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The Acolyte finale is almost here, and there are several predictions to be made regarding how the new Star Wars show will wrap things up. Set 100 years before the events of The Phantom Menace, The Acolyte has revealed a major mystery involving the dark side during the High Republic Era, an age of peace and prosperity. However, there are quite a few questions that still need answering.

While there are certainly plans and hopes for The Acolyte season 2, a new season has yet to be confirmed by Lucasfilm. As such, some of the expectations and answers being hoped for in The Acolyte’s finale might instead be saved for a potential future season. Regardless, here are the top 10 predictions we have for The Acolyte’s upcoming finale episode.

10

Osha Will Commit Herself To The Way Of The Sith

Learning The Truth And Joining The Stranger

As seen in The Acolyte episode 6, Qimir aka The Stranger (Manny Jacinto) confirmed that his cortosis helmet acted as a sensory deprivation device, allowing for a stronger connection to the Force due to limited distractions. As such, the episode ends with Osha (Amandla Stenberg) donning the helmet herself, presumably to reconnect with her own power in the Force she hadn’t used since leaving the Jedi Order before the events of the series. As such, the revelations made in The Acolyte episode 7 and its flashback to her childhood on Brendok suggest that Osha may now embrace the past of the dark side with Qimir.

In The Acolyte episode 7, it was revealed that Sol (Lee Jung-jae) neglected to tell Osha the truth about the night she was taken to become his apprentice. While he did tell Osha that her twin sister Mae caused a fire that resulted in the deaths of their mother and the coven that raised them, he didn’t share that he was the one who inadvertently killed Mother Aniseya during the tense confrontation between the Jedi and witches, nor that he was forced to choose between saving Osha and Mae during the conflict. As such, the revelation of the truth could very well turn Osha to the dark side.

9

Vernestra Rwoh Will Face The Stranger

We’re Expecting Some Impressive Lightwhip Battles

Having left the Jedi Temple on Coruscant to investigate the incident on Khofar, Master Vernestra Rwoh (Rebecca Henderson) and her team of Jedi discover the aftermath of Qimir’s brutal Jedi massacre following his murder of the Jedi Wookiee Kelnacca. Intending to learn the truth from Sol as the sole Jedi survivor, it stands to reason that Vernestra will play a key role in The Acolyte’s finale. As such, it would be very exciting to see Vernestra duel Qimir should he and Osha be discovered in the show’s finale.

It’s also worth noting the unique design of the scar pattern on Qimir’s back as seen in The Acolyte episode 6. While their origin and who attacked Qimir from behind hasn’t yet been confirmed, it is teased that they were given to him by someone who “threw him away”, perhaps even his master from his newly revealed past as a former Jedi. To that end, the scars do look as though they could have come from Vernestra’s purple-bladed lightwhip, suggesting a hidden past between the Jedi Master and this new dark side user.

8

Qimir’s Master Will Be Revealed

Who Trained The Stranger?

While it’s known that The Stranger was once a Jedi, it’s not yet been confirmed where he learned to wield the dark side of the Force. To that end, it’s been speculated that Qimir was rejected first by the Jedi, and then perhaps later on by the Sith as a rejected apprentice. This would support the idea that The Stranger does not belong to the traditional Sith Lords under the established line of Darth Bane, nor the Jedi Order. Instead, Qimir’s his own brand of dark side user, or perhaps one of the early Knights of Ren.

In any case, it would certainly be exciting to learn who Qimir’s master (or masters) were, either in the light side or in the dark. This is something that The Acolyte’s finale will more than likely answer. At the very least, the finale could also continue to tease the reveal as set-up for a future season of the new Star Wars show.

7

The True Sith Will Emerge

Perhaps Tenebrous or Darth Plagueis?

Regardless of whether The Stranger is a true Sith Lord or not, one could imagine that his actions will eventually gain the attention of the genuine Dark Lords of the Sith. Perhaps they already have by the time of The Acolyte’s finale. As such, The Acolyte’s finale would certainly score some major points if known Sith such as Darth Tenebrous or Plagueis (Palpatine’s master) made appearances.

In the established canon before The Acolyte, Darth Tenebrous and his apprentice Plagueis should be active during this period of the High Republic Era, albeit hidden in the shadows. After all, both Tenebrous and Plagueis belong to respective alien species with long life spans. That said, it’s still not known how Qimir/The Stranger fits into the greater factions of dark-side users in the Star Wars canon.

