The Acolyte Season 1 Ending Explained: What Happened To Mae And Osha And Who Is The Iconic Character Who Appeared In Episode 8?
The Acolyte Season 1 Ending Explained: Star Wars: The Acolyte was exciting because of some details outside the main story, which was already more than predictable. It does not mean that the Disney Plus series does not have an attractive plot, but that they do not know how to develop it well, starting from the dialogues to the management of the intrigue. In raw material, it is a very striking but poorly executed story. The appearance of two key characters in the franchise saved, in a certain way, episode 8, and opened the possibility of a season 2, if Disney does not mind that it is the least-watched program of its previous installments. Unfortunately, the show hasn’t really taken off until it’s already halfway through its first season, and even in its most recent episodes it hasn’t been entirely convincing. Its eighth and final episode, now available on Disney+, is a clear example of the production’s potential and good intentions that it hasn’t been able to exploit.
In the penultimate episode, we discovered what had happened to the Jedi displaced to Brendok years before. If chapter 3 showed us the perspective of Osha and Mae (Amandla Stenberg) on the tragedy, this new flashback focused on Master Indara (Carrie-Anne Moss) and her Jedi Knights to investigate a fluctuation that only occurred on that planet and allowed Aniseya (Jodie Turner-Smith) to create the protagonists. Sol (Lee Jung-Jae) had killed the protagonists’ mother, but, advised by Indara and believing that he was doing what was best for Osha, he decided to blame Mae for the incident that ended the Fortress where the coven lived. After this trip to the past, the series returns to the present in its last chapter, with Osha together with the Stranger/Qimir (Manny Jacinto) on the unknown planet and Mae tied up on Sol’s ship.
The Acolyte Season 1: The Story Plot
We are in a period of relative peace for the Republic, whose security is guaranteed by the vigilant guard of the Jedi Order. A harmony shattered by the murder of the teacher Indara (Carrie-Anne Moss), attacked on the oriental planet Ueda by a mysterious warrior. Given her surprising resemblance to her killer, suspicions fall on former padawan Osha (Amandla Stenberg), who abandoned the order years earlier due to unresolved problems linked to her dramatic past. Firmly convinced of his innocence, his old master Sol (Lee Jung-Jae, protagonist of the South Korean cult Squid Game) takes on the responsibility of investigating the case, accompanied by his new student Jecki Lon (Dafne Keen) and the new knight Yord Fandar (Charlie Barnett), Osha’s former classmate at the Jedi Temple. But there could be a dangerous and sinister force behind the mystery of this terrible crime.
Opens with a spectacular action scene, with atypical characteristics for the Star Wars canon. The teacher Indara dealing with an unarmed opponent, does not draw her lightsaber but decides to fight her with her bare hands. The result is a choreography that is different from the melee duels that Jedi Knights have accustomed us to, reminiscent of Akira Kurosawa’s chanbara samurai (one of the main inspirations of the original Star Wars), and close to the acrobatic martial arts sequences of certain Hong Kong cinema. A scene which, however, is not out of place in the context of the world of Star Wars, probably also thanks to the presence of Carrie-Anne Moss, an interpreter with whom the majority of the public will automatically associate this type of action (the actress is famous above all for Trinity’s iconic role in the Matrix saga).
The Acolyte Season 1 Ending Explained: What Happened To Mae And Osha And Who Is The Iconic Character Who Appeared In Episode 8?
Osha discovers that Sol was actually the one who killed her mother Aniseya in the past, and not Mae as the Jedi led her to believe. The Jedi Master ran the witch through with his lightsaber, before dematerializing alongside Mae, who witnessed the murder. The protagonist of “Star Wars: The Acolyte” heard the admission of the crime from Sol’s own mouth, who was fighting Qimir on Brendok. Mae had previously tried, and failed, to make Osha understand that the Jedi had lied to her. However, it was not until, in the same place where her mother died, Osha heard Sol and, after taking her former master’s lightsaber, killed him using the Force, carried away by her anger.
