- “Well, any astromech can do the job. But I'm better company than a droid. And, um, way more flexible.”
- ―Verosha Aniseya
Verosha Aniseya (more commonly known as Osha) is a human and one of the main characters in the live-action Disney+ series The Acolyte. She is a former Jedi apprentice with a tragic past who, many years after leaving the Jedi Order, found herself unwillingly involved in a plot against Jedi linked to her past.
Background[]
Born on the planet Brendok with her twin sister Mae, Osha grew up in a coven made up entirely of Force-wielding witches, known within that community as the Thread, led by the twins' mother, Mother Aniseya. Under the tutelage of Aniseya and their second mother, Koril, the twins quickly learned to manipulate the Force from an early age, mainly as part of their training to become witches. Her sister and her being the only children in the coven, Osha often felt alone, just as she did not have the same ambition as Mae when it came to their imposed destiny, leading her to develop an individualistic personality and a deep curiosity about the possibilities of a different life outside Brendok.
One day, the four Jedi: Sol, Indara, Torbin, and Kelnacca came to Brendok to investigate the coven, with Sol noticing Osha's potential to become a Jedi, a path he proposed to the eight-year-old girl. Excited by the idea of becoming a Jedi, Osha chose to follow this path but Mae was fiercely opposed and her actions led to a violent fire within the coven's mountain fortress. Sol was able to save Osha, unlike Mae who had apparently perished in the fire.
Osha then went to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant where she began training as a Jedi youngling, although some Jedi, including Indira, were against it due to Osha's advanced age compared to the other younglings, as well as They doubted that Osha would be able to overcome the loss of her family. Over the next ten years, Osha became Sol's padawan and developed a friendship with padawan Yord Fandar. Ultimately, Osha's training proved very difficult due to her inability to let go of her tragic past, leading her to abandon her dream of becoming a Jedi and left the Order of her own free will.
During the six years that followed, Osha became a Meknek, an independent mechanic handling repairs to the exterior hulls of ships, but as the High Republic passed a law stating that only droids were allowed in this dangerous task, Osha settled in the Outer Rim Territories where she worked for the Trade Federation.
Physical appearance[]
Osha is a young woman in her early twenties with dark skin, dark brown eyes, and crimson-brown braided hair. She is physically identical to Mae but differs in the length of their hair, Osha's being shorter than Mae's. On her right shoulder, she has a dark blue tattoo resembling a bisected shield.
Personality[]
As a child, Osha had a deep sense of individuality, the complete opposite of her twin sister Mae. Despite the constant influences of her sister, Koril and Aniseya, Osha had her own desires and hopes, such as the desire to have a life that she could choose without it being imposed on her. She didn't like at all that Mae insisted that they share absolutely everything or that she forced her to embrace the predestined destiny of becoming a witch, but despite that the sisters remained quite close. Osha's individuality came in part from a deep sense of loneliness stemming from her lack of ambition to follow in her clan's footsteps. Very quickly, Osha became fascinated by the Jedi from the first encounter and she quickly felt drawn to this path. It was only once Osha saw the possibility of being surrounded by other Force-sensitive children like her that she finally had the courage to firmly express what she chose while asserting oneself without fear.
As an adult, Osha has become a playful, jovial, friendly, rational, somewhat arrogant, petty and witty woman. Due to choosing to voluntarily leave the Jedi Order, she is in no way emotionally detached and always expresses herself openly without diminishing her own feelings. However, beneath the surface, Osha remains haunted by the tragedy caused by his own sister, to the point of often having flashbacks when contemplating the flames or the darkness for too long. She retained her individuality, retorting that she had not left the Jedi through Indara's influence but because it was her choice. She is quite close to her droid companion, Pip.
Although no longer part of the Jedi and having renounced their path, Osha is quite open towards her former comrades, in particular her former master Sol. Even though she was wrongly accused of Indara's murder, Osha remained confident in the Jedi Order. She also quickly bonded with her successor Jecki, offering her some mechanical advice and a friendly exchange.
As soon as she realized that Mae was still alive, Osha's old wounds re-opened, as did a deep, bitter resentment towards her sister whose death she had long since accepted. Her resentment towards Mae comes mainly from the death of their family at the hands of Mae when she wanted to kill her to prevent her from becoming a Jedi, as well as because of the constant manipulation that Mae inflicted on her in their youth because that she did not accept Osha's difference.
Powers and Abilities[]
Powers[]
- The Force: Osha has a natural connection to the Force, largely due to her unnatural birth like her sister. Unfortunately, Osha's ability to use the Force has deteriorated due to not using it for six years after leaving the Jedi Order, causing her current skills to become rusty.
- Telekinesis: In her youth, Osha had experience with telekinesis. As an adult, she was unable to use it due to prolonged lack of practice.
- Force Grip: Osha can telekinetically lift her opponents off the ground and into the air to immobilize them.
- Force Sense: Osha can sense other sentient beings' emotions, the future, ripples in the Force caused by momentous or traumatic events, impending danger, and the presence of other light or dark side Force-users. When she was eight years old, Osha demonstrated her Force sensitivity through Jedi testing screens.
- Force Vision: Despite her deteriorating skills, Osha is still susceptible to Force visions, although not willingly.
- Telekinesis: In her youth, Osha had experience with telekinesis. As an adult, she was unable to use it due to prolonged lack of practice.
