a storytelling device where the same event was depicted differently to show how two characters remember it differently. Star Wars: The Last Jedi used the same device to depict Luke Skywalker and Ben Solo’s falling out.

8 The Acolyte Season 1, Episode 8 “The Acolyte”

Written By: Jason Micallef

As Osha tries on the Stranger’s helmet, her connection to the Force is restored, and she possesses the Stranger. They agree to go together to confront Mae and Sol. On Sol’s ship, Mae breaks free and stuns Sol, then takes an escape ship to Brendok. Sol pursues her through an asteroid field, and the two both land on Brendok. Meanwhile, Senator Rayencourt demands Vernestra Rwoh be more transparent with the Galactic Senate, and Vern decides to meet Sol on Brendok. In the witches’ old outpost, the Stranger ambushes Sol while Mae and Osha discuss their past and break out into a fight.

Sol eventually destroys the Stranger’s lightsaber, but Mae disarms Sol. She demands he confess the truth about Brendok, and Osha hears Sol admit that he killed Mother Aniseya. Osha then strangles Sol with the Force, killing him. Sol’s death bleeds his kyber crystal, turning it red. Vernestra and a group of Jedi arrive, and she senses that the Stranger is her former Padawan. Mae, Osha, and the Stranger flee. Osha agrees to be his apprentice if Mae can go free, and the Stranger wipes Mae’s memories. Vernestra frames Sol for the murder of the Jedi and enlists Mae’s help in finding the Stranger.

Biggest Takeaways

• Osha’s ability to possess the Stranger was extremely similar to the power Mother Aniseya used on Torbin. His cortosis helmet seems to have restored her ability to use the Force.
• Sol believed that the Jedi were in the right on Brendok, and that Mae was more to blame for the deaths of the Witches of Brendok. He also seemed more concerned about proving there was a Force vergence on the planet, which he needed both Osha and Mae to do.
• Sol tried to destroy Mae’s ship, but Bazil sabotaged him. Sol then had to confront Mae on the surface of Brendok.
• Senator Rayencourt was pushing for the Jedi Order to have more supervision, transparency, and accountability to the Galactic Senate. Vernestra’s decision to hide Mae’s killings put her in a tough spot, and she had to double down on arresting Mae herself.
• Osha was initially antagonistic towards the Stranger, and outright refused his offer to train her in the dark side. She only agreed to take him to Brendok because she needed his ship.
• Osha didn’t believe Mae when she told her how much the Jedi were responsible for the deaths of the witches. The twins began fighting because of it, and Mae decided to get Sol to admit to his crimes.
• Sol defeated the Stranger in battle and destroyed his lightsaber, but Mae took Sol’s lightsaber. He still tried to claim he was in the right on Brendok, but Osha heard him admit to killing Mother Aniseya.
• Sol seemed convinced that Mae and Osha were not twins, but were in fact the same person, split into two parts.
• Osha gave into the dark side and killed Sol by strangling him with the Force. That fulfilled the Stranger’s desire for his acolyte to kill a Jedi without a weapon. Additionally, since Osha was holding Sol’s lightsaber as she killed him, she bled his kyber crystal and turned it red.
• Vernestra recognized the Stranger’s presence, and later admitted that he was her former Padawan.
• Osha agreed to become the Stranger’s acolyte in exchange for Mae’s freedom. The Stranger, however, had to wipe Mae’s memory to prevent her from leading the Jedi to them.
• Vernestra framed Sol for the Jedi murders, and she told the Galactic Senate that he acted on his own. Vern did, however, share her conspiracy with Master Yoda. She now seems set on using Mae to help her find the Stranger.
• Osha and the Stranger are now working together. The last shot of The Acolyte showed them holding hands, which may indicate they’re in a romantic relationship.

References & Trivia

• Osha’s vision of the future, where she saw Mae killing Sol without a lightsaber, proved to be wrong. Star Wars has a long history of giving Jedi visions of the future that change slightly because of the Jedi’s own actions.
• The targeting computer on Sol’s ship was the same type used by both Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader in the original trilogy.
• Senator Rayencourt seemed to reference Anakin Skywalker. He mentioned that if a Jedi were to “snap,” no one would be strong enough to stop him.
• Darth Plagueis made a cameo in The Acolyte episode 8. Plagueis was the Sith Master of Sheev Palpatine. Emperor Palpatine told Anakin Skywalker about Plagueis and his obsession with eternal life in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, which seems to be a hint that he’s interested in Mother Aniseya’s ability to create life.
• Several parts of Sol’s duel with the Stranger were reminiscent of classic samurai films, like those by Akira Kurosawa. George Lucas was originally inspired by the same films when he created the original Star Wars. That type of dueling has been used more in recent Star Wars stories, most notably Ahsoka.
• The Acolyte showed the first live-action depiction of lightsaber bleeding, when Osha turned Sol’s lightsaber from blue to red. Lightsaber bleeding has been seen on-screen in the past, in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, but the live-action version was slightly different.
• Vernestra burned Sol’s body, which was a traditional Jedi funeral rite. Both Qui-Gon Jinn and Anakin Skywalker were burned on funeral pyres.
• Master Yoda made a cameo in The Acolyte episode 8. He now knows of Vernestra’s coverup, which seems familiar to his decision to cover up the existence of the Nameless in the High Republic novels.