The most recent Disney+ Star Wars collection, The Acolyte, has drawn raves from critics (together with me!) and followers alike, and there is one factor that kinda binds these of us who get pleasure from it: That it is fully other than the remainder of the franchise as a result of it takes place 100 years earlier than the films. The Star Wars franchise has so typically made the galaxy really feel very small, and this seems to be a pleasant break from that. However I am very involved that that is about to vary, based mostly on a key piece of information we bought throughout this week’s third episode, which informed a lot of the story of how Mae and Osha had been separated after they had been youngsters.
Warning: This text will talk about some main spoilers from Episode 3 of The Acolyte.
This week’s episode reveals that the twins had been raised in an all-female coven of Drive witches who had been exiled from an unknown place and had been residing off the grid on a supposedly in any other case uninhabited planet exterior of Republic house. Their mom is a zabrak known as Mom Coral, and the clan is led by a human known as Mom Aniseya–given these titles, and the presence of a zabrak, these are seemingly a sect of the Witches of Dathomir, who performed a key position final yr in Ahsoka, however that is by no means made specific.
Mae and Osha had been simply approaching their coming-of-age ceremony, when a quartet of Jedi confirmed as much as ask them a number of questions–the Jedi apparently get bizarre when unaffiliated teams prepare youngsters to make use of the Drive, whatever the context.
Coral, who is definitely Mae and Osha’s mother, is anxious concerning the Jedi not simply because they could kidnap Mae and Osha–she’s anxious they will discover out that Mae and Osha had been created by Aniseya by way of the Drive, conceived and not using a father. Identical to Anakin Skywalker can be a century later.
We do not know the precise implications of that reveal but, nevertheless it’s the sort of factor that might very simply flip The Acolyte’s plot right into a direct prequel to the movies. And I am undecided that is gonna go nicely if that finally ends up being the case. However let’s take into account the chances.
Within the present canon, Anakin Skywalker’s beginning remains to be a mystery–as far as we all know proper now, he actually was conceived by the Drive itself, unprompted. However the story was a bit totally different within the Legends continuity. The story went that Emperor Palpatine’s previous grasp, Darth Plagueis, had the power to govern midichlorians to maintain individuals alive for an unnaturally very long time, and he additionally invented the essence switch method that allowed Palpatine’s spirit to outlive the dying of his physique on the second Dying Star. Plagueis had tried to create an individual as nicely, and was unable to do so–and he advised that Anakin’s beginning was the Drive’s response to his machinations, or in any other case an unintentional facet impact.
We would attempt to maintain out hope that Mae and Osha’s immaculate conception would not have long-term and big-picture implications for the entire franchise, however with Mae later falling beneath the sway of an precise Sith–Mae and her pal Qimir straight reference the Sith Code in Episode 2, so the Sith are involved–this state of affairs is simply far too pointed for us to maintain believing that The Acolyte stands separate from the opposite Star Wars tales. Quite the opposite, it truly makes it appear to be it is telling a brand new chapter in the principle plot of the franchise.
It is arduous to not see Mae and Osha as a type of prototype for lots of acquainted Drive ideas from the films, just like the prophecy about Anakin’s birth–being conceived by the midichlorians, and bringing steadiness to the Drive since they’re like a single particular person, half mild and half darkish. After which there’s that nonsensical “dyad within the Drive” factor with Rey and Kylo Ren from The Rise of Skywalker, one thing else Plagueis had apparently tried and did not make occur with Palpatine–Mae and Osha might be a type of, too.
I’ve loved The Acolyte as far as a uncommon Star Wars journey that does not bear the complete weight of the franchise on its shoulders, however with this reveal I am anxious that could be an illusion–that we may very well be watching Star Wars: Episode 0 – The Acolyte, the story of how Anakin bought made and the place the Sith bought their resurrection magic. Or it might be worse–a new extension of the Mandalorian/Boba Fett/Ahsoka portion of the franchise, which has been dealing a bit bit with Palpatine’s post-Return of the Jedi quest for immortality, and included a number of Dathomiri witch characters in Ahsoka final yr. If both a type of is the place we find yourself, it’s going to be disappointing.
However it might be such a typical transfer for Star Wars that it would not be a lot of a shock if that is the route they took. It could simply be Star Wars doing what it so continuously likes to do: direct your consideration again to the elements of the franchise that it thinks you already care about on the expense of doing one thing new. Let’s hope that is not the way it performs out.
New episodes of The Acolyte stream Tuesdays on Disney+.