#sol the Jedi meta

[sepulchralblues]

It’s remarkable how Sol keeps justifying his murder of Mother Aniseya sixteen years after it happened. He needs himself to be right, needs Osha to require saving, because it’s the only instance that allows him to walk away without a stain on his conscience.

Granted he feels guilty about murdering his padawan’s mom, but it would be so interesting to see what was going on in Sol’s head in the heat of the moment. Was it his “deep connection” to Osha that he believed was going to lead her to becoming his padawan? Did that influence his view on whether Aniseya was really a threat to Osha? Because she says it as she’s dying - she tells Sol she was going to let Osha go, and Sol can’t have that be true because if it is then what he did wasn’t in the defence of the innocent it was premeditated murder.

Sol can’t have it be true so he tells himself that it was a lie, that Osha was in danger, if not from Aniseya then from Mae, from Mother Korril, from everybody on Brendok because he needed her and believed with everything in him that she needed him too.

And for sixteen years he’s had the opportunity to recall that truth he buried so deep it never saw the light of day until they were back in Brendok. For sixteen years he’s lied to Osha and planted the seeds to destroy the potential relationship she had with the only other person who could have understood her. From her twin, her mirror, the other side of her coin.

So when Osha learns the truth, when she finds out just how much of her life has been a lie - how much of the past she was forbidden from healing from and grieving has been a lie. How the closest thing she has had to a father figure has spent every day of their relationship lying to her, she snaps.

And kills him.

[gffa]

I was initially set to go, "Wait, that's it? That's what Torbin was so torn up about that he retreated from the galaxy and felt so guilty that he killed himself for Mae?" but the more I thought about it, the more I found it to work. Torbin's guilt isn't about that he did something evil, it's that he did something reckless, for a selfish reason, and that he was warned about it ahead of time. Torbin's guilt was about allowing Aniseya into his mind (blaming himself instead of blaming the person who actively invaded his very mind), it was about wanting so badly to go back to Coruscant that he rushed into a situation that Indara warned him to be careful about, it's about how many people died not at his hand, but as what he sees as a domino effect of his actions. He got what he wanted, they were going back to Coruscant, but that little girl went through hell for them to get it, another little girl died (so he thought), a bunch of people died in that mining facility. It doesn't matter that they chose to do so by invading Kelnacca's mind and their own actions got them killed. It doesn't matter that it was an accident that Mae started the fire. It doesn't matter that Torbin fortified his mind so that Aniseya couldn't get in again or that he didn't kill any of the witches himself. Because he's a Jedi who cares deeply about other people, because it happened to someone so young and innocent, because other people's lives MATTERED to him, Torbin couldn't live with the guilt. His only crime was being reckless, but Jedi are aware of the powerful abilities they have and the responsibilities they have and how selfishness is a path to the dark side (that's just Lucas' worldbuilding, that's literally how the Force works) and that is why he was willing to give his life up for Mae's wish. Because Torbin felt responsible for his reckless actions that had unforseen consequences despite Indara's warnings and because he cared deeply about what happened to other people. The Council probably would have given them all library duty and had them relearn themselves, like that's literally what they did with Elzar Mann when he killed Chancey Yarrow because he mistook her for a Nihil who was trying to destroy the station, they saw that he regretted his actions and had worked hard on self-reflection and said they still wanted him to be a Council member. That is what the Jedi Council would have done for Torbin and Sol as well--but they couldn't do it because it would have crushed Osha's dream, so they sacrificed their own desires for her sake. They couldn't talk about it and it haunted them every day afterwards. Because they cared about other people.

[maidenvault]

The red flags are so blatant in what we see of Mother Aniseya’s coven, is it not registering for anyone else that Sol got too emotionally involved but his instincts might have been correct?

Mae and Osha don’t know anyone but this small community. No other children, no friends. Apparently they’re not even supposed to venture outside by themselves. They don’t have their own lives, brought up to basically think of themselves as one person.

Aniseya’s the only one who truly loves them and cares about Osha’s feelings. When everyone’s discussing her leaving, the others only talk about what it will mean for them and their future. They just want her power.

Aniseya singles out the youngest of the Jedi to control with her magic as a threat when they haven’t done anything hostile. It’s understandable they feel a bit threatened and I see why the Council says they overstepped, but Koril is ready from the time they show up to go to their camp and kill them all.

Why are they teaching the girls to fight like it’s so serious? If these women all just want to live here unbothered, what are they actually preparing them for? What was it going to mean when the ritual was completed with both of them, and was it going to do something irreversible?

Aniseya tells Osha that others don’t accept their ways so she wouldn’t like the outside world like she thinks. (A manipulation tactic in cults.) But with the Jedi’s perspective, it’s now clear everything they said when they interrupted the ceremony was basically a pretense for checking on the welfare of the girls and they don’t care about these witches practicing another Force-based religion or training kids. So if they’ve got this persecution complex it could certainly be because they’re actually doing something wrong. (Or just because they want to keep the power of this vergence all to themselves, all while saying they’re not like other girls 'cause to them the Force isn’t something you use or own.)

Most alarmingly once Aniseya’s dead, none of them try to get to the children in the burning building. They just keep attacking the Jedi for what they did.

Of course lots of viewers will say that many of these concerning things are problems with how the Jedi treat children, too. And that’s probably meant to be the point, that there are different ways of looking at it. But it’s telling how practically nobody’s even addressing them. This show certainly reads differently depending on the bias you come to it with.

And none of these things really give the Jedi the right to remove these children from their family. I don’t think Sol’s concern comes from nowhere, but whether Osha's safe here is a separate question from whether she should be a Jedi and not necessarily in their purview. But he’s not using clear judgment because of his feelings so he ends up just hurting Osha, surely worse than anything her own mother was going to put her through. Attachment is selfish love, it's not good actually!

[sol-insidious]

Bringing my two cents to the (in)famous Luke "Chanel Boots" Skywalker joke because I actually have weird thoughts about Luke and fashion tropes that go beyond haha gay blonde twink like luxury brand.

Thinking about Luke's characterization and fashion as a narrative device. The significance of Luke leaving Tatooine with literally nothing but the clothes on his back and donning Corellian Bloodstripes at the end of A New Hope.

Thinking about Luke's wardrobe gradually transitioning from lighter colors to black throughout Episodes IV-VI.

