By George & Josh Bate
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for the entire first season of Star Wars: The Acolyte
The first of hopefully many seasons of Star Wars: The Acolyte has concluded and, as such, we are compiling every easter egg, reference, hidden detail, and trivia fact from the show. Check out everything we noticed in our episode-by-episode guide to the series’ host of neat references.
Episode 1: Lost/Found
The first episode of The Acolyte begins with an opening crawl, a fixture present in Star Wars since the original film in 1977. The opening crawl of The Acolyte is distinct from the crawls of the Skywalker Saga films in which moving yellow text ascends the screen. The opening crawl of Ahsoka had red text, while Solo: A Star Wars Story’s opening crawl continued with blue text following “a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.” The Acolyte, meanwhile, borrows from Ahsoka and Solo’s opening crawl for a kind not seen in Star Wars before.
The opening crawl also establishes the time period in which The Acolyte is set. “A hundred years before the rise of the Empire” suggests the show is set in the year 119 BBY.
The opening crawl specifies that “a powerful few learn to use the Force in secret.” This is an important line as it sheds light on the state of the Sith at this time in galactic history. The Jedi believe that the Sith have been destroyed for centuries and, in The Phantom Menace, the Jedi discover that the Sith are still operating. This means that, in The Acolyte, the Jedi are unaware of the Sith. As such, it makes sense that they are operating “in secret.”
The first scene of the show is set on the planet Ueda. This is a new location in Star Wars.
Mae makes her first appearance at the beginning of episode 1. Mae is played by Amandla Stenberg, who has previously impressed in the likes of Bodies Bodies Bodies and The Hate U Give. Stenberg notably appeared on stage at Star Wars Celebration Europe 2023 dressed as Padme from Attack of the Clones.
Mae enters a bar much like the cantina on Mos Eisley in A New Hope and Maz’s tavern in The Force Awakens. Bars and cantinas are commonplace in a galaxy far, far away.
On the bar at the cantina, there is a glass of blue milk. This iconic drink first appeared in A New Hope in 1977 and has since shown up in Andor and at Galaxy’s Edge.
Mae challenges Jedi Master Indara to a duel. Indara is played by Carrie-Anne Moss, known for her role as Trinity in The Matrix movies.
Indara responds to Mae’s challenge that Jedi do not fight unarmed individuals. Indara is referencing part of the Jedi Code here, which is that Jedi are not to kill an unarmed opponent. Anakin notably violated this tenet of the Jedi Code when he massacred Tusken Raiders in Attack of the Clones and executed Count Dooku in Revenge of the Sith.
Mae and Indara fight in a style termed “Force fu” by series creator Leslye Headland. This hand-to-hand combat that incorporates the Force is relatively unique to Star Wars.
Mae throws a knife at the bartender in order to shift Indara’s attention away from her. This is reminiscent of Reva in the opening scene of Obi-Wan Kenobi when she threw a blade at a patron of a cantina as a means to draw out a Jedi. As the Grand Inquisitor in that show said, “Jedi cannot help what they are. Their compassion leaves a trail.” And, as seen in The Acolyte, Indara’s compassion leads to her death.
The “O” in The Acolyte title is layered, with a red “O” seemingly situated behind a blue “O.” This is a reference to the episode’s reveal that Mae and Osha are twin sisters. The red “O” would symbolize the twin aligned with the dark side, whereas the blue “O” would symbolize the twin aligned with the light side. The two “O” letters also mirror the two moons of Brendok, the home world of Mae and Osha.
Osha wakes up and greets her droid Pip. This pocket-sized droid’s name is similar to the term “pip-squeak,” which defines something which is small.
A kind of Gonk Droid can be seen on the ship Osha is stationed on. The official names for these droids is GNK power droid and they first appeared in A New Hope.
Osha’s friend says that she “missed a wild trip to Nar Shaddaa with the piloting crew.” Nar Shaddaa is the moon of the planet Nal Hutta, which is where the Hutts come from. Nar Shaddaa is nicknamed the Smuggler’s Moon due to it being a hub for criminals and bounty hunters.
Aboard the ship with Osha are Neimodians, a species that first appeared in The Phantom Menace as members of the Trade Federation. Moments after appearing, Osha mentions the Trade Federation when she refers to the Neimodians as “Trade Feds.” It appears that Osha initially works for the Trade Federation in The Acolyte. Eventually, the Trade Federation align themselves with Darth Sidious and the Sith in a plot to invade Naboo.
Osha wears a space suit to walk on the exterior of a ship while in space. Similar space suits featured in Rebels and more recently in Ahsoka.
The Neimodians refer to Osha as a “meknek.” This spin on the term “mechanic” has not been used in Star Wars before.
While doing repairs on the ship, Osha becomes mesmerized by a flashback to her past. She hears her voice as a child cry out for Mae and then she hears Mae say, “I won’t let you leave.” This sequence is reminiscent of various moments in The Mandalorian in which Din Djarin and Grogu are triggered by something in their environment, which activates a flashback to a traumatic past.
The Jedi arrive at Osha’s ship in what appears to be a variation of a Jedi Vector. This class of starfighter was used by members of the Jedi Order during the High Republic era.
Yord Fandar and his padawan Tasi Lowa come aboard to speak with Osha. Yord is played by Charlie Barnett, who also starred in Leslye Headland’s previous television series Russian Doll.
