Recap: The Acolyte Episode 8 — The Acolyte

The last episode of the season puts in overtime to wrap up the loose threads, and we get a couple of A-list cameos and more stellar lightsaber choreography

Remember last week when Osha put Qimir's helmet on? It's got some serious power, and it enabled her to see the future. She sees Mae kill Sol—and she knows she's gotta stop her. As we know in the Star Wars universe, though, always in motion, the future is. Qimir asks her if she'd ever consider training with him, and she gives a final no. (Also a note: I've referred to Qimir as the Master, and he's sometimes called the Stranger. I'm using Qimir for convenience sake.)

As they depart, an evil-looking alien figure watches their ship leave the atmosphere. Who is this guy!?! The internet seems to be fairly sure that this is Darth Plagueis the Wise! There have to be two Sith, obviously, but this was a fun surprise. Is this where he learns how to create and save life? Or was it he that instructed the witches that created the twins?

Meanwhile, Sol and the kidnapped Mae are above Brendok, and he wants to contact Master Vernestra to inform her that the vergence on the planet that created the twins is in fact real. As they're talking, though, Mae escapes and jets off the Jedi ship in a fighter, and we get treated to a pretty awesome chase sequence through the fine particles of a planetary ring. She crashlands and Sol sets off after her.

Back on Coruscant, Vernestra speaks with Senator Rayencourt, a politician who's heard there's a murder investigation concerning several Jedi. He reads the Jedi to filth, and calls the Order a "massive system of unchecked power posing as a religion." He questions their rejection of emotionless calm, as it's only a matter of time before someone snaps. Of course, he's right.

He admits that he's reported the Order's lack of transparency to the Chancellor, and Vernestra realizes they're in some deep bantha fodder. She summons her aide to collect as many Jedi as possible without causing suspicions—they've just received Sol's emergency beacon and are headed to Brendok.

Qimir and Mae are approaching Brendok as well, so it appears the showdown in this finale will happen where it all began. Qimir approaches Sol and they begin dueling in some more of the most awesome lightsaber choreography we've seen in years.

We also learn why Osha left the Order: she failed because she could never quell her negative emotions over the loss of her mother. Mae counters that it's Sol that failed, as he's the one who killed their mother. This angers Osha, and she's driven to attack Mae. Mae, on the other hand, is mad that her sister believes that the Jedi are in any way good people.

Mae intercedes in Qimir and Sol's duel, and Qimir instructs her to strike him down to finish her training. Like a certain Skywalker in the future, she refuses. Instead, she wants Sol to face the Council, the Senate, and the Republic to answer for what she believes are his crimes from 16 years ago.

It's then that we get the bombshell that Osha and Mae aren't twins—they're the same person, created somehow by the vergence on Brendok. Mother Aniseya used the Force to create life. (Sidenote: I like the idea that there may be multiple vergences throughout galactic history. Perhaps that's how Shmi Skywalker gave virgin birth to Anakin?)

Sol confesses to killing Aniseya (though the circumstances were clearly not murder), and Osha is in disbelief. He admits that he didn't tell her (or anyone else) because they would have taken her out of Jedi training. Overcome with anger, betrayal, and sadness, she begins to Force choke him, and ends up killing him. Is this a Dark Side act? Or is it simply human vengeance? Where is the line drawn for individuals in this universe?

Qimir hands her Sol's lightsaber and it turns red—she's bled the crystal! A bit on the nose, of course, but it shows what's she now capable of. Mae convinces her to escape as the Jedi begin storming the fortress.

These poor girls had their lives upended years ago by a tragic and unfortunate misunderstanding, and they've been manipulated for years by both light and dark Force users. They need to get out there in the universe on their own. They reconcile, and it's about damn time. It doesn't last long, however.

Qimir finds them, and Osha has to make a choice. She agrees to train with him if he lets Mae go. He agrees, and says he'll attempt to erase Mae's memory of both Osha and him so the Jedi can't use her to find them. They leave, and the Jedi arrive to arrest Mae.

On Coruscant, Mae has lost her memory, indeed. Vernestra reveals the truth to the Council about Sol's actions, and the Council wants to start the external investigation. Rather than frame as it as proof that the Jedi need some work when it comes to oversight, she states that it's just the actions of one bad man.

Mae's memory is so wiped that she doesn't even know she has a sister. Vernestra says that she needs help finding someone—a pupil of hers before he turned to the Dark Side. So that's who Qimir is! We get a final shot of Osha and Qimir on a distant planet, master and acolyte.

The season ends with Vernestra walking up to none other than Yoda as she asks for advice. And that's it!

I don't know why I didn't think about the fact that Yoda was alive during the High Republic—of course he was! He's nearly a millennium old by the the time we meet him in the prequels. But what this means is that the Sith hadn't actually been extinct in the Old Republic era. But, as we're learning more and more, the Jedi aren't perfect.

