The mystery surrounding Star Wars: The Acolyte has begun. The two-episode premiere unveils that Amandla Stenberg plays the role of twin sisters Mae and Osha and the shocking deaths of two Jedi Masters. But Mae still has two Jedi left to kill, and she vows to do it without using a weapon to please the “Master.” As her revelation puzzles the viewers, showrunner Leslye Headland explains why Mae has to kill the Jedi without an arm.
In an interview with GQ Magazine, Headland revealed that more about Mae’s task from her so-called Master would be explored in future episodes. Thankfully, she didn’t mind sharing a few details about it, though she made it in a general way, revealing it had something to do with the Jedi code.
“Essentially, in this period, we wanted to be clear that Jedi would not attack unarmed people,” she said. “That would just go against what their code was, at this particular time.”
The series creator continued that Jedi wouldn’t fight battle droids or people with other lightsabers. Generally, this meant that Jedi wouldn’t harm anyone even if they were being attacked, playing as the bigger person in the fight. By the looks of it, Headland suggested that Mae was trying to trick the Jedi into breaking their code.
“So, I think that what Mae is doing and what killing without a lightsaber is alluding to is that it's a psychological fight,” she explained. “It's trying to bait the Jedi into breaking their code. And if you can do that, then that's a stronger win.”
But though Mae was trying to fight a Jedi without a weapon, she ended up falling into her own trap, taking her daggers out first with her eagerness to kill the Jedi. Hence, she managed to kill Jedi Master Indara with her knife and Jedi Master Torbin with poison.
“But she's got two more Jedi [to kill],” Headland continued. “So, her aim is to kill one without a weapon. But she wants all of them to die.”
Why is Mae killing the Jedi in Star Wars: The Acolyte?
Warning: Major spoilers ahead. Read at your own risk.
The Acolyte reveals Mae as the Jedi killer. Though it remains to be seen why she’s eager to kill the Jedi, the show has dropped some hints as to why she’s targeting four Jedi Masters: Indara, Torbin, Sol, and the Wookie Kelnacca. Though the franchise has established that killing a Jedi is one of the ways a Sith apprentice can prove their power, it looks like Mae has another reason.
Aside from pleasing her mysterious Master, the show revealed that these four members of the Jedi Order were stationed on her home planet when she and her twin sister were still kids and their parents died. However, it was also revealed that Mae started the fire, which resulted in the death of her family, with the Jedi believing she also succumbed to that tragic event.
That said, Mae is probably targeting the four Jedi Masters for revenge, blaming them for her parents' deaths and seemingly ruining her life. She may also have other reasons why she hates the Jedi, and more about them may soon be revealed.
The first two episodes of The Acolyte are available on Disney+, and new episodes are set to be released every Tuesday.
