Re:cap, “Destiny”, the first part; it is sixteen years ago on Brendok, the twins, Mae and Osha, are raised by the coven run by Mother Aniseya. Mother Koril is also responsible for watching over the twins. Osha spends time alone and joined by Mae who also heads somewhere. The witches use powers like the Force, but Mother Aniseya says it is through the Thread. Mae doubts becoming a witch, but the time of the Ascension has arrived. Mae-ho Aniseya is given a vow to protect the coven’s traditions. A circle mark is made on the left of her forehead by Mother Aniseya who has the marking in the center of her forehead. Osha would have it on her right forehead?
Vosha Ansieya is about to take the vow when the scouts warn about that the Jedi "sliced the platform." A slicer is the SW term for hacker introduced in Heir to the Empire (1991); EC-TT1. Which Jedi may have sliced access to the Fortress? I think Kelnacca who seems to have technical expertise. The twins are hidden behind the coven. The scouts draw their bows, but Mother Aniseya orders them to lower them when the Jedi enter; Jedi Master Indara, her Padawan Torbin, Sol, and the Wookie Jedi Kelnacca. Torbin and Kelnacca scan the area. Indara introduces the Jedi. Mother Koril says they are trespassing, which the Jedi are, walking into their home. Indara says they thought the world was uninhabited.
Mother Anisya says the Jedi are “all-knowing”, but didn’t know about the coven. A lie is not the best way to start negotiations. Osha with Mae behind her sneaks forward to take a look at the Jedi impressed at their robes and lightsabers. Indara says they are concerned about training of children against Republic law. Mother Aniseya tells her Brendok is not part of the Republic! Mother Koril says there are no childrern. Kelnacca sniffs and can detect the twins. Indara asks them to come out. Osha walks out. Sol makes introductions. Indara asks about her sister and then about their father. Mother Aniseya says they do not have a father! We are getting to Chosen One territory here. Sol notices the mark on Mae and says it wasn’t there in the morning.
The witches remark that the Jedi are spying on them and want to take their children. Sol removes his lightsaber to hand to Osha. She takes hold of it and Sol asks her if she would want to be tested and become a Jedi. Torbin’s eyes suddenly turn black and he falls! This is an ability used by the Nightsisters of Dathomir. We saw this in the Star Wars: Rebels episode, “Visions and Voices” (2016), FC-SWR3/11. It may be connected, guilt?, to why Torbin later takes the poison! Sol readies his lightsaber. Mother Aniseya says she will free him if they leave. Osha says she wants to teach the Jedi what she learned and wants to be tested. Indara says that Mother Aniseya should allow testing of Padawans.
Torbin is freed and staggers back. Mother Aniseya says that at midday, the scouts will bring Osha, Sol insists that Mae is also tested, she nods agreement. The Jedi withdraw and Mother Aniseya asks Mother Koril to bring her advisors. Mother Koril sends the twins to bed. At the council, Mother Koril says they should move with the moons in the sky. Mother Aniseya stands to say that the girls should be tested and that Osha has made her decision. Mother Koril counters saying, “I carried them.” Mother Aniseya responds back, “I created them.” Mother Koril warns her about if the Jedi learned how she created the twins. I wonder if this secret eventually found its way to Darth Sidious. This makes sense since it doesn’t seem to be a Sith secret.
Koril seems to have the role of surrogate mother. The Elder Naasa (voiced by Shelby Young) then speaks, she has a great design, an alien-like face like an African shaman woman. She brings up the possible results of the test; a pass means the twins leave, so they must fail to stay with the coven. In their room, Mother Aniseya talks with her daughters, they are dressed in blue vests and green tunics. She says that what their hearts tell them to do the opposite. Mae tells Osha that a pass means they will leave and never see their mother. She says she will stop them if they take Osha. Their mother tells them it is about power and who can use it. The Jedi allowed the Nightsisters to continue on Dathomir, but the Sith wiped them out.
