10 Ways The Acolyte "Rhymes" With The Bad Batch

Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Star Wars: The Acolyte episode 3.

Summary

• The Acolyte mirrors The Bad Batch with compelling characters and tragic storylines.
• Mae and Osha’s relationship rhymes with Hunter and Omega, showcasing strong bonds in both shows.
• Themes of betrayal, manipulation, and sacrifice are prevalent in both The Acolyte and The Bad Batch.

Star Wars has at last premiered its latest live-action TV show, Star Wars: The Acolyte, and it shares a surprising amount of rhymes with the animated series Star Wars: The Bad Batch, whose final season preceded it. While The Acolyte and The Bad Batch certainly have very different focuses, with one following the Jedi in their prime during the High Republic era and the other following Clone Force 99 after the fall of the Galactic Republic, there are already some striking similarities between them. These threads have much to do with their compelling characters.

The two biggest standouts in The Acolyte thus far for many viewers are Lee Jung-jae’s Master Sol and Amandla Stenberg’s Osha (and Mae) Aniseya, a former master-apprentice duo who still care deeply for one another. Their relationship has drawn many parallels to Hunter and Omega in The Bad Batch, who are also the standout father-daughter duo in their respective series. Mae and Osha’s complicated relationship is also reminiscent of what happens to Crosshair and the rest of Clone Force 99. This has caused the two shows to “rhyme” already, and here are 10 of the most notable examples so far.

10 The Acolyte Begins With Jedi Master Indara’s Death

The Bad Batch Also Starts With Depa Billaba’s Order 66 Fate

As a mystery-thriller type of Star Wars TV show, The Acolyte ambitiously begins on a cold open with the death of Master Indara (Carrie-Anne Moss). This comes after a tense fight between her and Mae, where it seems Indara will come out on top fairly easily – especially once she ignites her lightsaber. It’s an utter shock to see Mae’s knife in her chest, a move that instantly raises the stakes for everyone else in the show.

Though not as relevant to the overall plot of The Bad Batch, the series also opens with the murder of a Jedi at the hands of her helpless clone troopers. Clone Force 99 is present on Kaller when Order 66 is given, leading to Depa Billaba’s death as she urges her Padawan Caleb Dume (later known as Kanan Jarrus) to run. It’s an absolutely heartbreaking way to open the show and immediately sets the tone for the darker setting of The Bad Batch during the earliest years of the Galactic Empire.

9 Mae Is A Twin Hunting Down Targets For Her Master

CX-2 Is Essentially An “Evil Twin” Hunting Targets For Hemlock

While it’s unclear at first why Mae has killed Indara and seeks to kill other Jedi, it’s clarified at the end of The Acolyte episode 1 that she’s doing so at her master’s bidding. As a Sith acolyte, Mae has to earn her place at her master’s side by murdering the four Jedi she thinks are responsible for the destruction of Brendok. She not only hunts down these targets to kill them, but she also follows the terms her master has set in place for her, one of which notably includes killing one of the Jedi without a weapon.

CX-2 and his fellow operatives are very much like a dark shadow version of Clone Force 99 themselves, which is similar to Mae being Osha’s twin.

This is a thread that’s reminiscent of the clone assassin CX-2 in The Bad Batch season 3, who acts as an “evil twin” of Crosshair himself. Conditioned by the sinister Doctor Royce Hemlock to follow his orders, CX-2 is an expert sharpshooter who pursues Clone Force 99 with the intention of capturing Omega – though he clearly has no qualms with killing members of the Batch if he has to. CX-2 and his fellow operatives are very much like a dark shadow version of Clone Force 99 themselves, which is similar to Mae being Osha’s twin.

8 Sol Saves Osha From Falling & Says “I’ve Got You”

This Scene Also Happens With Hunter & Omega

In a more direct parallel, one scene from The Acolyte episode 3 sees Master Sol save Osha from certain death on Brendok. While the coven is burning, Sol looks for Osha, and he finds her just as the platform she’s standing on gives way to the fire. He’s quick to catch her by the hand as he utters a reassuring “I’ve got you” just before he pulls Osha to safety. It’s both a touching and relieving moment, and very much a physical and metaphorical representation of Sol saving Osha from her fate.