Thinking about the sheer intentionality of Luke having an all-black wardrobe in Return of The Jedi onwards. Is it to honor his father? To mourn him? To remind himself of who he could be and who he already is? All of the above? Thinking about the deliberate asymmetry of Luke's single black glove. Thinking about the white flap on his chest.

Thinking about Padmé and how she was molded into fashion since birth, the extravagance of her outfits and makeup as an Amidala. Thinking about how Luke seems to mirror her regal anonymity with his cloaked grim reaper fit. Thinking about Luke's disconnected relationship with his late mother and wondering if he ever felt the same level of restrictive empowerment she did when she wore her gowns.

Thinking about the nuances of queer fashion and how it can equally be as empowering and restrictive to the wearer.

Thinking about the white and orange prison uniforms in Andor and the colors of the Rebel Alliance.

Thinking about my old Modernist Literature professor who wrote her thesis on the colors of stockings in D.H. Lawrence's fiction and how women characters chose to wear bright stockings under their long, billowing skirts that no-one else but themselves could see. Thinking about the color pink in Legally Blonde. Thinking about reading dress and fashion as a legitimate pathway to literary analysis. Thinking about the utter significance of Luke's entire outfit. All of his outfits.

Thinking about those damn Chanel Boots.

[groove-on-boogie-down]

According to Qimir, Osha loves people “who can only go so far” but not deep enough. Not as deep as she can. So for her to seek love, it not be reciprocated, then hear Sol almost confess he loves her after lying for 16 years SURELY must rattle Osha’s perception of love and connection as taught by jedi.

The jedi teach a love that is to be released, non-possessive, truthful. However, Sol was possessive and lied which kept Osha at a distance and was contrary to their teachings.

On the other hand, Osha loved deeply and could not let go of her hate or grief. So her feelings would be considered dark and dangerous by jedi standards.Yet, Sol is the one who let “dark side” tendencies slip in and it ruined him.

The love Osha learned from her family was passionate and raw. Sacrificial. Communal. And she likely sought that in everyone she met after being taken from Brendok.

Sol’s love was lies, death, and self aggrandizement.

Imagine being told that the foundational love your family raised you on was wrong? But your teacher betrays you in the name of his “correct” version of love?

Sol’s irresponsibly created a cycle that now Osha has to live with and process. She does what he does, kills after he kills, and it is his failure, like he says in the show.

But Osha is left to pick up the pieces of this hypocrisy and come to terms with the dissonance.

She can neglect the example her father figure left and instead embrace emotion and the displays of love her mothers taught, by connecting with Qimir who offers the depth she desires and by fighting for her sister, Mae.

She has a lot of emotional work ahead of her as she confronts how her feelings led to the violence she was told to reject. But perhaps she will love and emote freely again, and realize she’s loved back just as much.

End.

——

TLDR: Osha was taught showing emotions is wrong by the jedi who raised her and killed her mother. Which led her to emoting and killing him. This must feel conflicting as Sol was wrong!! But was Osha also wrong for getting revenge? According to the jedi yes. Does it matter now, though? This is what she must process. Additionally, yearning for love that isn’t reciprocated and being taught certain behaviors are wrong only for your teacher to exhibit these behaviors and betray you in the name of love, then you yourself do those behaviors and kill him, must be an overwhelming whirlwind of emotion! I want to know what processing that will look like for Osha who now is connected Qimir who offers her the understanding and reciprocation she’s been longing for.

[cross-d-a]

I wonder if one of the major purposes of The Acolyte is to show that the dark side is everywhere and it is in everything and it is in everyone. It is a constant battle, a constant fight. A consistent echo of “choose the right thing choose the right thing choose the right thing this time.” Bc it feels like the show is leading up to the big Reveal of whatever Sol has done. Sol, who is kind and gentle and fatherly. Sol who seems to encompass the epitome of the Jedi. We’ve really only seen him through the eyes of his friends/comrades and the eyes of a lonely, traumatized child.

The overarching “unreliable narrative” of the show is Fascinating. As the audience, we view the story through so many opposing viewpoints and are forced to work mostly with both the characters’ and our own interpretations of events. We have multiple Jedi viewpoints of course, who largely view themselves as a benevolent entity. And then of course we have the Sith who view the Jedi as oppressive but also perhaps naive as they force themselves to work within their own self-governed rules. And we have the people, who so far have seen the Jedi as friends, strange neighbors, hands of the Senate and nuisances. And then. THEN we have Osha and Mae who have inside perspectives of these opposing viewpoints but are also Other, both by nature of their existence and their experiences.

We can choose to make the wrong decision, or the right one. But who determines what’s wrong or right? And how do you navigate that choice when you don’t have the full story? How can you trust that your decision is the right one, when it may be right for you but wrong for someone else?

There are so many layers to it and it really feels like The Acolyte is trying to explore that. Because the Dark Side is wrong to the Jedi, but it’s right to the Sith. And what do you do when you think you’re a good person but make the wrong noice? How do you navigate that? How do you recover? How do you right your wrongs? And should you even do so?

This got away from me a bit but I think The Acolyte boils down to this. Nobody is inherently Good or Bad. There are decisions and how you deal with the consequences. Not to say you can’t consistently purposefully make choices that hurt others, but I think The Acolyte is trying to show that the Jedi are just- people. They’re people who have this amazing power and live within a complicated religious organization with a complicated relationship with the rest of the Galaxy. And the Jedi may have power but they’re just people, too. And they have good in them, and they have bad in them. And what makes a Jedi a Jedi is that they’re constantly fighting against the dark in them, and maybe sometimes, they make mistakes, because after all they’re just people, too. And sometimes, they just give in, for any number of reasons, but maybe most of all because they think they’re doing what’s right. (But who gets to decide what is right and what is wrong?)

[space-blue]

jedi thoughts

One thing I like about the Acolyte regarding the fight before Jecki's death, is that you can FEEL and SEE the exact moment Sol would have said something to curtail her and order her to calm down and not let her feelings take over.

When she leaps past him :

I'm sure it's more to do with establishing her arrival into the shot, but his look, paired with her reckless attack, her being alone in the fight when she unmasks a dangerous opponent, and the way she's screaming and whailing with too much feeling into each stroke...