The twins are taken to the field with the Jedi ship. Osha says she wants to tell the truth, but Mae has her promise to lie. Kelnacca is busy working on a speeder bike that sparks. Osha greets him while Mae takes the test. Then, Torbin says she is next to be tested. In the ship, Torbin injects a device to take Osha’s blood sample. Indara explains the test while Sol holds the Jedi Testing Screen that we saw in The Phantom Menace (1999); GC-PT1. Torbin stands to the side. The image is of a Loth-cat and Osha says it is a spaceship. Sol smiles and says, “Correct.” This makes me think of Bill Murray holding up the cards in Ghostbusters (1984), “You can’t see these can you?” The next one, Osha almost gives up her bluff, Sol asks if she was told to fail the test.
Sol says he was four when he took the test and he was scared to leave his family. He found that there children like himself at the Jedi Temple. Osha admits, “I want to be a Jedi.” She leaves the starship, head down, Mae leaves angry. Sundown, at the council, Mae tells Mother Aniseya that Osha broke her promise. Osha says she wants her own life separate from Mae and to see the galaxy. This of course means leaving her family who may be lost without her. Mae grabs her sister’s arms and Mother Ansieya tells her to walk with Mother Koril. Osha tries to apologize to her mother who tells her that destiny is not determined by the Force, she has to make her decision. We saw in Return of the Jedi (1983), GC-OT3, with the Emperor saying to Luke, “It is unavoidable, it is your destiny, you like your father are now mine.”
Mother Aniseya mentions destiny earlier, "pulling the Thread", but it seems she is in agreement with Neo in The Matrix (1999) and free will. Osha says she wants to be a Jedi and they hug. Very powerful for Mother Anisya to know that this may endanger her people and lose her daughter, but let’s go. She tells Osha that she has to discuss this with everyone and will consider her decision. Osha readies a pack in her room and picks up her black and white, triangular journal. Mae enters, says she will stop her sister by killing her, and then snatches away her journal. Osha is locked in the room and Mae opens the journal to see a gold embossed symbol of the High Republic. A journal given by Sol? Osha pleads to be let out. Mae takes out a cylinder with two tubes with flames to burn the journal! Osha runs to the window to ask for help from her mother. The lantern is heard to shatter, off screen, it could be someone else.
A fire starts to burn at the door. Osha begins to unlock at panel to rewire it and open a crawlspace. The fire has spread through the village, Osha sees a grill overhead with an explosion and the witches screaming. Mae is on the opposite side as there is an explosion. The tense music by Michael Abels really kicks in! Sol runs in calling the names of both sisters. They are separated by a shattered bridge, a pyramid shape reveals the bodies outside. This looks like the confrontation with Red Skull in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011). Osha asks about their mother and Mae says she is dead. They both scream at each other, “What have you done?”, then the bridge under Mae collapses!
Osha’s part of the bridge falls, but Sol is able to catch her hand! I wonder why he doesn’t use the Force to save both sisters. In the council room, Osha sees the bodies of the witches, gathered to make decision on Osha?, Sol pulls her away and then takes her outside, Osha sees the body of her mother. Is it the secret? Mother Aniseya is very strong, someone stronger in say the Dark Side killed her? Maybe started the fire? Sol has to grab hold of her as the Fortress burns down in the night. Osha is unconscious with a breath mask on the ship. She wakes up calling her mother. Sol takes off the breath mask, trying to reassure her, Indara and Torbin are to the side.
He explains that they are en route to Coruscant. Sol says Mae started the fire. She insists that they go back to Brendok. He says there is “nothing back there.” Sol tells Osha that she will be safe on Coruscant and she can decide if she will be his Padawan. She hugs him. He promises her, “You will never feel like this again.” At the end we return to the Bunta Tree, Mae, a little soot smeared on her, says, "Osha?" She somehow survived and found her sister's secret place, Mae still cares about her twin. I would caution everyone that this is told from Osha's point of view, what is said and done is filtered by her experience! The Acolyte’s “Destiny” episode offers Osha’s perspective on the tragedy sixteen years ago, but I suspect that we will find the truth from different perspectives, ultimately the master, like the Akira Kurosawa movie, Rashomon (1950)!
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