The third episode of The Acolyte is now streaming on Disney+, and it takes us back 16 years into the past to reveal what led to Force-sensitive sisters Osha and Mae falling out, and why the former believed the latter to be dead.
Spoilers ahead.
In "Destiny," we learn that the twins lived as part of a coven of Force-sensitive witches on the planet Brendok. A group of Jedi interrupt an ascension ceremony for the sisters being led by one of their mothers, Aniseya, in an attempt to recruit the children to the Jedi order.
Osha wants to be a Jedi, but Mae implores her sibling to stay with their coven, causing a rift that ultimately leads to the latter setting a fire which (seemingly) results in the deaths of everyone in the coven.
There's definitely more to this story (let's just say there's a reason Mae wants a certain group of Jedi dead), but arguably the more intriguing question is raised when Aniseya reveals that the girls had no father, implying that they were conceived by The Force itself (which is how we were told Anakin Skywalker came into the galaxy in The Phantom Menace).
“If you keep watching the show, we do talk about that and explore that," showrunner Leslye Headland tells EW. "I would say there isn't one answer to it. Some characters believe certain things, and other characters believe other things in terms of what she means by that. So you're going to have to watch and decide which side of that argument you're on.”
There are several theories, one of which points to the sisters being revealed to be a Force dyad, tying their story to Sith's legacy. Another connects them to Darth Plagueis, the Sith master of Darth Sidious, aka Emperor Palpatine.
It doesn't sound like we're going to get any definitive answers (at least not this season), but be sure to let us know what you think in the comments section.
In The Acolyte, an investigation into a shocking crime spree pits a respected Jedi Master (Lee Jung-jae) against a dangerous warrior from his past (Amandla Stenberg). As more clues emerge, they travel down a dark path where sinister forces reveal all is not what it seems.
The series stars Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, Charlie Barnett, Jodie Turner-Smith, Rebecca Henderson, Dean-Charles Chapman, Joonas Suotamo, and Carrie-Anne Moss.
Leslye Headland created the series, based on Star Wars by George Lucas, and serves as an executive producer along with Kathleen Kennedy, Simon Emanuel, Jeff F. King and Jason Micallef. Charmaine DeGraté and Kor Adana are the co-executive producers. Rayne Roberts, Damian Anderson, Eileen Shim and Rob Bredow are the producers.
Headland also directed the premiere episodes (Eps. 101 & 102). Directors Kogonada (Eps. 103 & 107), Alex Garcia Lopez (Eps. 104 & 105) and Hanelle Culpepper (Eps. 106 & 108) round out the directing duties on the series.
"I really wanted to tell a story about the Sith," showrunner Headland told EW in a recent interview. "That was kind of my dream Star Wars idea. But it felt like the time period to do that in would be something pre-Phantom Menace. That seemed to be the most interesting trajectory for the Sith: How did the Sith go from the Rule of Two and being quote-unquote 'extinct' to Palpatine coming into power without the Jedi knowing about it?"
Award-winning composer Michael Abels, known for his work on Get Out and Us, scored The Acolyte.