Star Wars: The Acolyte Season 1’s Ending, Explained

Warning: The following article contains major spoilers for The Acolyte Season 1, Episode 8, “The Acolyte.”

The Acolyte‘s first season finale just dropped, and it’s filled with plot twists, surprise cameos, and even more mysteries. It’s enough to make an astromech droid’s dome spin, so we’ve explained all the big developments in The Acolyte Season 1’s ending below.

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Was Osha’s Force Vision Wrong?

Yes and no – it depends on what Osha saw. Did her vision really show Mae killing Sol with the Force (which doesn’t happen), or did it show Osha murdering the Jedi Master (which does)? We’ll never know for certain, since The Acolyte doesn’t depict the vision itself on-screen.

Further complicating matters is that Force-based foretelling is notoriously unreliable, as events remain in flux until they finally unfold. As Yoda tells Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, “Always in motion is the future” (something Osha herself notes in The Acolyte).

Either way, Sol still ends up dead – but not before he tells Osha and Mae the truth about their origins.

Is That Darth Plagueis Spying on Osha and Qimir?

Yep, that sinister figure keeping tabs on Osha and Qimir/The Stranger is indeed legendary Sith Lord Darth Plagueis. Darth Plagueis is first mentioned in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, however, The Acolyte marks his live-action debut. His big claim to fame is that he discovered how to create life (and cheat death) using the Force.

Plagueis’ presence here suggests he’s the reigning Dark Lord of the Sith and Qimir’s master. If so, that’s an update on current Star Wars continuity, which lists Darth Sidious as Plagueis’ only pupil. Alternatively, The Acolyte showrunner Leslye Headland could be positioning Qimir as Darth Venamis: Plagueis’ Sith rival trained by his teacher, Darth Tenebrous, in legacy Expanded Universe canon.

But whether he’s Qimir’s boss or his competitor, it’s obvious why Darth Plagueis is lurking in the shadows: Qimir training Osha is a direct threat to him! It’s also possible Plagueis knows about (or was even involved in) Osha’s artificially engineered birth, and is keen to learn more about it.

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How Does Osha Turn Sol’s Lightsaber Red?

As Osha Force chokes Sol, we see the crystal in Sol’s lightsaber (which Osha is holding at the time) change from blue to red. And once he’s dead, Osha ignites her former master’s weapon and its blade likewise turns crimson. So, what gives?

This is what’s known as “bleeding”: using the Dark Side of the Force to corrupt a kyber crystal, inverting its natural Light Side alignment. The Sith Order requires prospective recruits to perform this ritual, using crystals taken from Jedi Knights they’ve killed. So, Osha has already ticked this box when she agrees to train with Qimir (more on that below).

2016 novel Ahsoka was the first Star Wars story to reference bleeding and the process itself subsequently appeared in the 2017 Darth Vader comic book series.

Why Does Osha Join Qimir?

The Acolyte Season 1’s ending sees Osha sign up as Qimir/The Stranger’s Sith apprence. She is the Acolyte now, not Mae. Why does Osha do it? It’s simple: to protect Mae. Osha’s deal with Qimir means she takes Mae’s place as his student, so he’s less inclined to kill Mae.

Osha benefits from her bargain with Qimir, too. According to Qimir, there’s a decent chance the Jedi Order would imprison (or even execute) Osha due to her incredible power and unnatural origin; becoming a Sith Acolyte keeps her off the Jedi’s radar.

That’s also why Mae allows Qimir to wipe her memory: to cover Qimir and Osha’s tracks. Plus, Mae’s mindwipe leaves her with no knowledge about The Acolyte‘s Jedi murders, resulting in Sol taking the blame, instead.

Is Mae’s Mindwipe Permanent?

Just how permanent Mae’s mindwipe is remains unclear for now. We know that she recalls vague details of her childhood, including her mother’s murder. At the same time, she’s seemingly forgotten that she has a twin sister and has little (if any) knowledge of The Acolyte‘s events.

So, Qimir’s mental whammy was pretty dang strong. That said, dialogue between Osha and Mae before Qimir performs the mindwipe suggests the procedure is reversible. After all, why would Osha promise to find Mae, if not to restore her memories and resume their sibling relationship?

Related: Who Was the First Sith Lord in the Star Wars Canon?

How Are Vernestra Rwoh and Qimir Connected?

One of The Acolyte Season 1 ending’s less surprising twists is the revelation that Qimir was once Vernestra Rwoh’s Jedi Padawan. Plenty of fans already guessed this was the case, after clocking the distinctive lightsaber scars on Qimir’s back. These almost certainly came from a lightwhip like Vernestra’s, hinting that she is the Jedi Master who violently expelled him from the order.

Now, we know for certain. In The Acolyte Season 1, Episode 8, Vernestra immediately “recognizes” Qimir through the Force when she arrives Brendok, prompting him to don his cortosis helmet to keep her out of his head. She also confirms that an unnamed former student of hers succumbed to the Dark Side. Putting two and two together, Vernestra is clearly Qimir’s ex-master.

Why Does Vernestra Cover-up What Happened on Brendok?

Vernestra’s dubious history with Qimir isn’t her only sketchy moment in The Acolyte Season 1, Episode 8. We also witness her pin all of Mae, Qimir, and Osha’s crimes on Sol – resulting in a cover-up of a cover-up. So, why does Vern intentionally mislead the senators?

Presumably, she’s saving her own skin. After all, she trained Qimir and oversaw Sol’s semi-unofficial investigation. Will the truth ever come out? We’ll have to wait until The Acolyte Season 2 (assuming it happens) to find out, although the finale’s final shot of Vernestra visiting Master Yoda suggests she’s about to drag one of Star Wars‘ most beloved characters into her conspiracy!

Related: Is The Acolyte’s Sith Master Connected to the Sequel Trilogy’s Knights of Ren?

Does The Acolyte Season 1 Have a Post-credits Scene?

Nope, once the credits roll, that’s it for The Acolyte Season 1. You could easily imagine Episode 8’s final shot of Venestra standing before Yoda functioning as a mid-credits stinger, however, that’s ultimately not the route Headland and her team went down.

All eight episodes of The Acolyte Season 1 are currently streaming on Disney+.