The acolyte It’s never been clear exactly what kind of Star Wars story it tells. Is it one of an ex-Jedi, the reborn Sith, a major origin story, or just a quick little adventure to introduce the world to the High Republic in live-action? The real answer is probably somewhere in between, but we still have a few more episodes to go before we know for sure.
While it certainly seems like the show is about to end at the end of episode 5, the series has a total of eight episodes.
(Editorial note: The rest of this post contains minor spoilers for Star Wars: The Acolyte.)
The Acolyte started with a simple question: who is killing all these Jedi? However, that question was answered in the first episode. Since then, concerns have been raised about a mysteriously masked master of the Force, Force-sensitive Covens, a Sith man’s right to practice the Dark Side in peace and teach it to other people, the daily life of a Wookiee Jedi Exile, and more. But by the end of episode 5, that’s all pretty much over.
Instead, it seems like the last three episodes of the show (about an hour to 90 minutes total running time if the rest of the show is any indication) are about Mae and Osha switching sides. Up until this point, Mae had a pretty clear idea of the dark side of the Force; she is animated by her anger and strong emotions, she tries to kill her sister, and somehow the fire she lights kills everyone she loves. Meanwhile, Osha is the epitome of good Light Side behavior, even though she’s no longer a Jedi. She trusts the Jedi and their ways, she seems eager to avoid violence, and she certainly doesn’t condone Mae’s quest for revenge. But that doesn’t mean that both characters have to stay that way for the entire show.
Who knows, maybe this is a setup for the two to switch sides, with Mae joining the Jedi and Osha teaming up with the Dark Side – an anti-redemption arc could be a nice change of pace for modern Star Wars. Or perhaps with Osha captured, Mae will be forced to join the Jedi to take down her master? Either way, the show will take three more episodes to do anything.