Star Wars: The Acolyte might be taking place more than a hundred years before the events of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, but this prequel doesn’t entirely exist in a bubble, as the first two episodes have already hinted at ways the story connects to the original trilogy of films and other corners of the galaxy far, far away. While Amandla Stenberg‘s twin characters serve as an echo to twins Luke and Leia, Episode 3 of the series confirms a connection to the origins of the iconic Anakin Skywalker, with the birth of Osha and Mae possibly being a precursor to Anakin’s seemingly immaculate birth.
WARNING: Spoilers below for Star Wars: The Acolyte Episode 3
Set 16 years before the events of The Acolyte, Episode 3 dives into the upbringing of Mae and Osha, as well as their birth. In the episode, the Force exists more as a mystical power, though it isn’t directly connected to the Jedi and the Sith. The episode showcases not only how the two sisters were raised by a group of Dathomirian witches, but also how these witches are seemingly responsible for the twins’ creation.
At one point during the episode, as Mother Quirrel and Mother Aniseya argue about the best path for Osha and Mae, Mother Aniseya expresses how, even if Quirrel might have carried the twins, Aniseya is the one who created them. The distinction of these comments implies that otherworldly forces were involved in bringing Osha and Mae to life outside of traditional methods, much like the birth of Anakin Skywalker.
In The Phantom Menace, Shmi Skywalker claims there was no father to her child, making Anakin’s conception much more miraculous. While fans don’t necessarily need to know the details of Anakin’s creation, a 2019 issue of Marvel Comics‘ Star Wars series did offer a bit more insight into the character’s origins.
Star Wars #25 delivers a sequence in which Darth Vader taps into the amplifying powers of his fortress on Mustafar to seemingly travel backwards through his life and witness the many pivotal moments on his journey, which includes witnessing what appears to be Palpatine encountering Shmi Skywalker and manipulating midi-chlorians to impregnate her. This sequence might not have explicitly laid out how Palpatine pulled off such a feat, but between that scene from the comic and now The Acolyte confirming Anakin wasn’t the only character “created” through nontraditional methods, it opens up a lot of doors for the more mystical corners of the galaxy far, far away.
New episodes of Star Wars: The Acolyte premiere on Disney+ on Tuesdays.
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