Warning: The following contains spoilers for The Acolyte episode 8! Turn back now if you're not up to date with the Star Wars show!
The Acolyte finale features a seriously call lightsaber moment – and it has the internet debating Star Wars canon.
The episode saw Osha finally fall to the dark side, though it didn't look entirely intentional. As Osha Force choked her former Master Sol to death, the kyber crystal in the lightsaber she held flickered to red.
After she committed the murder, Sith Lord Qimir went to comfort her, and Osha lashed out with the lightsaber. The blade then changed from blue to red as she watched in shock. This is what's known as bleeding a kyber crystal, when a Force user channels negative, dark emotions into a crystal to corrupt it, which turns the lightsaber red.
This is the first time the process has been shown in live-action, so, naturally, Star Wars fans are discussing how it fits into Star Wars canon.
"I'm glad they did it but wish it was more like how they did it in Jedi Survivor," says one fan, referencing a moment when Dagan Gera intentionally bled his kyber crystal as Cal Kestis watched.
"I like how it was shown in two different ways. One where it was a very deliberate action and one where the dark side became so strong that it just sort of happened," is another person's thoughts.
"Personally prefer it being more intentional – Anakin's blade stayed blue all through Mustafar," points out someone else.
"I liked both. I thought it was fitting there were still flashes of blue in the saber blade for a few seconds. Resembled her hesitation in the moment of if she would truly fall," is someone else's take.
The episode ended with Qimir and Osha together on that mysterious island, which also seems to be home to Darth Plagueis. Expect big things to come if The Acolyte is renewed for season 2, then.
You can watch the entire show on Disney Plus now. For more, check out our deep dives on:
- The Acolyte episodes 1-4 review
- The Acolyte episode 5 review
- The Acolyte episode 6 review
- The Acolyte episode 7 review
- The Acolyte release schedule
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- What is cortosis?
- What is vergence?
- What is The High Republic? The Acolyte’s new Star Wars era explained
- When does The Acolyte take place on the Star Wars timeline?
- Who is the masked villain in The Acolyte? What we know about the Star Wars Sith explained
- New Star Wars show The Acolyte's sets were so big and detailed, the actors needed a map to get around and were literally “tripping on mushrooms”
- Squid Game’s Lee Jung-jae on joining The Acolyte, making history as a Jedi, and why he thinks Russian Doll’s Leslye Headland has a "fresh take" on Star Wars
- The Acolyte creator talks pitching The High Republic – and the biggest challenge behind the new Star Wars era
- Star Wars' cute new droid has an incredibly wholesome inspiration behind it
- The Acolyte crew built lightsabers for the new Star Wars show that could be used "the way Darth Maul and Qui-Gon Jinn use them"
- Upcoming Star Wars movies
- Star Wars timeline
- How to watch the Star Wars movies in order
