Warning! This article contains spoilers for The Acolyte episode 6.
Summary
The Acolyteepisode 6’s ending continues the mysteries of the show, introducing a potential Darth Vader replacement in the High Republic Era. AfterThe Acolyteepisode 5’s climactic reveals,The Acolyteepisode 6 was suitably slower-paced. Thefranchise-best lightsaber duels ofThe Acolytewere replaced for dialog-heavy moments, with Osha exploring her new dynamic with Qimir, Sol reckoning with his past, and Vernestra Rwoh piecing the puzzle together.
As such,The Acolyteepisode 5 offered a lot of interesting character dynamics. Naturally, however, Qimir and Osha’s relationship was the most intriguing. Manny Jacinto and Amandla Stenberg take center stage fromThe Acolyte’s ensemble castin episode 5, as Osha’s anger leads her to find some uncomfortable common ground with Qimir/the Stranger. As ofThe Acolyteepisode 6’s ending, teases about the fateful night on Brendok are provided, as is the unlikely replacement for Darth Vader inStar Wars' High Republic Era thanks to some pointed references.
Star Wars’ High Republic Era Explained
The future of the Star Wars galaxy lies in the past - in the High Republic Era, featured in books, comics, games, audiobooks, and Disney+ TV shows.
Osha Dons The Sith Lord’s Helmet In An Amazing Darth Vader Callback
Osha Gives Into The Temptation Laid Out By Qimir
InThe Acolyteepisode 6’s ending, Qimir is shown mending his helmet after Jecki broke it the episode prior. Not only does he outright namedropcortosis inThe Acolyteafter theories of the ore, but he mentions that it has other properties outside shorting out lightsabers. Qimir mentions that the helmet acts as a sensory deprivation mask, blocking out everything except the Force and, as the Stranger puts it,“what you bring with you.“He urges Osha to try the helmet on, but she tells him she does not trust his intentions.
That said,The Acolyteepisode 6’s ending shows Osha putting the helmet on, bringing about several Darth Vader references. For one, the point-of-view shot of the helmet being lowered onto Osha’s head and the view from inside the helmet is strikingly similar to Anakin’s transition into Vader fromStar Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith.Afterward, a shot of Osha from the outside is shown, and all that is heard is her muffled breathing through the visor of the cortosis helmet.
WIth Osha, though, the Vader connections are more prominent than they are with any other character…
As has been the case since 1977, any breathing sound coming through a helmet immediately evokes thoughts of Vader. The parallels are likely intentional by the creators ofThe Acolyteepisode 6 due to the exploration of dark side members like Qimir. WIth Osha, though, the Vader connections are more prominent than they are with any other character, potentially teasing her as the unlikely replacement for the dark lord of the Sith in the High Republic era.
The Acolyte Episode 6’s Title Sets Up Osha’s Transformation Into A Sith Lord
Osha’s Vader Connections May Go Deeper In The Acolyte’s Future
The Acolyte’s many episodes have played with the idea of titles thus far. The first two episodes of the show were titled “Lost / Found” and “Revenge / Justice” respectively. Both halves of these titles referred to the split motivations of Mae and Osha, with “Lost” and “Revenge” linking to the former and “Fonud” and “Justice” applying to the latter.The Acolyteepisodes 3, 4, and 5 forewent the two-word monikers with more simple titles like “Destiny,” “Day,” and “Night.“The Acolyteepisode 6 reverts to the title conventions of the first two episodes, with the installment dubbed “Teach / Corrupt.”
The titles of The Acolyte episodes 3, 4, and 5 were singular to represent Osha and Mae experiencing the same events in each entry.
The title ofThe Acolyteepisode 6 refers once more to the two sides of Osha and Mae’s story. This time, however,The Acolyteepisode 6’s title could link to the idea that Mae and Osha’s sides were reversed. A theory afterThe Acolyte’s premiere was that “Lost” and “Revenge” actually linked to Osha, not Mae. This could mean that the “Teach” side ofThe Acolyteepisode 6’s title refers to Osha being taught by the Sith, rather than corrupted. This would track with Mae’s story, as she sees the Jedi as corrupt.
The Acolyte’s Episode Titles Are A Lie: I Think I’ve Figured Out The True Plot
The Acolyte is hiding its true plot in plain sight, with the episode titles teasing a mystery that consumes both Osha and Mae. What’s really going on?
If this is the case,The Acolyteepisode 6’s title furthers the Darth Vader connections with Osha. If Osha is indeed being taught by the Sith,The Acolytecould be setting up her transformation into a Sith character rather than a Jedi. Interestingly, this would tie to the “Corrupt” side ofThe Acolyteepisode 6’s title too, as most Sith do not see that they are being corrupted by the dark side. Regardless,Osha’s interesting journey could be going down a darker path, whichThe Acolyteepisode 6’s ending makes clear with evident Vader connections.
Master Sol Prepares To Finally Confess The Truth To Mae
Answers About Brendok Are Finally Going To Be Provided
On the flip side ofThe Acolyteepisode 6’s story was Sol and Mae. Sol is left naturally shaken by his encounter with Qimir, withThe Acolyteepisode 5’s Jedi deathsweighing on the Master. Sol is evidently unsettled, not even able to sense Mae’s presence until later in the episode. Sol asks how he could not sense Qimir on Olega inThe Acolyteepisode 2, with Mae even offering some genuine answers by stating the Stranger fooled everyone. By the time ofThe Acolyteepisode 6’s ending, Sol figured out that Mae was posing as Osha.
Not only will audience members find out what happened on Brendok, but Mae will too…
Interestingly, this came after Mae pressed Sol for answers about Brendok. The mysteriousorigins of Mae and Osha inThe Acolyteepisode 3 have been the catalyst of the show, though not all answers from the tragic night have been given just yet. Many assumed that Mae held those answers, but her questions inThe Acolyteepisode 6 indicate she is as in the dark as Osha was. Finally, after many episodes of teases and hints,Sol seems ready to confess to Mae exactly what happened 16 years ago.
These answers will come inThe Acolyteepisode 7, directed by Kogonada, the director of episode 3’s Brendok-heavy events. Finally, not only will audience members find out what happened on Brendok, but Mae will too. With Osha connecting deeply to the Force thanks to Qimir’s helmet, she will likely be made aware of what happened when she was a child. These answers are teased inThe Acolyteepisode 6’s ending, making the events of episode 7 some of the more anticipated since the show began.
The Acolyte
Cast
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.
