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The Acolyte has now come to an end on Disney Plus with a dramatic finale tying up almost all of the loose ends of the Star Wars series. The fates of the major characters were revealed, huge lightsaber showdowns took place, and there were even some major cameos. However, while it was a pretty tense and climactic goodbye for the show, it wasn't without its complications.
In fact, by the time that the credits roll on The Acolyte episode 8, you'd be forgiven if you still had a fair few questions remaining. Well, that's where we come in. In our guide below, we've broken down everything you need to know about The Acolyte ending, from whether anyone is ever truly gone to if a second season has just been teased.
Of course, we'll be getting into big spoilers to answer these details as best we can. So make sure you're up to date on the Star Wars show before reading on...
The Acolyte ending explained *SPOILERS*
The finale begins right where we left off in The Acolyte episode 6. Osha has put on Qimir's Sith helmet and is breathing heavily when she has a disturbing vision: Mae is about to kill Sol. After realizing that the pair are on Brendok, she decides to follow them there with Qimir in tow on his ship, as they vow to see who makes it to Mae first.
They're not the only ones heading there either as Vernestra receives a visit from Senator Rayencourt, who is none too pleased that she's been running a murder investigation under wraps. She tells him she's keeping it close for now, and then recruits a bunch of Jedi to head to Brendok with her.
Meanwhile, Mae has escaped Sol's restraints on the ship and flees to the escape pod. She tries to lose him in the field around Brendok, and with the help of Bazil sabotaging Sol, she almost does. The pair make it down to the planet, at the same time as Qimir and Osha, lining up some pretty epic fights between them all. There's a lot of emotional truths trading sides too between the sisters as Mae tries to tell Osha that Sol killed their mother.
However, she doesn't actually believe it until she hears it from Sol's mouth, after Mae draws a confession from him. Osha is devastated and really, really angry, deciding to Force choke her pseudo father to death and bleed her Kyber crystal red.
Vernestra and her group arrive not long after as they begin the search to find the twins. She also senses someone else in the Force: Qimir. It's pretty clear that he was her former pupil and he is not too excited about a reunion. Mae, Osha, and Qimir flee into the woods, but the Jedi are closing in. They make the hard choice for Qimir to remove Mae's memories of her sister so she won't be able to help the Jedi find them.
It's not long until Vernestra tries to do just that, asking Mae to help her find her former pupil who has "turned to evil", but not before she stages a cover-up to the Jedi Council. Using Sol as her scapegoat, she tells them the story of Brendok and claims Sol decided to kill a series of Jedi to prevent his role in the fire coming to light.
The episode ends with Qimir and Osha back on their planet set to begin her training, and pretty much holding hands. The final scene features Vernestra opening a door to a very familiar figure, Yoda, and asking for his guidance.
Who is in the cave?
Well, it's never completely spelled out, but it seems pretty clear that the figure hiding in the cave is none other than Darth Plagueis. His introduction has been teased throughout, and he is a major player for the Sith during this time period. His Muun-like appearance also helps back this up.
If you're looking for a refresher on Darth Plagueis, he was Palpatine's master and was able to create life using the Midi-chlorians. We first heard of him during Revenge of the Sith when Palpatine helps use his story to lure Anakin to the dark side.
Is Sol really dead?
It's been a very bloody season for The Acolyte with multiple major characters killed off. Sadly Master Sol joined his comrades in the final episode after he was Force-choked (!) to death by Osha. Sadly, it seems pretty clear that he is dead too after Vernestra burned his body and blamed the Jedi deaths on Khafar on him.
Is there more to Senator Rayencourt?
David Harewood's Senator Rayencourt had only been namechecked before we see him in episode 8. However, it seems like he may be an important character going forward. A new creation for this Star Wars show, he's very suspicious of the Jedi and calls for an external review into their happenings before their power grows even more unchecked. However, some fans are already a bit suspicious of the character, wondering if there may be more to his motivations.
How does Vernestra know Qimir?
Yes, your theories on that mysterious scar that Qimir has were right. His former Jedi Master is Vernestra. This is teased when she senses him in the Force on Brendok and then is confirmed when she calls him a "former pupil" to Mae at the end of the finale. What we don't know is what happened between them. Qimir hinted it was a dark past and when Vernestra senses him, she says, "You're alive?" To paraphrase the Joker, we want to know how he got those scars...
How did the Jedi cover up the Sith?
One major mystery that has hung over the show was just how the Jedi can be so surprised about the return of the Sith in The Phantom Menace if they'd returned just 100 years prior. Well, we know now that this is because Vernestra covers their return up. She doesn't disclose anything to the Jedi Council, instead telling them that the deaths on Khafar were caused by a rogue Jedi, rather than Qimir.
Whether she tells Yoda in that final scene is more up in the air. Speaking of him...
Why does Yoda cameo?
Well, Yoda's cameo in The Acolyte finale actually makes a lot of sense. He's Grand Master of the Jedi Order at this point, making him a natural person for Vernestra to seek counsel from. We never find out what she's going to tell him in the finale though... Maybe in season 2?
Will there be The Acolyte season 2?
The Acolyte finale certainly feels like it's setting up a season 2, but nothing has been confirmed yet. Showrunner Leslye Headland is keen though, and told Nerdist: "I have no idea. Well, not that I have no idea. I would say there are conversations. And I don’t know when that will happen. I don’t know when that decision will be made."
It certainly feels like there are some big story threads left to unravel if season 2 happens after those big cameos too. Let's hope!
The Acolyte is available to watch in full on Disney Plus. For more, check out our guides to:
- The Acolyte episodes 1-4 review
- The Acolyte episode 5 review
- The Acolyte episode 6 review
- The Acolyte episode 7 review
- A guide to The Acolyte
- The Acolyte release schedule
- What is the Great Hyperspace Disaster?
- What is cortosis?
- What is vergence?
- What is The High Republic? The Acolyte’s new Star Wars era explained
- When does The Acolyte take place on the Star Wars timeline?
- Upcoming Star Wars movies
- Star Wars timeline
- How to watch the Star Wars movies in order
