Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for The Acolyte episode 7

Summary

  • The Acolyte introduces a new Force vergence in the Star Wars galaxy.
  • Vergences are physical hotspots of the Force, and often caused conflict between Jedi and Sith during the Old Republic.
  • Mae and Osha's unique presence in the Force and creation seem to be linked to this new Force vergence on Brendock, with their mother having manipulated it for the sake of her Force cult of witches.

The Acolyte introduces a new vergence in the Force to the Star Wars galaxy. Revealing the events of Brendock in full, The Acolyte episode 7 builds upon the mysteries the show has already introduced regarding the creation of the twins Mae and Osha Aniseya, as well as the origins of their power in the Force. To that end, it's been revealed why the Jedi were on Brendock in the first place.

In The Acolyte episode 7, it's been confirmed that Jedi Master Indara was assigned to lead a group of Jedi to investigate Brendock, a world that had once been desolate but was now filled with new life, 16 years before the events of The Acolyte in the present. Believing the cause to be a key vergence in the Force, the Jedi seeking this nexus of power is what led to their discovery of Mae, Osha, and the Witches of Brendock led by Mother Aniseya. To that end, here's what Force vergences are in the Star Wars canon and why they're so important.

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7

A Vergence Is A Physical Hotspot Of The Force

They Can Be Worlds, Objects, Even People

Acolyte Jedi Searching For A Force Vergence

As Master Indara and Sol explain to Padawan Torbin in The Acolyte episode 7, the Jedi Order believes that Brendock contains a vergence in the Force, a concentration of Force energy the Jedi must seek out and study due to its great power. This is why they had been on Brendock for weeks, studying the planet's composition and new plant life with various devices and the like, only for Sol to eventually discover Mae and Osha, their shared gifts in the Force, and the cult of witches raising them.

In the Star Wars canon, vergences are physical hotspots of great power in the Force. As such, they often became sites of major conflict between the Jedi Order and the Sith Empire during the Old Republic, each seeking to claim control over various locations and worlds rich in the Force as each locus found could amplify the powers of Force-sensitive beings, grant critical visions, and more. These vergences could also be focused around different aspects of the Force, be it light, dark, or being more balanced.

Vergences Are Almost Always Dark-Side Oriented

Like Dagobah's Cave of Evil or Ahch-To's Mirror Cave

Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader Fight in Dagobah Cave Vision

While there are vergences that are based in the light, most of the known vergences in the Star Wars canon are centered around the dark side. This includes the Cave of Evil on Dagobah where Luke faces a vision of Darth Vader in Empire Strikes Back, a key vision showing him his worst fears while also foreshadowing the future reveal that Vader was his father. Likewise, Ahch-To had its own dark side vergence despite being the site of the First Jedi Temple (the Mirror Cave Rey experiences in The Last Jedi).

In the case of Brendock's vergence, it seems as though the nexus could very well be the dark pit featured in both The Acolyte episode 3 and now in episode 7 where the witches' ascension ceremony took place. If that's indeed the case, it certainly looks to be dark side vergence, mirroring the entrance to Ahch-To's Mirror Cave. At any rate, it's heavily implied that Mother Aniseya used the vergence on Brendock to create Osha and Mae, themselves being one spirit in the Force split into two beings.

There Have Been Force Vergences In Star Wars Before

Often Tied To Major Moments In The Skywalker Saga

Beyond the location-based vergences described above, past vergences in the Star Wars canon have also been objects and even people. As the Chosen One, Anakin Skywalker himself was described by Qui-Gon Jinn as a vergence in the Phantom Menace. Likewise, the Skywalker saber itself became a vergence, as seen when Rey first touched the blade and received a major vision in The Force Awakens.

Other notable nexuses include a dark side vergence located beneath Coruscant's Jedi Temple, one beneath Darth Vader's Mustafar castle, fissures below Palpatine's Sith Citadel on Exegol, as well as the Jedi Temple on Lothal which held an entry point to the World Between Worlds, a nexus outside of time and space also known as vergence scatter. Worlds such as The Wellspring and Mortis also served as major planetary vergences that were also described as fulcrums connected to the origins and balance of the Force itself.

To that end, it does seem like a Force vergence is responsible for the creation of Mae and Osha and their unique presence in the Force as one being separated into two. It appears as though Aniseya herself manipulated the vergence to achieve this impressive feat, though to what end and how the twins were meant to save and/or lead the witches remains unclear. That said, it's also possible that Mae and Osha became a vergence themselves, perhaps even being a rare dyad in the Force (not unlike Kylo Ren and Rey Skywalker in the sequel trilogy).

New episodes of The Acolyte premiere on Tuesday nights on Disney+.

The Acolyte Poster Showing Jedi Order, Mae, and a Sith Lord Holding Lightsabers

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The Acolyte
Release Date
2024 - 2024-00-00
Showrunner
Leslye Headland
Directors
Leslye Headland, Alex Garcia Lopez

WHERE TO WATCH

Streaming

The Acolyte is a television series set in the Star Wars universe at the end of the High Republic Era, where both the Jedi and the Galactic Empire were at the height of their influence. This sci-fi thriller sees a former Padawan reunite with her former Jedi Master as they investigate several crimes - all leading to darkness erupting from beneath the surface and preparing to bring about the end of the High Republic.

Writers
Leslye Headland, Charmaine De Grate, Kor Adana
Franchise(s)
Star Wars
Seasons
1
Streaming Service(s)
Dis