In the Wake of That Explosive Finale, The Acolyte Should Be the Future of Star Wars

With The Acolyte finale now upon us at last, the truth’s come out in more ways than one.

Plenty of secrets are revealed in the narrative, of course, especially following last week’s flashback to Brendok. Sol was the one who killed the twins’ Mother, Aniseya, and his meddling was responsible for the rest of the coven’s demise as well. 

But what’s become most apparent now is just how much a second season of The Acolyte is needed, and not just because we’re thirsty for Qimir, aka The Handsome Menace. It’s also not because of all the dangling plot threads this final episode sets up, including a deep-cut cameo followed by a not-so deep-cut cameo at the very end. A shallow cut, if you will. 

No, the reason why The Acolyte’s future existence is so vital to our own is because this is exactly the kind of show Star Wars needs to make more of moving forward. Not since The Mandalorian has there been an original story based on (mostly) original characters in this galaxy far, far away. Even Andor, as brilliant as it is, connects directly with stories we’ve heard before, obliged to fill in certain gaps. 

Now, that’s not a bad thing per se, not when the writing is that strong. But what’s special about The Acolyte is that it isn’t beholden to lore in that same way. Yes, there are important connections to be made, especially some set up in this final episode, but by starting the story 100 years before Skywalker’s endlessly hashed-out saga, showrunner Leslye Headland and her team are finally (Force) pushing the franchise into new realms of storytelling.  

In doing so, The Acolyte has reminded us that there’s a whole world of possibility to mine beyond Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and everyone else who Disney recycles to cash in on nostalgia. Yoda’s big reveal aside, The Acolyte is much more focused on establishing new characters for us to fall in love with, including Yord (hello, Yord Horde!) and Qimir, the internet’s favorite new boyfriend. Both Jedi are diametrically opposed, morally speaking—although they’re united by pecs and abs, not to mention the fandom’s lust. 

There’s never been anyone in Star Wars quite like the fastidious Yord or the seductive Qimir either, just as no other show or film has challenged what it means to be a Jedi and whether or not their so-called righteous cause is even righteous at all. 

It’s in this grey area that Episode 8 begins, with Osha trying Qimir’s Dark Side helmet on for size. It fits real nice—that is, until she starts gasping for air. When Qimir tries to free Osha, his eyes turn black just like those who the Brendok witches controlled in last week’s flashback episode. Osha reveals a vision then of her twin sister, Mae, killing Master Sol with her hand outstretched. The pair race off on Qimir’s ship to find Mae and reckon with what’s supposedly going to happen. 

Meanwhile, Mae escapes Sol’s clutches with help from Bazil, the little beaver freak with a sensitive nose and an eye for fashion. Eventually, the four end up back on Brendok where Qimir and Sol face off with typically brilliant fight choreography, the kind that puts most other Star Wars fights to shame. Mae reunites with Osha and reveals that Sol was the one who killed their mother all those years ago—and he’s been lying about it ever since. The Light Side is looking a bit darker, suddenly.  

Sol overpowers Qimir, despite those giant arms of his, but before he can stop the Sith for good, Mae shows up and disarms him. As Sol confesses to their mother’s murder, he also reveals that Osha and Mae aren’t really twins. They are in fact the same person, created by Mother Aniseya using a vergence in the Force. For those unfamiliar with Star Wars geekery, that’s when the Force naturally concentrates in a specific area, enabling the most powerful users to accomplish extraordinary feats, like creating life. 

Osha overhears Sol and in a gag-worthy moment, it turns out she is the one who Force Chokes him to death, not Mae. Literally gaggy, in fact. And honestly, fair play to Osha. But by doing this, she tips ever closer to the Dark Side, as we can see when Osha’s lightsaber’s kyber crystal turns from blue to red. 

Master Vernestra and her Jedi underlings show up soon after, hunting Mae and Osha down after discovering Sol’s lifeless body. However, Qimir catches up to the “twins” first and offers Mae a way out. He’ll let her go and use the Force to erase her memory of them both so the Jedi won’t use her to track them down. But in exchange, Osha must commit to becoming Qimir’s apprentice. His “Acolyte,” if you will. 

It’s supposed to be a dangerous choice, one full of foreboding and dread, yet a badass red lightsaber and skinny dips with Manny Jacinto sounds like a pretty sweet deal to us (not to mention all that home-cooked food and the beautiful ocean view). Mae really got the short end of the stick, being forced to forget Qimir’s chiseled cheekbones. Oh, and her sister too, of course. Frankly, I don’t know what’s worse. 

Vernestra later interrogates Mae, promising to do everything she can to atone for Sol’s misdeeds if she can help track down Qimir, who it turns out was once Vernestra”s Padawan. That essentially confirms the scars we saw on Qimir’s back were given to him by Vernestra, his former Master, because of how the zigzag shape corresponds to her twisty, whip-formed lightsaber.  

Why Mae couldn’t just escape with Qimir and Osha remains unclear, but that’s not the only question the finale leaves us with. Vernestra lies to the Senate and the Jedi council about everything that’s happened, blaming her deceased friend Sol for it all instead. The truth will come out, we expect, especially if Senator Rayencourt has anything to do with it, which means the Jedi’s reign on top may soon be coming to an end…

The “how” remains unclear though, just as Yoda’s involvement in the next season is, too. And that’s assuming The Acolyte even returns. Review bombing aside, The Acolyte is still Disney+‘s biggest series premiere of the year so far, and there’s a fervent fan base online dying to see more, so a second season could very well be on the cards. Headland is also keen if recent interviews are anything to go by, and that’s just as well, because you can’t end with the reveal of Yoda’s little wrinkly green head without exploring what that means in another run. 

Unfair, that would be, just as it would be unfair to skip past Qimir’s connection to the Knights of Ren, teased with Kylo Ren’s music motif, and what exactly happened between him and Vernestra, all those years ago. And then of course, there’s the biggest mystery of all surrounding that creepy ass guy perving on Qimir and Osha from the cave by the beach.  

However, fans in the know probably surmised pretty sharply that this shadowy figure is of course Darth Plagueis. Sorry, who? Cast your mind back to Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith and you might remember that Palpatine name-dropped Plagueis in a chat with Anakin Skywalker, explaining how ol’ Darth could use the Force to create life and keep others from dying. Create life, eh? Could Osha and/or Mae be the key to him mastering that power?

There are so many questions that need answering still, but even if Season 1 had ended on a more definitive note, our insatiable need for more of The Acolyte would have endured anyway. Don’t listen to the haters, Disney. What Star Wars really needs is for you to revisit this fascinating, surprisingly horny corner of a galaxy far, far away in at least one more season, if not more. It’s what Yoda would want, he would. And it’s what the people want too, review-bombers be damned.

David Opie is a freelance entertainment journalist. To hear his ramblings on queer film and TV, you can follow him @DavidOpie.

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