To me it feels like an iconic "control yourself/your feelings" or "stay centred" rebuke moment. But he doesn't. He doesn't want to distract her, it's dangerous, and it's happening right now. There's no time for it.

And then she's dead. It felt real, and that last leg of her fight, while beautiful, has a grim quality to it. A live demonstration of why you don't want to be overconfident.

I could almost hear Obi-Wan yelling at Anakin for this. In the Clone Wars Anakin would fight like Jecki, get hurt, get told off, and live another day to be more reckless. But Jecki didn't have plot armour, and she shows us why such recklesness, against a poorly known enemy, is terrible.

[lightwise]

Comparing Acolyte vs. Skeleton Crew - Eps 1 & 2

I am SO SORRY for how long this post ended up being 🫣 😆

I am comparing and contrasting The Acolyte vs. Skeleton Crew episode by episode to figure out where Acolyte fell apart (for me) and failed to live up to its potential. There are three themes that I have pulled out of both shows: the perspectives and viewpoints of their child characters, the power struggle of light vs. dark in the galaxy, and specific viewpoints and opinions about the Jedi Order.

To recap from my intro post here, the trailer for Acolyte laid out these lines: "In an age of light, darkness rises. This isn't about good or bad, it's about power and who is allowed to use it." Not only does the show itself end up being centered around a much smaller/more personal angle than the trailers showed, (Osha as a character and the existence of the twins and the mystery around Brendok is not mentioned at all), I would argue Acolyte never actually shows us what the “light” in this time period is supposed to be, or who the Jedi truly WERE and what they stood for as a whole, and therefore its foray into the darkness feels both forced and lackluster.

In contrast, Skeleton Crew both delivers on its marketed purpose, adds in new ones once the show gets started, and consistently hits on and delivers on all of those themes every single episode, including wrapping them up in the finale (with just a few things that could have been delved into more thoroughly--like Tak Rennod's identity/fate, or the specifics around At Attin's history).

Interestingly, as I started writing this I realized for every major positive I found in Acolyte, I often had a minor or major qualm that was the opposite side of the same coin. The good and bad are linked, just like Osha and Mae. That really might be what it comes down to with this show—it’s not that it doesn’t have great moments, ideas, and even execution.  It’s that the ratio of good to bad doesn't balance out, depending on the episode, and that’s enough to tank the entire effort. 

So how does this play out in the first two episodes?

In both shows, the first episodes end up solving several mysteries very quickly, leaving the stories more open ended than the trailers suggested.

In Skeleton Crew, we aren't left wondering whether Captain Silvo, shown in the opening sequences, is also Jod Na Nawood, a prisoner who helps the Skeleton Crew kids escape Port Borgo (he is). Nor do they leave his Force abilities up to the imagination, with him pulling a key through the air within a few seconds of meeting the kids, although his status as a trained Jedi will remain in question until the finale. And the kids, who catapult themselves off into space by the end of the first episode, have a definitive way home by the end of the second (they have a ship, a droid who can fly it, and Jod's contacts who can help them along the way)--as long as they can figure out where exactly their home is.

The mystery of what At Attin is, and how to find it, turns out to be the driving plot point going forward, mixed in with some questions around Jod's character and motivations, character growth for the kids, action elements, and good old-fashioned pirate shenanigans. Despite the first two episodes covering so much ground, the arc of the storyline is still pointing in the same direction, just with some added layers. Skeleton Crew stays within its pirate adventure genre and makes sure that each unfolding mystery that is revealed each episode sits firmly within the umbrella that the trailers and first episode establish, in service to getting the kids home.

In the Acolyte, after being teased with a murder mystery and the rise of the Sith from the trailers, we witness in the first five minutes the shocking first murder (RIP Carrie Ann Moss), then learn that the same killer is supposedly in two different places in the galaxy at once, then are quickly led step by step through the revelations that Mae and Osha (who I repeat was not in the trailer at ALL) are twins, that Osha is innocent even though no one thinks she is for a hot minute (except Sol, bless his heart), Osha then figures out her sister is alive, then Mae is proven alive, supposedly has a master trained in the Force who is not a Jedi, and then she is proven to be the murderer of the Jedi--the mystery shown in the trailer as the supposedly driving force of the entire narrative. Rather than all of that being neatly wrapped up in a way that brings clarity (although it would remain rather dizzying even if it had), instead the plot branches into multiple other mysteries and conflicting directions, and cuts off half the limb it was supposed to be standing on.

What happened on Brendok? What crime occurred to warrant Mae tracking down four Jedi and trying to brutally murder them in cold blood? Who has trained her and goaded her into this situation in the first place? What does that have to do with the "rising dark" from the trailers? Who exactly are the Jedi in this day and age and what political troubles are they having, and do the failures of these four Jedi have anything to do with it? Can it actually pull all of these threads together into a cohesive tapestry?

Episode 1

You'll hear me say this a lot: the opening fight sequence is stunning. The use of the Force, the martial arts, the calm controlled presence that Carrie Ann has, and the nods to her Matrix days were beautiful to see.

I have to admit, the shock of Carrie Ann Moss being killed off in the first five minutes got me good when the show aired (how dare they do that to Trinity?!?! 🤣🫣). And it honestly put a bad taste in my mouth for the rest of the season. Now that I’m more removed and can evaluate the story as a whole, I do admit it works at least for a shocking and engaging opener. However, I still think it felt like marketing bait to use such a prestigious actress for a role like that, and to have used her character (and Kelnacca’s, but we’ll come to that later) as one of the major draws of the show only to fake everyone out. Just kind of a waste of a good actress.

Set is very Mandoverse but that’s to be expected (it's my opinion that Skeleton Crew is the first show to truly from start to finish use the Volume effectively and without compromising the depth and complexity of locations, scenery, or camera angles). 

Alien designs and droids throughout the show are pretty good. Outfits are also pretty decent. I disagree with their decision to put Indara in a robe more similar to the Prequel Jedi (I read in an interview they wanted the first Jedi we saw to bring us back to things we know in Star Wars). Terrible choice in my opinion. They should have been driving the High Republic era home immediately. Also I just think the robe looks silly on her haha. Once we get to Yord and Sol’s costumes I finally started getting the ornate, prestigious, High Republic feel I was waiting for.  