As pointed out by X user maditano, there’s also a scene in The Bad Batch season 1 when Hunter does this for Omega. There are actually several times throughout The Bad Batch that Hunter saves Omega from a fall, but in this particular instance, he utters the same reassurance as Sol: “I’ve got you.” These words give Omega a faith in Hunter that lasts throughout the series, leading to her even throwing herself off a platform towards lava with confidence that Hunter will be there to catch her. It’s a wonderful parallel between these duos and their protectiveness.

7 Sol Insists On Going To Find Osha Himself

Hunter Does The Same After Omega’s Capture

As soon as Sol gets the word about Osha being a suspect for Indara’s murder, he’s insistent on getting to speak to her – and after the prison transport carrying her crashes, he’s even more insistent on going to find her. No matter what Vernestra Rwoh or anyone else tries to convince him of, Sol stands firm on the idea that Osha is alive. His faith in her never wavers, and that’s how he’s able to reunite with her and save her from falling off a rocky cliff. It’s a touching display of the pure and genuine care he has for her.

This is similar to how Hunter treats his search for Omega after The Bad Batch season 2’s ending. He vows to never stop their search until they find her, and he stops at nothing to gain and follow through on leads – even at times to his own detriment, as Wrecker points out in season 3. Even better is how Omega has this same determination and faith in Hunter, as she shuts down Crosshair’s warnings about him and Wrecker potentially being dead. This makes their reunion all the sweeter, much like Sol and Osha’s.

6 Osha Is Given The Choice To Go With The Jedi

Omega Is Also Given The Choice To Stay With Clone Force 99

When Sol and his fellow Jedi first find Osha with the witches of Brendok, he tells her that he thinks she would make a great Jedi, and he encourages her during her testing to follow her heart and make her own choice. Never once does Sol make Osha feel pressured, but rather gives a genuine air of welcoming, allowing it to be more of an invitation than an order. This gives Osha the faith to stand by her choice, and though it seemingly leads to the tragic events on Brendok, it’s still a testament to Sol’s good-natured care for her.

In The Bad Batch, Hunter is at first hesitant to let Omega be a part of their squad, but once he learns that she’s a “defective” clone just like them, he gives her the choice to leave Kamino with them. Though Hunter later tries to get her to stay with Cut and Suu Lawquane while the squad goes on the run, Omega makes another choice to stay with her brothers, and Hunter assures her that he’ll honor that choice from now on. Like Sol and Osha, it’s yet another display of the genuine care Hunter has for Omega.

5 Mae Is Being Influenced By False Promises & Tragedy

Crosshair’s Loyalty To The Empire Follows A Similar Pattern

On a more tragic note, many of Mae’s motivations in The Acolyte are driven by the false promises being made to her by the supposed Sith Lord she’s serving. Even more motivational for her is the tragedy on Brendok, which has fueled her with a fierce hatred for the Jedi. Now, Mae is even more susceptible to the lies of her master, who is no doubt promising that the power she’ll earn at their side will give her the proper fulfillment and revenge she’s long since been seeking. Mae is being manipulated, but she thinks she’s on the right side.

Both these characters are undergoing extreme manipulation, which Mae will hopefully see through, just as Crosshair eventually did.

Crosshair has a very similar experience with the Empire, who not only mind-controls him with the inhibitor chip, but also assures him that he’s doing the right thing. The system promises him that loyalty will be rewarded, but Crosshair never sees this followed through. The apparent betrayal of his squad only makes matters worse for him, and that tragedy fuels Crosshair more as he willingly hunts down his brothers at the Empire’s bidding. Both these characters are undergoing extreme manipulation, which Mae will hopefully see through, just as Crosshair eventually did.

