We knew The Acolyte would bring Star Wars fans back to the era of the High Republic, a century before The Phantom Menace. What we didn’t know is that it would also deliver a shocking death. The Disney+ show’s first episode featured a demise we did not see coming. Who met their end during the series’ start? And more importantly, what does that mean for the show? Here’s everything you need to understand about the death of Carrie-Anne Moss’s Master Indara in the first episodes of The Acolyte.
May the Force be with you, because spoilers definitely will be ahead.
Who Died in The Acolyte‘s First Episode?
The Acolyte opened with Amandla Stenberg’s Mae attacking a Jedi Master, Carrie-Anne Moss’s Indara. At first Master Indara tried not to fight back, merely to avoid being struck. But as the battle continued she realized this unknown young warrior was Force-trained. That’s when Indara became more actively engaged in the duel.
Things completely changed when Indara unmasked Mae and recognized her. After Mae Force threw Indara, the Jedi drew her lightsaber, which Mae took as a sign Indara meant to kill her. The Jedi Master then turned off her lightsaber. Mae threw one of her daggers at the bartender, and as Indara used the Force to stop the knife and save him Mae threw another dagger into the Jedi’s heart.
Why Did Mae Kill Jedi Master Indara?
During their encounter a vengeful Mae insisted Indara attack her with “all her strength.” Later, after Indara said Jedi don’t attack unarmed people, an angry Mae said, “Yes, you do.”
That exchange hints at a dark past between the two, one where Indara or her colleagues did something we would not expect a Jedi to do. From what we saw and heard of Osha’s own sad memories, whatever happened between Indara and Mae happened when Mae was a child.
Creator Leslye Headland Comments on The Acolyte‘s Shocking Death
The Acolyte‘s creator, Leslye Headland, has shared some insights into why Carrie-Anne Moss’s Indara’s death occurred so early in the show.
She noted to Variety, “I thought it was a good tone-setter for the show. [It shows] that the Jedis are going to take some losses, and that the good guys and the bad guys are not always who you think they are.”
Headland additionally shared the following with GamesRadar+ about the death of Indara, “From a filmmaker perspective, I just felt like with the cold open, especially with a new story, that you just have to go hard… You have to say the Jedi are going to take some Ls; you’re not going to know who the good guys and the bad guys are. And it’s going to feel very visceral… Even if you already know it’s going to happen, it doesn’t have to be a big gotcha moment. It just has to be a moment where the emotional and the physical – meaning the fights – melt together. Carrie-Anne, not just being an action legend, is also a phenomenal actress. She was able to play all those beats within the fight as well as, of course, her death scene”
What Does Indara’s Death Mean for The Acolyte?
Like with Drew Barrymore’s death in the opening scene of Scream, The Acolyte began by letting us know nobody is safe on this show. If a Force-using student without a lightsaber can kill an experienced Jedi Master—played by a major star—she can kill almost anyone. (And just imagine what her Master can do.) Indara’s death fully shows the peace of the High Republic is more vulnerable than ever before. As are the Jedi.
Mae’s masked Master said, “The Jedi live in a dream.” Master Indara’s death proves they’ll need to wake up quickly before they are all living in a nightmare.
Originally published on June 4, 2024.