Deep Star Wars lore set up The Acolyte episode 3’s shocking twist six years ago, and ensured it doesn’t have any impact on Anakin Skywalker at all. Viewers were taken aback when The Acolyte episode 3 apparently revealed twins Osha and Mae – who had been brought up in a coven of witches on the planet Brendok – seemed to have been born of the Force. In one key scene, coven leader Mother Aniseya and the Zabrak Mother Koril discussed their conception, seeming to hint Mother Aniseya had used the Force to create the two children.
Some viewers are convinced this has a massive impact on Anakin Skywalker. After all, they argue, it means Anakin – born of the Force – is no longer unique. What they don’t realize, though, is that The Acolyte is building on deep Star Wars lore established eight years ago, and this lore already explains why Anakin Skywalker is still unique.
It’s Normal For Witches To Procreate Through The Force
This power has been seen before
Mother Aniseya’s mysterious coven is not the first one seen in Star Wars canon; in fact, they’re heavily influenced by the Nightsisters of Dathomir, a race of all-female witches introduced in Legends and incorporated into Star Wars: The Clone Wars courtesy of George Lucas himself. The Nightsisters of Dathomir often sired male children with the Zabraks of Dathomir – Darth Maul being the son of Nightsister leader Mother Talzin herself – but they didn’t need males to create new Nightsisters.
In 2018, Lucasfilm published Tricia Barr’s book The Dark Side – a book of dark side lore that’s known to have been heavily influential, reflecting many notes from the Lucasfilm Story Group. This book is only available in Spanish and French, never widely available in English, but Florian has posted an excerpt over on Twitter. Here’s the translation:
During the time of the Clone Wars, he had the special favor of Mother Talzin. Although the Nightsisters did not need males to procreate , the Brothers would have become extinct if they had not agreed to bear Zabrak children. This guaranteed peaceful coexistence between clans. Sometimes the children were born as Zabrak males, while others shared traits of both species, Night Brothers and Sisters. Talzin gave birth to three Nightbrothers before rising through the ranks and becoming leader of her clan.
In fact, Anne E. Covery’s short story “Bug” – published in Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Stories of Light & Dark – tells the story of one Nightsister who used her magick to procreate. There are clearly striking similarities between Mother Aniseya’s witchcraft and the sorcery practised by the Nightsisters; she’s done pretty much the same thing. It’s also notable that Mother Koril is a Zabrak female, which adds a genetic factor to this.
We Now Know Why Osha & Mae Don’t Make Anakin Skywalker Less Special
Only females can be conceived in this way
This deep lore also explains why the conception of Mae and Osha doesn’t have any bearing on Anakin Skywalker at all. Notice The Dark Side strongly implies that only females can be conceived through the power of the Force; this is presumably because it is not possible to weave Y chromosomes into existence. The Nightsisters can only interbreed with the Zabrak Nightbrothers through normal reproduction, whereas they weave their own females into existence at will.
Anakin’s miraculous conception is by the will of the Force itself.
This is the crucial difference between Anakin Skywalker and the twins: he is male, and they are female. Because he is male, viewers can say for certain he was not conceived by any Force power at all; rather, his miraculous conception is by the will of the Force itself. They are twins, and potentially a Force Dyad, but he is the Chosen One – destined to bring balance to the Force. The Acolyte’s shocking twist has nothing to do with Anakin, and it doesn’t diminish him in the slightest.
It’s interesting to note that The Dark Side also refers to an “ascension,” perhaps hinting at a ceremony in which a being ascends to become a coven leader. The ceremony seen in The Acolyte episode 3 was described as an ascension, and Mother Aniseya swore Mae and Osha to preserve her secrets after her death – suggesting another parallel, that she planned for the twins to take over from her. The Dark Side really did set up The Acolyte incredibly well six years ago, but the book is so obscure it’s no surprise most viewers didn’t know about it