Tasi Lowa is a Zygerrian, a species that featured in The Clone Wars. Zygerrians have a troubled history involving slavery and violence, both of which are explored in The Clone Wars episode “Slaves of the Republic.” This species was first mentioned in 1987’s The Star Wars Sourcebook and are also mentioned in the classic Legends novel Heir to the Empire.
Yord and Tasi both have white and gold robes, which are distinct from the Jedi robes seen in the prequel trilogy and are more akin to the robes seen in various High Republic projects. The brightness of the white and gold contrast the darker colors the Jedi eventually adopt, a metaphor for how the Jedi gradually lost their way.
Yord is about to perform a Jedi mind trick on a Neimodian. Jedi have previously tried manipulating people with the Force in various stories, including Ben Kenobi in A New Hope and Rey in The Force Awakens.
Osha says to Yord, “You finally passed your trials.” Osha is referring to the process padawans must go through in order to obtain the rank of Jedi Knight. In The Phantom Menace, Obi-Wan states that he is ready for the Trials when his master Qui-Gon tries to take on Anakin Skywalker as his apprentice.
Yord says to Osha, “CorpSec is about as far away from Coruscant as you can get.” CorpSec is short for Corporate Sector, which is a section of the Outer Rim in which various large corporations rule over their own territory. CorpSec was first mentioned in the novel Tarkin by James Luceno and first appeared in the novel Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel before also featuring in the comics Doctor Aphra and Bounty Hunters. CorpSec will next be seen in the video game Star Wars Outlaws.
Tasi mentions that “a major concern of admitting you [to the Jedi Order] was your age” to Osha. This was also a concern of the Jedi Council in The Phantom Menace when Qui-Gon proposed that Anakin be trained as a Jedi. Typically, Jedi are taken in and start their training when they are infants or toddlers.
Osha being wrongly accused of a crime by the Jedi is exactly what happens to Ahsoka Tano in The Clone Wars. There are more parallels between The Acolyte and this Clone Wars arc throughout the two-episode premiere.
The galactic capital Coruscant and the Jedi Temple on the planet appear in these episodes. These locations were key to the events of the prequel trilogy.
Master Sol trains younglings in the Jedi Temple. Sol is played by Lee Jung-jae, who appeared in the Netflix series Squid Game.
One of the younglings trained by Master Sol is a Tarsunt. This species first appeared in the novel Lost Stars. Arguably the most well known Tarsunt is Lanever Villecham, who was chancellor of the New Republic.
Sol tells the younglings that their eyes can deceive them. This is exactly what Ben Kenobi tells Luke Skywalker in A New Hope.
Sol is joined by Vernestra Rwoh. Played by Rebecca Henderson (who is also the wife of series creator Leslye Headland), Vernestra has featured prominently in a variety of High Republic stories, including A Test of Courage, Out of the Shadows, and Defy the Storm. Vernestra Rwoh is a Miralan, the same species that Barriss Offee from the recently released Tales of the Empire is.
The parasite Dybuck used to subdue the convict is reminiscent of the facehuggers in the Alien series.
The cell guard looks similar to Rothgar Deng, a bounty hunter who appeared in The Rise of Skywalker. Although not confirmed, many believe Rothgar Deng is actually the notorious bounty hunter Dengar after he subjected himself to various cybernetic surgeries, much like the cell guard apparently.
Sol’s padawan Jecki Lon is played by Dafne Keen, who previously starred as X-23 in Logan. Jecki is a Theelin-human hybrid, the same cross-species as Rystáll Sant, a singer with the Max Rebo Band in Return of the Jedi.
The convicts trapped with Osha called her “Jedi-Killer.” Before arriving upon the character’s name, Kylo Ren was named Jedi-Killer by J.J. Abrams during the development of The Force Awakens.
The prisoner transport crash lands on the planet Carlac. This planet is the setting of the episode of The Clone Wars titled “A Friend in Need,” which depicts the first appearance of Bo-Katan Kryze.
Sol says, regarding Osha, “She is alive. I can feel it.” Darth Vader says a similar line at the end of Revenge of the Sith regarding Padme, “She was alive. I felt it!”
Yord has a shirtless scene just like Kylo Ren did in The Last Jedi. Jecki hilariously tells him, “Yord…put your clothes on.”
Yord ignites and raises his lightsaber to create a source of light in a dark cave. Cal Kestis often uses his lightsaber for the same purpose in the video games Jedi: Fallen Order and Jedi Survivor.
Osha is cornered by Sol, Yord, and Jecki in a scene very much reminiscent of key moments in both Star Wars: The Clone Wars and the Harrison Ford thriller The Fugitive. All three projects involve a character wrongly accused of crime being chased down a tunnel before pleading their innocence to those trying to bring them in.
The mysterious dark side figure says, “If you attack a Jedi with a weapon, you will fail. Steel or laser are no threat to them.” This line perfectly captures Palpatine’s approach to overthrowing the Jedi and taking over the Republic. In the prequels, Palpatine did not engage in an outright war with the Jedi, instead opting to more insidiously and covertly weaken the Jedi.
Episode 2: Revenge / Justice
The second episode begins on the planet Olega, which is a new location in the Star Wars galaxy.