I haven’t read the High Republic books, but have heard snippets of their storylines, and have watched Young Jedi Adventures. I would argue this episode doesn’t do as much world building as I would have hoped given that we have both an entirely new cast of characters (no legacy characters to latch onto or guide us through the story), AND it’s a new time period that has never been shown on screen before. Even the prequels had legacy characters that were already known and loved, and Lucas really leaned into the ways in which the aesthetics and culture and clothing were very different than the original trilogy.

The use of the Nemoidians and the trade federation was the one tie in to the prequels that I thought was smart here. 

There are some little details that were well thought out. Osha sitting up out of sleep and holding her fist to her heart right after Indara takes a dagger to the heart. Her banter with Fillik while doing a very dangerous job, and her dissociation while watching the flames on the ship hull (I have zero opinion on the space physics of that scene, sorry). Mirroring the hint of character depth we see when Mae lets the bartender go because he has a child. Both Osha and Mae have more going on underneath the surface--Osha has a darkness that is belied by her cheerful demeanor, and Mae has a simmering empathy that is at odds with her violent mission.

That being said, Amandla’s performance as Mae is a qualm I have throughout the show. I’ve seen people say the opposite, but for me I mostly enjoy Amandla’s performance as Osha, and her embodiment of Mae falls flat for me. Osha has a more dynamic range of expression, care, and backstory that we’re shown, and while Mae is meant to be sinister, a mystery, and arguably trying too hard, I feel like Amandla was also trying too hard with her, and it felt forced. Ironically, for the child actors who portrayed both characters, I felt the opposite. Mae’s child actor came alive for me and Osha’s did not. I don’t know if it would have been better to have two adult actresses portray the adult characters, and one child portray the kids, or if I just can’t connect with Mae as strongly given how her storyline unfolds.

Yord’s intro was great. Finally we have full blown High Republic robes and we are every quickly given insight into Yord’s character and the friendship that he and Osha shared, making his suspicion and arrest of her all the more heartbreaking. The tension between them is fantastic, and Yord really lets us see the struggle between delight at seeing an old friend and his horror at what he believes she has done. We also see quite clearly that Osha has zero idea of what she’s about to be accused of, making us believe even more that she must be innocent somehow. Whatever my qualms are about acting capabilities throughout this show, this episode and this scene especially is not one of them. 

And yet here we have another coin flip for me. Why - why - W H Y did they go to all that effort to make Yord’s padawan Tasi Lowa, her character, her costume and prosthetics, her very distinctive personality—all for her to never show up in the rest of the show again????? It makes zero sense, and maybe provides some insight into how their immense budget was poorly used. While I think her character is very interesting, and I wanted more of her, given how she’s actually used, they should have never had her in the first place. Plus, we’re given no indication on what the High Republic rules are for having padawans, and Yord seems a little young to already have one. Either way, this was a miss for me. 

Similar to Yord’s intro, Sol’s is well done too, and we are shown that he is a deeply feeling and very complex character.

A huge qualm I have with the show: Vernestra, and the political climate of the Jedi order at this time period. Now, again, I have not read the THR books yet, but I know that a younger version of this character is in them, and I know how the order was viewed/inhabited the galaxy at the height of its influence several hundred years prior. This show was supposed to be a connecting bridge between the Jedi we see in the prequels and their inexorable fall into Palpatine’s clutches, a galactic war, and genocide, and the victorious, mostly peace keeping, knowledge bearing, compassionate, curious, respectful and respected Jedi religion of THR. Instead, through Vernestra, we are presented with a Jedi leader who is rigid, passive, rigorously against attachments, and who is willing to do anything to save face in a political climate that somehow is already suspicious of the Jedi, yet we are given no explanations as to why. I also felt that the actress herself, as well as her styling and makeup etc. did not hit the mark, neither for her character nor her species (Mirialan). I haven’t even read about the younger version of her character, and yet I feel like this older version of her is out of sync and jarring. 

The prison break is alright. Interestingly, the prisoners already don’t trust the Jedi or what they would do to Osha, and there’s no explanation for that either. Again, when and how did the Jedi’s reputation become so poor? The show is assuming too much in that regard and is not currently backing it up. 

The chair pilot droids are pretty cool. 

We’re given more clues that Osha is truly not the murderer by her rescue of the last prisoner. 

Jecki’s intro is also great, as is the setup for Sol to go to Carlac and find Osha. 

The vision sequence with Osha and younger Mae is used fairly well. I think at the time I was very surprised that the mystery of who the murderer was was being solved so quickly and so blatantly, and I wondered what the rest of the season was going to cover if this was being solved up front. This was a similar issue in Mando season 3, and also a tactic used in Skeleton Crew as I noted above. In Mando and Acolyte the marketing leaned heavily on these mysteries, so when the show just batted them away within the first episode it felt like a bait and switch. In Skeleton Crew it worked partly because the mystery wasn’t as heavily implied in the trailers and partly because Jod’s mystery wasn’t ever the main focus. The trailers captured the essence of the show but left the details to be unveiled. Whereas in Acolyte, the trailers promised one thing and then delivered another. 

Osha’s rescue and reunion with Sol is fine in how it wraps up the episode. 

The Stranger's appearance—idk what to think about it at this stage. It’s spooky and interesting, but at the same time rests on the main issue with the show—what is the “dream” of the Jedi that the stranger wants to kill? The show continuously refuses to give explicit backstory on what the current state of the Jedi is and what they stand for, while simultaneously attacking them for their role in the galaxy, but all without giving us a good reason or context for either stance. 

Episode 2

I just gotta say it up front—Torbin’s beard is atrocious 🤣🤣🤣. I just can’t take him seriously like that. Him floating in the air for the Barash vow is pretty cool though. 

Again, Amandla is just so stiff and awkward as Mae. I think she was trying to get across how much inner turmoil she has, but it really does not work. She feels like a caricature of herself at points, whereas Osha (for me) feels like a more well rounded person. 

As usual the stunt work does the work for the actors in this show. It is really interesting to watch Mae once again put her full effort into trying to best a Jedi and be thwarted for a time. And on the outside Torbin looks perfectly at peace and steadfast, the essence of who we believe Jedi to be. Of course we know later on that’s not the case at all. 

It’s also interesting seeing a little outpost type of Jedi temple. I wish we saw more of that in this show--just how the Jedi are acting as peacekeepers throughout the galaxy in ways we never got to see in the prequels.