That, it seems, is one of the themes of The Acolyte. I know a lot of folks have taken issue with the dethroning of Jedi (first with Luke in The Last Jedi, and now this), but I think it makes sense. They're just people; they're bound to be imperfect. And especially with this show, it helps build up the explanation of what happens to Anakin Skywalker and Darth Sidious.

The Math

Baseline Score: 8

POSTED BY: Haley Zapal is a lawyer-turned-copywriter living in Atlanta, Georgia. A co-host of Hugo Award-winning podcast Hugo, Girl!, she posts on Instagram as @cestlahaley. She loves nautical fiction, growing corn and giving them pun names like Timothee Chalamaize, and thinking about fried chicken.

Recap: The Acolyte Episode 7 — Choice

This episode transports us back to the past to learn exactly what happened the night Osha and Mae were separated on Brendok, and the Jedi were pretty terrible. 

We're flashing back in this week's episode, and we see the foursome of young Sol, Kelnacca, Indara, and Torbin exploring the vast planet of Brendok for signs of life. They've been there for two months, and young and impatient Padawan Torbin is homesick and itching to get back to Coruscant in a very teenage and Anakin-like way. (Shout out to Kelnacca roasting up some poultry a la Chewie grilling porgs in The Last Jedi — Wookiees gonna Wookiee.)

The Jedi are investigating why the planet, which was categorized as lifeless for years, is now thriving. They suspect a vergance, which is a concentration of Force power around a location that could allow for the creation of life. 

While Sol is wandering, he stumbles across young Osha and Mae in the scene we saw the first time in episode one. Not only is Brendok experiencing a resurgence in plantlife, it's also home to what is clearly Force-sensitive individuals. 

This episode is the Jedi perspective of what happened that fateful night everything went down, and to be fair it does paint everything in a slightly more nuanced way. Sol truly feels concern for the twins and their seemingly harsh treatment from a coven of witches. Does that mean he's right? Of course not. But as we so often see in Star Wars, many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view.

Indara agrees to go investigate what's going on, and the team show up at the Ascension ceremony. It's so damn good to see Mother Aniseya again, as every time she's on screen she's absolutely entrancing. 

While Aniseya and Indara are exchanging pointed but veiled insults, we learn what really happened to Torbin when his eyes went black and became incapictated in episode one. Somehow, while simultaenously talking to Indara, Aniseya gets into his mind and low-key begins tormenting him with promises of returning home, preying on his fears and anxiety. That's some dark Force stuff, there, I think. 

And while I'm always on Team Force Witch, viewing this episode through a space cop's eyes does give me a little bit of pause. Maybe it's not the best and safest choice for a pair of young girls? Sol worries if the Jedi aren't looking out for beings like this, who is? I'd never thought of the Jedi as a Force DFACS, but maybe they were!

Aniseya agrees to let the Jedi test Mae and Osha the next day. Indara thinks it's just a good idea from Sol to buy them time so they can talk to the Council about the situation. But he's being honest — and he's doubling down by admitting that he feels drawn to Osha and that she should be his Padawan, despite the fact that she's already too old to join the Order. 

Osha passes the test, while Mae deliberately fails. Torbin takes some blood and talks about how their M-count is through the roof. I found it interesting that they don't even say the dreaded M-word (midichlorian) but yet still reference it as a benchmark against which to measure a Jedi's potential. Not only that, the twins have the same symbiont. Something powerful enough to split one consciousness into two bodies. Only a vergence could do that. 

Torbin, upon hearing that, says that's it! That's the proof we need, and he rushes off toward the Coven. In his desire to finally leave the backwater planet, he starts putting everything at risk.

Indara also finally reaches the Council, and they put the kibosh on Sol's plan to bring the girls to Coruscant. And it's true — they've already interfered enough with the inhabitants of this planet.  

Back at the coven, Mother Aniseya speaks with her sisters about Osha's desire to leave with the Jedi. Everyone but her seems against it, but she seems surprisingly understanding about the young girl's desire for a different life. They prepare for battle as the Jedi approach. This is going to get ugly.

Mae locks the outer door so everyone is stuck, and starts the fire that we know will soon encompass everything. When the Jedi arrive, Torbin this time isn't affected — but the Wookiee Kelnacca is, and we witness a pretty awesome Jedi fight of him versus his companions as he's possessed.

As Mother Aniseya threateningly turns to smoke, Sol panics when he sees a witch use dark side magic he's not familiar with and impales her with his lightsaber. As she falls, she admits that she was going to let Osha go with him. Sol's attachment to Osha is the primary cause of this tragedy — and the ultimate death of all the coven — a lesson we continually learn again and again in Star Wars. 

After the witches all pass out (Did Indara kill them? Or are they sleeping?), she instructs Sol to go get the girls, despite their being directed not to. How are the Council going to react when they show up with these essentially kidnapped children?

Sol rushes into save the girls, and we are presented with a literal Sophie's choice scenario: Osha and Mae are on opposite sides of a bridge cut in half, and he only can save one. He rushes for Osha, while Mae falls (he believes) to her death. 

