Spoilers The Acolyte

[Skywalker]

I think it's interesting that this episode only had a single-word title while the previous two had dual-world titles. Since this was almost entirely from the perspective of Osha, I think we might be getting another episode later that will retell these events from Mae's perspective. Leslye Headland specifically called out Rashomon has an influence on this story, so I wonder if we'll then see the real events in the last or penultimate episode.

I don't think it was a coincidence that they cut away from Mae without showing her smashing the torch that caused the fire. I feel like she only intended to burn the book as a way of lashing out at Osha (I don't believe she actually wanted to kill Osha--maybe that's just how Osha remembers it) and then something happened off-screen that actually caused the real fire. And then there was also the hint that something was going on around the compound's power generator. My guess is the Sith was actually there, too, and they caused the fire and explosion that killed the witches, while framing the Jedi for it.

 

[Tuskin38]

In Legends at least, Plagueis did not create Anakin, at least not directly, The Force did by itself to balance out Plagueis's experiments in trying to bring back the dead and prevent death.

But that has yet to be the case in canon, so who knows.

 

[Set Harth]

In Legends at least, Plagueis did not create Anakin, at least not directly, The Force did by itself to balance out Plagueis's experiments in trying to bring back the dead and prevent death.

I think there may have been an obscure pre-Disney source that said Plagueis created Anakin.

“It was kind of this ‘A-ha!’ moment for me when he told me, ‘You know, not all witches are Nightsisters.’”

yeah well you should really have already known that

 

[Commander Troi]

I wasn't sure. I figured they were related to the Nightsisters in some way. I still think they might be, but perhaps they use their power in a different way.

 

[Tuskin38]

https://ew.com/the-acolyte-creator-star-explain-witches-flashback-episode-8657992

 

[137th Gebirg]

In Legends at least, Plagueis did not create Anakin, at least not directly, The Force did by itself to balance out Plagueis's experiments in trying to bring back the dead and prevent death.

But that has yet to be the case in canon, so who knows.

I never said Plagueis created Anakin. I said that Palpatine created Anakin based on the research Plagueis performed in dark-side manipulation of midichlorians to create life. Further, Palpatine also mentioned that, in keeping with Sith tradition, Plagueis was killed by his apprentice (who also happened to be Palpatine), who was likely aware of the life-creating experiments, which I'm sure he found useful. This might have even played a hand in his resurrection in the ST. I mean, why throw that whole scene in there of Palpatine telling Anakin what Plagueis did? Yes, the goal was to exploit Anakin's fear of losing Padme with a means to get her back, but he could have just left it at that - "Sith can bring people back!" Instead, he added the whole "Oh, yeah, Sith can create life, too!" angle, coupled with the mysterious, seemingly throw-away "immaculate conception" line from Shmi in PM. Put it all together and you have Sith using dark-side energy to make life. The witches may not be Sith but, absent of any other evidence to indicate Jedi did this as well, this seems to be an exclusively dark-side skill.

 

[Booji]

Palpatine spent the entire prequel trilogy bullshitting people left and right. As other posters here have stated, what Palpatine told Anakin, with the exception of Plagueis getting it, is most likely a load of crap. Saying Palps created Anakin has always been a reach at best. There is nothing in the films to back it up. Literally nothing.

 

[137th Gebirg]

M'kay then...

 

[Commander Troi]

https://ew.com/the-acolyte-creator-star-explain-witches-flashback-episode-8657992

Interesting...

Headland and that her character and the other witches “represent something we've talked about, which this gray area. If you were to think of the light side and the dark side as this binary that exists, the witches feel that they exist in the gray. Also, we are putting too much emphasis on the light and the dark. I think it's more about power.”

 

[Orac]

I think it's interesting that this episode only had a single-word title while the previous two had dual-world titles. Since this was almost entirely from the perspective of Osha, I think we might be getting another episode later that will retell these events from Mae's perspective. Leslye Headland specifically called out Rashomon has an influence on this story, so I wonder if we'll then see the real events in the last or penultimate episode.

I don't think it was a coincidence that they cut away from Mae without showing her smashing the torch that caused the fire. I feel like she only intended to burn the book as a way of lashing out at Osha (I don't believe she actually wanted to kill Osha--maybe that's just how Osha remembers it) and then something happened off-screen that actually caused the real fire. And then there was also the hint that something was going on around the compound's power generator. My guess is the Sith was actually there, too, and they caused the fire and explosion that killed the witches, while framing the Jedi for it.

