Star Wars: The Acolyte ending and cameos explained
If you’re fully up to date, you’ll know that Star Wars: The Acolyte has come to an end, and with it, many questions were answered while some remain. A second season is all but confirmed given the popularity of the show combined with the long-reaching twists and turns that developed throughout the final episode.
We’re going to break down all the big moments from the finale along with what these mean for the future of the show and Star Wars as a whole. Of course, this means we have to spoil many moments, so this is your chance to look away.
Seriously, this article is filled with spoilers for Star Wars: The Acolyte...
The Origins of the Twins
We finally got a reveal of how Osha and Mae came to be. Their conception was a shady spot seeing as we knew they weren’t conceived in the formal sense - there being no men or sperm donors on Brendok - and that they were created by their mother, mysteriously. Well, it seems Sol figured it all out and they were created using the power of the force that was found on their home planet of Brendok.
Advert
It’s not clear how but the witches figured out how to create life from this great power source, without the need for natural conception. Essentially, Osha and Mae aren’t twins, they are one person split into two. Kind of an embodiment of the force.
Darth Plagueis
Yes, finally, we have Darth Plagueis right there in a live-action Star Wars property. It has been a long time coming since Palpatine sat Anakin Skywalker down and told him the tale of Plagueis. Well, 90% of the audience believes it was the dark lord peering out of the cave on Qimir’s island. It certainly looked like him and given this is part of the origins of the Sith, it would make sense to feature the legendary Sith.
It also fits with Osha and Mae being created from the force as Plagueis is known to be able to create life and avoid death. Perhaps this is where he learned how to achieve that, through getting to know of Osha through Qimir, his own acolyte. It’s a shame we didn’t see more of the Sith lord, but we’d guess he’s being saved for the second season and a more commanding role.
Osha turns dark
It was perhaps the most obvious turn of the show, but eventually, Osha turns to the dark side and accepts training from Qimir. This comes after she overhears that it was Sol who killed her mother, not Mae. In a stark scene, we see Sol telling his side of the story before he begins to choke and Osha raises her hand, before curling her fist and crushing Sol’s throat.
It seems fans believe this might be the first instance of a force choke being used, though that kind of stands to reason given that the Jedi haven’t really seen dark force users until this point. Osha’s use of the choke truly signals her anger taking over, something that has been threatened for the whole show, but what this means for Mae is harder to fathom.
Kyber crystals change
In the tremendous scene where Osha does finally give in to her anger, we also see Sol’s lightsaber, which Osha grabbed and is holding, transform. Well, the kyber crystal inside of it transforms at least. Sol’s lightsaber was blue and yet when Osha lets her emotions flow, the crystal begins to turn red.
This gives us yet another big answer in the world of Star Wars. We know, in canon, that the darkness flowing within a force user can manipulate the kyber crystals that power a lightsaber, turning them red, something we also saw in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. This further explains why Sith users wield red blades and no other colours. In fact, we actually see the blue seep out of the light and become replaced by the red that is so familiar.
Qimir’s Jedi Master
Now we finally know more about Qimir’s past and likely who his Jedi master was. Fans had been speculating that Qimir was once a Jedi and was trained by Vernestra. This was from the scene where Qimir showed the scar on his back and it appeared to have been caused by a lightwhip, which we then saw Vernestra wield.
This theory was pushed further by the Jedi master appearing on Brendok while Qimir wasn’t wearing his helmet which blocks thoughts and mind-reading. As soon as Vernestra senses his presence she utters “You’re alive?” and Qimir stuffs the helmet on swiftly. We didn’t get much more of this relationship, but it’s likely to be explored in the follow-up season.
Mae’s fate
When we last see Mae, she has had her handcuffs removed and is in conversation with Vernestra back on Coruscant. Her mind has been wiped by Qimir and she no longer remembers him or her own sister, Osha. Vernestra’s reaction to this is intriguing. She certainly doesn’t see Mae as a threat, more of an opportunity.
Of course, we can only speculate as to Mae’s fate, but given the ‘rule of two’ and Star Wars’ love of light versus dark, perhaps Mae will end up aiding the Jedi to hunt down Osha, perhaps even taking her on as a Padawan. Plus, her power is also off the charts, so the Jedi will want her near. After all, keep your enemies close.
Yoda is here
It wouldn’t be Star Wars without some nostalgia via a cameo. In fact, it wouldn’t be Disney without a cameo right in the last minutes. After Vernestra has talked to Mae she decides to visit someone, her master. And we’d all recognise that little green head anywhere. Of course, it’s Yoda (we doubt Yaddle is knocking about). He doesn’t say anything, in fact, all we hear is what Vernestra says to the Jedi master, “We need to talk.”
The fact that Yoda has been sat there this whole time is both exciting and intriguing, but what this means going forward is harder to figure out. Does Vernestra tell him the truth? What say does he have in the matter? Will there eventually be a face-off between Plagueis and Yoda? We’ll have to hope that season two is announced at D23 in a few weeks so we can find out more.
Topics: Star Wars, TV And Film, Disney