The Jedi Temple on Olega is guarded by a gatekeeper droid, much like the ones that oversee Jabba’s Palace in Return of the Jedi.
Mae’s mission for revenge next takes her to Master Torbin. Torbin is played by Dean-Charles Chapman, known for his role as Tommen Baratheon in Game of Thrones.
Jecki says to Mae, “I thought that only R2 droids did the outer ship work.” Astromechs like R2-D2 are seen doing outer ship repair work in The Phantom Menace and other Star Wars stories.
Mae consults with former smuggler turned trader Qimir, who is played by Manny Jacinto. Jacinto is known for his roles in The Good Place, Top Gun: Maverick, and Bad Times at the El Royale.
Qimir and Mae say that “peace is a lie.” This is the first line from the Sith Code in Legends, which was created by Sorzus Syn and taught by Darth Bane. Qimir citing this line foreshadows the reveal in episode 5 that he is a Sith lord.
Mae says that Torbin took the Barash Vow. This refers to an oath taken by some Jedi, who decide to dedicate themselves entirely to The Force and, in turn, refrain from engagement in any other activities. The comic series The High Republic – The Blade details the creation of the Barash Vow, which was first referenced in issue 2 of Charles Soule’s Darth Vader comic. In this comic, Vader sought out Jedi Master Kirak Infil’a, who had taken the Barash Vow.
The music that plays as Osha investigates the death of Torbin is similar to elements of John Williams’ score from Attack of the Clones.
Qimir says that he started out “gunrunning for the Hutts.” The Hutts are one of the notorious crime families of the Star Wars universe.
Yord says, “I have a bad feeling about this.” Of course, this is a classic quote from various characters throughout the Star Wars universe.
The fight between Mae and Sol is choreographed similarly to Mae’s fight with Indara in episode 1. Both Jedi fight with their arms at their sides and try to evade blows from Mae. Slow-motion is used to depict Mae trying to grab Indara and Sol’s lightsabers.
Qimir unexpectedly shows how formidable he is by holding off Mae’s attack. Of course, this is in line with what we eventually find out about the character.
The two scavengers walking through the woods on Khofar speak Huttese, the language of the Hutts.
Episode 2 concludes with our first look at Kelnacca the Wookiee Jedi. Kelnacca is played by Joonas Suotamo, who played Chewbacca in the sequel trilogy and in Solo: A Star Wars Story. At Star Wars Celebration Europe 2023, Suotamo appeared in costume as Kelnacca during the Lucasfilm Studio Showcase panel.
Episode 3: Destiny
The third episode is directed by Kogonada. The South Korean-born American filmmaker wrote and directed the films Columbus and After Yang and won a Peabody Award for his work on the television series Pachinko.
The tree at the start of the episode is a Bunta Tree. Bunta is the same poison that Mae used to poison and kill Master Torbin in episode 2. Bunta, although spelt differently, is similar to the name Boonta Eve Classic, the podrace that Anakin wins in The Phantom Menace.
Mae and Osha are found by Mother Koril in the forest. Koril is a Zabrak, the same species as Darth Maul.
Mae and Osha try to eat spice creams when getting back to their coven. Spice creams originated in Star Wars Legends, where they were first introduced in Galladinium’s Fantastic Technology, a roleplaying supplement to Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game. Spice creams were introduced to canon in Insight Editions’ Galaxy’s Edge: The Official Black Spire Outpost Cookbook by Marc Sumerak and Chelsea Monroe-Cassel.
Mother Aniseya explains the Force as a Thread. Her wording is very much like Ben Kenobi’s explanation of the Force in A New Hope and Qui-Gon Jinn’s explanation in The Phantom Menace.
Mother Aniseya uses the Force (or the Thread) to levitate a piece of fruit. This fruit is a Jogun, which has appeared in various other Star Wars stories, including The Clone Wars and Rebels.
The coven of witches Osha and Mae are a part of is not the first coven seen in Star Wars. The Clone Wars introduced the Nightsisters, another coven, whose notable members included Asajj Ventress and Mother Talzin.
During the Ascension ceremony, the witches chant, “The power of one. The power of two. The power of many.” This isn’t the first time Star Wars has highlighted the importance of the number two. The Sith followed the Rule of Two, Luke and Leia were twins, and The Rise of Skywalker introduced the idea of Rey Skywalker and Ben Solo as a Dyad in the Force.
Mae’s full name is revealed to be Mae-ho Aniseya and Osha’s full name is revealed to be Verosha Aniseya.
Kelnacca the Wookiee Jedi speaks Shyriiwook, one of several languages spoken by Wookiees, including Chewbacca.
Mother Aniseya says that Osha and Mae do not have a father. This is very similar to what Shmi Skywalker says of Anakin in The Phantom Menace. All three are powerful with the Force and seemingly did not have fathers, but, rather, were born of a mother and the Force.
Mae and Osha are tested to see if they have the potential to be a Jedi. Their assessment is very much like the testing Anakin undergoes in The Phantom Menace, including using the Force to discern images they cannot directly see and having their blood tested for Midichlorians.
Mother Aniseya refers to the ability to create Life as “dark and unnatural.’ These are the same words Palpatine uses to describe how Darth Plagueis the Wise created life during the infamous opera scene in Revenge of the Sith.