The Jedi take Osha and flee the planet on their ship, discussing what they're going to say to the Council. Indara, here, cements her tortured legacy when she calmly gives the plan: They're going to lie. Here they are, faced with a massacre on a strange planet and a direct violation of their orders by carrying Osha away. 

Sol wants to confess and come clean, but she say no — we're not doing that. In a way, she's right. This is a terrible situation that no one could have predicted. They're going to say that Mae burned down the fortress and everyone died. In a way, she's right. Osha has lost everything. There's no point in taking away her only other thing, her desire to become a Jedi. 

But also, telling the truth could have worked out alright — this was a tragedy by all accounts with some terrible luck. As we've seen from Master Vernestra, though, throughout this season, the Jedi are very, very loathe to admit when they're wrong or behaving in ways that may embarrass the Order.

I imagine next week we'll see Mae's rescue by Qimir, and the path that she's set on as she grows up. I'm still appreciating this deep dive into Jedi history and the constant complications that arise time and again because they're simply people. Maybe the dark side is a more inherently natural way of using the Force, since it allows for the use of emotions that are completely normal for living creatures. Striving for monk-like calm and emotionless living is nigh on impossible, as we keep seeing.

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The Math

Baseline Score: 7/10

Bonuses: Proto speeder bikes (touring editions with lots of room for cargo); another glimpse of Mother Aniseya; we get further proof that the Jedi are jerks sometimes; a Mother Koril bad-ass fight scene.

POSTED BY: Haley Zapal is a lawyer-turned-copywriter living in Atlanta, Georgia. A co-host of Hugo Award-winning podcast Hugo, Girl!, she posts on Instagram as @cestlahaley. She loves nautical fiction, growing corn and giving them pun names like Timothee Chalamaize, and thinking about fried chicken.

Recap: The Acolyte Episode 6 — Teach/Corrupt

A slower, quieter episode after last week sees Osha & Qimir getting acquainted and Mae & Sol interacting

This episode opens with Osha waking in a mysterious dwelling on an unknown planet (though the islands and tempestuous seas remind me of both Atch-To in The Last Jedi and Endor from The Rise of Skywalker). All we get is UNKNOWN PLANET, which is strange for Star Wars, as they love their monoclime planets with weird names. There HAS to be a reason why this location is presented as a mystery, and I hope it pays off.

Unsure of her surroundings, Osha grabs a knife and ventures outside. She heads to the local Sith swimming hole to find Qimir taking a dip. He's an intelligent, calm presence, and he begins talking to her like a potential master. We learn that Qimir used to be a Jedi—he's mentioned before how badly he wants an acolyte, and he's still on this train. He believes in Osha's powers, and this piques her interest.

He tells her how there are more ways to harness the Force than the Jedi way, specifically by harnessing darker emotions like anger and fear (we've heard this before, and Yoda told us it's a definite no-no). Qimir is a fascinating figure in the Dark Side canon. He seems the most human as compared to the basically over-the-top cardboard bad guy cutouts of Darth Vader and Palpatine. In the Star Wars universe, the bad guys are seen as objectively bad. Qimir cuts a different path—he earnestly wants a more equitable student-teacher relationship. He even hands Osha a bowl of soup. Would Palpatine do that? (I honestly can't even imagine Palpatine eating, so no.)

Osha gets a taste of harnessing fear and anger when she attacks Qimir, but stops short of hurting him. He knows she's interested now.

Master Sol makes it back to the ship as the sole Jedi survivor of the massacre and send a distress call. Mae masquerading as Osha is with him. It's unclear what her endgame is right now, but at one point she approaches Sol with a knife before backing off.

Fortunately, Bazil still knows something is off. Also, I've realized why I like this little guy so much. He's like a cross between an Ewok and an Ugnaught—cute and furry but a very capable technical worker. Bazil manages to get Osha's droid Pip working again. Surely Osha will be over the moon that he rescued her beloved personal robot, right? Wrong. She resets him to factory setting like he's an old iPhone.

Finally, Bazil tells Sol what's up re: Osha/Mae and he stuns her before she tries to call for help again. When she wakes, she finds herself handcuffed to a bed. Sol confronts her, finally ready to talk to about what happened on Brendok 16 years ago. He says that's it's time to tell the High Council everything—to come clean. But will he? And why does he turn off the transponder? I have a feeling something really horrible happened back on Brendok, and this mystery is getting closer to being resolved.

The Jedi rescue team, led by Master Vernestra, arrive on Khofar to search for the fallen comrades, and they're unsure of what happened. We also get an incredible whip-lightsaber scene that's straight out of a video game. It's so cool.

Back on Khofar, Osha and Qimir continue talking as he's soldering his Venom Sith mask. He explains that his helmet isn't just armor—it's a special type of metal that blocks out everything but a person's thoughts and the Force. When Osha puts it on, the screen goes black—and the credits roll. What's going to happen?

It's a new concept, but this helmet harkens back to the blast shield mask Luke dons in A New Hope (combined with his Dagobah cave test, kinda). She'll be tested next week, and I'm very intrigued to see how she performs.

