In The Acolyte, Master Indara’s journey is a troubled one. She isn’t like Lee Jung-jae’s Master Sol; she is more about business. She isn’t into harboring attachment, nor does she have an affinity for being too emotional. She’s a bit more militant in her operations, as is the Jedi code.

That’s not to say she doesn’t have compassion; she is just better balanced, as she has experience of knowing the line to walk between the Light and Dark Sides of the Force. Unfortunately, now that fans know the truth about Brendok, Indara’s story turns into pure tragedy. In the process, she ends up having a more tragic history than Luke Skywalker, whom many thought walked the most rugged Jedi path.

Star Wars’ Luke Skywalker Tragedy, Explained

Luke Skywalker’s journey was far from easy. He learned his father, Anakin Skywalker, was corrupted by the Dark Side and became Darth Vader. Luke was also tempted by Emperor Palpatine, but he rebuffed the Sith Lord. When the time came for a wiser, older Luke to rebuild the Jedi order, he got caught up in his arrogance. He saw warning signs about Ben Solo wrestling with the darkness within. However, Luke was caught up in his own ego.

He ignored these signs at his temple and kept trying to mold Ben, but his plan backfired. This led to Ben killing the other students and becoming Kylo Ren. It all stemmed from Luke drawing his lightsaber and contemplating killing Ben. Luke should have tempered his own emotions, spoken to the boy, or even pulled Han Solo and Leia in for a conversation as to why Ben felt neglected and controlled.

Luke kept focusing on Ben’s career rather than Ben as a person. He didn’t look at what was right for Ben. Luke focused on what was right for the Jedi Order, which led to that fractured point. As a result, Luke sent Ben down a path of vengeance, murder and hatred — one which Snoke and Palpatine would weaponize. They tried to show Ben “love” rather than passing judgment the way Luke did. This incident broke Luke and went into hiding on Ahch-To. When Rey found him, she learned of this disaster.

Luke admitted he was part of the Jedi problem: stuck in the old ways and blinded by the need to keep the peace with an iron fist. Had he looked at the human in Ben, and not the Jedi, things might have been different. This is why he became reclusive on the ocean planet and wanted to remain isolated. He felt guilty and ashamed. It’s why he later sacrificed his life against Kylo Ren in Star Wars: The Last Jedi: to make amends and hopefully help Kylo see that Rey could heal his pain.

The Acolyte’s Master Indara Accidentally Commits a Deadly Mind Kill

Master Indara also kickstars a chain of events that leads to a major fracture point. It stems from the Brendok assault on Mother Aniseya’s witch coven. When Mae sets fire to the camp, Indara has to head over to ensure Sol and Torbin don’t overstep boundaries. It results in a terrifying skirmish in Episode 7, “Choice.”

Sol kills Aniseya, which leads to the witches controlling Kelnacca’s mind. As the Wookiee Jedi tries to slaughter his colleagues, Indara breaches his mind. She probes and uses the Force to expel corruption. She has to exert a lot of strength, which results in the hold being broken. But the invisible pulse is too much for the collective of witches. Their minds break and they die. Of course, it’s not Indara’s fault.

Indara ends up in this situation after warning Sol about meddling in the affairs of the witches. She reacted to his mistakes. His reflex was to impale Aniseya, which led to the brawl. As such, Indara had to dig deep to free Kelnacca and save the other Jedi. She had no idea her Force push would murder the witches. But she did what she had to. This is the basis for Indara’s personal and professional tragedy.

The Acolyte’s Master Indara Loses Part of Her Soul

Indara concocts a lie and covers up the drama. She wants everyone to tell the Jedi council that Mae’s fire killed the witches. It’s to protect them, their mission, and not let the public know they’re murderers. Sol’s integrity would be kept intact, while Osha, after being rescued, would get a shot at training on Coruscant. She’d have a family again, believing Sol to be a father figure and protector after saving her. Everyone wins, but not mentally.

Torbin would take the Barash Vow and go into an exile of silence. Kelnacca would hide on Khofar. As sinful as this is, Indara’s hand was forced. While she is still a villain for hiding the crime, she can’t let the Jedi be slandered by Sol’s lapse in judgment. If they’re seen as soldiers who invade territories, kill clans and then try to gaslight or enslave survivors, they’ll be feared. That’s fascist, oppressive behavior that would hurt the movement that has genuinely good guardians in droves all over the galaxy.

As Indara spins this deceitful web, she becomes a bigger rogue than Sol. Even if viewers like her, the truth must be be told. If Jedi aren’t held accountable, who will be? The cosmos is supposed to run on democracy, free and fair trade, and transparency. But by bending the truth, a dishonest Indara lives up to what Luke said. It was often the Jedi way or nothing else — an absolute that is akin to the Sith philosophy. Indara is so beholden to the code, she breaks the law, which is unacceptable.

The Acolyte’s Master Indara Becomes a Sympathetic Villain

Be that as it may, Indara is a very sympathetic villain. She cares for Sol and the Order, and she does want to ensure Osha has a shot at a new life with a new tribe. It’s a steep price, but Indara pays it and sacrifices her morals for what she thinks is the greater good. Throughout the entire ordeal, she is self-aware and understanding of all the consequences. She was communicative from the moment she saw the red flags. She tried to prevent the disaster by telling Sol to cut his need for a Padawan, and to stop conditioning Osha and Mae to join them.

She spotted the cracks in Sol when he spoke to the witches, too. As such, Indara was always the first to pacify the witches and let them know that there could be some form of a treaty. By recognizing all this, Indara actually isn’t a narcissist; she’s as real as it gets. Luke, on the other hand, was in denial. The same kind of denial Sol had. In Luke’s case, he created a new tyrant directly. Indara does so indirectly, as Mae would become Qimir’s student, while Osha would begin to question her destiny with the Jedi. All of this is due to her papering cracks her Jedi squad caused.

What makes matters worse is that Indara had two problems. Torbin also acted out. He rushed to the coven to find the vergence (a Force anomaly) along with Sol. All because he wanted to go home. Indara begged him to be patient and not rash. But like Sol, he placed her in between a rock and a hard place. Indara tried to implement preventative measures and counsel her people, but it all fell on deaf ears. Maybe if the reactive Luke used this approach — an honest, open dialogue — he could have stopped Ben from becoming Kylo Ren and spilling blood. Perhaps Ben would have lost control anyway.

That’s what happened to Torbin and Sol. No matter how much education Indara offered, they ignored her sage wisdom. Ultimately, they made her suffer silently until the moment Mae found and killed her, giving her a release from this burden of trying to do the right thing. It’s a painful tale of a proactive Master who vocally and actively tried to stop bloodshed, only for everyone to ignore her and the trouble she saw coming. Ultimately, Luke’s undoing was of his own volition, but Indara fell from grace due to stubborn people around her.

The Acolyte season finale airs July 16 on Disney+.