Episode 4: Day
Jecki and other Jedi train with wooden sticks called Bokken. Bokken were also used by Ahsoka and Sabine to train in the Ahsoka series last year.
Ki-Adi-Mundi is among the Jedi discussing Mae and who she was trained by. Ki-Adi-Mundi is a Cerean Jedi who featured in the prequel trilogy, before he was killed on Mygeeto following Order 66. Ki-Adi-Mundi is played by English puppeteer and actor Derek Arnold, who previously worked as a creature and droid performer on The Force Awakens and portrayed Lanever Villecham and Vober Dand in The Force Awakens, and Pao and the Bor Gullet in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
In Legends, Ki-Adi Mundi was born 93 BBY. The Acolyte, however, takes place in 132 BBY. While some have suggested this means The Acolyte breaks canon, it is important to note that Ki-Adi Mundi’s age was only established in Legends, not in canon.
Notably, Ki-Adi Mundi is the one to proclaim that the Sith have been extinct for a thousand years in The Phantom Menace.
Ki-Adi-Mundi, Sol, and the other Jedi discuss Mae and her master possibly being part of a “splinter Order.” Splinter Orders have been hinted at in several Star Wars projects, including The High Republic: A Test of Courage, The Secrets of the Jedi, and The Secrets of the Sith. The term “splinter Order” refers to Jedi who have left the main Jedi Order to form their own Order, typically defined by more devotion to the dark side. The Sith began as a splinter Order of the Jedi Order, before becoming the powerful dark side Force we know.
Next to Ki-Adi Mundi is Jedi Master Holden. She is played by Indra Ove, who previously played a First Order officer in The Rise of Skywalker.
Mae says, “I can’t believe my sister is Jedi scum.” This is the same insult that General Grievous used against Anakin Skywalker in Revenge of the Sith.
Among the group of Jedi teaming up to find Mae and stop her from killing Kelnacca initially appears to be Plo Koon! However, this has confirmed to be not the case. The Kel Dor Jedi seen in episode 4 is actually Ithia Paan, a Jedi of the same species as Plo Koon.
Bazil, the guide helping the Jedi find Kelnacca, is played by a person in a suit. This was confirmed by series creator Lesyle Headland, who wanted to evoke the practical effects of the original trilogy in which actors played small characters in suits (such as Warwick Davis as Wicket and Kenny Baker as R2-D2).
Some of the visuals of the Jedi traveling across grass plains to find Kelnacca are reminiscent of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. The journeying-aspect of episode 4 is very Tolkien-like.
Yord calls Osha a “civilian.” This is similar language to what Mace Windu uses to describe Ahsoka, who, like Osha, also left the Jedi Order and was wrongly accused by the Order of a crime.
Yord comments that most Jedi train to use Shyriiwook. This is one of the languages of the Wookiees, used by characters like Chewbacca and Burryaga.
Bazil speaks the language Tynnan. The Tynnans were a species that first appeared in the Legends novel Han Solo’s Revenge by Brian Daley in 1979. They were introduced into canon in the novel Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel by James Luceno in 2016.
The creature in the forest of Khofar is called an umbramoth. This is seemingly a new creature in the Star Wars universe.
Osha says, “I could never accept death as a true Jedi should.” This is a reach, but hardcore LEGO Star Wars fans will remember the term ‘True Jedi’ as the status given to a player when they collect a certain amount of studs.
A bowcaster similar to the one Chewbacca wields can be seen among Kelnacca’s belongings.
Kelnacca’s hut has various markings on it that resemble the symbols of Mother Aniseya’s witch coven. Some of these markings look somewhat like a ying and yang symbol.
The dark side master that shows up wears an interesting helmet. In an interview we participated in with series creator Leslye Headland, she mentioned that the helmet’s unique design was inspired by the horror genre.
The mysterious dark side master makes his entrance in the episode by silently levitating to the ground. This is the same way in which Count Dooku introduced himself to Asajj Ventress in the 2003 series Star Wars: Clone Wars.
Episode 5: Night
The Stranger’s armor is made of the metal Cortosis. Cortosis first appeared in the Legends novel I, Jedi by Michael A. Stackpole in 1998. It later appeared in canon for the first time in John Jackson Miller’s novel A New Dawn. This rare metal has a high absorption rate and can withstand the blows of a lightsaber.
A detail about Cortosis that has not previously featured in Legends or canon is that the material can actually block the use of the Force. Qimir confirms this when he says he will not take his helmet off and let Sol into his head. This makes Qimir’s helmet similar to Magneto’s helmet in X-Men. In the X-Men comics and films (most explicitly in X-Men: First Class), Magneto wears a special helmet that blocks out Charles Xavier’s psychic abilities, much like Qimir does to block out Sol’s use of the Force.
Kelnacca’s lightsaber is similar to that of other Wookiee Jedi, including Gungi. Both Kelnacca and Gungi have wooden lightsaber hilts that symbolize their connection to their homeworld of Kashyyyk.
Master Sol tells Qimir, “You carry a Jedi weapon, but you are no Jedi.” This harkens back to Ahsoka Tano’s line to Darth Vader in Season 2 of Star Wars Rebels, “I am no Jedi.”
Qimir kills Jecki after revealing that he has a second lightsaber hidden within the hilt of his primary lightsaber. The visual of Qimir pulling a lightsaber hilt out of another to ignite two lightsabers is similar to what Cal Kestis does in Jedi: Fallen Order and Jedi: Survivor.