Jecki and Osha immediately set up a very cute banter as they’re sizing each other up. Their dialogue explains the new term of meknek and how it subverts our usual droid expectations in Star Wars. Jecki also starts to warm up to Osha and we get more insight into her character. 

We get some insight into Sol’s character as well, although we won’t know until later just how much. He tells Yord “don’t let fear affect your judgment.” We find out later he is speaking from deep and painful experience here. We also find out that the existence of Mae’s sister was not passed on to all of the Jedi. So far only Sol and Indara seem to have immediately known that fact (Vernestra and Yord did not). While the big mystery of who is trying to kill Jedi is being solved up front, some lingering mysteries of what exactly happened to both Mae and Osha and how they tie into the Jedi order is being teased. 

We get our first real look at The Stranger—excuse me, I mean Qimir 😁. Manny Jacinto is at his best when he’s playing scrappy, frazzled, out-of-it himbos. Mae is noticeably more expressive and herself around him, so we can assume they have a relationship of sorts. Their banter is delightful, and we learn more about Mae’s mission and that she is trying to kill four Jedi, and at at least one without a weapon, in order to satisfy a Master whom Qimir presumably works for as well. 

We get hints that Mae might be on the Sith side of things when she and Qimir bring up the phrase “peace is a lie.” And Qimir’s beliefs are laid out when he states that "everyone has a weakness, you just have to find it.” We also finally get a bit of insight into what the show believes about the Jedi—that they “justify their galactic dominance in the name of peace.” Dominance is an interesting perspective on their role as peacekeepers the Republic.

“Like every other Jedi, he only thinks he’s found peace” Qimir says about Torbin. He needs what only Mae can give him: “absolution”. The show has the Jedi condemned before it even starts, and that is true of the four Jedi in question, as we will find out. They’ve done wrong. But the show is extrapolating that out to all the Jedi, and in these first two episodes is doing nothing to support that claim. 

We see the father/daughter quality of Sol and Osha’s relationship, and we start to see that Qimir’s assessment at least of certain Jedi might be right—Sol claims he has made peace with what happened on Brendok, but he is clearly hiding something. We also know that Osha is very troubled as well and hasn’t been able to let go of the past (something that we know Jedi of all time periods are encouraged to do).

Starting with the cuts between Mae/Torbin and Sol’s group, this is the first time that the editing starts to fall short for me. The jumps back and forth and where the dialogue gets cut off feel awkward and too fast to me, like they’re forcing an artificial sense of anxiety. I also think it was a little over dramatic for there to be one last fakeout of whether or not Osha was behind the killings, but at least it gives Yord the evidence he finally needs to believe she is innocent. 

Another interesting “Jedi culture” thing that isn’t explained—giving a civilian a weapon supposedly violates a bunch of rules. Since when has that ever been a thing? 

The sets on Olega are fine, but still don’t feel quite as lived in as those in Andor or Skeleton Crew do. 

I’ll never get over Qimir being an adorable dork. 

It’s very obvious there’s a darker side to him, and that he immediately knows he’s not talking to Mae, and that he’s interested in who Osha might be. Another “mystery” that the show decides not to leave a mystery (and the show runners admitted they never meant it to be questioned in the first place)—whether Qimir and The Stranger and Mae’s Master are the same person. 

It’s REALLY interesting that Qimir is willing to sell Mae out so quickly. It's also interesting that the Jedi are fine with not arresting a man who has been caught willingly supplying poison to someone. 

We start to see the darkness and anger residing in Osha, and that it is directed towards her sister.

Sol also wants the absolution Qimir spoke of—except he wants to gain his by trying to save Mae from the dark path she’s been on. 

Once again, the fight scenes are the saving grace of this show for me. Just incredible stunt work and choreography, and the continued showcase of how the Jedi, when staying calm and cool and collected are more than a match for Mae’s frenzied and anxious attempts to bring them down. She can only best them when she gets at an emotional weakness of some kind, but she cannot best them physically. 

Sol says something interesting—that Mae has misunderstood the Jedi arts and that her master had failed her, and hidden himself from her. Both he and Yord have made free use of their ability to peer into other people’s thoughts, and it seems to be accepted as both a practice and by outsiders that this is a thing the Jedi do regularly. I’m not sure that is supported as normal by the rest of the media, but please correct me if I am wrong. 

There's an interesting parallel towards the end when Qimir backs Mae up against a wall while she is trying to get her knife pressed against his throat. You probably already know what I'm referencing (Osha and his lightsaber, anyone?) but I will bring this up again later.

By the end of the episode we know Mae’s weakness—her sister. Most likely her plans for revenge have hinged more on grief over her sister rather than a true commitment to the dark side, and we will see that play out over the show. She misses her and wants them to be together again. We also know that Mae is Osha’s weakness too, but not for the same reasons. Her attitude towards her burns with anger and resentment. It's obvious that these two have a lot to work through both separately and together. 

So how do these episodes stack up from a storytelling perspective, a quality perspective, and the three themes I pulled out earlier (children's POV, light vs. dark, and how the Jedi are handled)?

Quality and Story

Hear me out: I know I just complained about a bunch of details, but quality and storytelling wise I actually think these first two episodes of Acolyte are fine. Decent. Even good, actually, as far as episodes of television go, to be quite honest. Overall I really enjoyed them when they first aired, once I got past the shock of the first five minutes. I appreciated the dialogue and banter, the new characters, some of the settings, and the epic choreography. I also was down for learning more about the mysteries that were stacking up even though the initial one was already solved. On this rewatch months later--I still think they're very good. Which makes the rest of the show that much more disappointing. But we'll get there. The visuals were already better than the other Mando shows, and the new characters seemed interesting even if I wasn't attached to them yet.

For Skeleton Crew, I was hooked immediately on all counts, but especially in quality. Every alien species, every prosthetic, the sets, the camera angles, the dialogue and cheeky banter, the action sequences, the CGI, the plot points and progression, all BLEW. ME. AWAY. My expectations for this show were on the floor, so to have it immediately become one of my favorite parts of Star Wars ever was not at all what I anticipated. I have no doubt I will continue to find it impeccable years down the road. After the first two episodes I was just hoping that they wouldn't fumble it. The fact that they didn't is kind of a miracle given the Star Wars track record at this point, and it was also a breath of fresh air after the sour taste and exhaustion left in the fandom after Acolyte.

