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*Spoilers Ahead for Episode 7 of Star Wars: The Acolyte*
This episode offers an alternate view of Episode 3, shifting the perspective from Osha and Mae to the Jedi. We revisit the intense events on Brendok 16 years before the main timeline of the show. Master Indara (Carrie-Anne Moss), her Padawan Torbin (Dean-Charles Chapman), Wookiee Master Kelnacca (Joonas Suotamo), and Jedi Knight Sol (Lee Jung-jae) are on a crucial mission. A young Torbin, displaying very bratty tendencies, complains about roughing it on Brendok. He longs to go home to the comforts of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. Indara, while sympathetic, reminds him of the mission’s importance. It was so great to see Carrie-Ann Moss back after surprisingly being killed in Episode 1 of this series…
Indara explains the importance of this mission. She references a hyperspace disaster that took place 100 years prior, leaving the system barren and lifeless. However, Brendok is thriving and green. This is a direct reference to events described in the book “The High Republic: Light of the Jedi”. It’s a nice nod to fans of the High Republic book series. She tells her Padawan not to let his anxieties get the better of him. This is some pointed foreshadowing of events to come.
Torbin struggles to grasp their mission’s purpose. Sol explains they’re seeking a vergence, a concentration of Force energy. Sol thinks that a vergence is what is creating and sustaining life on the planet. He states that it is worth studying and protecting. This mission, according to Sol, is noble and vital to the Jedi Council.
Indara confides in Sol about her concerns regarding Torbin’s distraction. Sol notes Torbin’s unbalanced state, and Indara reminds him that she wants her Padawan to seek answers independently. When Sol sighs, Indara reminds him that this is why she has a Padawan while he does not. She decides they should split up, assigning Sol to investigate the unexplored Northlands. Sol discovers young twins, Osha and Mae (Leah and Lauren Brady), using the Force and immediately contacts Indara, revealing they’re not alone on the planet.
Sol follows the twins and their guardian, Mother Koril (Margarita Leviva), to their mountain fortress. He witnesses Mother Aniseya training the twins in the Force and realizes they’re living among a coven of witches. Sensing danger, Sol decides to intervene.
Sol reports his findings to Indara and the other Jedi. He believes the Force cult are witches, but Indara hesitates to jump to conclusions about them being Nightsisters. Sol insists they act quickly rather than consult the High Council, as the witches are preparing for a ceremony and do not treat the twins as ordinary children.
The Jedi approach the witches’ fortress. Indara wants to investigate alone, but Sol insists there are over 50 witches, arguing they should act as a team. Indara argues that the witches might take the presence of multiple Jedi as a threat, but eventually relents. They introduce themselves to the witches. Indara apologizes for the intrusion and says that they thought Brendok was uninhabited, while Aniseya expresses disbelief that the Jedi could not sense their presence.
Aniseya, using telepathic powers, toys with Torbin’s mind, exploiting his desires and fears. He finds himself alone in the courtyard in his mind. Mother Aniseya reads his mind, recognizing him as a Jedi Padawan and the son of paupers from the planet Bonadan. Apparitions of Aniseya speak to him, telling him that he has traveled so far only to be trapped and describing him as a strong and good Jedi.
Aniseya senses that Torbin has natural desires that he suppresses and asks if he desires to escape Brendok. She offers to help him. We finally get to see exactly what she was doing to Torbin in Episode 3, and this finally sheds light on Torbin’s state as an adult in the future. She offers to grant him his desire. Aniseya tempts him with the desire until he gives in and says that he wishes to return to Coruscant. This causes Torbin’s eyes to turn black, and he falls to his knees. Torbin’s trance-like state unnerves the other Jedi.
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Indara asks Osha to meet her sister Mae, while Aniseya tempts Torbin with promises of returning to Coruscant. Torbin’s eyes turn black as he succumbs to the temptation. Aniseya warns the Jedi to leave, offering to restore Torbin’s mind in exchange. Osha requests to take the Jedi test, and Aniseya agrees to send the twins for testing the next day.
Aboard their starship, Indara tends to the shaken Torbin. She sees potential in Sol’s idea to test the twins, buying time to consult the Jedi Council. Sol strangely feels a connection with Osha, but Indara warns him about forming emotional attachments. Throughout the entire episode, Sol is inexplicably drawn to Osha in a very strange way. In contrast to Qui-Gon being drawn to Anakin on Tatooine, it seems Sol’s motivations are coming from an unknown place of longing. Almost as if he is trying to replace someone he has lost. The quick and intense attachment he forms with Osha is strange and too intense.
