Star Wars: The Acolyte Episode 3, Destiny, took viewers further back in time to tell the backstory of Osha and Mae. It revealed the twin sisters’ childhood, connection to Mother Aniseya and her coven of witches, how the young Mae and Osha were driven apart, and how the latter became Jedi Master Sol’s Padawan. Aside from these, it unveiled the twins’ surprising connection to Anakin Skywalker. With all these revelations, showrunner Leslye Headland discussed Mae and Osha’s unexpected origins and the inspiration behind the third episode.
Warning: Spoilers ahead. Read at your own risk.
The Acolyte Episode 3 answered questions about why Mae wanted to kill four specific Jedi: Indara, Sol, Torbin, and Kelnacca. As it turned out, the Jedi Knights’ arrival on Brendok changed Mae and Osha’s lives forever. Osha decided to join the Jedi, but Mae refused. As she wanted her sister to stay on Brendok and continue the legacy of the coven, she started a fire that led to the death of Aniseya and the rest of the witches. As this came out in the third episode, Leslye told Entertainment Weekly why she decided not to start the series with the sisters’ backstory.
“I did always think if you were going to tell the origin story of these two characters, it would be a lot more interesting to dip in a later episode as opposed to starting with it,” she explained. “It just felt more dynamic and more interesting.”
The series creator continued that she and the show’s writers were influenced by the 1950 crime mystery movie Rashomon as they developed the first season’s story arc to “see things from different points of view.” This made her realize that if they went back in time, there would be many ways to interpret the event that happened.
The Inspiration for Mother Aniseya’s Coven in Star Wars: The Acolyte
Headland also talked about the inspiration for Aniseya’s coven of witches in The Acolyte. As this coven quickly reminded fans of the Nightsisters of Dathomir, she confirmed it was inspired by this group and Asajj Ventress’ storylines on Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
“When I got the chance to make a show set in the Star Wars universe, it felt like, ‘Well, of course, I'm going to do my version of witches,” she revealed. “I just am going to shoot my shot.”
However, this coven isn’t connected to any other Star Wars shows, as it perfectly fits Osha and Mae’s background and the women they have become. For Headland, it only made sense that they were at the center of a coven as the characters developed, revealing Osha and Mae were the legacy of what Aniseya started.
Mae and Osha’s Origins in Star Wars: The Acolyte
In The Acolyte Episode 3, Mother Koril and Aniseya argued about Mae and Osha’s future, as the latter expressed her interest in joining the Jedi. At one point, Koril stressed that she carried the girls, while Aniseya remarked that she created them. This seemed to confirm that the twins were conceived using the Force like Anakin. However, Headland didn’t directly address the revelation but teased it would be continuously explored as the show continued.
“If you keep watching the show, we do talk about that and explore that,” she said. “I would say there isn't one answer to it. Some characters believe certain things and other characters believe other things in terms of what she means by that. So, you're going to have to watch and decide which side of that argument you're on.”
Headland knows how to catch the viewers’ interest with the revelations the show features in every episode. Like she said, fans have to stay tuned to learn more about the mystery surrounding Osha, Mae, and the Jedi.
The Acolyte Episodes 1 to 3 are available on Disney+. New episodes are set to release every Tuesday.