Qimir threatens Mae’s life by putting an unignited lightsaber against her temple. Anakin does this same thing to a Zygerrian slaver in The Clone Wars episode “Kidnapped.”
Mae says to Osha, “They’ve turned you against me.” Anakin says something similar (“You’ve turned her against me!”) to Obi-Wan in Revenge of the Sith.
Mae cuts her hair to take the identity of her twin sister Osha. The concept of twins swapping places is a trope often found in twin stories, perhaps most notably in The Parent Trap.
Mae (disguised as Osha) passes by two creatures playing a non-tech version of Dejarik, the holo-chess game that appeared in the original Star Wars.
Qimir uses the Force to heal Osha’s wounds. This is the same ability that plays a role in The Rise of Skywalker, notably when Rey uses Force healing to save Kylo Ren on Kef Bir and when a redeemed Ben Solo uses the same ability to save Rey on Exegol.
Some of the episode’s most interesting hidden details suggest possible links to Kylo Ren and the sequel trilogy….
At the end of the episode, when depicting Qimir finding Osha, a version of Kylo Ren’s theme can be heard. This similarity could entirely mean nothing, but it’s possible that the similar musical cue provides a hint at Qimir’s backstory. The Stranger (aka Qimir) looks an awful lot like Ren, the initial leader of the Knights of Ren before Kylo takes over. Is it possible that Qimir is a predecessor of Ren and the originator of the Knights of Ren?
Another theory is that Kylo Ren’s theme plays at the end of the episode as it suggests the existence of another dyad in the Force. In The Rise of Skywalker, it is revealed that Rey Skywalker and Ben Solo share a strong Force connection that makes them a rare and powerful dyad.
Earlier in the episode, there is also another hint at Kylo Ren’s motif. As pointed out by Twitter/X user @AnimatesB127, around the 11:00 mark, parts of John Williams’ Kylo Ren / dark side score for The Last Jedi when Luke vanishes on Crait can be heard.
Later, when Mae (disguised as Osha) walks through the woods, listen closely and you can possibly hear the same odd bird call-like sound effect that plays when the dark side is mentioned on Ahch-To in The Last Jedi. Credit to @AnimatesB127 again for pointing this out.
Episode 6: Teach / Corrupt
. The rocky geography of the “Unknown Planet” in episode 6 evokes similar imagery of Ahch-To in The Last Jedi, while some of the little creatures on the planet look similar to the Thala-sirens (one of the creatures that Luke milks in Episode VIII).
However, series creator Leslye Headland confirmed that this unknown planet is NOT Ahch-To. Later in the episode, there are hints that this location is Bal’demnic, a planet from Legends. Bal’demnic was introduced in Chapter 22 of Genndy Tartakovsky’s Star Wars: Clone Wars series, but is most notable for its inclusion in James Luceno’s novel Darth Plagueis. In Luceno’s book, Bal’demnic is where Darth Plagueis kills his master Darth Tenebrous. The two Sith were originally led to the planet due to its large concentration of Cortosis, which was thought to parallel the actions of Darth Bane generations earlier. The unknown planet in episode 6 appears to have Cortosis embedded within the walls of its cave, suggesting that The Stranger may have selected this location for its quantity of lightsaber-resistant material.
Osha’s clothing in the episode is similar to Rey’s outfit in The Last Jedi, which she wore as she visited Ahch-To.
Master Sol tries to contact the Jedi on Coruscant to alert them to the deaths of Jecki, Yord, and company. He uses the code, “Emergency Code Zero,” which originally appeared in the video game Star Wars: Empire At War. In that game, “Emergency Code Zero” was an Imperial emergency code that asked others to abandon their current task and assist.
The Stranger has a scar on his back, which he implies came from a lightsaber after he was stabbed in the back. The scar has a curved, winding pattern, which just so happens to feature in the same episode in which Vernestra Rwoh’s wields her lightsaber whip. Did The Stranger’s scar come from Vernestra’s lightsaber…? Given it is revealed in episode 8 that Vernestra Rwoh was once Qimir’s master, this is definitely possible….
Manny Jacinto’s The Stranger becomes the latest Star Wars character to be shirtless on-screen. He follows in the illustrious footsteps of Hayden Christensen’s Anakin Skywalker, Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren, and Charlie Barnett’s Yord.
The Stranger tells Osha, “Your anger betrays your thoughts.” This language is similar to what Obi-Wan says to Anakin in Attack of the Clones (“Be mindful of your thoughts, Anakin. They betray you”) and represents a dark side distortion of a Jedi principle.
Vernestra Rwoh consults with a member of the Republic Senate, which reveals that some Senators cast doubt on the Jedi Order and wish to conduct a review of the Order. It is suggested that these attempts represent the Senators “grasping for power.” This aligns with the state of the Senate by the time of the prequel trilogy as the Republic has slowly lost much of its moral standing. In John Jackson Miller’s novel Star Wars: The Living Force, the growing corruption in the Senate is referenced and also ties to the corruption we are beginning to see in The Acolyte.
A Jedi says to Vernestra Rwoh, “You get nauseous when you travel through hyperspace.” In The High Republic novels, Vernestra Rwoh possesses an ability to navigate ships through hyperspace only using the Force. Also, while in hyperspace, Vernestra would often have visions, also depicted in High Republic comics.
