Shocking Acolyte Theory Brings KOTOR’s Darkest Jedi Plot To Life 18 Years Later

This article contains spoilers for The Acolyte episodes 1 & 2.

The Acolyte centers around a mystery involving four Jedi Masters, and a sinister theory suggests that the answer lies in a dark storyline from Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. The show’s titular character, Sith acolyte Mae Aniseya, is determined to kill Jedi Masters Indara, Sol, Torbin, and Kelnacca and prove herself to her dark master. Mae is initially presented as a misguided character who has been brainwashed to believe the Jedi are evil, and her own sister resents her for starting a fire that killed their entire family when they were children.

However, the first two episodes gradually hint that there is more to the story than what has been revealed. Mae genuinely hates the Jedi she is hunting and mentions a crime that they committed on her homeworld the night she was presumed dead. While this idea seems absurd at first glance, it would not be the first time Star Wars has had Jedi Masters commit a terrible atrocity in secret. The Acolyte may be following KOTOR‘s example to set up a dark Jedi plot that would radically alter the course of the show in the coming episodes.

Mae Implies The Jedi Killed Without Provocation

Why would the Jedi violate the most sacred tenet of their code?

The Acolyte begins with Mae Aniseya murdering Jedi Master Indara, but despite her actions, the scene makes clear that Mae sees the Jedi as villains. Indara does not immediately draw her lightsaber or attack Mae, stating that Jedi do not attack without provocation, and Mae angrily responds that they do. She goes on to confront Master Torbin, giving him a choice between confessing his crime to the Jedi High Council and taking his own life, and he is so guilt-ridden that he chooses the latter.

These moments strongly hint at Mae targeting these four Jedi Masters because they committed a terrible crime the day she was presumed dead. Perhaps they were the ones who started the fire that destroyed Mae and Osha’s village, killing their family and allowing Mae to take the blame all these years. However, this would violate the most sacred tenet of the Jedi Code, so what could have motivated the four masters to commit such a heinous crime and lie about it for so long?

KOTOR Explained Why A Jedi Would Kill – For A Dark Reason

The Four masters may be secret members of the Jedi Covenant

A possible answer to this Acolyte mystery can be found in the comic series Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (2006) by John Jackson Miller and Brian Chang. Set before the video game of the same name, the KOTOR comics follow a Jedi Padawan named Zayne Carrick, who arrives late for his Jedi Trials and is shocked to see that his masters have murdered their own Padawans in cold blood. Fleeing for his life, Zayne is framed for the crime and must work throughout the series to prove his innocence and bring the masters to justice for their actions.

As the series progresses, it is revealed that some Jedi Masters are secret members of an organization called the Jedi Covenant, dedicated to doing whatever it takes to prevent the return of the Sith. When they experienced a vision of their Padawans turning to the dark side and destroying the Jedi Order, they decided to kill them before they could fulfill this dark destiny. Zayne and his friends eventually expose these masters and clear his name, ending the Jedi Covenant and restoring unity within the Jedi Order.

Did The Four Jedi Kill For Fear Of The Sith?

They may have sensed that the Sith’s return was imminent

The existence of the Jedi Covenant in canon, or a similar organization, explains why four Jedi Masters would slaughter the innocent. While the Sith have supposedly been extinct for 900 years in The Acolyte, the High Republic books and comics show that the Jedi and the Republic have fought and suffered at the hands of dangerous enemies to preserve peace in the galaxy. If the masters had a vision of the Sith’s imminent return, they would want to do whatever they could to stop it, even if it meant committing an act of violence.

So why would the masters target Osha and Mae’s village to prevent the return of the Sith? The Acolyte includes several references to the Star Wars prequel trilogy, especially regarding Osha and Mae. Osha was older than most Jedi initiates, like Anakin Skywalker, and she and Mae are twins, the same as Luke and Leia. Mae describes herself and Osha as “Always one, but born as two,” which sounds similar to the Sith Rule of Two. Perhaps the masters saw the destruction of the Jedi Order through the Force and incorrectly assumed that their vision applied to Osha and Mae.

There Would Be A Sinister Irony In This Star Wars Theory

Their actions led Mae to become a Sith acolyte

As horrible as the four masters’ actions would be if this theory came true, it would also be highly ironic. If they destroyed Osha and Mae’s village to prevent the Sith’s return, they only succeeded in leading Mae to become a Sith acolyte. This is similar to the fate of the Jedi Covenant in the KOTOR comics, gradually falling to the dark side and becoming what they were trying to prevent. The first Sith were dark Jedi who broke away from the Order, and the Jedi Covenant did the same by keeping their actions secret and committing unspeakable acts.

This would continue a core aspect of the Star Wars movies: dark visions leading Jedi to make bad decisions. In The Empire Strikes Back, Luke ended his training and rushed to fight Darth Vader because he feared his friends would die without him. Anakin had visions of his wife dying and became a Sith to save her, but it became a self-fulfilling prophecy when he attempted to kill her. If The Acolyte has the four Jedi Masters take this path when their secret is exposed, then the other characters will have more than Mae’s Sith Master to worry about.

The Acolyte

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.

Cast

Dafne Keen , Lee Jung-jae , Amandla Stenberg , Jodie Turner-Smith , Joonas Suotamo , Carrie-Anne Moss , Margarita Levieva , Charlie Barnett , Dean-Charles Chapman

Streaming Service(s)

Disney+

Writers

Leslye Headland , Charmaine De Grate , Kor Adana

Directors

Leslye Headland , Alex Garcia Lopez

Showrunner

Leslye Headland