Played by Amandla Stenberg, the mysterious Sith assassin Mae Aniseya is the main character in The Acolyte. Set a century before Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, The Acolyte explores a shift in the Force – one that will no doubt ultimately lead to Palpatine’s rise to power. Mae Aniseya is the key to this, an assassin who has launched a vendetta against four Jedi who visited her homeworld sixteen years ago.

But Mae’s quest isn’t just about revenge. Rather, The Acolyte premiere teases that she is indeed part of a broader conspiiracy, tied to the mysterious Sith Lord who has so far only been glimpsed. Here’s everything we know about Mae Aniseya to date; her history, her allegiances, and her powers.

Amandla Stenberg’s Mae Appears To Be A Sith Acolyte

Just under a thousand years before The Acolyte, Darth Bane reinvented the Sith under the Rule of Two. This mandates that there should only ever be two Sith at a time; a Master and an Apprentice, one to crave power and the other to wield it. Eventually, the Apprentice grows powerful enough to believe themselves ready to supplant their Master. At that point, though, they must seek out an Acolyte.

A Sith Acolyte is a Force-sensitive who is yet to prove themselves worthy to become an Apprentice. According to Charles Soule and Giuseppe Camuncoli’s Darth Vader (2017) #1, they must do so by successfully killing a Jedi, taking the kyber crystal from their lightsaber and bleeding it red for their own weapon. This is presumably Mae’s mission, concealed beneath a pretend vendetta; and it seems she must kill the Jedi either without a weapon, or wth their stolen lightsaber. So far, she has failed.

Mae & Her Twin Sister Osha Have A Tragic History

Sixteen years before The Acolyte, a group of four Jedi traveled to the planet Brendok where they encountered Mae and her twin sister Osha. It’s currently unclear what happened on Brendock, but dialogue in The Acolyte episodes 1 and 2 suggests Mae triggered a fire that killed their family; Mae was believed dead, while Osha was taken to be trained as a Jedi. Mae has only now emerged from the shadows, trained as an assassin and with some degree of Force ability.

There are hints of something mysterious binding Osha and Mae together in the Force; they are said to be “always one, but born as two.” This sounds very similar to the Star Wars sequel trilogy idea of the Force Dyad, which manifested in Rey and Kylo Ren – and was said to have been unseen in generations. Given Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is set 167 years after The Acolyte, a Force Dyad would certainly fit.

Amandla Stenberg’s Mae Is An Incredibly Skilled Warrior

Mae is clearly a phenomenally skilled warrior, well-trained enough to concern the Jedi. She holds her own against Carrie-Anne Moss’ Jedi Master Indara, but is unable to defeat her without resorting to using her weapons – which means she has failed in her task. She displays tremendous hand-to-hand combat skills, but they aren’t enough, and it’s striking that she doesn’t appear to be powerful in the Force – unable to break through the Force shield projected by Dean Charles-Chapman’s Master Torbin.

All this raises the disturbing possibility another game is afoot; that Mae’s Master is deceiving her when he claims to be training her as an Acolyte. This would explain why he has neglected her training in the Force. If Mae is indeed part of a Force Dyad, or some other esoteric Force vergence, then she and Osha would both be prizes the Sith sought. The mystery of The Acolyte may feature a lot more twists and turns.

Mae Aniseya Is Played By Amandla Stenberg

Stenberg has been a successful actor since she was a child, and she’s had prominent roles throughout her teenage years and into early adulthood. One of Stenberg’s first, and most prominent, movies was The Hunger Games, where she played Rue, one of the youngest contestants in the deadly fight and an ally to Katniss. Since then, she has had major roles in live-action movies such as The Hate U Give, Bodies Bodies Bodies, and Dear Evan Hanson. She has also broken into the realm of animation by lending her voice to characters in projects like Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and Ozi: Voice of the Forest.

Amandla Stenberg’s Most Recent Projects
Role

The Melodic Blue: Baby Keem
Jade

Ozi: Voice of the Forest
Ozi

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Margo Kess/Spider-Byte

My Animal
Jonny

Bodies Bodies Bodies
Sophie

Her role in The Acolyte will be unlike any other project she’s done before, though. Stenberg has appeared in several TV shows, like The Eddy, Mr. Robinson, and Sleepy Hollow, but The Acolyte will be her first time leading a series. The Star Wars show will also be her first major foray into the action genre, though Stenberg seems more than capable of taking on the physical and acrobatic role of Mae. In the same interview, Headland said that she was stunned by Stenberg’s speed in her action scenes, and that she had to tell her to slow down because her face was blurred on camera.

Stenberg has been phenomenal in her past roles, which only makes her involvement in The Acolyte that much more exciting. She’ll be able to use her acting skills to bring a character as nuanced and mysterious as Mae to life masterfully, and she will likely act as the backbone of the show. With Stenberg at the helm, along with the deep cast of talented actors who are also lending their performances to the show, The Acolyte could be one of the most impressive Star Wars stories in a very long time.