Vernestra Rwoh ignites her lightsaber to reveal her iconic lightsaber whip! This unique weapon appears throughout the High Republic books and comics.
Jacinto’s character dismisses Osha’s claim that he endorses the dark side by simply saying, “Semantics,” a line that highlights how The Stranger (like many Star Wars villains) do not view themselves as evil. As Palpatine said in Revenge of the Sith, “Good is a point of view.” The Stranger takes this advice in his stride by dehumanizing the people he just killed, responding to Osha’s statement that he killed Jecki and Yord by simply saying that he killed Jedi (as if the very fact that they are Jedi should explain why they deserved to die).
The Stranger quotes Palpatine with the line, “Do it” as he insists that Osha use his lightsaber to give in to her anger and kill him. And, like Palpatine, The Stranger is trying to evoke the dark side in a vulnerable person by encouraging them to act on their anger.
The Stranger’s origins are hinted at throughout the episode. It appears that he was once a Jedi and lost people, much like Mae and Osha do. In the previous episode, The Stranger questions whether Sol remembers him. This line could refer to Sol and Qimir meeting one another in episode 2, but it could also imply that the two knew once knew one another when The Stranger was in the Jedi Order.
Mae (disguised as Osha) resets Osha’s Pip droid to his factory setting, which makes its white lights change to red. This parallels C-3PO’s change to red eyes when he is reset in The Rise of Skywalker.
Manny Jacinto’s The Stranger namedrops the metal “Cortosis,” after the abilities of his Cortosis helmet were shown off in the last episode. He confirms that his Cortosis helmet is “a sensory deprivation headpiece, like we used as younglings.” This means the helmet is similar to the helmet worn by Luke Skywalker in the original Star Wars when training with Ben Kenobi (another pretty cool parallel).
Osha asks The Stranger, “What do you want?” The Stranger responds, “The power of two.” This harkens back to the Rule of Two, the Sith ruling that there should only be a Sith master and apprentice (no more and no less, as Yoda described).
During the credits, parts of Kylo Ren’s dark side theme from the sequel trilogy can be heard again. This theme also played throughout the previous episode of The Acolyte, hinting at The Stranger’s possible connection to the Knights of Ren. When asked in a recent interview to elaborate on the inclusion of Kylo Ren’s theme in The Acolyte, series creator Leslye Headland said, “Ah, wish I could. It is there on purpose, but I can’t tell you why, and I can’t go into what it is. But you shall see.”
Episode 7: Choice
The episode utilizes the Rashomon effect, a plot device named after the classic Akira Kurosawa film. The Rashomon effect is when different characters’ subjective and often conflicting views of events are depicted. This plot device has featured in an array of films, including Gone Girl, The Usual Suspects, Witness for the Prosecution, Knives Out, and The Last Duel. It notably appeared in Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi as Luke Skywalker and Kylo Ren had different recollections of the night the Jedi Temple burned down.
Indara notes that Brendok was considered lifeless following “a hyperspace disaster.” The hyperspace disaster that Indara refers to is seemingly the Legacy Run disaster, the instigating incident that sparks the entirety of the stories in the High Republic publishing initiative. The hyperspace disaster is depicted in a range of High Republic stories, most notably the novel Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule (a book we highly recommend if you’re looking to dive into a Star Wars novel or haven’t read anything High Republic yet).
Torbin says that he is sick of eating Nuna. This species, also referred to as swamp turkeys, first appeared in The Phantom Menace and has since been mentioned, seen, and eaten in a variety of Star Wars stories, including the shows The Clone Wars, The Bad Batch, The Mandalorian, and The Book of Boba Fett, the comics Bounty Hunters, Doctor Aphra, and Han Solo & Chewbacca, and the books Aftermath, The High Republic: A Test of Courage, Queen’s Peril, and Master & Apprentice, amongst others.
The visual of Kelnacca cooking the Nuna is very similar to the shots of Chewbacca cooking a Porg in The Last Jedi.
Indara says that it is unwise to insult a Wookiee’s cooking. In A New Hope, Han Solo tells C-3PO, “It’s not wise to upset a Wookiee” after Chewbacca gets frustrated during holo-chess.
Sol explains that they are “looking for a vergence” on Brendok, which is described by Indara as “a concentration of Force energy centered around a location.” The Jedi go on to explain that “a vergence could create life” like they see on the planet. A vergence was first referenced in The Phantom Menace when Qui-Gon Jinn recognized the life of Anakin Skywalker as such a vergence. The usage of the term ‘vergence’ here is critical in highlighting the similarities between the birth of Anakin and the births of Mae and Osha. All three did not have natural births, but were, rather, seemingly born of the Force, something that makes them of particular interest to the Jedi. Other examples of vergences in Star Wars include the Skywalker lightsaber’s first interaction with Rey in The Force Awakens and the gateway beneath the Jedi Temple on Lothal in Star Wars Rebels.
Sol says that he thinks he has found a coven of witches. Torbin responds by asking, “Nightsisters?” Nightsisters are a different group of witches than the group led by Mother Aniseya in The Acolyte. Notable members include Asajj Ventress, Mother Talzin, and Morgan Elsbeth. The Nightsisters played prominent roles in The Clone Wars, Ahsoka, and Tales of the Empire, and first debuted in the 1994 Legends novel The Courtship of Princess Leia by Dave Wolverton.
