The Acolyte: Master Sol's Weakness Confirms Why the Jedi Order Prohibited [SPOILER] (2024)

In The Acolyte, Amandla Stenberg's Mae attempts to pull off a major deception. She imitates her twin, Osha, and stows away on Master Sol's ship after the fights on the forest planet of Khofar. Part of it is to get away from her Sith Master, Qimir. Another is to learn about what happened to her family on Brendok.

However, Sol isn't as clueless as Mae thinks. This leads to an intriguing dynamic that ties into something the Jedi forbade. This is the concept of attachment, which has strengths and weaknesses. In the process, Season 1 of The Acolyte adds drama to what the Jedi stood for, and how viable they were as an intergalactic police force.

The Acolyte's Master Sol Couldn't Detect Qimir on Olega

Sol is heartbroken after Qimir murdered Yord Fandar, his Padawn Jecki Lon, and many other Jedi on Khofar. He mourns as he asks Osha (in actuality Mae) to pilot the vessel back to Coruscant. In his pain, he admits that he feels guilty for not detecting Qimir's Dark Side on Olega. It's due to attachment. He was so obsessed with finding Mae, healing her and getting her to turn to the Light.

Sol also wanted to unite the sisters and make Osha feel complete again. That sense of family would have done that to both girls. But he compromised the Jedi code. They're not supposed to believe in desire and attachment, and Sol is the opposite. He was seen early on in the series talking about how cherishing memories and things like love make Jedi stronger. Qui-Gon Jinn believed in this precept down the line, too.

Sadly, a lot of pain followed. Now, viewers are witnessing Sol go through the motions, as his judgment became clouded. He thought with his heart, not his brain. He's beating himself up because had he been professional and not personally invested, he would have sensed a disturbance in the Force with Qimir on Olega. Once he knew the man wasn't selling relics, he could have intercepted him then and there and prevented the loss of so many Jedi.

This is a perfect example of why a Jedi needs to stay neutral. It helps to keep their minds open. If this is done the correct way, they'll be able to detect outliers like anti-Jedi figures. Sol couldn't stay neutral due to his love for the twins and that dire need to repair things after Mother Aniseya's witch coven died. This goes right back to him training Osha for a bit. He did so as a father figure and not a teacher. Had he remained neutral, he wouldn't be so obsessed with Osha and Mae. This blinds his mental state and allowed Qimir to come off normal.

The Acolyte's Master Sol Is Still Haunted by His Deadly Role on Brendok

Sol discerns the truth about Mae after talking to her about family, her history and that undying bond with her twin. He shoots her with a stun gun and restrains her. The reason why Sol takes this long to figure out Mae is not Osha is that he is reeling over the deaths of his students and comrades. Jecki, for example, was so young. The Acolyte Episode 7 eventually has him telling Mae the truth about Brendok and how the Jedi had to kill her clan.

Part of it is to give Mae resolution and closure. Another part is due to the burden Sol has. Sol can't help but relive those haunting deaths, especially since he himself was responsible for Aniseya's death after accidentally impaling her with his lighsaber. Additionally, believes if he figured out Qimir's deceit, many people would be alive. It's hindsight, as usual, but done in a very thought-provoking fashion, especially as Qimir's kills heap on extra misery on the Brendok tragedy.

How Master Sol's Grief and Loss Negatively Impacted His Jedi Skills

Sol's agony created a mental block that prevented Sol from sensing Mae. It once more speaks to love, which is quite bittersweet. It makes Sol a better human, but it detracts from his Jedi skills. Grief and trauma have indeed hampered Sol. Luckily, he rises above his pain and tries to set the record straight. This solves the plot holes from previous episodes.

Fans were curious to know how Qimir could pretend to be a non-Sith around Sol, and now, they know why. They were also stunned by how Mae could easily trick Sol by pretending to be Osha. It's clear that Sol caring about reuniting the twins weakened his abilities. He was obsessing over solving the mysteries in the future and not focusing on what was around in the present.

Master Sol's Mistakes Explain Why the Jedi Banned Emotional Attachment

Theorists believe Qui-Gonn wanting to train Anakin Skywalker also blocked him from detecting the Sith, and that the Jedi, including Obi-Wan, being so obsessed with their peacekeeping directives made it easier for Palpatine to rise to power. Sol proves this has weight to it, as attachment has inhibited him. The big twist is that he had to lie about his role in the slaughter of Aniseya's clan on Brendok. The Jedi killed the witches in self-defense, but it was catalyzed by Sol insisting they recruit Osha.

Sol wouldn't take no for an answer, whether it was from Master Indara or the coven. It led to a skirmish, the coven being killed, and Indara warning him about his attachment. Per Jedi protocol, Sol should not have developed this bond or that need to take Osha under his wing. It's not nice seeing Jedi like Indara being so cold, but her frigid composure isn't unwarranted. Luke Skywalker spoke to Rey about all this in the sequel trilogy, admitting the Jedi never got the balance right.

The Jedi can maximize the Force efficiently, but it's all about balancing emotions. As good as he is, Sol doesn't get this right, which has left him vulnerable for some time. He so desperately wants to make things right with Osha and Mae, he can't sense Qimir's duplicity. Notably, Qimir speaks to Osha about this after he nurses her back to health at his base. He mentions that emotions can help them become attuned to the Force.

The Jedi way isn't the only way, which is why the Sith are considered unnatural and taboo. They embrace the primal instinct and the very essence of themselves. But, as fans would know, by using one's fabric and lusts to tap into the Force, people end up seeking power and ways to aggressively bring about peace and order. This is what tempted Anakin Skywalker, and it's also the reason Luke and Rey Skywalker knew they had to stand strong against corruption: they had inherent darkness within as well.

Attachment was the root cause of this. Rey wanted to create a better galaxy, so no child would lose her parents like she did. Luke was the same after he lost his family, but they knew where to draw the line. Anakin didn't, and Qimir was hoping Mae didn't either. Now, he is acting as the antithesis to Sol, wanting Osha to focus on attachment so she can don his helmet and unleash her darkness as well.

This continues to stir up massive debates online. A portion of Star Wars fans still think emotions will make people stronger, enabling them to be more adept at using the Force. Others agree with feelings making Sol fallible and that the Jedi, as a military unit, shouldn't be this human if it cuts them off from the Force. It's going to rage for some time, especially as Rey rebuilds the Jedi Order in future movies.

Ultimately, it's healthy conversation that constantly shows there is a fine line between the Jedi and their evil counterparts. All while prodding at the notion of what perfect soldiers are supposed to be: by-the-book like Indara, or compassionate like Sol. In the end, this is a discussion on empathy and how it has backfired for the Jedi even before the rise of Darth Vader. In Sol's case, attachment was his undoing on Brendok, with deadly consequences reverberating even 16 years later.

New episodes of The Acolyte are available to stream every Tuesday on Disney+.

The Acolyte

TV-14

Action

Adventure

Drama

Sci-Fi

A Star Wars series that takes viewers into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark-side powers in the final days of the High Republic era.

Release Date

June 4, 2024

Creator(s)

Leslye Headland

Cast

Amandla Stenberg , Dafne Keen , Jodie Turner-Smith , Lee Jung-jae , Rebecca Henderson , Charlie Barnett

Main Genre

Sci-Fi

Seasons

1

Franchise

Star Wars

Creator

Leslye Headland

Number of Episodes

8

Streaming Service(s)

Disney+