The Math

Baseline score: 7

Bonuses: Learning more about Qimir really showcases how perfectly cast Manny Jacinto is for his role; Mog the Jedi's Tilda Swinton haircut; Master Vernestra's whip lightsaber

Penalties: I could have lived without the jump-scare shot of dead Jecki (RIP!)

POSTED BY: Haley Zapal, new NoaF contributor and lawyer-turned-copywriter living in Atlanta, Georgia. A co-host of Hugo Award-winning podcast Hugo, Girl!, she posts on Instagram as @cestlahaley. She loves nautical fiction, Vidalia onions, and growing corn and giving them pun names like Anacorn Skywalker.

Recap: The Acolyte Episode 5 — Night

The master is finally unmasked in this week's brutal and action-packed episode filled with jaw-dropping surprises and kick-ass lightsaber dueling. 

Last week's cliffhanger of an episode left us at the precipice of an epic battle between a team of Jedi and and the mysterious, be-masked master who wields a red lightsaber. When it starts, it's intense, and made me realize how much I'd been missing wild, colorful, lightsabers-akimbo battles à la the arena fight scene in Attack of the Clones.

The master takes care of nearly all of them with ease, and we haven't seen this many Jedi deaths in Star Wars since Order 66. The way the master fights is unlike anything I've seen in Star Wars, and even Yord comments on this —"He doesn't fight like us." 

He wields his saber with such brute force that he's completely outmuscling the Jedi, who tend to use their weapons in more fanciful, artistic ways. If the Jedi are gymnastics, the master is Crossfit. 

Midway through the battle, Sol orders Yord to take Osha back to the ship. They retreat reluctantly as the Jedi battle wages on. Watching Sol fight the master is pure Star Wars, and its a pleasure to watch.

Meanwhile, Padawan Jecki is battling Mae, despite the fact that in the last episode she decided she was done with following the master now that she knows her sister is still alive. 

Despite these good intentions, though, it is still true that Mae has killed at least two Jedi in cold blood, and Jecki is a space cop that's been tasked with bringing her in. Mae may not want to continue doing evil acts of vengeance, but she definitely doesn't want to go to Republic jail, either. She manages to handcuff Mae but is interrupted by the master.

Now, we get to watch a young, green padawan hold her on against a possible Sith lord, and the ensuing lightsaber battle is stellar. Watching Jecki wield two smaller blades presages Ahsoka, and it's great to see live. Sol rejoins her duel and it's hard to watch them still not continue to get the upper hand — this master is strong.

Finally, they succeed in damaging his mask so that it falls off — and it turns out the master is Qimir (Manny Jacinto). We love a surprise reveal! And then seconds later, he kills Jecki (RIP you were too good for this world, girl). 

Sol demands to know who this dude is and what he's doing with the Force. He says, "Jedi like you might call me...Sith." He wants the freedom to wield his power the way that he wants — apart from the Jedi. He wants an acolyte to train, but Mae betrayed him. And now that Sol and the others have seen him maskless, he has to kill them all. 

This show has expanded on the lore of the Jedi in one key way for me — as quasi-fascist guardians of who can wield the Force. In earlier movies, this idea was glossed over. Younglings were selected and they showed up at the Temple, end of story.  

But there's more to it than that. With Mother Aniseya and her coven, we got a glimpse of other non-Jedi Force users that were persecuted and forced to live in hiding. Now, the master shows another side. He says that he'd be called Sith, but that may not be what he considers himself. Maybe he just wants to do passionate, angry Force wielding but stop one foot short of pure evil like the Darths. 

Is this fair? Who are the Jedi to say that they are the only ones to be trusted with the Force? It's an interesting questions that I'll be thinking about for a while.

The battle resumes, and Yord is also killed. This episode has been an absolute blood bath for the Jedi!

Osha stuns Mae as she runs aways, and Sol continues to fight the master sans lightsabers with some brutal MMA moves. Osha then sticks a lit-up Pip (her beloved handheld droid) onto the master's back to attract the man-attacking moths that live in the trees, and he gets dragged into the sky.

Mae returns and knocks out Osha and Sol this time, and Mae cuts her hair (first ever coif performed with a lightsaber) and steals Osha's clothes to masquerade as her. This is some serious soap-stuff twin shenanigans. 

Mae-as-Osha and Sol return to the ship, but Bezil, everyone's favorite little bear guy, finds Pip and recognizes Osha's scent — but notices something's off. 

Also we learn that the master wasn't killed off so easily by killer moths. He's fine and most likely going to keep looking for Mae.

That's all we get for this week! It'll be interesting to find out where the story goes from here. This almost seems like it could have been a much later episode. 

Damn, was it entertaining though.

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The Math

Baseline score: 9

Bonuses: This episode is 75% epic lightsaber battles; Jecki and Yord paid the ultimate price but will ride shiny and chrome in Valhalla; an extremely buff Manny Jacinto

POSTED BY: Haley Zapal, new NoaF contributor and lawyer-turned-copywriter living in Atlanta, Georgia. A co-host of Hugo Award-winning podcast Hugo, Girl!, she posts on Instagram as @cestlahaley. She loves nautical fiction, Vidalia onions, and growing corn and giving them pun names like Anacorn Skywalker. 