The Jedi travel through the forests of Brendok on speeder bikes. This is like Luke and Leia traveling through the forests of Endor on speeder bikes in Return of the Jedi.
Something we didn’t notice in episode 3, but picked up on now…. Mother Koril appears to have the Mandalorian Iron Heart tattooed on her forehead. The Iron Heart was an ancient symbol of Mandalorian culture that featured on the chest pieces of many Mandalorian’s armor, including that of Jango Fett and Din Djarin. This symbol resembling Koril’s facial tattoo could entirely be a coincidence, but, given the eventual ties between Mandalorians and a notable Zabrak in Maul, we thought we’d point this little detail out.
When Mother Aniseya gets inside Torbin’s head, she says that he is a “son of paupers from the planet Bonadan.” Bonadan first appeared in the Legends novel Han Solo’s Revenge by Brian Daley. This isn’t the first time that something that originated in that novel has featured in The Acolyte. Bazil’s species – the Tynnan – also debuted in Han Solo’s Revenge before becoming canon in The Acolyte. Back to Bonadan… the planet was also mentioned in The Odyssey of Star Wars: An Epic Poem, a retelling of the events of the original trilogy inspired by epic poems like Beowulf. Bonadan was made canon when it featured on a map in the Star Wars: The Force Awakens Beginner Game, a roleplaying box-set.
The whole sequence of Mother Aniseya getting inside Torbin’s head resembles The Lord of the Rings in which Galadriel gets into the mind of Frodo and similarly plays on his temptations.
Mae is asked to use the Force to determine what images are on the screen. One of the images is a tooka and another is a gonk droid.
Indara tells Sol, “Do not alter this little girl’s destiny, because you formed an emotional attachment to her.” One could argue this is exactly what Qui-Gon does in The Phantom Menace. He grows close to Anakin, forms an attachment to him, and then alters Anakin’s destiny forever by taking him away from his mother and to the Jedi.
Torbin refers to midi-chlorians as M-count. This is the same term used by characters in The Bad Batch when describing midi-chlorians.
Sol hypothesizes that “the twins were artificially created.” This power to create life using the Force is what Palpatine explains to Anakin was a power of Darth Plagueis the Wise.
Torbin also remarks that Mae and Osha have identical Symbionts, which Indara comments may be the result of using the Force to divide a single consciousness into two bodies. Symbionts, by definition, reflect things that have a symbiotic or mutually beneficial relationship with one another. It is unclear exactly what Torbin is referring to here when he uses the term ‘symbionts,’ but it appears to be something like a genetic code that lives in conjunction with a person’s being and midi-chlorians.
This isn’t the first time a Star Wars character starts a fire at their Force-connected home. Ben Solo started the fire that led to the destruction of Luke Skywalker’s Jedi Temple. More details about the destruction of the Jedi Temple are depicted in the comic series The Rise of Kylo Ren.
Mother Aniseya says to Sol, “Someday, these noble intentions you all have will destroy every Jedi in the galaxy.” In a way, Aniseya is predicting the eventual downfall of the Jedi here. In the prequels, the Jedis have noble intentions to defeat the Separatists and stop the Clone Wars, but, ultimately, these intentions lead them to lose their way, become soldiers for a government, and play a role in their ignorance of Palpatine’s grand scheme.
The dissipation technique that Mother Aniseya and Koril use in the episode visually reminds us of apparition in the Harry Potter franchise.
Torbin shows off some pretty impressive lightsaber moves, including a behind the back move that is extremely similar to a move used by Anakin.
The possession Mother Koril and the other witches have of Kelnacca likely explains why the Wookiee Jedi had the spiral symbols drawn on the walls of his home in episode 4.
Similar to the last two episodes, Kylo Ren’s theme can be heard again in this episode. During the climactic lightsaber duel between Kelnacca, Torbin, and Sol, the iconic Kylo Ren dark side motif plays.
Indara jumps into battle to stop Kelnacca with a massive leap that reminded us of similar moves as Trinity in The Matrix movies.
The song that plays during the credits is “Power of Two” by Victoria Monét. This song was specifically created by Monét for use in The Acolyte and marks the first occasion (to our knowledge at least) in which Star Wars has had a song commissioned for a project and, in turn, the first time such a song has been used in a Star Wars story. The full song can be heard here.
Episode 8: The Acolyte
Mae says, “See you in Hell, Jedi.” This isn’t the first time a Star Wars character has mentioned Hell. In The Empire Strikes Back, Han Solo says, “Then I’ll see you in Hell!” to a fellow rebel on Hoth.
The helmet that Mae puts on as she escapes Sol’s custody bears a symbol similar to the original symbol for the Jedi Order and for what would later become the symbol of the Rebel Alliance.
The targeting system that Sol uses to try to stop Mae from escaping is the same targeting system Luke Skywalker used in the Death Star trench run in A New Hope.
