Warning! This post contains spoilers for The Acolyte finale.
Summary
The Acolytereceived criticism for Mae’s reference to Hell in theStar Warsshow’s finale, but this wasn’t the franchise’s first use of the word; in fact, Hell has a fascinating history inStar Warsmovies and TV shows. The notion of Hell was introduced inA New Hopewhen Uncle Owen warned Luke there would be"Hell to pay.“Hell has therefore existed intheStar Warstimelinefrom the beginning.
Han Solo repeated the reference inThe Empire Strikes Backwhen he yelled"Then I’ll see you in Hell"to a Rebel fighter who was warning him against going out to find Luke. Since then, Hell has popped up various times inStar Wars, making Mae’s use of it far from an anomaly. However,when Mae said,“See you in Hell, Jedi"inThe Acolytefinale, her meaning was so much more sinister than it seemed on the surface. Hell, inStar Wars, has a very particular meaning, and it reveals Mae’s sentiments about Master Sol with no uncertainty.
Despite All The Controversy, The Acolyte Hasn’t Broken Star Wars Canon At All
Audiences were concerned from the very beginning that The Acolyte would break Star Wars canon and retcon the prequels, but that didn’t happen.
In Star Wars, “Hell” Is The Place Where Sith Spirits Go
InStar Wars,Hell, at times also called Chaos or the Void, is the torturous afterlife awaiting Sith Lords. In fact, this was revealed by none other than Darth Plagueis, who seems to have just made his first on-screen appearance inThe Acolytefinale. InBook of Sith: Secrets from the Dark Side, written by Daniel Wallace, Darth Plagueis explains,“Chaos is where dead Sith Lords are believed to dwell in torment.”
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Although this explanation was given in Legends, Hell also exists inStar Warscanon, and is also referred to as Chaos and the Void at times, suggesting that they are in essence the same concept. Moreover, it makes sense that, even if the name was being referenced in the galaxy far, far away, it would more or less mirror the notion of Hell in the real world. However, this dark description, wherein Hell is specifically meant to torture dead Sith, is quite revealing when applied to Mae’s comments inThe Acolyte.
Mae
Given all that came to light in the last few episodes ofThe Acolyte,it’s unsurprising that Mae would have such a vicious thing to say to Master Sol. After all, although Mae saw Sol kill her mother when she was a child, hearing the explanation forwhy Sol kills Mother Aniseyareally only made things worse; to the very end, Master Sol believed he had done the right thing by killing Osha and Mae’s mother. What is interesting, though, is what this implies about Mae’s perception of Master Sol.
If Mae believes Hell to be a place where the Sith go to get tormented after their death, then she views Sol as truly evil.
If Mae believes Hell to be a place where the Sith go to get tormented after their death, then she views Sol as truly evil. The notion of good versus evil is always a complex one, butThe Acolytemade it all the more complicated by having the Jedi—arguably, the characters most representative of ‘good’ inStar Wars—cross the line so many times, Sol in particular. Whether Sol is really good or evil remains up for debate, but, based on Mae’s reference to Hell inThe Acolyte, it’s fairly clear where she stands.
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.