The following day, the twins arrive at the Jedi starship for testing, and this scene provides so many fun Easter Eggs for eagle-eyed Star Wars fans. During the test, the screen shows a Wampa, a nod to “Empire Strikes Back,” but Mae tells them that she sees a starship. When the image of a Loth-Cat appears, a Star Wars Rebels callback, Mae says she sees a castle. When the third image of a Gonk Droid flashes, Mae says she sees a planet. Sol eyes her with disappointment. Before the fourth image appears, Mae claims she sees a necklace, prompting Sol to say that the image has not appeared yet.
After Mae asks if she can go home, Indara questions her about the ceremony the Jedi saw last night in the witches’ fortress. Mae says that it was a Rite of Ascension. Indara asks if she liked it, prompting Mae to nod. Indara says that the ceremony was very beautiful and remarks that Ascension must be very powerful for Mae to receive such a marking on her forehead.
Mae adds that her Mother Aniseya explained that the Ascension ceremony means Osha and she will lead the coven, following in their mother’s footsteps. When Indara asks how children can be expected to lead a coven, Mae says she doesn’t know but mentions, “Everyone must walk through fear. Everyone must be sacrificed to fulfill their destiny.” The word “sacrifice” visibly unsettles the Jedi. It’s important to note that in Episode 3, Mother Aniseya states that Ascension is about sacrificing a part of yourself to gain the power of many instead of the power of one and walking through fear.
Sol believes Mae was instructed to fail the test and seeks permission to try a different approach with Osha. Osha, during her test, expresses her desire to be a Jedi. Sol encourages her to have the courage to tell her coven. Indara, watching with concern, allows the test to continue. Osha passes, exciting Sol.
That evening, Master Indara explains that the Jedi Council will not allow them to bring the twins to Coruscant. Torbin says that the witches are dangerous, citing Mother Aniseya’s telepathic attack on his mind. Indara responds that the Council says they have interfered too much with the coven already. When Torbin asks if the Council will let them return, Indara gives a negative answer, prompting Torbin to further sulk.
Indara warns Sol not to form an emotional attachment to the child. Sol angrily denies that he is attached to Osha, saying that he wants to do what is best for her. Indara disagrees, saying it is not up to him. Sol seems to be so invested in a girl he met 24 hours prior that he is allowing his emotions to cloud his judgment, and the reasoning behind that is not made apparent.
Torbin runs the blood test results on the twins, and the results reveal their unusually high Midi-chlorian count, suggesting they could have been artificially created. Sol concludes only a vergence could generate such power, indicating the twins’ significance. This shocking revelation about the twins’ bloodline sets off a chain of events that will forever alter the trajectory of their lives. However, it raises a question for seasoned Star Wars viewers: How was Mother Aniseya able to create highly force-sensitive beings when Emperor Palpatine struggled to do so himself in the future?
Torbin, driven by this revelation, realizes the twins represent proof of what the Jedi council tasked them with discovering on Brendok. Realizing the twins are his ticket back to Coruscant, he takes a speeder bike and rushes off to the witches’ fortress to capture them. Sol follows on the ground to stop him, while Indara and Kelnacca pursue in their starship.
At the fortress, the other witches in the coven object to Aniseya’s decision to release Osha to the Jedi. Aniseya counters that Osha has chosen to go and says that they must respect her daughter’s decision. When the witches object to sacrificing the coven’s future, Aniseya counters that her children are their future and insists on respecting Osha’s wish. Another witch reminds Aniseya that she may be a mother, but she also has a responsibility as their leader. Aniseya makes it clear she chooses to be a mother first.
Mother Koril encourages Mae to tap into her anger and prevent her sister from leaving by any means necessary. Koril then orders the other witches to arm themselves for an impending Jedi raid. On the ground, Sol catches up with Torbin outside the elevator at the base of the fortress. Torbin tells Sol that the elevator is jammed. Mae, attempting to trap Osha, sets a fire that spreads through the fortress. Sol and Torbin reach the courtyard, facing the witches. Aniseya, transformed into black smoke, is mistakenly attacked by Sol, who realizes too late that he has fatally wounded her.
Tensions begin to boil, both sides waiting for the other to make the first move. Torbin and Sol finally enter the fortress, claiming to have noble intentions. When Aniseya asks if they have come to seek permission for the twins to be raised by an institution, Sol asks her where the twins came from and how they were created. She does not answer. As the archers aim their arrows at the two Jedi, Torbin backs away. Aniseya warns that the Jedi’s supposedly noble intentions could lead to the destruction of their Order, foreshadowing the eventual downfall of the Jedi as seen in Revenge of the Sith.
