Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for The Acolyte episode 7.

The Acolyte episode 7 finally revealed what truly happened on Brendok, and with that revelation came these 10 incredible insights about Star Wars’ mysterious twins, Osha and Mae. The Acolyte stands out as truly unique among Star Wars’ movies and TV shows because it is billed as a mystery thriller. Thus far, the show has proven that description true, with countless massive plot twists.

Now, The Acolyte has just one episode left before its season 1 finale (although no second season has been confirmed), and the penultimate episode provided brand-new, pivotal information ahead of that conclusion. Specifically, one of the most significant mysteries in the show has been what truly transpired between the Jedi and the witches of Brendok 16 years prior to the events of The Acolyte, and finally, that has been uncovered. In fact, not only did episode 7 finally address the mystery of Brendok, but it also revealed these 10 shocking details about Osha and Mae’s origins.

10

Mae Didn’t Mean To Start The Fire

Episode 7 Confirmed The Fire Was A Mistake

As many had suspected as The Acolyte progressed, Mae didn’t really mean to start the fire on Brendok. Although Mae had threatened to kill Osha and lit Osha’s book on fire, the larger fire that grew was due to an accident, wherein Mae dropped the book, allowing the flames to spread. In fact, Mae went from a terrifying villainous character in episode 3 to a scared little girl who ran to find her mother for help in episode 7.

The Acolyte has yet to address why Mae made such an alarming threat to Osha at this point, although it’s unlikely to do so. This moment, although alarming, can likely be chalked up to harsh words expressed between sisters, especially with the added context that Mae’s mother, Mother Koril, had encouraged her to tap into her anger (and therefore the dark side) to keep her sister from leaving. Nevertheless, Mae has been proven innocent, at least to the extent that she didn’t intentionally start the fire—although Osha doesn’t know it.

9

Mother Aniseya Was Against Violence

Despite Master Sol’s Perception, Mother Aniseya Was Not The Aggressor

Mother Aniseya has proven to be an incredibly complex character, and, in truth, episode 7 only made her even more complicated. The methods she used to create the twins still remain ambiguous, but it’s clear that she was incredibly strong with the Force, and she led a coven of witches with arguably questionable intentions. However, for Mother Aniseya specifically, it seems as though her intentions were in the right place.

Indeed, episode 7 revealed not only that Mother Aniseya was going to let Osha go with the Jedi but also that she wanted the encounter with the Jedi to remain non-violent. While episode 3 had already suggested that Mother Aniseya was going to support Osha’s choice, the revelation that Mother Aniseya had actively wanted the confrontation with the Jedi to remain peaceful was new. Truthfully, episode 7 shed greater light upon how tragic Mother Aniseya’s death was, as she seems to have genuinely been a good mother who wanted the best for her girls.

8

Master Sol Quickly Formed An Unhealthy Emotional Attachment To Osha

Master Sol Became Obsessed With “Saving” Osha, Jeopardizing His Morals

One of the most shocking reveals in The Acolyte episode 7 was that Master Sol was primarily at fault for what happened on Brendok, and it had plenty to do with his almost odd interest in Osha. Despite the twins being (generally) happy and safe on Brendok, Sol got it in his head that they were in danger—especially Osha. In fact, Sol reached nearly delusional heights in his pursuit of protecting Osha, and as Master Indara accurately pointed out, this stemmed from attachment.

This is a far cry from how Master Sol seemed in episode 3. Originally, Sol came across as a compassionate Jedi who just wanted to give Osha a true choice about the shape her future would take. The truth was so much more disturbing, and it opens up some interesting questions about what comes next for Sol and Osha, especially as she has grown to see him as a father figure and doesn’t know he killed her mother.

7

The Jedi Framed Mae

The Jedi Allowed Osha To Believe Her Sister Killed The Coven

The revelation that the Jedi framed Mae for the murder of her entire coven, her mothers included, was absolutely devastating. Sol successfully convinced Osha that it was Mae who killed the coven because of the fire she started (which Osha believed because she had seen Mae start the fire, and Mae seems to have always had violent tendencies). In truth, Sol stabbed Mother Aniseya with a lightsaber as she tried to protect Mae, right in front of Mae’s eyes.

Mae was left sobbing over the corpse of her mother, which the Jedi bore witness to, and still, they used her as a scapegoat. For Mae, obviously, this was cruelty on top of cruelty, as she was blamed for the murder of her beloved mother by the very people who actually killed her. For Osha, this is equally tragic; she grew up wrongly resenting her sister, presumably her only living family member remaining, and was effectively raised by her mother’s true murderer.

6

Sol Chose To Let Mae Fall

Master Sol Decided To Save Osha’s Life Over Mae’s

Sol really couldn’t have looked worse in this episode, and that continued even after he killed Mother Aniseya. Specifically, the scene in which Mae and Osha are each reaching for one another but Mae falls to what Osha believed was her death had essential context added in episode 7. In the episode, it is revealed that Master Sol was holding up both sides of the bridge, each with one twin atop it, but in the end, he dropped Mae to save Osha.

This just furthers the point that Master Sol’s fixation on making Osha his Padawan had entirely clouded his judgment. Already, viewers have pointed out that it’s illogical for Sol to have been trying to hold up two sides of the bridge when he could have just used the Force to catch the girls themselves. Rather than poor writing, though, this shows Sol’s mindset at the time; all he cared about was ‘saving’ Osha.

