Star Wars Just Made Darth Plagueis’ Greatest Force Power So Much More Mysterious

The Acolyte introduced Darth Plagueis to the Star Wars screen, and with that debut came the reveal that his most incredible Force power has a more complex history than anyone knew. The Acolyte’s showrunner Leslye Headland confirmed that the terrifying cameo on Brendok was indeed one of Star Wars’ most powerful Sith, Darth Plagueis. So far, little has been established about Plagueis in canon.

In Legends, Plagueis’ story is extensive, but in Star Wars movies and TV shows, the information about Plagueis mostly comprises his history as Palpatine’s Sith master and his incredible ability to create life and stop others from dying. Now, The Acolyte has added to this backstory, suggesting from where Plagueis may have derived his obsession with creating life.

Osha & Mae Aren’t The First Beings Created With The Force

The Acolyte finale heavily hints that Osha and Mae aren’t the first beings created with the Force. When explaining why he killed Mother Aniseya to Mae, Sol states that he believes their mother created them using the Force and says, “In the history of the galaxy, very few have been that powerful.” While this is not outright confirmation that others were made with the Force, it implies Sol knows there is a history of this power—few people, rather than no other people, have wielded this ability.

Presumably, following what happened on Brendok, Master Sol wanted to find out everything he could about vergences in the Force and the ability to create life. In addition to the incredible power each represents, both things pertained to Osha, whom he was desperate first to save and then to understand. While he may have lost out on the ability to prove that a Force vergence existed on Brendok and was used to create the girls (because he believed Mae to be dead), he nevertheless would have wanted to uncover more about their mysterious conception.

If he had done so, his research surely would have led him to any history of such a power before, and, based on his comment to Mae, it seems he found something. Realistically, it makes sense that this power would have existed long before Mother Aniseya used it. For one, it seems very unlikely Mother Aniseya would have independently discovered and successfully used this power. For another, with Anakin Skywalker having also been created via the Force, the odds are incredibly low that the only two instances would have happened within 100 years of each other.

Moreover, the Sith were once many before the Sith Rule of Two was established, and the ability to create life represents one of the greatest powers possible (perhaps beaten out only by the ability to prevent death or resurrect someone from the dead). Undoubtedly, this power was a pursuit of the Sith for quite some time. The witches of Brendok were clearly very powerful, but it would be odd if Mother Aniseya ended up being the single most powerful being of all time.

The Sith Are (Once Again) Rediscovering Secrets Of The Past

Darth Plagueis showing up in the finale of The Acolyte carries considerable weight whether The Acolyte gets renewed for a second season or not. Presumably, if the show did have a second season, it would flesh out the story around Plagueis watching Qimir and Osha on the Unknown Planet. It’s unclear what connection Plagueis has to Qimir, whether he is his Sith master partaking in Qimir’s plot to find an acolyte or is the true Sith of the show, meaning Qimir is only a pretender.

Regardless, though, Darth Plagueis’ legacy speaks for itself and has already been canonized in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, when Palpatine shares Plagueis’ tragedy with Anakin. This means that, even if the finale was the final episode of The Acolyte, the implication remains the same. Plagueis is obviously interested in Qimir and Osha, and no doubt Osha in particular. After all, Osha was confirmed to be created with the Force, and that is the very power Plagueis is seeking.

However, if Sol’s comment to Mae did indeed mean that others have possessed the power to create life before, then Plagueis isn’t really seeking a brand-new power. Rather, he would be seeking a power that the Sith once had access to, perhaps very long ago. It seems unlikely that the creation of life could have been a light side Force power, as that would almost certainly be viewed as ‘unnatural’ by the Jedi. In that case, Plagueis’ efforts may instead be to recover an ability he knows once belonged to the Sith.

Osha & Mae’s Creation Probably Isn’t Anything To Do With Anakin At All

Although there was plenty of concern that Osha and Mae’s origins were encroaching on Anakin Skywalker’s status as the Chosen One, that didn’t happen. Unquestionably, neither Osha nor Mae is the Chosen One, and no one is coming to take that title away from Anakin. In fact, while Osha and Mae were also created with the Force and did not have a father, their origin story seems entirely different.

Related

Mae & Osha’s Origin Reveal Explains Why They Aren’t The Chosen One

The Acolyte episode 7 confirmed brand-new details about Mae and Osha’s backstory, thereby solidifying that they are not the Chosen One.

The Chosen One prophecy was essentially about a Messiah coming to bring the Force back into balance, and the Jedi perpetuated that understanding of the prophecy by treating Anakin (before his fall, of course) like he was meant to be a savior to the Jedi. This couldn’t be further from Osha and Mae’s story, which had much more to do with the Jedi’s distress over learning what Mother Aniseya had done; in fact, this fear of the witches’ power led to the massacre of the coven.

If anything, Anakin’s story connects to Mae and Osha’s only in that it is likely to drive Darth Plagueis to crave this power. No, The Acolyte hasn’t ‘ruined’ Anakin Skywalker’s legacy. In fact, it seems like The Acolyte is setting the stage for Star Wars to reveal brand-new details about the conception of Anakin Skywalker by exploring Darth Plagueis’ search for the power to create life.

All episodes of The Acolyte are now streaming on Disney+.

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

Amandla Stenberg , Lee Jung-jae , Joonas Suotamo , Charlie Barnett , Dafne Keen , Leah Brady , Manny Jacinto , Rebecca Henderson , Carrie-Anne Moss , Jodie Turner-Smith , Dean-Charles Chapman , Lauren Brady , Anthony J. Abraham , Thara Shöön , Danielle Xin Yao Waterman , Sienna Khiroya , Jeramiah Evans , Dan Milne , Thomas Coombes , Archie Singh Swali , Nick Court , Ed Kear , Jumayn Hunter , Scroobius Pip , Abigail Thorn , Margarita Levieva , Amy Tsang , Saskia Allen , Deborah Rosan , Tabitha Alege , Paul Bullion , Indra Ové , Derek Arnold , Lewis Young

Character(s)

Mae , Master Sol , Kelnacca , Yord Fandar , Jecki Lon , Little Mae , Qimir , Master Vernestra Rwoh , Master Indara , Mother Aniseya , Master Torbin , Padawan Torbin , Little Osha , Fillik , Tasi Lowa , Youngling , Restrained Convict , Convict , Olega Urchin , Olega Master , Olega Padawan , Scavenger , Ensign Eurus , Mother Koril , Ensign Rane , Scout Sarria , Ensign Shima , Elder Jaalyn , Master Lakshay , Master Holden , Master Ki-Adi-Mundi , Jedi Knight

Seasons

1

Streaming Service(s)

Disney+

Writers

Leslye Headland , Charmaine De Grate , Kor Adana

Directors

Leslye Headland , Alex Garcia Lopez

Showrunner

Leslye Headland

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