Torbin reaches for his lightsaber, but Sol stops him in an attempt to prevent escalation. Just then, Mae interrupts and asks for help with the fire she set getting out of control. Sol mistakes her for Osha and calls out to her. Koril prepares to hurl her spear while Torbin ignites his lightsaber.
Seeing this chain of events being set off, Aniseya uses her powers to transform into a cloud of black smoke, which also envelops Mae. Surprised and reacting instinctively, Sol slashes the black smoke with his lightsaber, causing Aniseya to return to her physical form, revealing Sol has stabbed her through the chest. As Aniseya succumbs to her wounds, Mae cries out in despair. A dying Aniseya taunts Sol, revealing that she was going to allow Osha to follow the Jedi, honoring her daughter’s wishes.
As Mae tends to her fallen mother, Sol sees the ascension mark and realizes the girl was Mae all along. Koril tells Mae to run. While Torbin fends off the scouts’ arrows with his lightsaber, Koril attacks Sol with her staff. He fends off her blow but doesn’t fight back with his lightsaber. Struggling with guilt, Sol refuses to fight her offensively. The fire caused by Mae triggers several explosions throughout the mountain fortress.
Koril uses her powers to cause herself and the archers to disappear in clouds of smoke. Her voice can be heard taunting the Jedi. When Torbin counters that his mind is fortified, Koril reveals the Wookiee has not fortified his mind. A possessed Kelnacca, who has blackened eyes, ignites his green lightsaber and approaches Torbin and Sol menacingly. The witches in the common room are in a collective trance to possess Kelnacca’s mind, forcing him to attack the Jedi.
Indara comes to the rescue and jumps on Kelnacca’s back. She knocks him to the ground and uses her Force powers to free Kelnacca from the telepathic powers of the witches. She drives them away from Kelnacca’s mind, causing the witches to collapse and seemingly die all at once. This is an impressive show of power, as Indara just fought off the power of roughly 17 force-wielding witches at the same time.
While Indara tends to the Wookiee, she sends Sol to rescue the twins. Inside the mountain fortress, Osha and Mae are separated when the generator explodes, causing the walkway they are standing on to split in half.
As the walkways begin to collapse, Sol uses the Force to keep both girls from falling down into the fiery wreckage. Unable to keep both sides up, he drops Mae in favor of saving Osha, effectively making a choice to value Osha’s life over Mae’s, further showcasing his weird fixation with her.
Back on the Jedi ship, Osha is hooked up to a respirator, recovering in the med bay. Torbin asks what they should tell the Jedi Council about what transpired. Indara settles on the story to blame Mae for everything and state they rescued the girl as there were no survivors. The Jedi engage in a huge coverup and are burdened by this dark secret they now all carry for the next 16 years. While the Jedi are always portrayed as saintly keepers of the peace, this exposes an interesting narrative about how not all actions are either light or dark as the Jedi teach.
The episode finally sheds light on so many things the viewers have been asking about since the beginning, however, STILL leaves so many unanswered questions. We now understand why Sol looks like he harbors so much guilt, as well as why Kelnacca chose to isolate himself, and why Torbin decided to dedicate himself to the Barash Vow and ultimately kill himself out of guilt.
While we now have an understanding of the circumstances under which Osha and Mae lost their family, there are still so many unanswered questions: Where did Mae go from there? How did she get involved with Sith Master Qimir? Why did Osha really end up leaving the Jedi Order after wanting to be a Jedi more than anything? How and why were the twins created? Is the Coven really dead? What were the witches end game? Does Sol know Qimir? How does Master Vernestra play into this? So many questions….
Rating: 7/10.
The episode was solid except for some minor pacing issues, and once again left far too many questions for the finale to resolve. Next week will carry the burden of resolving a lot of this series’ loose ends, leaving me to ask if there could be a potential second season in the works. I am very excited to see where these characters end up at the end of this intense rollercoaster.
Hey, I’m Max Taff! If you found my insights on Star Wars: The Acolyte compelling, join me for more discussions on Twitter @VigilanteVibes. Dive deeper into the world of nerd culture with my podcast, Vigilante Vibes: A Marvel Podcast. AND if you’re looking for a welcoming community to explore all things nerdy, join my non-toxic Facebook group, The Nerd Haven (Formerly named MediaVerse: Comics Unwrapped), boasting over 50k members. Let’s connect and delve into our favorite fandoms together!