4 Osha Has To Watch Her Home Be Burned & Destroyed

Omega Watches The Same Thing Happen On Kamino

The tragedy on Brendok has so far only been seen through Osha’s eyes, and all of it started with the fire Mae set in their bedroom. Once Osha escapes the room, she’s horrified to see that the entire fortress has been lit aflame, leaving her to stand and stare helplessly at its destruction. Sol arrives in time to save her and lead her away from it all, but that doesn’t keep Osha from being scarred by this haunting memory. No matter how much Osha yearned to be freed from her home, she never would have wished such destruction upon it.

Omega has to witness the same tragedy on Kamino, after she and the squad have rescued Hunter. Omega never wanted to return to Kamino, and Hunter had even promised before that she wouldn’t have to, but she still would never have wanted to watch it fall the way she does at the Empire’s hands. To make matters worse, she and her brothers are trapped inside Tipoca City when it falls, which only makes the experience even more traumatizing for her.

3 Sol Comforts Osha After The Tragedy On Brendok

Hunter & Omega Have A Similar Exchange After Tech’s Death

Following Osha’s tragic experience on Brendok, Sol takes her with him and nurses her back to health, where he waits for her to wake. When Osha remembers what’s happened, she’s shattered, and she tells Sol that they have to go back – to which he responds that they cannot, as there’s nothing left to go back to. When Osha breaks down, Sol is quick to comfort her, offering her an embrace and a promise that she will never have to go through something like that ever again, not as long as he’s in her care.

As shared by X user katarixcruz, this is extremely similar to how Omega reacts to Tech’s death in The Bad Batch season 2 finale. Hunter’s there with her when she wakes, and when she recalls what happened to Tech, Omega also pleads for them to go back for him. Hunter is faced with the difficulty of telling her that Tech is gone and thus there’s nothing to go back for, but like Sol, he’s quick to comfort her and assure her that his sacrifice won’t be for nothing. Thankfully, the ending of The Bad Batch proves Hunter’s words true.

2 Osha Feels Betrayed By Mae (& Vice Versa)

Hunter & Crosshair Feel The Same Way About Each Other

At the core of The Acolyte is the sibling relationship between the twins, Mae and Osha, who both thought the other to be dead after the tragedy on Brendok. Osha has long since thought her sister to be responsible for the deaths of her mothers and the rest of the coven, and Mae was angered by Osha’s decision all those years ago to go with the Jedi rather than stay with the coven. This has driven both sisters in very different directions, and each sees their own perspective as the right one – for now, at least.

This is very similar to Hunter and Crosshair’s sibling relationship in The Bad Batch season 1, with a sense of betrayal in both that lasts until the beginning of season 3. Without knowing about the inhibitor chips, Hunter thinks Crosshair’s actions against him and his squad as simply of his own accord, and realizing later on that Crosshair removed his chip and continued to act that way makes Hunter’s bitterness grow even stronger. Meanwhile, Crosshair feels that Hunter betrayed him by not siding with him and the Empire. This, however, finally gets resolved in season 3.

1 Sol “Adopts” Osha & Promises She’ll Be Safe

Hunter Does The Same For Omega

Easily the most striking parallel between The Acolyte and The Bad Batch thus far is the father-daughter dynamic sitting at the heart of it. In The Acolyte, this is Sol and Osha, the former of whom proves his care for Osha as early as their first interaction on Brendok. He even kneels down to below her level and lets her hold his lightsaber in a breathtaking display of trust and care. Sol runs into the fire on Brendok to save her, and after comforting her on the Jedi’s ship, he promises that he’ll keep her safe at all costs.

Hunter and Omega’s relationship in The Bad Batch is the very same. Though Hunter is hesitant to accept Omega at first, it’s solely because of his own worry for her, given how reckless he and his squad are – and how dangerous their missions typically are. Once he figures out that she’s “defective” like them, he doesn’t hesitate to take her in as one of his own. After saving her on Kamino, Hunter swears to protect her at all costs, a promise he follows up on. Sol and Osha in The Acolyte are very much a fond echo of this relationship.