Star Wars: The Acolyte ended with a finale that saw some drastic shifts in its characters and story (for better or worse). Now that the series (season?) is done, the cast and crew are free to speak up about what occurred in the show – including star Amandla Stenberg speaking about one of The Acolyte’s darkest moments (literally and figuratively).
WARNING: MASSIVE SPOILERS FOR THE ACOLYTE!
In The Acolyte Finale, Stenberg’s Force-sensitive twins Osha and Mae return to their home planet Brendok in the company of their respective masters, Jedi Sol (Lee Jung-jae) and dark side warrior Qimir (Manny Jacinto). On Brendok, all four parties collided, as the truth about Brendok’s past and the death of Osha and Mae’s mother being killed by Sol was revealed.
When Mae finally got Osha to see the truth about Sol, it broke something fundamental in the would-be Jedi. Osha turned her rage and hurt into dark side power, Force-choking Sol to death while bleeding the kyber crystal in his lightsaber from blue to red.
Osha’s dark side turn (and the visuals for it) left a lot of viewers in awe. Speaking with EW, Amandla Stenberg opened up the climactic scene, and what she and Acolyte creator Leslye Headland sought to do with it:
“I think something that was really important for Leslye in constructing Osha, and to me as well, was that the choices that she makes are autonomous choices,” Stenberg explained. “She’s not manipulated into the choices she makes. They’re reactive. Of course, they’re responsive to this windfall of information that she gets about her life and the things that have shaped it.”
Stenberg went on to explain that instead of viewing a fall to the dark side like a sort of demonic possession, it was important to the makers of The Acolyte to reflect the human agency that’s involved with characters either turning to the light or dark sides of the Force:
“With that scene with Sol, it was really important that yes, she is possessed in a way by the dark side, but at the same time, she’s having a human response to trauma. And that was really important to build throughout the entire season. We were very careful and had so many discussions around where Osha comes from and where she arrives to. And something that was really important for her was that she never really had an emotional outlet or a space within which she felt understood or could truly utilize her Force use.
And that’s why she wasn’t a successful Jedi. That’s why she had difficulty in her childhood within her covenant of witches. And so all of these variables contribute to the decision that she ends up making. And even though it’s a tragic one in a way, out of empathy for her, I had to think of her as finally receiving the emotional retribution she deserves, and finally allowing her emotions to pour out. The way they pour out is surprising, I would say. But in the context of her whole life, I think it makes a lot of sense.”
(Photo:
Osha kills Sol in the Finale of “Star Wars: The Acolyte”
– Lucasfilm/Disney+)
Of all the storytelling missteps The Acolyte arguably made, Osha’s journey to the dark side was one of the more dynamic and exciting ones – especially since it’s connected to romantic feelings for Qimir. Stenberg addressed that ‘sexy dark side’ connection, saying:
“Leslye is a Sith and I’m a Scorpio, and so I think that appeals to both of us. Also, because of where we exist in the timeline, it makes it more interesting to explore that kind of intimate connection because the Sith exists in the underbelly of the universe, and so they are not the dominating forces of the universe at that point, which I think is kind of more fodder for what is an underdog relationship like at this point in the timeline.”
No word yet on whether The Acolyte Season 2 is happening. The Series is streaming on Disney+.
