The newest Star Wars series on Disney+, The Acolyte, debuted its first two episodes. The premiere carefully laid the groundwork for a bigger mystery, but this article will focus on episode 1, "Lost/Found," and break down the ending.
Star Wars: The Acolyte Episode 1, "Lost/Found" Ending Explained
A lot of information was packed into the first episode of The Acolyte. We learn that there is a Jedi killer at large. At first, the Jedi are led to believe that it is a character named Osha, played by Amandla Stenberg. However, as the episode goes on we learn that Osha had a twin sister named Mae who she begins to have visions of.
We also learn that Osha used to be a Jedi and was trained by Master Sol, played by Lee Jung-jae. Sol believes that Mae is dead because he thought that he saw her die. But as he says to the younglings he is teaching earlier in the episode, "Your eyes can deceive you. We must not trust them."
Sol and his new precocious padawan Jecki Lon, as well as the overly serious Jedi Knight Yord Fandar, locate Osha on the snowy planet of Carlac and are under orders to take her in as a prisoner since she is the main suspect in the murder investigation. However, Sol tells Osha that he believes she did not kill Jedi Master Indara. He also believes her when she says she believes her sister Mae is still alive.
Then, the episode ends as it began, with Mae. We see her on a rocky setting with water as an ominous voice simply called the "Stranger" in the closed caption. The person says to Mae, "The Jedi live in a dream. A dream they believe everyone shares. If you attack a Jedi with a weapon, you will fail. Steel or laser are no threat to them. But an Acolyte... an Acolyte kills without a weapon. An Acolyte... kills the dream." This dark, masked figure ignites a red lightsaber at the end of this brief speech, and the episode ends.
We now know who Mae is taking orders from. It is not entirely clear what "dream" this dark figure is referring to. Perhaps the figure is noting the belief that the Jedi bring peace and stability to the galaxy, something that is referred to in episode 2 "Revenge/Justice." It is also not entirely clear why Mae is an "acolyte" as opposed to an apprentice. Perhaps this dark side figure does not believe Mae is gifted enough in the ways of the Force to be taken on as an apprentice. Or perhaps this Jedi killing spree is an audition of sorts to see if she is worthy as an apprentice. Or, in classic Sith fashion, perhaps this mysterious figure is simply using Mae for some larger goal.
From trailers for the series, we are led to believe that the Jedi confront this mysterious figure at some point. But for now, this figure remains anonymous and provides an intriguing ending to the first episode of The Acolyte.