I'm pretty sure the Jedi killed all those witches and blamed it on the evil twin. Remember the Jedi at the start in a meditative state asking for absolution before killing himself, he'd done a terrible thing for the Jedi he couldn't live with.

 

[Set Harth]

Palpatine spent the entire prequel trilogy bullshitting people left and right.

However, one of the things he likes to do could be called bullshitting people by using the truth. I'd think this would be an occasionally fruitful tactic especially when dealing with Force sensitives.

 

[Mage]

Palpatine spent the entire prequel trilogy bullshitting people left and right. As other posters here have stated, what Palpatine told Anakin, with the exception of Plagueis getting it, is most likely a load of crap. Saying Palps created Anakin has always been a reach at best. There is nothing in the films to back it up. Literally nothing.

https://screenrant.com/star-wars-anakin-father-emperor/

At some point, this comic was the new canon. If it still is, I don't know. I also really don't care. I just googled this in 1,30487 seconds.
Like with Star Trek, I couldn't give a hoot about the sacred canon and what not. But I know some do. So, yeah, make of it what you will.
Again, all I'm saying is that Disney at some point said that these comics were canon.

 

[137th Gebirg]

Interesting! I had no idea that comic existed and basically corroborated that particular theory.

And ironic, considering how Kathleen Kennedy curiously once lamented how bereft of source material Star Wars had become.

 

[Set Harth]

Even that comic was the usual hedging. IIRC at least one Lucasfilm employee suggested it was just a depiction of Vader's imagination as opposed to revealed truth.
The thing is, Lucas was going to outright make it Palpatine's doing in ROTS but he choked. He gave several interviews the year ROTS was released. In one, he suggested the Force itself created Anakin. In another, he said it was up to the audience to decide. Contrast with the Lucas of 1980-83: in those days, Vader was Luke's father and it wasn't up to the audience to decide. If you didn't like it, tough shit.

 

[Skywalker]

I'm pretty sure the Jedi killed all those witches and blamed it on the evil twin. Remember the Jedi at the start in a meditative state asking for absolution before killing himself, he'd done a terrible thing for the Jedi he couldn't live with.

True, but it's also possible that the explosion/fire happened while the Jedi and witches were in the middle of a totally separate confrontation. Not necessarily a violent one, but maybe that's where Torbin suffered his injury that led to the scar we saw on him in the present day storyline. Maybe whatever the Sith caused happened in such a way that it made the Jedi (or at least Torbin) believe they were at least partially responsible, leading to their covering up Mae's identity and Torbin becoming so wracked with guilt.

Either way, I'm looking forward to finding out how it all really went down.

 

[The Wormhole]

What makes it dark side? If anything, creation of life is a light side property. There is really nothing dark side whatsoever about the witches to this point.

Maybe the Jedi have similar values as conservative Christians and therefore believe the only proper way to make life is the romantic union between man and woman? Anything else would be considered dark side.

 

[Tuskin38]

At some point, this comic was the new canon. If it still is, I don't know. I also really don't care. I just googled this in 1,30487 seconds.

It's canon, but people misinterpreted the scene. It's not Palpatine creating Anakin.

I had no idea that comic existed and basically corroborated that particular theory.

It doesn't.

What makes it dark side? If anything, creation of life is a light side property.

Because you're bending the the force to your will to do it. It's not natural.

 

[Xerxes82]

Again, all I'm saying is that Disney at some point said that these comics were canon.

The article is click bait, and the panels they are using to make their argument have been taken out of context.

The scene, in context, is Vader's Force-induced nightmare.

The comic isn't saying Palpatine created Anakin, it's saying that Anakin FEARS that that is the case.

 

[Xerxes82]

Maybe the Jedi have similar values as conservative Christians and therefore believe the only proper way to make life is the romantic union between man and woman? Anything else would be considered dark side.

How do you square that with the fact that they, largely, treated with dignity and respect an ENTIRE ARMY of lab grown clones? And that many Jedi befriended and fought beside those clones for years without comment?

 

[Mage]

The article is click bait, and the panels they are using to make their argument have been taken out of context.

The scene, in context, is Vader's Force-induced nightmare.

The comic isn't saying Palpatine created Anakin, it's saying that Anakin FEARS that that is the case.

Ah, I see. Thanks for the clarification.