Recap: The Acolyte Episode 4 — Day

Blink and you'll miss it this week! Episode 4 is only 34 minutes long but packs a few fun surprises.

Last week, we ended on the discovery of a Jedi Wookiee. Episode 4 opens on an overview of his daily routine, as he seems to be living the life of a forest hermit on Khofar not unlike the future fates of Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi (man the Jedi are a bit of martyrs, aren't they?)

We get to see him make a salad (interesting cuisine for a species I had assumed would be carnivorous) and piddle about doing domestic tasks. On the wall we see the same spiral symbols of Mae and Osha's witch coven — what does this mean? The Jedi on Brendok for those tragic events clearly have been struggling with some strong emotions. 

Jedi Besties

Back on Coruscant, Osha watches a youngling training class before chatting with Jecki. The two say goodbye, and Osha states that finding Mae is the Jedi's problem now, though she's grateful to have found out that her sister is alive after all these years. This scene is touching, and I'm coming to really like these two young characters. 

Jecki is a wonderful addition to the list of Jedi we've come to know over the past nearly 50 years, and I'm rooting for her. There's something very Spock-like about her that I find charming, and she's also a hardworking and very competent Jedi. 

These days, we're spending more and more time with the Order as the Disney Star Wars canon grows, and we're getting to dive in much deeper to their faults (hubris and space cop-ism being chief among them). We also get even more a glimpse into their humanity (using this term loosely since there's more than just human Jedi of course). 

They were never — and are never — going to be perfect warriors for the Republic that fan may have once though they were. They're not droids, after all. And despite striving for detachment and unwavering loyalty and obedience, they're still going to make mistakes and commit sins. I know many hardcore fans remain continually dismayed by the portrayal of the Jedi as less than perfect, but I'm here for it. 

What About the (Potential) Sith Attack on a Wookie?

Elsewhere on Coruscant, a group of Jedi comprising Ki-Adi-Mundi (everyone's favorite long-lived conehead Jedi from the prequel trilogy) Vernestra, and Sol discuss the dark threat that Mae poses. 

In a classic attempt of covering up internal strife, Vernestra declares that they'll not be informing the High Council about a potential new Sith master — they'll take care of it themselves so as not to inspire fear or mistrust of their order. C'mon guys, this is a bad idea. She dispatches a team of Jedi to track her down and bring her in. Sol agrees, feeling that there is in fact still good in Mae, convinced that she is simply a pawn of the master.

Back on Khofar, Mae and Qimir set out to find Kelnacca, the Wookiee Jedi, so Mae can kill him without using a single weapon, the most recent quest given to her by masked, red-lightsaber-wielding master. Qimir reminds Mae of her deal she made with the master, as it appears he's starting to realize her discovery of her sister may be affecting her resolve. He confesses to also owing the master something, stating that "You know, he collects people." 

Qimir is sort of a neutral character when it comes to motivation, kind of like Han Solo in most of A New Hope. Manny Jacinto is absolutely knocking it out of the park with this character, and he's a joy to watch.

The Jedi team is close behind them, and both groups have entered into what is very clearly inspired by the fire swamp from A Princess Bride, right down to the bugs of unusual size. They've employed the use an animal-like tracker named Bazil, which is a fun little character straight out of Guardians of the Galaxy. 

Mae, approaching Kelnacca's abode, has a change of heart and strings up Qimir, confessing her desire to abandon her relationship with the master. We love a "there's still good in her" prophecy coming true.

All of our characters meet at once chez Kelnacca, and Mae discovers him dead from a lightsaber slash to the chest. He's here. 

In the final scene, we witness a team of Jedi stand up to the master, and we get our first good look at his helmet. It's no stormtrooper or Darth Vader helmet — it's something much more sinister, a cross between EV-9D9 and Venom. The teeth, however, aren't biological, they're screws and metal meant to approximate a rictus grin. 

As the Jedi rush him, he forces pushes them meters back with a flick of his fingers. The credits roll. I cannot WAIT for the next episode. 

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The Math

Baseline score: 8

Bonuses: Finally seeing the big sith (?) baddie up close was pretty fun; the expedition on Khofar felt very Star Wars

Proto Gonk droid count: A big old goose egg again.

POSTED BY: Haley Zapal, new NoaF contributor and lawyer-turned-copywriter living in Atlanta, Georgia. A co-host of Hugo Award-winning podcast Hugo, Girl!, she posts on Instagram as @cestlahaley. She loves nautical fiction, Vidalia onions, and growing corn and giving them pun names like Anacorn Skywalker. 

Recap: The Acolyte Episode 3 — Destiny

In this episode, we get the tragic backstory of Osha and Mae, as well as a look at brand-new Force witches and the complicated nature of Jedi youngling recruiting.

