Could ‘The Acolyte’ Finally Explore the Force Dyad in ‘Star Wars’?

THE ACOLYTE (L-R): Little Mae (Leah Brady) and Little Osha (Lauren Brady) in Lucasfilm's THE ACOLYTE, season one, exclusively on Disney+. ©2024 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.

Please note this article contains spoilers from The Acolyte Season 1 Episodes 1-4.

The Acolyte is the newest Star Wars show on Disney+, and it’s getting quite a reaction from the franchise’s audience. Personally, I am loving this brand-new series that focuses on an era of Star Wars we’ve never seen on screen.

But the story so far makes me wonder if they will explore a concept only brought up in the sequel trilogy: Could Mae and Osha be a Force dyad?

Despite The Acolyte’s divisive audience reactions, I’ve advocated for years that the future of Star Wars is to look ahead in its universe. While The Acolyte looks back, it’s still far enough removed from anything Skywalker-related to fit that criteria.

But the story of The Acolyte so far, centering around mysterious twins created using the Force, feels very much like the concept of the Force dyad. That would easily explain some components of The Acolyte we’ve seen up until this point.

Osha (Amandla Stenberg) in Lucasfilm's THE ACOLYTE, season one, exclusively on Disney+. ©2024 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.
Osha (Amandla Stenberg) in Lucasfilm’s THE ACOLYTE, season one, exclusively on Disney+. ©2024 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.

What is a Force Dyad?

While being a word that quickly loses meaning in repetition, ‘dyad’ actually means a pair, or a duality. In Star Wars, it refers to a pair of Force-sensitive individuals who are stronger in the Force together, forming a kind of couple or pairing with one another through the Force.

This also allows them access to unique Force powers over other users, such as Force healing and communication, and teleportation over vast distances. The healing, however, comes at the expense of the user’s own life Force.

The first canonical appearance of this concept of the Force dyad was in The Rise of  Skywalker, as they revealed that Kylo Ren and Rey are a dyad. However, many also subscribe to the idea that a Ford Dyad is essentially a new canon version of Ford  Bond, established during stories now considered to be non-canonical, labeled as Legends. (A whole other conversation!)

Regardless, a Force dyad essentially couples two Force users into a pairing that is stronger than their individual selves. So that opens up the door for the possibility of the lead pair in The Acolyte, Mae and Osha, to be a possible Force Dyad themselves.

Mae and Osha Were Created Using the Force

The Acolyte Season 1 Episode 3 revealed the nature of the twins’ birth; created by witches using the Force. While we still don’t know exactly what that means, it explains the Force sensitivity and strength of the twins thus far.

It also separates them from the regular normies, who had regular non-Force births.

This already makes the twins special. Furthermore, in the first episodes, we see Osha getting visions of a young Mae, even communicating with her, which could be part of the connection shared between a Force dyad, manifesting through visions.

Especially because, as far as we know, the visions began when Mae reappeared in Osha’s life, however, indirectly.

Mae Aniseya (Amandla Stenberg) in Lucasfilm's THE ACOLYTE, season one, exclusively on Disney+. ©2024 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.
Mae Aniseya (Amandla Stenberg) in Lucasfilm’s THE ACOLYTE, season one, exclusively on Disney+. ©2024 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.

This is consistent with the depiction of a Force Dyad connection seen in The Last Jedi, when Kylo and Rey communicate with one another over vast distances of space, actually seeing the other in their own physical space, like Osha sees Mae.

This also wouldn’t be the first time that twins were a Force dyad. In the 2011 novel, Knight Errant mentioned a similar bond between a pair of Sith twins, Quillan and Dromika. It is a bond that sounds very much like the Force dyad but could also have been the Legends’ Force Bond as well.

The Acolyte Force Dyad Would Explain Some Things

A Force dyad dynamic between Mae and Osha would also explain some things in The Acolyte that, so far, feel unresolved. The Acolyte Season 1 Episode 3 sees the twins on a ramp as their home burns around them. Both seem surprised, and both almost fall to their deaths as the ramp collapses.

While Master Sol saves Osha, Mae is presumed to be dead.

There is obviously a lot more about that event that The Acolyte has to reveal. But, if the twins are a Force Dyad, Mae surviving the fall could be explained through those special powers that Force dyads have access to — like teleportation.

It’s possible that Osha, through their shared distress, was able to tap into the Force enough to teleport Mae away from falling to her death. Similar to how Rey teleported her lightsaber to Kylo in the climax to Rise Of The Skywalker through the Force.

Mae being physically absent in an instant from the fall would also explain why Master Sol thought she was dead, as he didn’t feel her presence in the rubble. Mae is later seen in a close-up to be outside somewhere, clearly saved from the fall.

Mae (Amandla Stenberg) in Lucasfilm's THE ACOLYTE, exclusively on Disney+. ©2024 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.
Mae (Amandla Stenberg) in Lucasfilm’s THE ACOLYTE, exclusively on Disney+. ©2024 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.

Force Dyad is a Rarely Explored Star Wars Concept

A possible The Acolyte Force dyad seems like a likely idea to explore with the show’s lead characters, who are twins and on opposing sides of right and wrong. It would also be in line with the characters’ growth and development so far.

We know Osha trained as a Jedi, but her Force connection seems to have abated since the years she left the Jedi. Episode 1 clearly showed audiences that Osha couldn’t call on the Force, even when her life was in danger.

However, the more recent episodes show her slowly regaining that Force connection.

Similar to how Rey had no idea of her Force sensitivity when she was isolated on  Jakku. But her connection grew stronger when in the presence of Kylo Ren, after her capture in The Force Awakens.

Osha and Mae’s meeting may have reconnected Osha to the Force, as the sisters themselves reconnect after 16 years.

There’s also a duality in the logo of The Acolyte. Dual rings that glow red and blue, almost implying two sides of the same coin or a duality that is more formidable than its individual parts.

But that theory involves more tin foil as well. We’ll have to see if any of these pans out as The Acolyte continues.

The Acolyte is now streaming on Disney+ with new episodes on Wednesdays.

What do you think of The Acolyte Force dyad idea? Do you think it’s likely for The Acolyte to explore this more? Let us know in the comments below. Or follow me on X (formerly Twitter) @theshahshahid to talk about Star Wars all the time!

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Entertainment Journalist. Movie & TV Critic. Bollywood Blogger. Proud Geek Girl Dad. Lover of all the Stars(Trek/Wars/Gate) and everything in between.

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