Nobody has ever accused Star Wars lore of being clear or easy. However even in its mess of post-Disney canon and oft-ignored Legends, there are nonetheless pockets of absolute silliness which are allowed to play necessary roles within the story. And now the most recent episode of The Acolyte has let two of these issues take middle stage: vergences and midi-chlorians.
[Ed. note: This story contains spoilers for episode 7 of The Acolyte.]
Nearly each Star Wars fan from the ardent book-reader to probably the most informal film watcher is acquainted on some degree with midi-chlorians. First infamously talked about by Qui-Gon Jinn in The Phantom Menace, they’re a bodily, dwelling measurement of Power sensitivity that may be measured with a easy Jedi blood take a look at.
It’s a little bit of the lore that’s been ridiculed and rejected by followers since 1999, and with fairly good purpose. It’s disappointing to listen to the thriller and magic of the Power diminished to a query of easy genetics. In truth, midi-chlorians have been so roundly chastised, that when The Acolyte chooses to carry them up for plot functions, its writers refuse to even use their full identify, as a substitute using the ridiculous sounding, “M-count,” for brief. Regardless of all that although, vergences, this episode’s different plot-important little bit of lore, are much more ridiculous than the oft-mocked Power-giving lifeforms.
Picture: Lucasfilm
Vergences have been additionally launched in The Phantom Menace, additionally by Qui-Gon throughout a dialog with Mace Windu. He didn’t broaden on them a lot on the time, however since that film we’ve discovered that vergences are usually locations with an unusually excessive focus of the Power. They’re extra descriptively often known as nexus factors for the Power, and canonically embrace issues just like the cave on Dagobah the place Luke confronts Vader. One other instance is the mirror cave that Rey visits on Ahch-To. However that’s not all vergences are, and that is the place factor begin to get ridiculous.
Based mostly on the alternative ways it’s been utilized in canon, vergences might be virtually something. On their first point out, Qui-Gon explains that Anakin himself is a vergence, which is a part of the explanation he believes the kid could possibly be the chosen one. In one other occasion, the Skywalker household lightsaber turns into a vergence when Rey touches it in The Power Awakens. Why does that occur? Who is aware of! Vegences are a thriller. Which is all high quality and good after they’re principally relegated to a flavorful little bit of contextual lore round a few of Star Wars’ most necessary occasions. However after they change into necessary, issues get messy.
Picture: Lucasfilm
Which is what brings us again to episode 7 of The Acolyte. Whereas all of this vagueness could also be high quality for serving to us perceive necessary locations and moments in Star Wars canon, but it surely makes for a horrible gadgets to make use of in an ongoing story. Regardless of that reality, The Acolyte’s huge reveal is that the witch coven cult on the planet Brendock have truly arrange their temple round a vergence. Not solely that, however they appear to have used that vergence to create synthetic life, which they then break up into the 2 extraordinarily Power-sensitive (excessive M-count) kids Osha and Mae — who’re apparently one particular person trapped in two our bodies.
This might be an especially sophisticated reveal it doesn’t matter what Star Wars lore was tying it collectively. However attempting to clarify all of this utilizing the vagaries of a hardly ever used piece of lore that’s mysterious by nature is downright baffling. On high of that, how precisely the coven created Osha and Mae, and what it signifies that they’re separated into two totally different our bodies stays a complete thriller. Worst of all, it’s doable that none of that is fairly what the present is attempting to disclose, which could truthfully be the worst case situation of all.
All of this muddies the water on what looks as if it was speculated to be the sequence’ triumphant reveal: it arrange an over-the-top cliffhanger in episode 3 all so we might see what occurred. So why doesn’t it really feel like we all know what occurred?
