Star Wars: The Acolyte Creator Reveals the Fight Club Homage in Season Finale

In the final scenes of the Star Wars: The Acolyte season finale, Osha and The Stranger stare out into the ocean, teasing that they are about to embark on a journey as master and apprentice to descend deeper into the dark side of the Force. While speaking with Vulture, showrunner Leslye Headland confirmed that the image of two figures staring out into an abyss, hinting at the possibilities of chaos laid before them, was meant to serve as a reflection of the final scenes of David Fincher’s Fight Club, which ended with a visually and thematically similar finale to the story.

“That was both a happy accident and intentional. In doing the blocking and lining up the shot, I realized what it was and then made sure it felt like that as much as possible,” Headland confirmed to the outlet. “These two are going to burn the world down. The dramatic irony is that they certainly aren’t going to get far enough to take down the part of the world that tells them they can’t exist.”

Throughout much of Season 1 of The Acolyte, Osha grappled with the feeling of betrayal by her former master Sol, and while it was her twin sister Mae who seemed to be pursuing the path of the Sith, it was ultimately Osha who betrayed Sol and killed him to join The Stranger’s side. This doesn’t entirely reflect the journey of Jack / Tyler Durden and Marla — played by Edward Norton and Helena Bonham Carter — in the Fincher movie, though Headland did point out other thematic similarities.

“A big influence for me was Fight Club. It’s about being stuck in institutions and expectations. Tyler Durden is so compelling that, despite the fact that some things he’s encouraging get scarier and scarier, the idea is so seductive,” the filmmaker expressed. “That is really what happens with Manny Jacinto’s character in Episode 6, when he says, ‘When you lose everything, that’s when you’re free.’ That’s lifted from Tyler Durden. When you lose your attachment to these institutions, when you fail within the outline of what you’re supposed to be, that’s when you can start being yourself.”

While Osha and The Stranger looked out over an ocean of limitless possibilities, Fight Club concluded with Jack / Tyler Durden and Marla witnessing the destruction of credit card companies around the city, similarly implying a fresh start for those indebted to those companies.

Season 1 of Star Wars: The Acolyte is now streaming on Disney+.

Did you catch the reference in the finale? Contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter or on Instagram to talk all things Star Wars and horror!