Children's POV

An interesting contrast between Acolyte and Skeleton Crew is how the children are used. In Acolyte I would argue they end up being props, whereas in Skeleton Crew they are the main perspective. Skeleton Crew is about kids, for kids, and mainly from the children's perspectives, and yet the creators didn't let that stop them from making a complex, layered, and still very mature story that doesn't shy away from violence, innuendo, and the gritty reality of the Star Wars galaxy and pirate lifestyles. Whereas in Acolyte, Mae and Osha's childhood selves and the ways their past haunts them, both in visions and flashbacks, was unexpected and at times awkwardly executed. For these first two episodes, Osha's vision of child Mae is interesting, and I think showcases their bond and adds a sense of intrigue, but it's still from adult Osha's perspective. We don't know yet what happened to those children or what their perspectives were. Right now it is more intriguing than fulfilling.

The Jedi

"The Jedi justify their galactic dominance in the name of peace." Acolyte starts out at the tail end of the High Republic, an era filled with prosperity, scientific advancement, conflicts with dark side users (the Nihil) that ended with the Jedi restoring peace to the galaxy, and a strong governing Republic. There are temples on many worlds, and upwards of 10,000 Jedi help keep the peace across the galaxy. However, all of that has never been shown on screen before (barring a children's cartoon), and Acolyte had the heavy task of introducing not only a new time period, but also a version of the Jedi order that bridges the gap between THR and the more weary, waning force that we see in the Prequels as they become corrupted by the dark side and get dragged into war. They're not there yet though. And while Acolyte does do an okay job of showing the expanded Jedi Order, the hustle and bustle of the Coruscant Temple, various outposts, and even the training of the next generation, it doesn't really give us context on who the Jedi are in this era. What defines them, what their role is, how they interact with and serve the Republic, what level of partnership they have with the Senate and what their jurisdiction is. What is normal for them interacting with the public, what the average person thinks of them. There are a lot of rules thrown around, a lot of talk of remaining respectable so their enemies can't find fault with them--but at least in these two episodes, no explanation as to why they might be scrutinized in the first place.

As I said before, I think Vernestra's character as a spokesperson for them really doesn't mesh well with where the show is supposed to be starting out. The attachment issues sounding more like Prequel Jedi feels out of place, the brazen use of mind reading is jarring, and while it becomes very clear that Sol, Indara, Torbin, and Kelnacca did SOMETHING years ago, I think the show falters in one very clear area when it comes to the treatment of the Jedi--the actions of four individuals are being used as a placeholder for a critique on the Order as a whole. And for me it doesn't hold up. Of course at this stage we can't know that yet, and the directions the show is going could have been interesting. But I needed more groundwork laid here than what we were given.

For Skeleton Crew, the frequent mention of the Jedi as heroic role models on a remote planet in the middle of the Mandoverse era was not something I expected at all. However, it clearly is set up both to provide Wim with an ideal to follow and interpret the world through, as well as giving the kids a framework to deal with Jod when they first meet him. In the first two episodes it's more of a fun quirk, much like Wim's storybook. By the end it will become very important to both the story and the kids' character growth.

Light vs. Dark

"Peace is a lie." The Acolyte trailers promised an epic showdown between the light side vs. the dark side. So far in these episodes we start out with a clear line being drawn--the Jedi, good, on the surface. Mae, and her Master--evil, and trying to take them down. But is it really that clear? Osha is presumed guilty at first, then shown to be innocent, and then revealing a dark well of anger underneath. Sol claims he has let go of the past, but clearly still feels the need to atone for mistakes he has made. Torbin is so wracked with guilt that he is willing to take a Barash vow and will only break it to welcome death. Vernestra seems on edge and worried about upholding an appearance of respectability--but it shouldn't be an appearance at all. And the Stranger, Mae's master (and Qimir) both seem to have a grudge set against the Jedi, claiming them to be manipulative and overbearing, yet we have no insight yet into why they want to take down the Jedi "dream" that supposedly not everyone shares. I'm always for grey morality and complicated motivations, and I think the Jedi have always been very flawed at every stage of their existence. But so far the clear cut light side vs. dark side dynamics that even the most morally grey characters in Star Wars tend to fall along aren't proving to be so clear cut after all.

The themes of good vs. evil in Skeleton Crew are more obvious at the beginning. At Attin is presented as a happy planet even though it is very obviously a surveillance society. Jedi are talked about as legends of helpers and heroes. Pirates are the menacing, chaotic troublemakers that they usually are in media, and the introduction of Jod at the end of episode 2 just starts to lean into the possibility of a more complicated morality. But one of the biggest themes of the show that will become apparent as each episode goes on, is that at each step of the children's journey, there are always people who are willing to help them, even in as lawless of a place as a pirate stronghold. And that will end up being one of the deepest ties the show has to what makes Star Wars, Star Wars.

Read my recap of Episode 3 here.

[anthony-crowleys]

Ok but I can't stop mulling over this exchange in ep. 6 between Mae-Posing-As-Osha and Sol, "I had to lose a lot of myself in order to become a Jedi. [...]" And him responding "I'm sorry if it felt that way."

Like.

Number one, did he not felt this way too, even just a little?

I think that abiding to that strict moral code, trying to rein in strong emotions and finding balance would take a toll on almost everyone, more or less (some people are clearly more inclined to a lifestyle like that and are very proficient at it, like Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Yoda etc., but clearly it's not for everyone, see Luke and Anakin and now Osha).

Is this an indicator that no, he was perfectly fine within the set rules of the Jedi lifestyle and what transpired on Brendok was just a natural slip up that could have happened to every other well-meaning Jedi.

Or… That he didn't felt like he had to change at all and never really did?

He grew up and remained an emotional man, prone to be led by his gut feelings, and nobody had a problem with that because he is a gentle and warm person that doesn't create problems and kinda decided to let it slide until it blew up in their faces but they don't know that yet?

(But the council acknowledged that he was still not mature enough to have a padawan, at least that is what I gathered in that conversation with Indara in ep. 7. They knew he wasn't ready. I also wonder how the whole "We don't think you are ready but oh look you now have a child you say you feel a strong connection with sooo ok you can be her master let's see how it goes!" thing went down.)

