The latest episode of The Acolyte may have essentially just retold the events of the third episode from the Jedi's perspective, but new comments from showrunner Leslye Headland suggest it sets the stage for the finale in a bigger way than first expected.
Fans were quick to point out that we didn't see Mother Koril die in "Choice" but does that mean she's in cahoots with The Stranger and potentially even his secret Sith Master?
"No body, no death. That’s what I’ll say about that one," she started. "[Koril and Qimir] do not know each other. But what I will say, as a tease, if we are able to explore this story more, her species will tell you a little bit about where she ends up."
That appears to be confirmation Koril returns to Dathomir, the home of the Nightsisters. With Grand Admiral Thrawn seemingly intent on resurrecting the planet's witches in Ahsoka, it's possible she'll be among them as Lucasfilm looks to build a greater level of connectivity between these stories (an inevitability with Dave Filoni now overseeing things).
Headland was also asked if we'll learn whether The Stranger is a true Sith in next week's finale. "What I will say is you don’t hear it from his mouth, but there are a couple small things that happen that intimate the answer to that question" (elsewhere in the interview, she confirmed season 2 hasn't been greenlit but said there are certain plot threads which are being saved for a potential follow-up).
As for those theories that he forms the Knights of Ren, the showrunner may have confirmed that is indeed the case with a surprisingly cagey response to the question! "It’s a really good theory," she said after a long pause. "What an interesting theory. What an amazing…that’s…wow. Wow wow."
If that does turn out to be what's happening in The Acolyte, then it raises some questions about this show's importance to the wider Star Wars Galaxy. Quizzed on whether the characters we see here ultimately lead to Darth Plagueis, Headland says, "If I continue to get to tell this story, I know how I would like that to play out. And I would say I think it’s pretty complicated and messy."
For now, she just wants to make sure fans don't miss what could be a crucial link between Osha and Mae's creation and whoever eventually uses the Force to bring Anakin Skywalker into the world (we've long believed Palpatine was responsible for doing so after his Master, the aforementioned Darth Plagueis, taught him how).
"I would say that you might be missing the forest for the trees in starting an argument about that, instead of seeing that this is a power that could have existed in the world way before Anakin," she teased. "And that power was being pursued by someone. So it’s not an issue of 'paying attention to,' but I did hear about that, and I just think people aren’t taking into account the era that we’re in."
It's unclear whether The Stranger or another Sith is who she's referring to there, but there may be a good reason why the former is so interested in the twins we've recently learned are, in fact, one consciousness split into two bodies.
The season finale of The Acolyte drops next week.