In the lead-up to Star Wars: The Acolyte, official sources gave us a tease of the characters we expected to meet in the series. One of the characters prominently featured in discussions of The Acolyte was that of Mae, played by Amandla Stenberg. But those who have watched The Acolyte‘s first episodes will know that Mae isn’t the only character Amandla Stenberg plays in the Star Wars series. No, Amandla Stenberg takes on a dual role in the series, twins Mae and Osha. But are Mae and Osha both really present in the world of The Acolyte? And if they do both exist, what is their relationship and history with one another? Let’s dive into everything we know and theorize so far about The Acolyte‘s Mae and Osha.
Is The Acolyte‘s Mae Real, or Is She in Osha’s Mind?
The first episode of The Acolyte seemingly wants you to question whether Mae really exists or whether she is just a presence within Osha. We see Mae fight and kill Jedi Master Indara in the opening sequence of the series, but then The Acolyte‘s first episode cuts to Osha asleep as if it were all a dream. Osha and the other characters in the world also seem to truly believe that Mae died in a fire as a child. This includes Jedi Master Sol, who appears to be a reliable source and claims to have witnessed the death with his own eyes.
Later in The Acolyte‘s first episode, Osha is led into a vision by a younger version of her twin. The two exchange cryptic words, which do nothing to ease the suspicion that Mae lives only inside of Osha’s mind and does not really exist.
However, despite the surreal nature of these early encounters, by episode two of The Acolyte, it seems far more likely that Mae does really exist as her own person in the Star Wars series. We see Mae attacking Jedi Master Torbin at a Jedi Temple at a time confirmed to be temporally identical to Master Sol’s encounter with Mae on Carlac. Additionally, throughout the episodes of The Acolyte, it seems that Mae and Osha are having different conversations and engagements. Mae interacts primarily with Qimir, and Osha remains with Master Sol, Yord, and Jecki. A moment of doubt is cast again when Mae disappears after having poisoned Jedi Master Torbin only for Osha to be found with the vial.
For Now, It Feels Like Mae Is Real on The Acolyte
But Mae and Osha’s face to face meeting in episode three seems to dispel this notion. It still could be possible that Mae isn’t real and is a figment of her twin’s imagination. But for now, we’ll assume Mae and Osha are two separate and existing characters.
Mae and Osha’s Star Wars History
Now that we feel reasonably certain Mae and Osha both exist on Star Wars: The Acolyte, what do we know about their history? Well, from what the first two episodes reveal, Mae and Osha are twins who lived on the planet Brendok. In broad strokes, in their childhood, Mae started a fire in their home that killed their entire family. It seems that neither Mae nor Osha knew their twin survived into adulthood.
But Star Wars: The Acolyte episode three delves much deeper into Mae and Osha’s past. The third episode of The Acolyte takes us back to the twins’ childhood and reveals the events that led them down their current paths. The Acolyte reveals that four Jedi were stationed on Mae and Osha’s childhood planet during the fire. These were Jedi Master Sol, Indara, Torbin, and the Wookiee Jedi Kelnecca. When the Jedi discovered the coven of witches on Brendok, they accused them of teaching children how to use the Force in ways they deemed irresponsible. Of course, the coven on Brendok was simply following their understanding of how to use the Force, or the Thread, as they call it and seemed to be doing just fine. Intervening in the coven’s ceremonial rites of ascenion, the Jedi insist on testing the young twins to see if they are fit to become Jedi.
While Mae resents this idea, Osha welcomes it. The coven tries to convince the pair to lie during their questioning so they fail the Jedi’s tests, but Osha wishes to pass. After she does so successfully, she decides that she will leave with the Jedi. Enraged by this, Mae starts a fire, which seemingly leads to the destruction of the coven. Both sisters think, as mentioned, that the other has died. It seems that after these tragic events, Mae holds the Jedi responsible for dismanteling her life and now seeks revenge.
Mae and Osha’s Force Connection
Of course, even though Mae is not Force possessing Osha, there seems to be something special about their connection. When they meet in Osha’s vision, whispers of the Force swirl around them. Additionally, Mae admits to killing Indara. So, although neither sister appears to remember the vision, it appears to be in some ways real. Both Mae and Osha are Force users.
In their shared vision in episode one, Mae and Osha recite the following cryptic poem: “You’re with me, I’m with you, always one, but born as two. As above sit the stars and below lies the seas, I give you, you, and you give me, me.” At the end of the poem, Mae’s eyes turn black.
In episode three, we learn that Mae and Osha are literally born from the Force/Thread. Like Star Wars‘ Anakin, they have no father and had virgins births. The exact details of how their existence came to be are not yet fully fleshed out, but we know that Mother Anieysa created them and they were carried to term by Mother Koril.
Could Mae and Osha Be a Force Dyad on Star Wars: The Acolyte?
All of this seems to hint toward the possibility that Mae and Osha are part of a Force dyad on Star Wars: The Acolyte. The Star Wars sequel trilogies introduced us to the idea of a Force dyad, two individuals that are one in the Force. In Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, we learn that Rey and Ben Solo/Kylo Ren, make up one such dyad. Those who are in a Force dyad are able to connect their minds across time and space, including over long distances. In The Rise of Skywalker, we learn a Force dyad hasn’t been seen for generations. But, of course, the High Republic era is several generations before the New Republic.
In sum, all the information seems to point to the idea that Mae and Osha form a Force dyad on Star Wars: The Acolyte. And, of course, the way they describe their relationship, “always one, but born as two,” echoes the very definition of a Force dyad. Still, there could be other forces at work that we don’t yet know about. For example, we don’t know if being born of the Force as twins acts similarly to being in a Force dyad, or if one can cause the other.
We’ll have to wait and see if this concept is explored further as we watch the relationship between Mae and Osha develop on Star Wars: The Acolyte.
Originally published on June 4, 2024.