The Acolyte may be hiding another bigger twist about Mae’s master

There’s already been plenty of twists and turns in The Acolyte, but the series may be hiding an even bigger twist right under our noses: two Sith Masters..

The season premiere of The Acolyte wasted no time blowing viewers’ minds with two massive twists: the fate of Carrie-Anne Moss’s much-hyped Master Indara and the reveal that the titular Acolyte has a twin sister, disgraced former Padawan Osha.

Our most chilling moment with the Acolyte herself, Mae, comes at the end of the episode when she is seen approaching her master. Little has been revealed about this mysterious lightsaber-wielding character, whom many assume to be a Sith.

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But there may be more to the final shot that we can gleam. After all, The Acolyte has been very deliberate with everything so far. The logo, realistically, gave away the twin twist ages ago with its alternating color schemes on the O.

It’s also been very quick to subvert expectations. The series was built on the addition of Carrie-Anne Moss as a Jedi, but she’s dead before the title can even drop. Meanwhile, its second Jedi, Master Torbin, surprised fans by willingly taking his own life.

With all that in mind, the image of Mae’s master on the rocks may not just be designed to be cool. The series so far is far too structured and intentional. Instead, I propose it’s deliberate foreshadowing that there are two Masters, just like there are actually two Acolytes in the form of Mae and Osha.

Fans on the Star Wars subreddit are thinking something similar, too. They think they’ve picked up on how things will shake out to set up the actual rise of the Sith, and it involves some surprising names from the past.

“My current theory on the Acolyte just based off the leaks is that Penn is Plagueis, Quimir is the Sith Lord, he’ll kill Sol, Plagueis and Mae will kill Quimir and end up agreeing to work as equal partners as Sith,” one fan said. “Then future seasons will be about their plans to bring down the Jedi and the deterioration of their partnership.”

Darth Plagueis would be an interesting pick, as he has long been rumored to appear on the show. Plagueis is an infamous name for Star Wars fans. He was the one-time master of Emperor Palpatine, and a character said to have the ability to cheat death.

Regardless of who it may be, It would make sense for there to be two masters. The Sith have thrived under the Rule of Two in other Star Wars lore, so it would make sense that Mae’s master would have a counterpart. It’s also been very careful to refer to Mae as an Acolyte — not an Apprentice.

If The Acolyte is meant to showcase an era before the Sith, would it be that surprising to also see the birth of the Rule of Two? It’s the rule that kept the Sith strong for generations until Palpatine was able to cement his control. It’s very possible The Acolyte isn’t just the origin of the Sith, but of the methodology that made them so powerful the Jedi could not anticipate them.

If there are two Masters, we should find out soon enough. The Acolyte has been playing its cards close to the vest so far, but it won’t be long before the answers are laid out for all to see.

Star Wars: The Acolyte is streaming now on Disney+. While you wait on new episodes, read all about why fans think Sol will die or the importance of a yellow lightsaber.