Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for The Acolyte episode 7
Summary
The Acolyteepisode 7 features an exciting collection of Easter eggs and references to both theHigh Republic Eraand theStar Warscanon at large. Revisiting the major flashback on Brendock that was seen inThe Acolyteepisode 3, the new Star Wars show is finally revealing the full events that led to the twin sisters Mae and Osha Aniseya being split up as children when the Jedi came to their world. It’s also been revealed what happened to the Force witches who raised them.
InThe Acolyteepisode 7,it’s explained why the Jedi were on Brendock in the first place, 16 years before the present-day events ofThe Acolyte. Likewise, it’s also revealed that the demise of Brendock’s witches involved far more than Mae simply starting a fire after Osha decided she wanted to become a Jedi. To that end,here are 10 Easter eggs and references fromThe Acolyteepisode 7 as the events on Brendock were revealed in full.
Star Wars Movies In Order: How To Watch Release Order, Chronologically & With The TV Shows
What’s the best way to watch Star Wars? Here’s everything you need to know to watch in release or timeline order, and how to include the TV shows.
10Insulting a Wookiee’s Cooking
“It’s Unwise To Upset A Wookiee”
While conducting their survey of Brendock, Torbin draws a roar of outrage from the Wookiee Jedi Kelnacca after he says he’s not hungry for the food the Wookiee was preparing.Master Indara cautions her Padawan that"It’s unwise to insult a Wookiee’s cooking". This mirrors the classic line from Han Solo inA New Hopewhen he comments that it’s"unwise to upset a Wookiee"afterR2-D2 beats Chewbacca in a game of dejarik holo-chessaboard theMillennium Falcon.
However,the particular meat Kelnacca’s cooking also resembles the bird-like porgs Chewbacca was roasting inThe Last Jedi.Wanting to treat himself to a meal while Rey was training with Luke on Ahch-To, Chewie tried to eat his food, though not before scaring off a group of the horrified creatures who certainly looked offended by what he’d done to their fellow porg. As confirmed byStarWars.com, the type of alien bird Kelnacca’s cooking for himself and his fellow Jedi is known as a nuna which has been seen in previousStar Warsprojects.
9The Great Hyperspace Disaster
The Very First High Republic Era Story
InThe Acolyteepisode 7, Indara confirms the reason why the Jedi are investigating Brendock. According to the Jedi Master, Brendock was once lifeless and desolate, having been ravaged due to the Great Hyperspace Disaster 100 years prior.The Great Hyperspace disaster was one of the very first stories set during the High Republic Erafrom Charles Soule’s novelLight of the Jedi.
Serving as a major galactic crisis, a ship known asThe Legacy Runwas destroyed while traveling through hyperspaceby the marauders known as the Nihil. To that end, pieces of the ship were haphazardly shot out of hyperspace at random, becoming incredibly devastating projectiles known as The Emergences that threatened to wreak havoc on multiple worlds. Apparently, Brendock was one of these ruined worlds.
8The Acolye’s Brendock Contains A Force Vergence
Powerful Nexuses In The Force
Despite having once been a desolate world, the Jedi were sent to investigate why the planet was now full of life, the suspicion being that the cause was ahigh concentration of Force energy known as a vergence or nexus.Found all over theStar Warsgalaxy, vergences can be entered on both the light and dark sides of the Force (sometimes both). They can be location-based, objects, and even powerful Force-sensitives such as Anakin Skywalker (the Chosen One).
Beyond this new vergence on Brendock, key vergences include a dark side locus beneath Coruscant’s Jedi Temple and Darth Vader’s Mustafar castle, as well as deep fissures below Palpatine’s Sith Citadel on Exegol. The “Cave of Evil” Luke enters on Dagobah in also a vergence, as is the “Mirror Cave” Rey finds on Ahch-To. Furthermore, entire worlds can be major vergences known as fulcrums in the Force, such as Mortis or the birthplace of the midi-chlorians known as The Wellspring.
7Nightsisters?
A Known Force Coven During The High Republic
Following his initial recon after discovering Osha and Mae and the Force cult raising them, Master Sol reports back to his fellow Jedi. Sharing his suspicions that they’re witches,Torbin asks if they’re Nightsisters, another group of Force witches in theStar Warscanonwho’ve recently been seen in the New Republic Era with theAhsokaseries. As such, it seems the Nightsisters were also a known coven to the Jedi even as far back as the High Republic Era, if not earlier.
