Osha and Mae Are Children of the Force
The mysterious circumstances of their birth were first referenced in Episode 3, but the finale reiterates that Mae and Osha were created by the Force. Rather than having the twins by conventional methods, Mother Aniseya (Jodie Turner-Smith) used the power of the vergence on Brendok to create life, giving the twins a rare origin story similar to Anakin Skywalker’s (Hayden Christensen). This resulted in Osha and Mae having an unusually high M-count. The mystery behind their birth is no threat to Anakin’s status as the Chosen One, as he has long cemented his place in that prophecy, and it actually fits. The power had to be developed at some point, so why not from these Witches? Mae and Osha are a rare example of children conceived by the Force, though in this case, the Force needed some prodigy from Mother Aniseya.
Are Osha and Mae a Force Dyad?
But their Force-influence conception isn’t the only strange thing about Mae and Osha. Their relationship with each other continues to be unique. As a result of their non-traditional creation or simply their separation, the two share a rare bond reminiscent of Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) in the sequel trilogy. Rey and Kylo are a Force Dyad, able to connect with each other over great distances and wield unique powers. And Mae and Osha show many signs of the same. Early on, Osha sees Mae, who is on a different planet and is believed dead. However, the connection is not referred to as a Force Dyad in The Acolyte. Series creator Leslye Headland did address the popular theory, saying, “I think the concept of a Force Dyad is very important to the story, even if it isn’t necessarily name-checked because I think that the Sith are much more aware of what a Dyad is, and I think the Jedi haven’t figured that out yet in terms of how powerful that particular relationship between two Force-sensitive beings could be.”
Mae and Osha’s connection is certainly powerful, perhaps being what Headland was discussing. The series addresses the Power of Two often, especially Qimir (Manny Jacinto), who claims to be searching for it. The Power of Two could refer to the Sith working in pairs or a Dyad, which arguably makes more sense because of the Brendok Witches’ interest in the topic despite being separate from the Sith. While confirmation that Mae and Osha are a Force Dyad will have to wait for a potential second season, the possibility is not gone.
‘The Acolyte’ Did Confirm One Element of Mae and Osha’s Complicated Dynamic
Mae and Osha’s relationship grows more complex as The Acolyte‘s conclusion reveals another secret about their birth. The series implies that the twins, for lack of a better term, are the same consciousness, split into different bodies. Though Osha and Mae have their differences, they are certainly similar. They don’t remember learning the rhyme they often repeated in their youth, “Always one, Born as two,” which has hinted at a deeper connection between them than even siblings would claim. The fact that they share the exact same M-count, which Episode 7 revealed, is proof of this. Whatever process Mother Aniseya used to create them somehow resulted in two identical clones.
The reveal fits with the story’s conclusion, as Mae and Osha have essentially switched places in the end. Osha is training with Qirmir, feeding her anger and the Jedi and venturing further toward the dark side. Meanwhile, Mae is taken to the Jedi and told lies about her past. Though they have their differences, like Osha wanting to go with the Jedi all those years ago, they are more alike than we are initially led to believe. Their contrasting version of events leads to very different lives, but when Osha learns the truth, she too turns to the dark side, killing Sol (Lee Jung-jae) as Mae killed the other three. The finale suggests that the girls are more alike than they are different if they can just share the same memories for once.