After two episodes of characters reckoning with the past, we finally get a chance to view the origin story of all the trauma. Osha and Mae are playing outside the bounds of their settlement on Brendok, and casually using the Force — which we learn they call "the Thread" — to play. 

Shortly a stern Zabrak woman named Mother Koril comes to claim them home. A quick aside about Zabraks: Darth Maul is perhaps the most famous one, and the species is known for their intense face markings and head horns. 

And look, I know this woman obviously cares for these kids, but she is just SO damn scary looking from a physical perspective. Zabraks unfortunately look caricatured devils in our culture. It's wild to think that a child would run up to one for comfort after skinning their knee or falling off their bike. OK, rant over.

Behind a tree, like the classic meme of Anthony Adams rubbing his hands together, is a young Master Sol watching the girls. So, the Jedi are on this planet scoping out...something.  

Intro the Coven

Back at the settlement, we get introduced to an isolated society of all women, sort of a Star Wars Themiskyra, it seems, with members performing tasks and chores in a bustling environment. 

Then, we get to meet one of my favorite new Star Wars characters to come along in a long time — Mother Aniseya. Jodie-Turner Smith really knocks it out of the park with her performance, showcasing strength, intelligence, and incredible allure as the leader of this secret coven of witches. 

Star Wars, of course, is no stranger to powerful and isolated force witches (Mother Talzin and her Dathomiri Nightsisters), but it's fun to get a different version that may or may not be connected.

Back safely inside the fortress, Koril explains to Aniseya that Osha ventured outside again, and that there were no signs of the visiting Jedi (wrong). There's a brief moment of intimacy here between the two women — are they lovers? It's unclear.  Aniseya tries to assuage Koril's fear of discovery, but Koril restates an important fact: the twins aren't normal children. It appears that there's something special about them beyond just being witches. 

Special children — this is a theme that goes back to The Phantom Menace, and it's not the only tieback we'll see in this episode.

A Force by Any Other Name

"All living things are connected by the same thread," Mother Aniseya promulgates in the next scene. "A thread woven through all of existence." She states that some call this energy, the Force, but for her coven, it's not a power to be wielded as a weapon. For them, it's more about connection with other living things. 

This is lovely, and honestly it's not far from the more mystical aspects of the Force that we learned from Yoda. "Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter."

Sure, the Jedi try not to use the Force for attacking, but they're still warriors who often must kill enemies using it. They're space cops, after all. 

The twins this evening will be attending an event called the Ascension, which appears to be a sort of initiation ceremony for their powers. Osha in particular is apprehensive about the event, as she's not sure that she actually wants to become a witch. Mae, on the other hand, wants nothing more, and consistently pressures her sister to aspire to the same fate.

"The galaxy is not a place that welcomes women like us. Witches who have the abilities we do," Mother Aniseya tells them. Of all the ways that the Star Wars Universe is different from ours, it appears that this fear of powerful women still holds true. This adds an absolutely fascinating element to the world-building that I really really liked.  

We learn that the coven was exiled and on the brink of extinction — but that they were blessed with the gift of life (in the form of the twins). This explains why there are only two children in the camp of adult women, and why they're so lovingly cared for by the community. 

Mandatory Jedi Conscription

At the Ascension ceremony for the girls, four Jedi barge and interrupt, claiming that only their order are allowed to train children who are Force-sensitive. We've known about younglings since the prequel films, but I've never really stopped to think about how these kids are identified and obtained. 

I think I always presumed that parents willingly and lovingly volunteered their kids for this training (kind of like how talented soccer kids in Europe get identified early and put on specific paths). Never in my wildest dreams did I think that the Jedi had the power to prevent others from training Force-sensitive youth.

Adding this to the canon adds another layer of complexity to the lore of the Jedi that also began with the prequels. In the O.T., the Jedi, all but extinct, are almost deified as the perfect warrior saints of a bygone era. 

In the prequels, we learn that they were in fact not perfect, and that they were headstrong, willfully ignorant at times, and occasionally problematic. 

A Power Some Consider to Be Unnatural

When the Jedi demand to know where the twins came from, Mother Aniseya states that "they have no father." Flashback to Shmi saying the same thing to Qui-Gon Jinn when he inquired about Anakin's lineage. 

This simple statement presents a whole host of new questions for the episode and Star Wars at large. Here's just a few I have:

• Are the twins some sort of Chosen Ones?
• Will Darth Plagueis eventually learn this power from them?
• Does this kind of thing (immaculate conception) happen a lot in the Star Wars universe?
• Is this implication that the twins are chosen obviate Anakin's chosen-ness?

We learn that Mother Koril carried the twins, but Aniseya admits to "creating them." Curious, indeed.

An Unexpected Tragedy

Mother Aniseya agrees to send her down for testing the next, ostensibly as a ruse as they plan to attack them. But we learn that Osha desperately wants to become a Jedi — before they even arrive, she's been sketching the Jedi insignia in her notebook, perhaps a nod to her incipient prophetic Force abilities.

