The first two episodes of “The Acolyte” are now available on Disney+. This new Star Wars series takes viewers into the era of the High Republic for the first time, a time when the Jedi were at their peak. However, Leslie Headland’s project starts off with surprising violence against the Jedi.
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD
The series begins with a mysterious young warrior and Force user attacking Master Indara, played by Carrie Anne-Moss. After a fierce battle, the assassin, Mae, tricks the Jedi into lowering her guard by protecting an innocent man, and then fatally stabs her in the heart.
In the second episode, Mae targets another Jedi, Master Torbin, who is in a state of perpetual meditation and protected by an impenetrable Force field. Mae, however, manages to kill him by offering him poison, convincing him to commit suicide for peace.
Mae’s motives are revealed within the series. She has a personal vendetta against four Jedi, including Kelnacca, a Wookiee Jedi, and Master Sun, played by Lee Jung-jae. These four Jedi visited her planet when she and her twin, Osha, were children. Mae caused a fire on her home planet, killing her entire family and seemingly herself. Now, she seeks revenge against the Jedi, blaming them for her suffering, though the specifics of her grudge remain unclear.
A MASKED SITH LORD
Mae’s quest is also driven by a desire to please her teacher, a mysterious and fearsome Sith Lord. Her ultimate goal is to become a Sith, and to do so, she must carry out these murders. This mirrors a common Sith practice, where apprentices prove their worth by killing Jedi. Darth Vader himself was once tasked by Emperor Palpatine to hunt down Jedi fugitives to prove his loyalty.
Mae is instructed by her Sith master to kill one of the Jedi without using weapons, further complicating her mission. Her personal vendetta serves as a cover for the Sith Lord, keeping the true nature of the murders hidden from the Jedi Order. The Jedi might dismiss the killings as a personal vendetta, not suspecting the return of the Sith, whom they believe to be extinct.
The story will continue in the third episode of “The Acolyte,” premiering on Disney+ on Wednesday, June 12, and the night of Tuesday, June 11, in Latin America.