5

Mae Saw Her Mother’s Murder

Mae’s Trauma Was So Much Worse Than It Seemed

As mentioned, The Acolyte episode 7 revealed that Mae had directly seen Mother Aniseya be killed by Master Sol. Because episode 3 hadn’t shown her death (as that was a major part of the mystery), this aspect of Mae’s background hadn’t been revealed. Instead, in episode 3, Mae told Osha that their mother was dead, but Osha, along with the audience, believed that she knew this because she was at fault, either intentionally or accidentally.

This new information significantly changes Mae’s character. Now, she has gone from the ruthless killer she seemed to be in The Acolyte’s first few episodes to a traumatized little girl on a quest for revenge. In fact, frankly, this quest for revenge now seems much more justified. The Acolyte finale will undoubtedly include fascinating character development for both Mae and Master Sol, but the show might be hard-pressed to make Mae seem like the villain and Sol seem like the hero in light of all that has transpired.

4

The Witches Of Brendok Wanted To Control Their Fates

Only Mother Aniseya Wanted To Let Osha Choose Her Future

Although the Jedi were unquestionably at fault for much of what happened in episode 7, the witches of Brendok weren’t entirely innocent. On the contrary, their willingness to control Mae and Osha for their own benefit makes them look at best selfish and at worst nefarious. While Mother Aniseya wanted to honor Osha’s wishes and allow her to go with the Jedi if she so chose, the witches were outraged, demanding that Mother Aniseya think of the coven as much as if not more than she thought of her daughters.

This is one of few examples of Sol being right during episode 7. Sol had told Indara that the witches did not treat Osha and Mae as children. While Mother Aniseya arguably did, it seems the rest of the coven truly didn’t; rather, they saw Osha and Mae as their hope for the future, which they clearly intended to use to their advantage, even if it came at the girls’ expense.

3

Mother Koril Wanted Mae To Use Her Anger

Mother Koril Was Clearly More In Touch With The Dark Side

Of the witches, Mother Koril seemed to be the most concerning and, perhaps, even corrupt. In truth, there was something unsettling about Mother Koril from the very beginning, as she was much rougher with the girls. While, in episode 3, this really could have come down to different priorities and parenting styles, in episode 7, it became clear that, unlike Mother Aniseya, Mother Koril was operating fully on the dark side of the Force.

Mae’s threat of killing Osha seemed odd and entirely out of left field in episode 7 because, although she clearly had violent tendencies, Mae obviously loved her sister. However, episode 7 revealed that, just before that, Koril had thrown Mae to the ground, telling her to stop Osha and use her anger to do so. Mother Koril encouraging Mae to use her anger is strongly suggestive of the dark side of the Force, and it helps explain why Mae’s behavior in that scene was so terrifying.

2

Mae And Osha Are Two Parts Of The Same Consciousness

Osha And Mae Are So Much More Than Twins

Calling upon the controversial concept of midi-chlorians, or m-counts as they are at times called, Indara, Sol, and Torbin discover not only that the twins have high m-counts, but also that their symbionts are identical. While The Acolyte has yet to explain what exactly a ‘symbiont’ refers to in this context, Indara concludes that this could mean Osha and Mae are the same consciousness split into two bodies. That is, the twins wouldn’t truly be twins at all.

This would be brand-new, revolutionary territory even for Star Wars, but it would certainly explain a lot about The Acolyte’s twins. In fact, this truth was hidden in plain sight throughout the show, specifically in the girls’ mantra they often repeated. “Always one, but born as two” has always seemed a bit odd and vague in particular, yet this would explain it. Perhaps Osha and Mae are quite literally one born as two, the implications of which would be immense.

1

Mae And Osha Are A Vergence In The Force

Like Anakin, Mae And Osha Are A Vergence

Arguably the most controversial decision The Acolyte episode 7 made was to identify Mae and Osha as a ‘vergence’ in the Force, a concept that essentially boils down to a place, object, or person that holds an exceptionally strong Force connection. Already, The Acolyte had received significant criticism for allegedly borrowing from Anakin Skywalker’s Star Wars story for Osha and Mae, predominantly because they too seem to have been created by the Force. However, revealing the twins as a Force vergence takes this one step further.

In addition to believing Anakin Skywalker was the Chosen One, Qui-Gon Jinn identified Anakin as a vergence in the Force, which increased his belief that Anakin had to be trained as a Jedi. Now, Osha’s story has been aligned with Anakin’s even more; the list also includes their mysterious conceptions, older age as Jedi Initiates, and father figure Jedi saviors. What makes this alignment all the stranger is that only 100 years pass between Osha’s and Anakin’s; presumably, someone would have connected the dots.

One episode remains in The Acolyte, so perhaps these oddities will be addressed. However, how one episode could resolve all of these questions and issues (and so many more) is unclear. Either way, The Acolyte episode 7 revealed a tremendous amount of new information about Osha and Mae, indicating so much more not only about their complex pasts but also what they will face in the show’s finale.

The finale of The Acolyte releases on Tuesday, July 16th, at 9 PM EST/6 PM PST on Disney+.