And then after Brendok he didn't felt that he needed to change that much, just "lesson learned now I'll be more careful" and that was it? And maybe being responsible for Osha is what helped him become more wise and controlled?

That line makes it seem like it's a foreign concept to him, having to shed and set aside things about your character in order to fit in a somewhat thight mold like the one the Jedi code requires. He was quick to confide that he left home when he was younger than her and that he felt different from his family, so I guess that if he also shared this sentiment, he would have said so.

And number two, worded that way it seems like this is news for him? Did he not notice that Osha struggled too much?

I mean, we don't know how/why she left the Jedi order yet, and that fact alone must have been a strong indicator that she was not in the right place, but still, how is Sol taking in these words?

As a further confirmation that she was unhappy there or as a surprise, because he thinks he failed her by not being a good master and that it's solely his fault that she didn't thrive in the Jedi order? This could tie in neatly with that "Perhaps I wasn't a very good teacher." line from episode two, that there is an underlying sense that he thinks he was not good enough and failed at the one thing that he cared about more than anything that defines this character.

And, at least to me, it's still unclear whether or not Sol knew at this point if this was Mae or he thought he was talking to Osha, because if he knew, this was just a "Let's give a vague but somewhat fitting answer even though I know this is not true" kinda thing and my time thinking about this whole exchange is being wasted ig.

[justanothersailorscout]

Osha's failed Padawan Trials

(I already posted this thread on the former bird site, but I wanted it here, too)

What happened on Brendok this and what happened on Brendok that.

What I want to know is what happened in Osha's Padawan trials

So, we know the Padawan trials were a set of five, and consisted of the Trial of Skill, the Trial of Courage, the Trial of the Flesh, the Trial of Spirit, and the Trial of Insight

I personally think it makes the most sense for her to have "failed" the Trial of Spirit

"To pass the Trial of the Spirit, apprentices have to look deep within their souls, on a quest of self-discovery. This test was designed to pit a potential Knight against their most dangerous enemy: the darkness within themselves"

This was, unsurprisingly, highly traumatizing to many Padawans.

Padawans would essentially go into a meditative state to try and combat their inner fears and demons.

Because it was a highly personal trial, the Padawans were the ones that scripted out what was going to happen, and a Master would supervise them.

Anakin was said to have, unconventionally, passed this trial when he had that force vision of himself as Vader on Nelvaan.

Luke's version of this trial was on the cave in Dagobah.

So what happened with Osha?

If she was the one to script out what was going to happen, it might make sense for her to think to face what happened to her on Brendok

But we know that Sol (or someone) has fucked with her memory

And we can assume that Sol was the one supervising

Would it then also make sense for Osha to have almost seen what actually happened to her there, and then Sol interrupted/sabotaged the trial???

Osha putting on Qimir's Cortosis helmet is a redo of this trial. She's going to face (and accept!) her own darkness once and for all.

[monathedefiant]

there's so much about the acolyte that i find really fresh and interesting -- esp in this latest ep. it's such a cautionary tale around concepts that i've never seen interpreted this way. . .

sol and torbin allowing their emotions to drive them down a destructive path. they're not rewarded for their impulsiveness. rather, everything goes terribly wrong because of their failure to check themselves and regulate their responses to the world around them.

(side note: i understand they thought the children were in danger. and if that were the case, their actions would be heroic. in this situation, tho, it's just giving "social worker assumes the worst about a family's cultural practices they don't understand so they decide immediate removal of the children is the only option." which is wild considering the (inaccurate) children snatching allegations against the jedi. but go off kings??)

indara being ignored or talked over while giving good advice being equated with why things go so wrong. she's not framed as a staunchy jedi too obsessed with protocol to take necessary action. instead, the narrative frames her embracing the jedi way as a source of reason. which makes me sad about her death all over again because she got put in such a tough situation and was really doing the best she could with the mess before her.

mother aniseya is ready to let osha go even though it breaks her heart. the show presents this as her honoring osha's wishes over her own desire to keep her daughter at home. meanwhile, mother koril's unwillingness to let go puts mae in a position to cause a level of harm that she quickly loses control over. it's a very jedi concept experienced through non-jedi which i really enjoyed.

all that mixed in with the show's format is just so fascinating to me. like we knew from jump that Something Bad happened. but the buildup and the payoff really sells the whole story for me.

also i don't think the acolyte leans toward being anti or pro jedi. but it does lend nuance to the story of the jedi in a way that they're usually robbed of completely. the jedi aren't perfect and the show has shown time and time again it's willingness to explore that. plus, i would argue that the acolyte has the most compelling jedi fight choreography of any of the new star wars projects.

(disclaimer: i'm just going off of my own interpretations. i haven't read interviews with the cast, creator, or writers because i care more about how the show makes me feel then i do what about their intentions so🤷🏾‍♂️ and i care even less about what haters of the show have to say.)

this show has given me things beyond my wildest dreams. i can't wait to see how this story concludes ^-^

[igotswag77]

Who Is The Acolyte?

On the show, The Acolyte, there are twins Osha and Mae constantly at odds with one another where it seems one is good and the other is evil. Which one is the question. Surely Mae since she killed Carrie-Ann Moss’ character Master Indara and encouraged Master Torbin from his 10 year meditation, the Barash Vow, to drink the poison. But Osha “hates” her sister and cannot forgive her for killing…

[gffa]

