The Acolyte: 5 questions we have after episode 3, "Destiny"

Star Wars: The Acolyte already proved itself to be a high-stakes drama, whether with the mysterious confrontation between Carrie-Anne Moss' Master Indara and Amandla Stenberg's Mae or the moment in which Osha and the man who trained her reconcile after he has hunted her down.

In episode 3, "Destiny," audiences saw the shared origin of the Aniseya sisters. We could clearly see the grudge forming that leads Mae to hate the Jedi and the first steps of the Master/Padawan journey between Osha and Sol. But this latest installment has as many questions as answers.

Here are 5 questions we have about The Acolyte episode 3, "Destiny."

1. What is the relationship between the witches and the Jedi Order?

Within the fortress on Brendok, a coven lives and trains together. According to their leader, Mother Aniseya, they are in exile, but it's unclear who sent them into that state. Rather than obey the will of the Force, they speak of the Thread and its influence in their lives.

The Force is "an energy field created by all living things," according to Yoda, and it "surrounds us and binds us." The witches seem to set themselves apart by believing that they not only can tug at the power they devote themselves to but are called to do so.

Director Leslye Headland has said that this series questions the use of the Force and how choices in this era will pave the way for the Dark Times to come. Are the witches exiles because the Jedi forbid their controlling ways? The mystery further deepens with Indara's reference to Republic law being involved in why the training of children is a concern.

2. How did the Mae and Osha come to be?

"I carried them.
I created them."

- Mother Koril and Mother Aniseya

Aniseya claims that their powers were called unnatural but that they gave the coven the miracle of creating life. This is a very interesting call forward to a certain Sith Lord who says, "The Dark Side is a pathway to many abilities that some consider being unnatural." When Palpatine is asked where one can learn these abilities, he states, "Not from a Jedi."

Star Wars: The Phantom Menace was the first time that we were told of the ability to conceive a child by the midichlorians. Both the Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise and this episode consign that tendency to practices that are not the Jedi Way. This is further confirmed when Mother Koril challenges, "And what happens if the Jedi discover how you created them?"

3. Is the attack on Padawan Torbin related to Master Torbin's suicide?

In episode 2, Torbin took his own life using a poison unique to Brendok. He first said that he had been waiting for Mae to come for him and had spent over a decade in silence after taking the Barash Vow. Mae seems to rightly guess that he has a great deal of guilt dating back to the Jedi aggression on Brendok.

During one confrontation between the Jedi and the witches, Torbin is psychically attacked. His eyes go completely black, and he is overcome. Mother Aniseya makes the Jedi's departure a condition of his being restored to his right mind. When he is released from the possession, he is shaken and frightened.

What happened to him during that span of being out of his mind? Did it follow him once he left Brendok?

4. What is the cause of death for the witches?

As Osha is rescued by Sol from the fire within the fortress at Brendok, we see the entire coven lying dead in one hall, while Mother Aniseya's body is found later. Mae claimed in episode 1, "Lost/Found," that the Jedi attacked the unarmed, which implies she thinks that the four Jedi were mass murderers at the fortress.

On the other hand, the Ascension that has not occurred since the witches went into exile includes an oath bound to Aniseya's death. Is it possible that the witches chose death and forced Mae to fulfill her oath to protect their secrets and continue their legacy? Was Mother Aniseya killed under different circumstances since she was found separate?

It's hard to know who to suspect in this tragedy.

5. Why didn't the Jedi notice Mae's deception? Or did they?

Before the sisters are tested by the Jedi, Master Sol notices that Mae has been marked by the spiral from the Ascension. He has been observing Osha and Mae closely and may have overheard their sisterly differences of opinion.

Mae is tested as unfit for Jedi apprenticeship, but when Osha begins to fail the tests as well, the Jedi perceive her deception. It's true that Osha is a very inept liar in that scene, but did they notice the same intentional failure with her sister? Did they suspect that Mae failed because of her devotion to the witches? Do they leave her alive not only because she is an innocent child but because she is so recently marked with the spiral?

Whatever the answers, it feels like a very long wait for next Tuesday.