The fateful night on Brendok in The Acolyte was filled with so much confusion and death that even fans had a few questions about exactly what happened.
One huge moment in the reveal was Sol being the one to kill Mother Aniseya when he panicked and saw her start to turn into smoke. While it wasn’t clear exactly what she was doing, showrunner Leslye Headland confirmed that it wasn’t anything dangerous to Mae.
Mother Aniseya’s Shadow Abilities in The Acolyte
In the episode Choice, there’s a scene where the Jedi come to the coven with Sol and Torbin attempting to come and take the twins away. During the confrontation, there is a part where Mother Aniseya starts to turn into smoke, and we see this effect also happening to Mae.
Panicked by the ability, Sol ends up stabbing Aniseya with his lightsaber, resulting in her death.
Though Aniseya’s death was undisputable, there have been discussions on what exactly was happening. Was Aniseya absorbing Mae with her powers? Was she starting an attack on the Jedi intruders? Was it justified for Sol to suddenly attack her?
Leslye Headland Explains
As it turns out, Aniseya was trying to protect Mae. Talking to @StarWarsExplain, Headland confirmed:
As the episode suggests, the Jedi were already weary of the Force cult and so far, the only powers that they’ve seen the witches do is take possession of their youngest member. Sol may have acted rashly, but a lot of fans have said that it did make sense that he would panic, seeing that Aniseya and the coven’s powers were unfamiliar to them, and have only been used to incapacitate them.
It also turns out worse when the coven uses their powers to posses Kelnacca and have him attack the two Jedi. Wookiees were already known for their strength, but imagine one that’s capable of using the Force.
Could There be a Season 2?
The Acolyte definitely ends with a cliffhanger of Osha accepting Qimir’s offer to be his apprentice, but it’s also been confirmed that there’s something else on the island—a creature everyone is almost sure is Darth Plagueis.
Though Aniseya is confirmed to be dead, there is a lot more suspicion regarding the coven and how exactly they created Mae and Osha. Headland teases that Mother Koril could still be up and about, and that her species could be a clue as to where she ended up after the night on Brendok.
It’s likely that she could be connected with the Nightsisters on Dathomir. Though it’s been confirmed that Aniseya’s group was different, it’s possible that Koril could have connections with them, and she could see a return with new coven of Force users.
Qimir’s connection to the coven is still a mystery, but the series has confirmed that he’s an apprentice of Master Vernestra, and it’s possible she knows something about his turning to the Dark Side. With Vernestra also coming to Yoda for help, fans are hopeful that he could have a more substantial role in the second season—should Disney give it the greenlight, that is.
Catch the complete season of The Acolyte now streaming on Disney+.