When Sol said that he felt a connection to Osha, when he felt that she was meant to be his Padawan, Indara's response was to make sure he wasn't confusing what he wanted with what the Force wanted, and that's it, that's exactly it! Sol's statement isn't criticized because that kind of destiny doesn't exist--it pretty clearly does, sometimes people are meant to be Master and Padawan, they're drawn together by the Force, that's a thing the Force does in Star Wars, that's part of the worldbuilding that exists. It's criticized because Indara isn't sure that he's not bringing his own baggage to this, as that's something that often happens. The Force is not separate from a Jedi, it's not a tarot card that you read, it's a mystical energy Force that works based on your emotions, that's why the Jedi strive to be as selfless and careful and calm as they can, so that they're not putting their own feelings into the Force and saying that's what the Force wants. Who knows if Sol was right that the Force was pulling him towards Osha, I tend to think he was feeling something very genuine there, but that tragedy struck and it all went horribly wrong, dealing Osha a wound that she could never quite recover from. But also he did desperately want it and was reckless in going about it, he was unbalanced in a deeply understandable way, a way that he could just spend some time looking inward and rebalance, it's not like he was in grave danger, just a misstep that happens to any Jedi, it's normal, it happens, you recover and you find your footing again, that's what Jedi do. And that's why Jedi have to be so careful, because it's so easy to confuse what you want with what the Force is guiding you towards. It's so easy to center on your own anxieties and think the Force is warning you of a danger, when it's just your own thoughts. It's so easy to think this person was meant for you, because you care about them, and you move too fast and people get hurt. Which got me thinking about how often Masters choose the Padawan in canon, because that makes sense, too, with how hard it is to really center yourself and to be able to perceive what is what you want versus what the Force is guiding you towards. How a younger Jedi may not have the same amount of experience at that Perceiving Yourself that a Master or even a Knight would have. That Indara doesn't say Sol can't be drawn to Osha, the Force doesn't work that way, says a lot about how the Jedi and the Force work, but also the show really nailed that you have to be careful with that, it's not a magic crystal ball that you can read with impartiality no matter what mood you're in or what you wish would happen. But you need to understand yourself and what you want is something that's at the root of Jedi philosophy and action.

[maidenvault]

The Jedi didn’t throw Osha away. To suggest that it wasn’t really her choice to leave the Order because she couldn’t live up to a supposedly unfair expectation of what a Jedi is supposed to be is, well, “semantics.”

Even in this series that has implied there’s a power imbalance and some coercion when the Jedi come to Brendok to test the twins, that’s told us Sol is hiding something truly awful and probably worst of all let Mae take the blame, that suggests masters and padawans aren’t supposed to love each other when they obviously always have…it just could not be more clear to me that Osha was the problem.

She’s mostly been a really passive, avoidant character so far. Years after leaving the Order she’s still that way, not held back by anyone, but not letting herself face the pain of her past and just drifting in her life. The strongest we’ve seen her is in the flashback when she tells her mom she wants to be a Jedi. But like Anakin, now she just can’t bring herself to confront her trauma and anger and actually try to accept what happened and move on, which would be concerning to the Jedi for obvious reasons.

Some viewers are taking this as “The Order was a bad environment for her because it’s emotionally repressive so her grief just went unaddressed and festered.” And maybe the show is actually going for that and trying to make a totally wrong parallel to Anakin in doing so. But it’s read completely differently to me from the beginning. Osha tells Jecki “I couldn’t accept death like a true Jedi,” and given the context of Jecki’s kind of naive and overzealous words about the beauty of death maybe we’re not supposed to take that at face value. But she’s had a long time to mourn her family and still can’t even deal with facing Mae at first, it makes complete sense as the reason she failed.

She has to put on that helmet with sensory deprivation properties and sit with herself. Which we’re reminded in the episode is similar to helmets Jedi use in training as well. It’s the same thing that she could not do before, and it hopefully will empower her to see how Qimir may be sexy af but he's manipulating her because he just doesn’t want to be alone in his misery.

[allgirlsareprincesses]

We're Star Wars-ing hard on our Acolyte analysis this week:

☯️ Light in the dark, Dark in the light

🏞 Into the Woods (Underworld/Subconscious)

🐺 Predator of the psyche, Bluebeard, Red Riding Hood

🏳️‍🌈 Loniseya supremacy!

🦋 Shadow-Moth as omen of death

💀 Sol is doomed, sorry

👀 Yord is sus (and a cop)

Acolytes! Venture into the woods the Predators await, Bluebeard & Red Riding Hood 🐺🌲☯️🦋 With @allgirlsareprincesses

Youtube:

Itunes:

Spotify:

LinkTREE:

[groove-on-boogie-down]

It’s not explicitly stated, but I do think in a way, Mae and Sol are both on journeys of redemption that are connected and opposite each other.

Mae had a crime pinned on her. The fire she started to figuratively burn Osha’s dreams became much worse than intended and added to chaos. In pursuing the jedi, she sought to clear her name, hoping for a rebirth that she thought her coven and sister would never witness.

Any guilt Mae possibly carried evolved into what the jedi actually did. She pleaded for help and didn’t get it. Instead she watched the “keepers of the peace” invade her home, attack and kill her family and leave her home in ruins. They left her alone and left her for dead.

Sol carried this lie with him for 16 years, and when he reunites with Osha and finds Mae alive he plans to confess the truth. BUT!! He also thinks proving a vergence will outweigh the harm he’s done. That’s why he’s so hellbent on getting both sisters. To clear his name.

Sol thinks that proving the vergence to the council with both twins will absolve him of the crime in interfering with the coven on Brendok in the first place.

So as this journey of retribution evolves into justice, Mae discovers Osha is alive, and she pivots. Being with her sister is more important now. Together, they are the last remnant of the life they had on Brendok. When Osha rejects her, she seeks a confession, through Sol.

When everything comes to a head, Mae prefers Sol tell the truth. But this is before he rambles about the origins of the twin’s birth. He’s telling Mae things she doesn’t care about, buying his time. But Osha overhears the most important detail, the truth that he killed their mother.

Sol spends more time justifying his actions as part of his plan. He wanted everything to go right in his mind, so he could prove everything had a purpose. He tells Osha he did it because he loved her. And he dies with no apology on his tongue. His redemption is not earned.

In the end, his words and actions are cut off, the same way he cut off Mother Aniseya. His reputation is ruined in his death—by a friend, on a large scale—the same way he helped ruin Mae’s reputation in life. It all comes back to bite him.

Mae witnesses the fallout and is freed from burden. She no longer carries her sister’s hate. Their coven lives through them. The Jedi who wronged her are dead. Under the bunta tree, the twins are reborn. Mae’s redemption is earned! But freedom is short lived.

In sacrificing her memories to protect Osha’s choice, Mae is re-traumatized with pain she just released. Back to a starting point we didn’t see on screen. Four jedi have wronged her but they are dead & she doesn’t remember their justice. She doesn’t remember a twin. It’s just her.

This is a death of sorts. She has lost everything. But she is not free like Qimir would suggest.

The Acolyte Season 1 gave us this tragic theme of things uncorrected & left unsaid. However, in Season 2, Mae deserves a healthy, clear mind. Let Mae-Ho Aniseya have the chance to pull the Thread of destiny so that she can be renewed and reborn, again!

End.