The Acolyte premiere ending explained: Who is killing the Jedi? Details explored

The first two episodes of The Acolyte premiered on Disney+ on Tuesday, June 4, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. PT, and with this, we were introduced to a brand new era of Star Wars. Taking us to the High Republic era of the Jedi, the show focuses on the rise of a mysterious Sith as an acolyte begins murdering Jedi.

The Acolyte episodes 1 and 2 helped build up on what's to come next going forward for the show. Introducing us to Mae (Amandla Stenberg) and her quest for revenge, the episodes focus on the Jedi orders being notified about the murders while Master Sol (Lee Jung-jae) leads an investigation alongside Mae's twin sister Osha.

Alongside that, the premiere also ends on a note that gives a hint towards who Mae's next target is going to be, and it certainly looks like the mystery Sith is hellbent on giving the Jedi order a tough time.

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The Acolyte premiere reveals that Mae is the Jedi killer

The first episode of The Acolyte begins with Mae walking into a cantina and murdering Jedi Master Indara (Carrie-Anne Moss) for something she had done to her in the past. However, Mae at this point is presumed to be dead, and her sister Osha is rather arrested in her place on suspicion of the murder, as she matches the description of the murderer. Osha was also a former Jedi padawan, which led to many eyebrows being raised against her.

However, when her former Jedi Master Sol learns about the situation at hand, he seeks out Osha, who, at this point, has had a vision that Mae is still alive and murdering the Jedi. He assures Osha that he believes her that Mae is still alive, and the first episode ends with Mae meeting a mysterious Sith figure whose identity is concealed by a mask.

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Why is Mae killing the Jedi in The Acolyte?

The Acolyte then reveals in episode 2 of the show that Mae is killing the Jedi, as they had wronged her in the past. She needs to kill four Jedis to fulfill her mission, with the four being Indara, Sol, Torbin, and Kelnacca. She was presumed dead by Sol and Osha, as it was stated that she caused the deaths of her family and died in the process too, with only Osha being saved by the Jedi.

In episode two, she successfully infiltrates a Jedi temple and is able to convince Master Jedi Torbin to drink a poison concocted for him, as he also reflects negatively on what he had done to her in the past. With Torbin's body being found by Sol, Osha, and the accompanying Jedi, they believe that Mae is alive and responsible for the murders.

The Jedi then confront Quimir, the man who provided Mae with the poison, as they send Osha in disguise to get a confession out of him, and there they learn that Mae is working for a mysterious dark force. They lay out a perimeter to catch her, and Sol even confronts Mae, but she is able to escape the Jedi before running into her sister. However, they share a moment, and she leaves to find Jedi Master Kelnacca alongside Quimir.

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The Acolyte heavily focuses on the Sith's rule of two

The Acolyte currently heavily focuses on the Sith rule of two. This means that no more than two Siths can be operating at once, and with Mae being an Acolyte, her killing the Jedi could be an initiation process that will see her join the ranks of her current Sith master.

It's said that the Sith, once they kill a Jedi, take the Kyber crystal from their lightsaber and bleed it red, thus receiving a red lightsaber. This could explain why, during her fights with the Jedi Masters, Mae tries to take away their lightsabers too, but is unsuccessful in doing so. With her now traveling to a different planet to kill Kelnacca, we can expect to see her try the same tactic once more.

However, it still remains to be seen exactly what the Jedi did to Mae to make her go down this path. Perhaps this is an answer we will soon find out when The Acolyte returns for a new episode next week.