The Acolyte has been very mysterious about the origins of Mae and Osha, and we finally got to see a glimpse of their home planet in the latest episode, titled Destiny. During the Ascension ceremony at the episode's center, it was revealed that Mae earned a mark on her forehead that was similar to that of the Coven leader, Mother Aniseya.
Fans have been wondering what the mark on Mae’s forehead could mean, and how it relates to this new faction of Force users who refer to their spiritual connection as The Thread.
Mae's Forehead Mark Is Somehow Linked to The Coven’s Powers
The Acolyte is the first time this faction of Force users is introduced, and before the premiere, fans had been speculating that they were a branch of Dark Side users called Nightsisters (introduced in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and prominent in Ahsoka).
Based on the episode though, it’s revealed that they are a completely original group, and their most defining belief is that they refer to the Force as The Thread—a mystical thing that binds everyone’s destiny.
Besides being able to move objects like Jedi, it’s also been revealed that powerful members like Mother Aniseya can hijack other people’s minds, like she does with Padawan Torbin.
Probably the biggest reveal is that Osha and Mae don’t have a father, and it’s implied that they were created via The Thread by Aniseya and Mother Koril.
Mother Aniseya’s Face Tattoos
In Destiny, Mae and Osha are made to undergo a ritual which would grant them special powers from the coven (“The Power of One, The Power of Two, The Power of Many”), and it’s Mae who’s able to go through the ritual completely before the Jedi arrive and stop Osha’s Ascension.
By the time the ritual is done on Mae, we can see that she has what resembles a white fingerprint on her forehead—very much like what Mother Asineya has on hers.
It’s worth noting that nobody else in the Coven has these symbols on their face, so it’s possible that this could only be marked on members of the Coven who have great potential with the use of The Thread.
It’s unclear what the symbol represents to the coven, but knowing Star Wars and its penchant for giving symbols for specific factions (i.e., The Jedi, the Sith, the Republic, etc.), it’s possible that the face marking could represent the Thread and how it’s visualized by the believers.
The Spiral Symbol Gives Rise to Theories on Mae and Osha’s Connection
Based on what has come before it, fans speculate that Mae and Osha are actually a different generation of the Force Dyad. Besides the implication that the two were artificially created like Anakin Skywalker (i.e., The Chosen One), the concept of the Force Dyad was introduced in the Sequel Trilogy with Rey and Kylo Ren.
It’s possible that the series could be looking to reveal that Mae and Osha are supposed to be embodiments of the Dark and Light—only instead of the Force defining what they are, they are defined by The Thread.
What are the odds that the sister’s creation via the Thread/Force is also what inspires the creation of Anakin Skywalker almost a hundred years later?
For now, the series still has more to reveal to the audience. It’s still unclear who or what exactly caused the fire or how Mae survived, but already the rumors are firing at all cylinders.
Catch the next episode of The Acolyte when it streams on Disney+ on June 19.
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