Star Wars: The Acolyte showrunner Leslye Headland provides new insight into the history of the Force vergence on Brendok. The vergence discussed in episode 7, “Choice,” is the reason the Jedi were on Brendok sixteen years ago, and is seemingly tied to the origins of twin sisters Mae and Osha. The vergence could explain why there is life on Brendok despite the planet being cataloged as lifeless after the Great Hyperspace Disaster, an event with galaxy-wide consequences in The High Republic books and comics.

In a roundtable discussion shared by Star Wars Explained, Headland was asked whether more about the civilization that used to exist on Brendok will be revealed. While there is vegetation, animals, and insects on Brendok, it appears to be devoid of any civilization until the Jedi learn of the witch coven that settled there in an abandoned mining facility. This raises questions about the nature of the vergence and the civilization of miners that used to exist on the planet. Check out Headland’s response and the video below:

It’s meant to be a bit mysterious. I can tell you what my opinion is, which is that I think the disaster oddly didn’t touch the planet, which is why they’re there. They’re essentially confused as to what this planet was categorized as, and yet there is life here, there’s vegetation growing, there’s birds, there’s animals, there’s alien butterflies, so clearly it’s not lifeless, and clearly they need to go and gather all the information that they can. There shouldn’t be anyone here.

There is the added element that there isn’t a civilization here anymore. When Torbin says that the coven’s domicile is an old mining facility that’s been abandoned, including the generator they find and all those other things, it’s my belief that it’s actually the vergence on the planet that has destroyed that civilization or caused that civilization to migrate, meaning that if I were to explore it further, it’s a bit like the John Carpenter’s The Thing where there were these miners there, everybody’s working, and they hit something, and suddenly everybody’s gone. So they’re looking for a vergence for the main reason which is that it would explain why this planet survived. But what I think they don’t know understand is that that might also be the reason why it’s no longer inhabited by its biggest civilization.

The Force Vergence Could Be Why Brendok Was Uninhabited

It Can Explain What Happened To The Mining Colony There

Based on Headland’s explanation, the Force vergence seems to be a double-edged sword that revitalized Brendok while also making it uninhabitable for its previous civilization. The Force vergence allowed living organisms to thrive on Brendok when life should not have been able to exist there due to the effects of the Great Hyperspace Disaster. At the same time, the vergence unleashed harmful and potentially lethal effects that either killed the miners living on the planet or at the very least caused them to disappear.

The vergence on Brendok also seems to be tied to the witches creating Mae and Osha, as the girls were created without a father and through the Force itself. After the Jedi take a sample of Mae and Osha’s blood in “Choice,” it is later revealed that they have identical Force symbionts, meaning they are one consciousness split into two individuals. In this way and more, the energy of Brendok’s vergence is deeply consequential to those who encounter and manipulate it.

With so many characters and plotlines to address and resolve in The Acolyte‘s finale, the full story of the Force vergence and what happened to Brendok’s colony of miners likely won’t be addressed by the end of the season. This is partly by design, with Headland making it clear that she wants the vergence to be somewhat mysterious. Nevertheless, her interpretation does provide further clarity to its power and its importance in The Acolyte‘s intriguing narrative.