That was Osha’s turn to the dark side and the reason why, after escaping, she agreed to train with Qimir. Showing the blue lightsaber being painted red was an accurate detail to show the protagonist’s hatred. Mae, meanwhile, decides to separate from Osha and Quimir, who erase her memory so that she only remembers the fire she caused in Brendok when she was a child. This way, they will not be able to easily locate Osha. They said goodbye and recited the lyrics that go deeper into the meaning of them being the same person. Mae is captured by the Jedi. Master Venestra, who recognizes Qimir’s presence on Brendok, because he was a student of hers who went over to the dark side, tells Mae that Sol had made a mistake and made the worst decision. Thus, to hide the failure of the Jedi and the logic of the enlightened, pure, perfect being, he places him as the villain, an anomaly within the masters, taking advantage of his death. All the blame falls on Sol and thus the Jedi Council protects itself without solving the real problem: the Sith.
Mae and Osha Return to Brendok?
Her change of clothes already gave us a hint: Osha could be tempted by the Dark Side. The eighth episode begins with her trying on the Stranger’s helmet and losing control over the instrument. The Sith Lord intervenes and takes it from her, but she has already seen a future in which her sister kills Sol on Brendok. Both head towards the protagonists’ home planet while a presence spies on them from a kind of cavern, a presence that could be Darth Plagueis. Plagueis is a Dark Lord mentioned by Palpatine in Revenge of the Sith (2005). Plagueis was obsessed with immortality and attempted to cheat death by manipulating midi-chlorins, but was killed by his apprentice, Palpatine, before achieving his goal.
Sol, meanwhile, tries to convince Mae that the massacre on Brendok was an accident and that he decided to keep it from Osha for her own good. He is taking her back to the planet where it all began to prove that this divergence proves that her mother used the Force to create them. With PIP’s help, the young woman manages to escape in an escape ship, and, after a brief chase through an asteroid belt, the two crash on Brendok. Meanwhile, on Coruscant, Vernestra (Rebecca Henderson) is visited by Senator Rayencourt (David Harewood), who is attempting to subject the Jedi Order to an external evaluation after discovering that they have covered up the investigation into the murders. Rayencourt suspects Jedi involvement in the crime and insists that the Knights of the powerful Order would pretend to control their emotions if they were not. After saying goodbye to Rayencourt, we leave Vernestra to try to contact someone, although her identity is not revealed until the end of the episode. Meanwhile, Sol is located on Brendok and she and her Jedi Knights head there to solve this case once and for all.
Osha and the Corruption of the Force?
The series takes us back to the place where everything changed for the protagonists. In the ruined fortress where the sisters grew up, two spectacular confrontations take place. On the one hand, the courtyard witnesses the impressive lightsaber duel between Sol and Qimir. On the other hand, Mae and Osha meet again in their old room. Osha explains how she was unable to control her negative emotions (the hatred she felt towards her sister, the pain after her mother’s death) and, because of that, she left the Order. After this revelation, Mae tries to convince her sister that she did not kill her mother and that Sol has lied to her, but she does not listen to her and they engage in a hand-to-hand fight.
Both scenes are interspersed in what is undoubtedly the best action sequence that The Acolyte has given us, a dance with slow motion moments between masters in which the always striking clashes of sabers are perfectly combined with the use of the Force, and which contrasts with a choreography of kicks and punches when the image jumps to the apprentices. Vernestra’s ship interrupts the battle between the sisters and Mae takes the opportunity to get away, arriving at the courtyard just in time to stop Sol from finishing off the Stranger. The young woman disarms Sol and appears to shatter the kyber crystals contained in the sword. Qimir asks his apprentice to kill the Jedi Master, but she refuses; she prefers that he confess what happened on Brendok before the High Council, the Senate, and the Republic, and pay for it.
Sol insists on the reasons why he killed his mother: Mae and Osha are not sisters; they are the same person. Thanks to Brendok’s fluctuation, Aniseya used the Force to create them. The Master does not realize that Osha is watching him as she confesses that she killed her mother. When she confronts him, with the Master’s shattered saber in her hand, he justifies that he lied because, without Mae, there was no proof of the anomaly and, besides, he wanted Osha to have the life she dreamed of. Osha begins to choke him with the Force, and just before dying, Sol gives her permission to end her life. Thus, after killing her Master, Osha’s rage and anger bleed into the kyber crystal of Sol’s lightsaber, turning it Sith red. The sisters flee the scene before Vernestra and her men reach the courtyard. The Jedi finds Sol’s lifeless body and whispers something in his ear before sensing the presence of the Stranger, hidden not far away; it is clear that she is connected to him, as we will confirm at the end of the episode.