Originating from outside the galaxy on the world known as Peridea,the majority of the Nightsisters settled on the world known as Dathomir, a powerful world strong in the dark side of the Force. This is where they resided for millennia until their demise near the end of The Clone Wars. However,Ahsokahas revealed that some Nightsisters still survived both in the known galaxy such as Morgn Elsbeth, and back on Peridea such as the triumvirate known as The Great Mothers.
6Bonadan
The Start of The Hydian Way
Upon entering his mind, Mother Aniseya confirms that she knows Padawan Torbin’s history and desires.This includes the knowledge that Torbin’s parents come from the planet Bonadan. In theStar Warsgalaxy, Bonadan is located in the Corporate Sector and is known as the official beginning of the Hydian Way, one of the biggest hyperspace trade routes in the galaxy.
5Extremely High M-Counts
Just Like Anakin Skywalker
Once the results of Mae and Osha’s blood come back,the Jedi are shocked to learn that both girls have incredibly high M-counts.This means that they each have an extremely high number of midi-chlorians in their blood, a key marker signifying they have very powerful connections to the Force. The same was true of Anakin Skywalker when Qui-Gon Jinn tested his blood inThe Phantom Menace, confirmed by Obi-Wan Kenobi to have a higher M-count than even Master Yoda.
4Star Wars Confirms Why Cloning Force-Senstives Is So Hard
Unique Symbionts
The Jedi are also surprised to learn thatMae and Osha also have identical symbionts to the Force. Even as twins, it’s revealed that their symbionts and connections to the Force should be unique if they had been born naturally. Instead, this confirms to the Jedi that the girls are actually one consciousness split into two. It might even be a tease thatMae and Osha exist as an artificial dad in the Force.
This split is something the Jedi believe could only have been done artificially through the manipulation of a powerful Force vergence. This could also help explain why cloning Force sensitives is so difficult, as seen during the days of the Galactic Empire with Palpatine’s Project Necromancer. As such, it’s a fascinating new concept regarding Force-sensitives and their connections to the sentient midi-chlorians.
3“Noble Intentions"
Foreshadowing The Jedi’s Downfall
During the Jedi’s return to the witches' compound, Sol tries to explain that they’ve come with noble intentions to have Osha be trained as a Jedi. However,Mother Aniseya says that one day all those noble intentions will lead to"the downfall of every Jedi in the galaxy.“As such, this is some key foreshadowing of the Jedi’s future demise at the end of the prequels withOrder 66 and the rise of Palpatine’s Empire.
For all the Jedi’s noble intentions, they were indeed so compromised byRevenge of the Siththat they were unaware that the Sith had infiltrated the Republic Senate. Deceptions and plots that had been developed over decades were unleashed by Palpatine, leading to the Jedi’s own clone troopers betraying them alongside Anakin Skywalker, the prophesied Chosen One whom Darth Sidious had corrupted into his new apprentice Darth Vader. While it’s unclear if Aniseya’s warning actually came from a clear vision of the future, it came true all the same.
2Mother Aniseya’s Shadow Powers
Straight From Legends And The Nightsisters
Wanting to protect Mae from the battle about to take place between Tobin and Koril,Mother Aniseya transforms herself into shadow to try and get to Mae as fast as possible. This is a new power for this Force coven as the other witches eventually do the same following Aniseya’s death, though it actually comes from Legends. Having first appeared in the Legends novelThe Courtship of Princess Leia, this shadow power was used by the Nightsisters, the original Force witches in theStar Warscanon.
1Kylo Ren’s Theme Plays (Again)
During The Kelnacca Duel
Following Aniseya’s death, Mother Koril and the remaining witches join together to possess Kelnacca, puppeting him to fight Torbin and Sol on their behalf. During the brief duel,Kylo Ren’s theme from the sequel trilogy can be heard, though it’s not the first time.Ever sinceThe Acolyteepisode 5, Kylo Ren’s theme has been heard on multiple occasions, though for what purpose remains unclear beyond being a notable auditory Easter egg in the newStar Warsshow.
The Acolyte
Cast
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.
