The Acolyte Showrunner Addresses That Unexpected Origin for Mae and Osha

This week’s episode of Star Wars: The Acolyte offered viewers insight into the history of twins Osha and Mae (both played by Amandla Stenberg) by taking viewers 16 years into their past to the planet Brendok when the twins were young girls revealing their childhood among a coven of Force-wielding witches and the events that lead to the sisters being separated — and Mae being believed dead. But the episode also revealed the twins’ surprising origin and now showrunner Leslye Headland is addressing that origin and despite what it looks like, Headland says there “isn’t one answer to it.”

WARNING: Spoilers below for Star Wars: The Acolyte Episode 3

In the episode, at one point, Mother Koril and Mother Aniseya have a disagreement about the best path for Osha and Mae. During the argument, Koril notes that she carried the girls but Mother Aniseya remarks that she created them. Earlier in the episode, it was already noted that the girls had no father, something that for many Star Wars fans would sound a lot like the birth of Anakin Skywalker — as in The Phantom Menace, Shmi Skywalker claims that Anakin has no father and with later Star Wars comics offering more insight on the idea that Anakin was “created” through midi-chlorians.

However, speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Headland wouldn’t confirm that it is the same sort of origin for Osha and Mae — and instead said that fans should keep watching.

“If you keep watching the show, we do talk about that and explore that. I would say there isn’t one answer to it,” Headland said. “Some characters believe certain things, and other characters believe other things in terms of what she means by that. So, you’re going to have to watch and decide which side of that argument you are on.”

What is The Acolyte About?

Set during The High Republic, Star Wars: The Acolyte delivers an investigation into a mysterious string of crimes, which pits a Jedi master against his former apprentice in a race to uncover the truth. The more that the pair learn about the situation, the darker their journey becomes, as they confront things that darker than either of them could have imagined.

The series stars Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, Charlie Barnett, Jodie Turner-Smith, Rebecca Henderson, Dean-Charles Chapman, Joonas Suotamo, and Carrie-Anne Moss. Star Wars: The Acolyte premiered on Disney+ on June 4th.