With the Jedi, she gets a blood test (man, it's been a long time since anyone's talked about midichlorians, but I kinda dig it. It's like physical proof someone has Jedi powers). She attempts to purposefully fail the guessing test, but they see right through the ruse. It's clear she's drawn to another destiny than that of her sister, much to Mae's anger. 

When Osha returns home, Mae is distraught and locks her in her room so she can't leave with the Jedi. She starts a fire carelessly, and it eventually consumes the fortress. 

She is rescued by Master Sol, and though the exact details aren't shown, all of the witches are dead as they escape through the flames. Did the witches attack the Jedi or vice versa? Signs seem to point to the former, considering the guilt that Torbin felt when he chose to die by suicide.

Osha witnesses Mae seemingly die as she falls into the fire during the evacuation, a tragedy that will split the twins apart for the next 16 years. As we learned in the first two episodes, she doesn't. I imagine in the next few episodes we'll learn Mae's fate, as well as that of the mysterious dark figure who trained her. 

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The Math

Baseline score: 8

Bonuses: Jodie Turner-Smith as Mother Aniseya, the leader of a coven of powerful Force witches, absolutely knocks it out of the park; connecting this coven to Darth Plagueis the Wise is mind-blowing

Proto Gonk droid count: None sadly 

POSTED BY: Haley Zapal, new NoaF contributor and lawyer-turned-copywriter living in Atlanta, Georgia. A co-host of Hugo Award-winning podcast Hugo, Girl!, she posts on Instagram as @cestlahaley. She loves nautical fiction, Vidalia onions, and growing corn and giving them pun names like Anacorn Skywalker. 

Recap: The Acolyte Episodes 1 & 2 — Lost / Found and Revenge / Justice

The latest Star Wars TV series kicks off with a bang chronicling the adventures of Jedi 100 years before the Skywalker era. 

It's been a long time since we've had a Skywalker-less Star Wars TV show. In fact, it's been nearly two years since the epic and extraordinary Andor.

With The Acolyte, we get our first glimpse of the High Republic, a time of peace of stability in the galaxy with few (if any) of our favorite characters. Yoda is definitely alive during this epoch, but it remains to be seen whether he'll make an appearance. Star Wars shows do love their easter eggs (though often times it's blurry distinction between a knowing wink and just blatant fan service — looking at you, Boba Fett-riding-a-rancor).

Episode 1

Carrie Anne Moss Was Born to Play a Jedi

The first episode opens with a mysterious cloaked figure asking for the local Jedi, then proceeding to pick a fight with Master Indara, who's played by none Carrie-Anne Moss (Trinity from the Matrix movies). Moss was absolutely born to play a Jedi, as she oozes effortless cool, calm, and zen-like wisdom. 

Mae (the unidentified, force-using attacker) cites "unfinished business" as they begin fighting. The stunt choreography is stellar, and it's fascinating to see a Jedi ward off steel edge weapons. That is, until Indara succumbs to one planted right in the chest. 

I refuse to believe that they'd only have Carrie-Anne Moss play a bad-ass Jedi for just a few minutes, so I hope that she'll be shown in flashbacks in future episodes. It's clear that Mae has a vendetta against Jedi, so we'll have to eventually learn the reason for her vengeance. 

This Is Getting Out of Hand. Now, There Are Two of Them!

Across the galaxy, a woman who looks identical to Mae wakes up on a spaceship clutching her chest — was she dreaming about the events that just took place? It's unclear. Her name is Osha and she's a meknek, a spaceship mechanic on a Trade Federation cruiser. Turns out she's a former Jedi who left the order, which becomes clear when two Jedi arrive unannounced to speak with her. 

But these aren't the stolid, over serious, and brown-robed Jedi from Attack of the Clones, though. During this era, their uniforms are white and gold, and they wear their lightsabers in leather holsters. They seem, for all intents and purposes, more like space cops than a mystical order of warriors. Like NCIS: Coruscant.

This new Jedi, a serious and stilted man named Yord, is a former colleague of Osha, and he's here to confront her about the murder of Indara. The suspect in the crime matches Osha's description, but it's clear that Osha has an alibi (on the ship working and not across the galaxy, girl has an alibi). Despite this, they take her into custody because they suspect her of betraying the order. 

Take Me Down to the Coruscant City

At the Jedi Temple, Master Sol (played by famed Korean actor Lee Jung-jae of Squid Game fame) is teaching younglings about the nature of the Force. Some things never change, and I shall never tire of seeing tiny baby alien versions of young Jedi. After class is dismissed, he speaks with Vernestra Rwoh, a Mirialan Jedi that hardcore Star Wars fans may recognize from the High Republic comics and novels.

She informs him of Indara's death, and that the suspect is one of his former students. He seems skeptical of Osha's alleged crime, and it's touching to see him appear so emotional. In contrast, the Jedi we know and love from the original trilogy and prequels are near-monastic in their devotion to being unattached to human connections. 

