Osha's Agency In The Acolyte

Osha's Agency in The Acolyte

One of the most baffling (good faith) criticisms of The Acolyte is that Osha doesn't have agency in the story; that she only ever takes one real decision in the Finale to commit murder.

And honestly, I don't buy it. Osha took plenty of active decisions that revealed her character and motivations, and which pushed the plot forward.

Here's a quick list (spoilers):

Episode 1: Lost/Found

Osha chooses to save the life of the criminal before going into the escape pod (it's a "save the cat" moment to establish she's a kind person). This directly results in her being stranded on the ice planet, and in her prolonged unconsciousness communing with Mae through the Force for the first time.

Episode 2: Revenge/Justice

Osha decides to disobey Sol's instructions to stay out of sight, and instead reveals herself to Mae. This revelation causes Mae to betray The Stranger in Episode 4.

Also, Osha decides to shoot Mae, indicating that part of her motivation is her inability to forgive when she's been wronged. This character trait has direct consequences in Episodes 5 (affecting Mae) and 8 (affecting Sol).

Episode 3: Destiny

Child Osha opts to reveal herself to the Jedi at the ceremony rather than remain hidden. This revelation enflames tensions as the witches are caught in a lie.

She also chooses to disobey both Mae and Mother Aniseya and take the Force test honestly.

She finally chooses to leave her community and go with the Jedi (before the fire).

Episode 5: Night

Osha convinces Yord to return to the battle against The Stranger, and even devises a way to defeat The Stranger by using Pip's bright lights to attract the umbramoths.

This choice leads to Yord's death, but it also ends the battle against The Stranger.

Osha again refuses to forgive Mae and tries to arrest her. This leads to Osha's defeat, and forces Mae to change her immediate plans and impersonate Osha.

Episode 6: Teach/Corrupt

Osha chooses to wear the cortosis helmet and experience sensory deprivation like Qimir does. This leads to her having a premonition of Sol dying on Brendok at Mae's hand, which spurs her and Qimir to leave together.

Episode 8: The Acolyte

After finally learning the truth that Sol lied to her for years and was responsible for Mother Aniseya's death, Osha chooses to commit murder.

Disney's decision to cancel The Acolyte after just one season is utterly baffling. Imagine creating a show set in the High Republic era, an unexplored period in star wars lore, bringing fresh perspectives and focusing on new, intriguing characters and themes—only to cancel it. It's even more frustrating when you consider that the show faced backlash from the beginning mainly from alt-right and racist fans who couldn't handle a series that dared to be diverse and multilayered. By caving to the pressure of those who oppose diversity, Disney is essentially giving a big FUCK YOU to the rest of the fans who were excited for something new and meaningful in the SW universe.

The Acolyte, while imperfect, is a solid setup for what could have been much more. It had so much potential to expand the star wars franchise in new and exciting directions. but of course it wasn't given the chance to grow its audience because some good for nothing incels felt threatened by the inclusion of characters who don't fit the traditional white male dominated narrative that Disney has been feeding us for years.

Fine Disney. Stick with your incels and racist fans. But eventually your nostalgia driven empty projects will wear thin and no amount of CGI young Luke Skywalker or green puppets will be able to save your ass. You fucking cowards.

kill the narrative that The Acolyte didnt perform well compared to other Disney shows. The other shows were based on established characters and already had a dedicated fanbase and audience to start with. In contrast The Acolyte introduced us to a completely new era of Star Wars in live action with new original characters. And against all odds, it still performed well. Don’t be misled - The Acolyte is not a failed project. The real failure lies in Disney's reluctance to take risks and allow original ideas to flourish.

Jessica Parker Kennedy as Max · Black Sails 2.02

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