Making his live-action and canon debut in this episode was none other than Darth Plagueis! The infamous Sith lord was first mentioned by Palpatine during the opera scene in Revenge of the Sith. In that scene, Palpatine talks about Plagueis possessing a rare power to create life using the Force. That power is exactly the power that Mother Aniseya wielded to create Mae and Osha using the Force. Plagueis’ backstory is largely detailed in the now Legends novel Darth Plagueis by James Luceno. In canon, Plagueis has only been mentioned to this point – both in Revenge of the Sith and the novelization of The Rise of Skywalker. In the latter, it is explained that Palpatine survived the events of Return of the Jedi as he finally learned Plagueis’ secret to immortality.
The above shot of Darth Plagueis is framed very similarly to a shot from earlier this season of Qimir. Both shots depict a Sith master secretly observing things from the shadows.
Senator Rayencourt is played by David Harewood. The accomplished English actor is best known for his roles as CIA Counterterrorism Director David Estes in Homeland and J’onn J’onzz / Martian Manhunter in Supergirl.
Rayencourt says to Vernestra, “You project an image of goodness and restraint, but it’s only a matter of time before one of you snaps. And when, not if, that happens, who will be strong enough to stop him?” Eventually, what Rayencourt says comes true as Anakin Skywalker turns to the dark side and destroys the Jedi Order.
When Sol and Mae arrive on Brendok, the two moons of the planet appeared to be in the exact same position as they were on the night of the Ascension ceremony. This foreshadows how the prophecy of Mae/Osha rising to power becomes complete when Osha kills Sol later in the episode. The Ascension ceremony was thwarted when it was last attempted, but now, however unintentionally, it is achieved (in a sense).
The duel between Sol and The Stranger concludes with a ‘passing strike.’ This is much like the final move in the duel between Ben Kenobi and Maul in Star Wars Rebels and is often seen in samurai films.
The Stranger urges Mae to kill Sol using similar language as Palpatine has used previously. The Stranger encourages Mae to feel her anger and strike Sol down, just like Palpatine did to Anakin when tempting him to kill Dooku and as Palpatine did to Anakin when encouraging Luke to kill Darth Vader.
Osha bleeds a kyber Crystal in this episode. The concept of ‘bleeding’ was first mentioned in E.K. Johnston’s novel Ahsoka, but was first shown in full detail in Charles Soule’s Darth Vader comic. Bleeding involves using the dark side of the Force to change the color of a lightsaber’s kyber crystal to red. In the Darth Vader comic, Darth Sidious commands his apprentice Vader to kill a Jedi, take his kyber crystal, and bleed it, all as an important rite of passage to becoming a true Sith. Another notable instance of a character bleeding a kyber crystal is Dagan Gera in the video game Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. In that story, Dagan bleeds his yellow kyber crystal to turn it red, symbolic of his shift to the dark side.
Sol reveals that Mae and Osha are not twins or sisters, but, rather, the same person. It seems an awful lot like this means that Mae and Osha are clones. If so, this would eventually align with Palpatine’s desire to combine Sith powers he learned from Darth Plagueis with cloning technology from the Kaminoans to ensure immortality, as depicted in The Bad Batch.
Osha completes The Stranger’s task of killing a Jedi without a weapon as she Force chokes Sol to death. A Force choke was first seen in A New Hope when it was used by Darth Vader. The Force choke is traditionally seen as an ability aligned with the dark side of the Force.
Chronologically, the earliest moment we see of Osha’s life involves her urging Mae to not Force choke a butterfly. Things come full circle as it is now Osha using the Force choke on another being in this final episode.
It is revealed that The Stranger / Qimir was once the apprentice of Vernestra Rwoh. In The High Republic publishing initiative, Vernestra’s apprentice is Imri Cantaros, which means Vernestra had multiple apprentices over time.
Mae and Osha escape the ruins of their family’s fortress using the same way that Mae escaped from the fire as a child. Mae is sucked into a pipe just like Luke Skywalker was on Cloud City in The Empire Strikes Back.
The Stranger uses the Force to wipe the memory of Mae in order to prevent the Jedi from using her to track Osha down. Similarly, C-3PO’s memory is wiped at the end of Revenge of the Sith in order to stop the droid from also revealing confidential information to bad guys, in this case the existence of Leia and Luke.
With the memory wipe, we see Mae and Osha essentially switch planes from where they started at the beginning of the season. At the start, Mae was aligned with the dark side of the Force and was being trained by The Stranger / Qimir. Meanwhile, Osha was more aligned with the light side of the Force, although she no longer had a formal connection to the Jedi. By the end of the season, however, things have flipped. Osha is now the one aligned with the dark side of the Force and being trained by The Stranger, while Mae is now the one more aligned with the light side of the Force and the Jedi.
Vernestra explains to Mae that Qimir was “a pupil of mine until he turned evil.” This is how Ben Kenobi describes Darth Vader to Luke in A New Hope.
Chancellor Drellick is part of the Tarsunt species. In the era between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens, another member of the Tarsunt species named Lanever Villecham served as Chancellor of the New Republic.
Vernestra Rwoh burns Sol’s body on a funeral pyre, a process that is considered traditional for Jedi funerals. This is how Qui-Gon is honored at the end of The Phantom Menace.
Closing out the season is a delightful cameo from the Jedi Grand Master himself Yoda! Although only shown from behind, Yoda’s green skin and pointed ears are unmistakable. It appears that Yoda was brought to life with practical effects in The Acolyte, as opposed to the CGI used to create the character in the prequels.
Check out our Spoiler Review & Analysis of The Acolyte season finale below….