Master Sol sets off to see about this situation with his current Padawan Jecki Lon (who is a delightfully precocious and capable student). Meanwhile, on the prison ship transporting Osha to Coruscant, there's a mutiny by hardened and very weird space criminals (the whole scene is super entertaining, especially the strange fleshlike, alien-mouth cover). She declines to participate and crash lands on a frozen planet (thankfully not Hoth — it seems like we're foregoing the monoclime planets that dot the Star Wars galaxy). 

Osha is approached by a child, and she chases after her. We're not sure if this is a real or a dream, but it turns out she's talking to her twin sister (as a child) on her home planet of Brendok. 

From this premonition, she learns that Mae is still alive in fact, and that Mae killed Indara. We also learn that Osha used to be Sol's Padawan — he rescued her from a fire as a child. And he was certain that Mae died there. The backstory is slowly building, but there's so much we still don't know. Fortunately, Sol and Yord arrive to rescue her, and they believe that she's innocent. 

A Red Lightsaber

The final scene we see Mae walking up to a mysterious figure at a distance wielding a red lightsaber and wearing some sort of helmet, and he challenges her to kill a Jedi without a weapon. She, it seems, is the acolyte of the show's title. 

But who is this man?!!? In The Phantom Menace, everyone's favorite conehead Ki-Adi-Mundi says that the Sith have been extinct for a millenium. So who's this new guy? We'll have to see. 

Episode 2

One of the coolest things so far about The Acolyte is that we get a look into the regional offices of Jedi across the galaxy (more evidence that Jedi are cops). This episode opens with Mae blasting her way into a temple on a remote planet and attempting to murder Jedi Master Torbin, who's hovering in a meditative state. She can't break through his force field, however, and flees. This sort of transcendental meditation is impressive, and the kind of bad-ass Jedi power I've always wondered about. 

Good Twin / Bad Twin

Master Sol informs Coruscant that Mae (the evil twin) is the one killing Jedi, and he learns that she's taken another victim on a different planet. She's working with a crook named Qimir (incredibly played by everyone's favorite Floridian from The Good Place, Manny Jacinto) to concoct a poison to kill the meditative monk.

Sol and Osha discuss what's going on while traveling en route to the latest crime, and they come to terms with the fact that Mae may be alive. It's got to be hell on both of the dealing with the trauma of their joint past, as well as the truth that a long lost sibling is now alive and possibly evil.

And evil she may be, but there's possibly a reason. Mae returns to the meditative Jedi and offers him the chance of either confessing a crime to the Council or killing himself via poision — and he selects the poison. Is this a confession of guilt? As more time passes, we learn more hints that maybe Mae isn't acting out of pocket, that maybe her vengeance is earned. 

After Mae flees the scene, Osha approaches Qimir pretending to be Mae so she can learn what's going on. It's here that we see what a great actor Amanda Stenberg is — she portrays both characters so well and so differently so when she pretends to be one playing another, it's so clear that it's not the truth. (Fun fact: Stenberg had her breakout performance as Rue in the Hunger Games.)

Qimir feigns innocence but gives up Mae, claiming that he just gunruns for Hutts and provides supplies to criminals. Apart from that, he doesn't seem to know much, but what he does know for sure that Mae wants revenge on four Jedi. She's gotten two already, which means that now we're in a time crunch as she's only got Kelnacca and Sol left. 

Master Sol manages to confront Mae, and they have a fairly epic fight. Truly, the fight choreo continues to be super entertaining. He outfights and outsmarts her, though, in a scene that almost feels like something from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Sol demands to know who's training her, but we don't learn. That's the million dollar question these days, and I can't WAIT to find out, too. He's apparently taken great pains to hide his true identity, even from Mae as Sol force probes her mind. He shocks her by informing her that Osha is in fact alive, and she seems aghast. What happened to these sisters?

She flees, but we know that she has two targets left — including Kelnacca on Khofar.

A WOOKIEE JEDI IS EVERYTHING I'VE DREAMED OF

Kelnacca, we learn, is a Wookiee Jedi, and it's absolutely incredible. Everyone knows Wookiees are fantastic, brute-strength warriors. But when you combine mystical Force powers? How would they not be unstoppable! When we see Kelnacca in action taking out some raiders, it's jaw dropping. He uses the Force to pull the attacker's weapons then literally rips the metal guns in two.

Next week we'll see him in a more epic battle, I imagine. Can't wait! These two episodes have definitely introduced more questions than answers, but I think it's setting us up for something awesome. 

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The Math

Baseline score: Both get a solid 8.

Bonuses: This is a brand-new glimpse of a different Star Wars era than most of us are used to, and it's fun; You don't know have to be a big fan or know any easter eggs to enjoy the story.

Proto Gonk droid count: 1 

POSTED BY: Haley Zapal, new NoaF contributor and lawyer-turned-copywriter living in Atlanta, Georgia. A co-host of Hugo Award-winning podcast Hugo, Girl!, she posts on Instagram as @cestlahaley. She loves nautical fiction, Vidalia onions, and growing corn and giving them pun names like Anacorn Skywalker.