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

Leslye Headland, the showrunner for The Acolyte, explained that the connection between Mae and Osha Aniseya runs so much deeper than the Star Wars show has already hinted. The Acolyte episode 7 revealed what really happened on Brendok, and it also explored some of the show’s other mysteries. One of those mysteries was Mae and Osha’s origins, and how Mother Aniseya created them through the Force. The Acolyte established that Mother Aniseya used a Force vergence to split one consciousness into two bodies, and Leslye Headland answered some questions about that massive reveal.

Speaking exclusively to Screen Rant‘s Molly Brizzell, Headland spoke about how the revelation that Osha and Mae are two halves of the same person affects them, both as individual people and as a pair.

Screen Rant: Now we know that Mae and Osha’s “Always one but born as two” is literal – can one twin live without the other?

I would say I would leave that up to future chapters of the story, but what I can say is that I believe that because Aniseya utilized this power, which is… I think all of Aniseya’s power is very potent, but a lot of it is unknowable, you know? Even she, I think, doesn’t know the extent of… she knows the extent of what she’s capable of, but not exactly sure that when she experiments with it, what will happen. So, for example, she’s playing around with powers that could create life, that can create life, but instead of creating one life, it ended up being two lives.

I think her intention, and one of the reasons the coven is so obsessed with keeping the twins together, is that they believe that this very special miracle that was able to happen under their roof could be broken if the two of them are separated. Now in our story, they are separated, and they’re separated for a very long time. So, it seems unlikely to me that if the other one came under harm, the other one would drop dead, but I do think that because their power and their essence has been split, they both feel incomplete without the other one.

And whenever another person notices one of them as different or their whole selves, the way that Sol responds to Osha, the way that the Stranger responds to Osha, I think that also means that while they’re split, they’re not solely dependent on each other as one-half and one-half. Even though that’s what their family of origin would say, and I think it’s the way that the Jedi understand their creation to make sense.

Headland’s comments about Mae and Osha’s connection reveal quite a few interesting details about The Acolyte. It seems that Mother Aniseya’s Force abilities are stronger than even she realizes, and that creating twins may have been unintentional. Headland also mentioned that Osha and Mae feel “incomplete” without each other, which only makes The Acolyte more tragic. The twins weren’t able to see their literal other half for over 16 years after Brendok, which must have felt terrible. Lastly, it seems both the Witches of Brendok and the Jedi may have misunderstood Mae and Osha, and that there’s much more to them as individuals than simply their connection.

Related

Star Wars: Midi-Chlorians, Symbionts, & M-Counts Explained

The Acolyte features a mention of M-count, referencing Star Wars’ Midi-chlorians, but what are they and how do they connect to the Force?

Will The Twins Ever Have A Chance To Use Their Power Together?

While Headland’s comments have certainly given a vast amount of exciting information about Mae and Osha’s connection, they haven’t told the full story. Osha and Mae have clearly inherited a tremendous amount of power from Mother Aniseya, but they haven’t yet had a chance to fully use it. Since they’ve been separated for so long, both of the twins have been incomplete, and they’ve only had access to half of their power in the Force. Given The Acolyte‘s focus on “the power of two” and the fact that Mae and Osha were so briefly reunited, there’s a chance they’ll be able to realize their full strength together.

There’s no telling how the finale of The Acolyte season 1 will play out, but there’s a strong possibility that Mae and Osha will finally be able to work together again. After The Acolyte episode 6, Osha was with the Stranger, and Mae was with Sol, which could put them on a collision course with each other. The truth about Brendok and Sol’s role in killing Mother Aniseya may also push Osha closer to her twin, which would give them an opportunity to show their true potential. If they do combine their powers, the last episode of The Acolyte season 1 could be explosive.

It seems very likely that The Acolyte will reveal just how powerful Osha and Mae really are, but there’s a chance it won’t be for a while. There’s only one episode left of The Acolyte, and the show’s short runtime may not leave enough room to get there in time. Additionally, Headland has teased the possibility of The Acolyte season 2, and seeing Mae and Osha at full strength may be reserved for the next season. Whether it happens in The Acolyte episode 8 or in The Acolyte season 2, Osha and Mae will almost certainly show just how strong the power of two is.

New episodes of The Acolyte premiere on Tuesday nights on Disney+.

The Acolyte Poster Showing Jedi Order, Mae, and a Sith Lord Holding Lightsabers

The Acolyte

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The Acolyte is a television series set in the Star Wars universe at the end of the High Republic Era, where both the Jedi and the Galactic Empire were at the height of their influence. This sci-fi thriller sees a former Padawan reunite with her former Jedi Master as they investigate several crimes – all leading to darkness erupting from beneath the surface and preparing to bring about the end of the High Republic.

Cast

Amandla Stenberg
, Lee Jung-jae
, Joonas Suotamo
, Charlie Barnett
, Dafne Keen
, Leah Brady
, Manny Jacinto
, Rebecca Henderson
, Carrie-Anne Moss
, Jodie Turner-Smith
, Dean-Charles Chapman
, Lauren Brady
, Anthony J. Abraham
, Thara Shöön
, Danielle Xin Yao Waterman
, Sienna Khiroya
, Jeramiah Evans
, Dan Milne
, Thomas Coombes
, Archie Singh Swali
, Nick Court
, Ed Kear
, Jumayn Hunter
, Scroobius Pip
, Abigail Thorn
, Margarita Levieva
, Amy Tsang
, Saskia Allen
, Deborah Rosan
, Tabitha Alege
, Paul Bullion
, Indra Ové
, Derek Arnold
, Lewis Young

Character(s)

Mae
, Master Sol
, Kelnacca
, Yord Fandar
, Jecki Lon
, Little Mae
, Qimir
, Master Vernestra Rwoh
, Master Indara
, Mother Aniseya
, Master Torbin
, Padawan Torbin
, Little Osha
, Fillik
, Tasi Lowa
, Youngling
, Restrained Convict
, Convict
, Olega Urchin
, Olega Master
, Olega Padawan
, Scavenger
, Ensign Eurus
, Mother Koril
, Ensign Rane
, Scout Sarria
, Ensign Shima
, Elder Jaalyn
, Master Lakshay
, Master Holden
, Master Ki-Adi-Mundi
, Jedi Knight

Showrunner

Leslye Headland