Popverse's top stories of the day

• Dan Da Dan's most emotionally devastating sequence proves that sometimes words aren't necessary
• WATCH: Inside the fiendish creations & comic book secret origin of David Dastmalchian in Popversations
• Every upcoming A24 movie, from 2024's Queer to 2025's The Legend of Ochi and beyond

The season finale of Disney+’s The Acolyte has dropped, bringing some level of closure to the murder mystery series set inside the Star Wars universe that broke away from the established order — and morality — of the franchise, in favor of something a little more ambiguous and nuanced. Are the Jedi automatically good? Is the Dark Side automatically bad? And what does it mean to use the Force with emotion, instead of holding that emotion back at all times?

The final episode of the show — or, perhaps, the show’s first season — answered some of those questions, and let Star Wars fans see something on-screen that they never have before… as well as provided something audiences had arguably been waiting all season for. Want to know just how things ended up, and what mysteries remain for future stories? Keep reading.

Warning! This article contains major spoilers for The Acolyte Episode 8.

What happens in The Acolyte season finale?

After the revelations of the previous episode, ‘Choice,’ this episode — simply titled ‘The Acolyte’ — sees all parties return to the planet Brendok for a final showdown. Mae crashlands on the planet, pursued by Master Sol, while Osha and the Stranger follow, after Osha has a vision of Mae killing Sol, armed with a lightsaber but not using it to kill him. (This, as the Stranger points out, would mean that she has passed the final test, killing without a weapon.) Also en route to Brendok is Master Vernestra and members of the Jedi Order, in pursuit of the rogue Sol.

On the planet, Sol and the Stranger clash, but are interrupted by Mae, who forces Sol to confess that he had killed Osha and Mae’s mother, and demands that he confesses to the Jedi Order to face justice. Upon hearing his confession, Osha uses the Force for the first time in the series, using it to choke Sol to death; she does so while holding Sol’s lightsaber, turning the kyber crystal red in the process — something that is very visible when she activates the saber and we get to see it change color in front of her. Knowing that Vernestra and the Jedi are on their way, the Stranger, Mae, and Osha flee; Mae elects to stay behind, with her memory wiped by the Stranger, to distract the Jedi.

Before they leave, Vernestra senses the Stranger’s presence momentarily; later, it’s revealed that he was once her student, before he turned “evil.” (Yes, she specifically uses that term.) After apprehending Mae and discovering her amnesia, which reaches all the way back to the destruction of her family temple 16 years earlier, Vernestra asks Mae’s help in finding her former student.

Meanwhile, Osha has accepted the Stranger’s offer to train her in the Force. The last we see of them, they’re standing together, looking at the horizon. But, it turns out, they’re not alone…

Who dies in The Acolyte season finale?

Master Sol is killed by Osha, in the act that turns her to the Dark Side. He is remembered as a disgraced, rogue Jedi, with Vernestra actively blaming him for both the destruction of the witches’ temple 16 years earlier, and for the murder of his fellow Jedi in an appearance before a group of senators. Notably, in doing so, she is continuing the cover-up of Mae and Osha’s existence, as well as the existence of users of the Dark Side of the Force, and thereby demonstrating that the corruption inside the Jedi Order continues. (Yes, it’s technically a benign corruption, in that the Jedi believe themselves to be good and capable of self-policing, but nonetheless…)

Was Darth Plagueis in The Acolyte season finale?

Well, that’s the question, isn’t it? When Osha and the Stranger leave to pursue Mae and Sol, we get to see a creature watch them leave… but just who that creature is, and what their presence means, is left entirely unstated. It could certainly be Darth Plagueis, the supposed Sith Master of Darth Sidious (AKA, the Emperor in the Star Wars movies), but it’s certainly not guaranteed that he is. We’ll have to wait for a potential second season (or sequel project) for confirmation.

Was there a surprise guest star in The Acolyte season finale?

The final scene of the season is Vernestra turning to a trusted Jedi Master for help. While we don’t get to see more than the back of the head of the Master in question, it definitely looks like Yoda. Again, if there’s a second season or sequel project, we’ll find out for sure.

Will The Acolyte get a season 2?

As of writing, no second season has been officially announced by Lucasfilm. Given that the show has been the most-watched new premiere for Disney+ this year, and that the story is clearly not over — not to mention the fact that The Acolyte as a whole is very obviously based around the idea of duality and things coming in sets of two — it feels almost impossible that we won’t get a second season… but we’ll wait for the official announcement before we get too confident, just in case.

Get to know, understand, and love the Star Wars franchise more with our Star Wars watch order, guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies & TV shows, and all the Star Wars movies and Star Wars TV shows ranked.