The Acolyte: What is Vergence? Everything to know about the phenomenon of the Force

Episode 7 of The Acolyte was released on July 9, 2024 on Disney+. Titled Choice, this episode has some big reveals and surprises that have created quite the buzz among the fans. One of the most intriguing elements of this episode is what is called the vergence.

The premise of The Acolyte is summarized in the synopsis of the show:

“The Acolyte examines a galaxy of secrets and dark-side powers, and all is not what it seems.”

The show explores events set before those of the Skywalker Saga in the Star Wars franchise. The Skywalker Saga is a collection of nine films, composed into three trilogies, released from 1977 to 2019. In The Acolyte, four Jedi Knights investigate the mysterious events in the planet of Brendok. As the story progresses, several truths come to light, propping up questions about the motives of certain Jedi members.

The vergence emerges as an important plot-element in episode 7. An entity or an object with a particularly high concentration of the Force, vergence not only causes one of the biggest reveals of the series so far, but it also may have far-reaching consequences on the future events as well.

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The Acolyte: What is Vergence?

Vergence is a phenomenon of the Force. The Force is central to the Star Wars canon. It is an enigmatic power that holds together the fictional universe of the Star Wars saga. The several films of the franchise have already clarified that there are two ways to tap into the power of the Force.

While the Jedi Order seeks to align their aspirations with the will of the Force through their noble actions, the Sith try to utilize the dark side of the Force through their self-centered actions.

Throughout the Star Wars movies and books, several characters have been seen to be ‘Force-sensitive’. Such characters can use the Force to get access to some extraordinary abilities.

In The Acolyte as well, the Force is a prominent presence, and vergence is a phenomenon that is directly linked to the Force. Also called a “Force nexus” or a “nexus” or a “locus”, vergence is an entity or an object with a particularly high concentration of the Force.

A vergence could be a place, an object or even a person. It could even exist beyond space and time. Even though a vergence is an unusual occurrence, it is created naturally and can grant “Force-sensitive” characters greater access to the powers of the Force. In The Acolyte episode 7, the mysterious events in the planet Brendok from sixteen years ago are recounted, from the Jedi's perspective.

Four Jedi are on Brendok to investigate how the planet continues to harbor life even though it was rendered lifeless by a “Great Hyperspace Disaster” about a hundred years ago. They speculate that a vergence on the planet is making this possible.

As the episode delves into the story of the twins Osha and Mae, natives of Brendok, more and more information about the vergence is revealed. The twins live with an all-women coven of witches which allegedly built their temple around a vergence. Further, the leader of the coven and the twins’ mother, Mother Aniseya, reportedly used the vergence to create a single consciousness in two bodies, resulting in Osha and Mae.

All of this is revealed when Torbin runs tests on the twins’ blood and finds that while they have a high Force sensitivity, they miraculously have the same symbionts, which is unusual even for twins. This discovery makes Torbin conclude that a vergence is there on the planet Brendok. It remains to be seen what implications this has for the finale of The Acolyte.

Vergence has been mentioned in previous Star Wars films as well. In Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999), Qui-Gon revelas that Anakin is a vergence. In The Empire Strikes Back (1980), the cave on Dagobah where Luke confronts Vader is also a vergence.

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The Acolyte episode 8 will be released on July 16, 2024 on Disney+.