6

Jedi Master Sol Will Die

Keeping The Stranger’s Presence A Secret From The Jedi

Following The Acolyte episode 5, Jedi Master Sol is the last Jedi left standing following the mission to find Mater Kelnacca. Thanks to his impressive cortosis helmet and gauntlet, Qimir single-handedly took on 8 trained members of the Jedi Order. By the episode’s end, he had killed them all, including Sol’s Padawan Jecki Lon and newly knighted Yord Fandar. With The Stranger having confirmed that any Jedi who threatens his exposure and existence must die, things are certainly not looking good for Sol.

Master Sol is the only Jedi left who could credibly report to the Jedi Order to reveal Qimir’s existence, whom he likely assumes is a Sith. To that end, one can imagine that Sol likely won’t live to tell the Jedi about Qimir. This would maintain The Stranger’s secrecy, while also maintaining key elements of the Star Wars canon, such as the Jedi’s ignorance of SIth’s survival during this period.

5

Mae and Osha Will Merge Back Into One

Reversing The Rhyme?

Another interesting possibility for The Acolyte’s finale is Mae and Osha potentially merging to become one. This is based on the revelation from The Acolyte episode 7 that Mae and Osha were created via their mother’s manipulation of a Force vergence, having been split from one singular consciousness in the Force into two beings. Sharing identical markers and symbionts when it comes to their M-counts, Mae and Osha truly are the same person as far as the Force is concerned.

This would essentially be a reversal of their recurring children’s rhyme and the mantras of Brendok’s witches. With the power of many being no more after the witches’ destruction, the power of two could end up becoming one. This could even be done via the revealed ethereal smoke powers used by the witches as seen in the flashbacks to Brendok. As such, Mae and Osha becoming one being as they were seemingly meant to be doesn’t seem too far outside the realm of plausibility.

4

Mae and Osha Will Be Confirmed As A Force Dyad

“Unseen In Generations”

It’s also possible that Mae and Osha could be officially confirmed as a Force dyad. A concept introduced in The Rise of Skywalker, a dyad is a rare bond in the Force where two beings are connected across both time and space. They also exist as one being in the Force, an idea that shares quite a bit of resemblance to how Mae and Osha have been identified by the Jedi. Likewise, it’s also a part of the established Star Wars canon that the Sith often tried to manufacture and create these powerful dyads artificially, something Brendok’s witches may have very well achieved with the twins.

3

We’ll Finally Learn Why The Jedi Never Realized The Sith Had Returned

How Their Presence Remained Hidden Until Darth Maul

No matter how The Acolyte’s finale shakes out, the expectation is that there will be an explanation for why the Jedi will still be unaware of the Sith’s existence during this period of the Star Wars timeline. Even if Qimir doesn’t end up being revealed as a true Sith, he did say that that’s what the Jedi would call him. As such, Qimir simply being a red lightsaber-wielding dark side user should be enough to motivate the Jedi to look into the possibility that their ancient rivals might not be as extinct as had been believed for millennia.

The most obvious means to maintaining the Sith’s secrecy in The Acolyte’s finale episode is Sol’s death. However, showrunner Leslye Headland’s comments about plans for future seasons suggest it won’t be as simple as that. At any rate, the hope would be that the immediate crisis involving Qimir and the current Jedi investigation will somehow be wrapped up while maintaining their ignorance of the Sith until the emergence of Darth Maul in The Phantom Menace, even if avenues are left open for potential future seasons.

2

The Jedi Will Lose Their Battle With The Senate

An External Review…

The Acolyte episode 6 also confirmed that members of the Republic Senate were calling for an “external review” of the Jedi Order. If approved in the finale, this could serve as the foundation for what’s seen in the Star Wars prequels with the Supreme Chancellor essentially having more oversight over the Jedi than in past generations of the Republic. After all, the Jedi Order’s ties with the Republic Senate and government did aid in their own downfall once a Sith Lord became Supreme Chancellor right under their noses.

1

The Jedi Council Will Be Left With Plenty Of Questions, & No Answers

The Jedi Will Be Left Only With Mystery

Thus far, the existing Jedi High Council has yet to be revealed in The Acolyte. However, this could change in The Acolyte’s finale with the Council making an appearance in whatever aftermath the episode brings. That said, one can assume that they’ll simply be left with far more questions than answers about the Jedi who’ve recently been lost in this new Star Wars show (and why).

The Acolyte’s finale is set to be released on Tuesday, July 16th.