Yoda’s Appearance in The Acolyte?
Mae and Osha manage to escape the Fortress using the same route Mae took as a child and reach the tree they used to play under as children, where they apologize to each other. Qimir interrupts them, urging them to flee before the Jedi find them. Osha trusts the Jedi will do the right thing when they learn what has happened, but the Stranger warns her that her power poses a threat to them. It is then that the young woman decides to make a deal with the Sith: she asks him to let Mae go and that she will train with him. However, if the Jedi capture Mae, they could extract information from her about her sister, the Stranger, and his whereabouts, so Qimir offers to erase Mae’s memories. The sisters agree and promise to meet again just before the Stranger makes Mae forget. In the finale, The Acolyte leaves all the doors open for a second season. On Coruscant, Mae, who has been captured by the Jedi, reunites with Vernestra, who soon becomes aware of her memory loss.
Vernestra sympathizes before the Senate and blames everything that happened on Brendok years ago, as well as the murder of the other Jedi who participated in that mission, on Sol. To continue the lie, she adds that the Master has committed suicide. Right after, we see how Vernestra asks Mae for help to find a pupil who went astray; namely, Qimir. The next scene shows him and Osha on the unknown planet that the Stranger considers his home. Both look at the horizon while holding the lightsaber with their hands intertwined, confirming the rise of the Sith and perhaps even anticipating an ‘enemies to lovers’ romance of those that fans of the saga like so much. There’s one more surprise left. Vernestra enters a room to meet with the mysterious Jedi she was trying to locate at the beginning of the episode, who turns out to be Yoda. “Sorry to bother you, Master, but we need to talk,” Vernestra tells him as the screen shows the character’s unmistakable ears. Remember, Yoda is a key figure during the High Republic, and if a second season is confirmed, we’ll most likely meet him again.
Second Season of The Acolyte?
The Acolyte started as a mystery thriller about a series of murders, but it has since become a reflection on the morality of the Jedi and the corruption of the Force. With this ending, the series demands a second season to delve deeper into the unfinished plots. Disney has not yet confirmed that the show will be followed up. Leslye Headland has been cautious when answering questions about a possible second season. “I would say that I know what needs to happen, I know what the character development needs to be to get to plots and moments for a second, third, or fourth season. I’m willing to work on that, but I haven’t done it yet,” she said in EW.
As we said, The Acolyte left many loose ends, such as the appearance of Yoda or the past between Vern and the Stranger, as well as Osha’s training and her struggle to return to Mae. And what about Darth Plagueis? Although his identity is not confirmed, everything indicates that he is the Sith that Palpatine told Anakin Skywalker about in Revenge of the Sith. The appeal of these possible future plots is unquestionable, but the fiction has not made such a deep impression on the Star Wars fandom and that could play against it when it comes to being renewed, especially with many other Star Wars universe projects in production. Whatever happens, with or without The Acolyte, the Galaxy will continue to expand on the small and big screen.
What Does the End Of “Star Wars: The Acolyte” Mean?
With Osha training with Qimir and Mae taking on the Jedi position, the ending of “The Acolyte” suggests there’s still material for Season 2 on Disney Plus. We still need to know about Qimir’s past and why he turned to the dark side, for example. Master Yoda’s appearance at the end of episode 8 is also an indicator that the next installment could be a lot better than this one. Because more can be developed about how Yoda and the Jedi Council dealt with the truth of the Sith’s presence.
Similarly, halfway through the episode, there was a very quick cameo of Darth Plagueis, Palpatine’s iconic master, the Sith who could create life through the force, as the villain recounted in the “Star Wars” films. That Osha and Mae were introduced to us as a precursor to Anakin is no coincidence. It can be inferred that Darth Plagueis is actually Qimir’s master and that he is gathering more information to have the necessary conditions to create the unique and pure life form from the midichlorians: Anakin Skywalker or Darth Vader. Could this go against the idea that the Force created Anakin to ensure balance in the universe?
