Movie Reviews

One Acolyte Episode 3 Easter Egg Secretly Reveals The Origin Of The Force Itself – & The True Nature Of The Dark Side

Ita Precious3 weeks ago
238 5 minutes read
mother aniseya brendock moons and tython custom acolyte image

Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for The Acolyte episode 3


Summary

  • Brendock’s moons in The Acolyte are likely a narrative parallel to Tython’s moons, hinting at the dark side’s natural balance with the light (Ashla and Bogan).
  • Osha rejected her coven to become a Jedi, though leaving the Order may mean her journey in future episodes will see her regaining more of a balance (perhaps Mae as well).
  • The ascension ceremony in The Acolyte episode 3 connects to Osha and Mae’s origins and the nature of the Force itself.


An exciting Easter egg from The Acolyte episode 3 reveals a very cool nod to Legends and points to the true nature of the dark side itself. Taking place before the events of the show’s first two episodes, The Acolyte episode 3 reveals the origins of Osha Aniseya (Amandla Stenberg) and her twin sister Mae. To that end, the young girls’ ascension ceremony with a coven of witches features an intriguing parallel to the origins of the Force and its wielders.

Raised by witches on the planet Brendok, young Osha and Mae are set to be officially accepted into the coven’s ranks in The Acolyte episode 3 with an important ascension ceremony. Led by the coven’s leader Mother Aniseya who created the twins using her rare powers in the Force, this ascension ceremony occurs on the moonlight of Brendok’s dual moons. Not only do these eclipsing moons look to be the same ones seen in The Acolyte’s logo, but they a to connect to a very cool part of Star Wars legends and the established canon regarding the aspects of the Force itself.


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The Acolyte Episode 3’s Ashla & Bogan Easter Egg Are An Incredible Legends Nod

The Moons of Tython

During the ascension ceremony, the red and blue moons of Brendock can be seen overhead in the night sky, eclipsing each other as Mother Aniseya and her coven perform a powerful ritual before inducting Osha and Mae into their ranks. As such, these twin moons resemble the ancient Jedi world of Tython and its own moons. Tython was a world connected to the origins of the Jedi Order, with many scholars having theorized that it might have been the site of their first temple (though it was actually Ahch-To where Luke Skywalker goes into exile in the sequels).


Tython is part of the established Star Wars canon thanks to a collection of Star Wars comics such as Marvel’s Darth Vader and Doctor Aphra series. However, the planet’s most notable appearance was in live-action with The Mandalorian season 2, when Grogu meditates on the seeing stone before his capture by the Imperial Remnant. However, the significance of Tython’s moons has largely remained part of the non-canon Legends (so far).

In Legends, it was said ancient Jedi reflected on the nature of Tython’s moons, named Ashla and Bogan. This helped them develop the concepts of the light and dark side aspects of the Force. To that end, Ashla and Bogan are the original names for the light and dark side, a fact that was made canon thanks to Star WarsRebels when they were named as such by the mysterious Force-sensitive being known as the Bendu, a powerful entity claiming to represent the center between the two. As such, Brendok’s moons do seem to serve as a key parallel to the moons of Tython.


The Acolyte Episode 3 Hints At The True Nature Of The Dark Side

The Dark Is As Natural As The Light

Leah and Lauren Brady as young Osha and Mae in The Acolyte (2024) above a blurred image of the light and dark side in Star Wars
Custom Image by Lewis Glazebrook

Keeping the narrative connection to Tython and its moons in mind, it certainly seems as though Brendock’s moons point to a core truth about the dark side of the Force. Just like Ashla and Bogan, Brendock’s moons look to be in a natural orbit, existing simultaneously while likely representing the two different aspects of the Force itself. This would suggest that the dark side is just as natural as the light side, a necessary aspect of the Force that must be acknowledged, and can’t ever be eradicated fully. Both are needed in order to achieve true balance in the Force.


It’s no coincidence that Osha and Mae were born as twins though the power of the Force, and that their ascension ceremony is happening on a world containing twin moons. The narrative parallels are in full force, including the idea that, despite the fact that Osha and Mae end up taking very different paths as they grow up, their destinies are clearly tied to one another, even as the lines between good/bad and light/dark are likely going to continue to be blurred as the series continues.

Osha Rejects The Moons, Choosing The Way Of The Sun Instead

Becoming Sol’s Apprentice

Osha stands looking at Master Sol's lightsaber with interest while Mae stands behind her looking upset in The Acolyte episode 3


It’s also notable that Brendok’s moons in The Acolyte episode 3 were seen eclipsing each other and nearing an alignment. This suggests that the witches of Brendok led by Mother Aniseya believe in balance rather than one aspect over another. This also likely connects to their Force philosophy, that the energy field that binds all living things in the galaxy is in truth a “Great Thread” that connects all, allowing for the power of one to become greater through the power of two, and subsequently the many, like with a coven of united witches.

Osha ultimately rejects this idea represented by Brendok’s moons. While Mae is inducted into the coven, Osha chooses instead to become a Jedi after the ascension ceremony is interrupted by four Jedi who request to test both girls. Osha eventually becomes the apprentice to Jedi Master Sol, and it can’t be a coincidence that “Sol” is Latin for “Sun”. However, it’s likely going to be important that Osha didn’t stick with her Jedi path as was revealed in The Acolyte’s premiere, suggesting that regaining the balance could be her endpoint, and perhaps Mae’s as well as the Star Wars show continues.


The Acolyte episode 3 is now streaming. New episodes release Tuesdays on Disney+

Ita Precious3 weeks ago
238 5 minutes read
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