Abilities[]
- Expert Mechanic: Since her young age, Osha was skilled with machines. She manage to hotwire one of the walls to open and later after she left the Jedi Order, she became a Meknek, freelance mechanics who did repairs on the outer hulls of starships.
- Expert Markswoman: Osha is extremely skilled in utilizing blaster pistols.
Weapons and Equipment[]
- Stun blaster: Osha was given a blaster pistol by her former master Sol who got it from her friend Yord. It appears to only fire stun blasts.
- Pip: During her time as a meknek, she acquired a handheld repair droid whom she called Pip. She is able to carry Pip in a pouch on her belt. Bing a handheld tool, Pip also helped Osha tap into the comms of the Jedi as Sol and Mae faced each other.
Appearances[]
The Acolyte[]
In "Lost - Found", Osha wakes up abruptly in her cabin after a nightmarish vision of her past but quickly calms down before starting work following a red alarm. With his colleague Meknek Fillik and her repair droid Pip, Osha repaired the shield generators of the Trade Federation ship, while putting up with the antipathetic remarks of the Neimoidian officers regarding their statuses. Shortly after extinguishing the flames on the safety valve, briefly seeing another vision of the past due to the fire, Osha sees a Jedi ship arriving on board.
Returning to her cabin after repairs, she meets her former fellow padawan Yord now a Jedi Knight. Although at first delighted to see him again, Osha loses her enthusiasm when Yord and his padawan, Tasi Lowa, begin to question her about the causes of her past, her departure from the Jedi Order and then about the recent murder of Indara, whose testimonies accuses her of the crime. From the moment the bartender who witnessed Indara's death identifies Osha as the assassin, the young woman is arrested, handcuffed and taken on a prison transport to Coruscant, not without her telling Yord that he is completely wrong about her guilt.
Later on the travel to Coruscant, Osha refuses to participate in the escape that the somewhat crazy inmates provoke, before they abandon her by fleeing via the escape pods. With the now unmanned spaceship subsequently entering Carlac's atmosphere, Osha tries to retrieve an inactive Pip initially in vain by the Force but retrieves him anyway and uses him to escape her cell. She can't resist rescuing the last inmate, only for him to steal the last pod from her in a panic attack. With no other options, Osha and Pip prepare for the impact and miraculously survive but lose consciousness.
After regaining consciousness, Osha explores the wreckage before being haunted by visions again, this time more real. She then encounters a vision of Mae before the landscape of Carlac suddenly becomes that of Brendok, the evening of the fire sixteen years ago. She then encounters a vision of Mae before the landscape of Carlac suddenly becomes that of Brendok, the evening of the fire sixteen years ago, then her childhood home. Osha, assuming her younger form, becomes intrigued about Mae's survival before asking her if she killed Indara, to which Mae grimly confirms and says she's going to kill them all. The vision abruptly ends and Osha wakes up for real, still accompanied by Pip. The duo later crosses a snowy cave but ends up facing a precipice. This is where Sol, his current padawan Jecki Lon and Yord arrive on the scene and confront Osha. While frantically trying to make Sol understand that she did not kill Indara, Osha backs too far and falls into the void, but her former master catches her in time by telekinesis and brings her back to the ledge. She then warns Sol that Mae is alive, to which Sol responds that he believes her.
In "Revenge / Justice", on board the Polan-717, Osha wakes up from a nap in the engine room, finds Jecki struggling to restart the ship and advises her to restart the power couplers. The two exchange amicably about Osha's meknek work, leading her to describe herself as more sympathetic than a droid for this job. Contrary to the original plan to bring Osha back to Coruscant, Sol redirects the ship to Olega following a break-in into the local Jedi Temple, the location where Torbin is currently located, with the Jedi Order also agreeing for Osha to accompany the band. During the trip, Sol and Osha reconnect a bit before discussing the possibility that Mae was behind Indara's murder, Sol regretting not having saved Mae that night but Osha that it wasn't her move, just as she admits she didn't not having been a very good student.
Once in the temple, Osha separates from the group another vision of a young Mae, bringing her to Torbin's lifeless body, a vial of poison next to it. The Jedi subsequently arrive and events seem to turn against Osha, only for a Yord who was following her to confirm that she had nothing to do with it. Things become more complicated when the group realizes that Torbin intentionally drank the poison, which Osha identifies as Bunta, a Brendok toxic substance.
Going back to the only apothecary shop in town, Jecki suggests that Osha pretend to be Mae in order to trick the fake apothecary into getting a confession and a lead for Mae. Armed with a blaster given by Sol, Osha buys a purple cape to perfect her interpretation of Mae before meeting Qimir, the fake apothecary. The plan goes well, Qimir reveals his unwilling complicity but begins to realize that he is not talking to Mae after mentioning a certain person who would appreciate Torbin's death. Osha suddenly points her blaster at Qimir then the Jedi surround the villain who cowardly tries to deny the majority of his involvement but as no one is fooled, he reveals that Mae wants revenge on all four Jedi and that she will return at the store this evening.
As evening falls and awaits Mae's arrival, Osha demands to confront Mae herself, only for Sol to not allow it, not having realized earlier that Osha still holds a grudge against Mae. Osha replies that Mae killed her family and made her life hell, to which Sol only sees a path of vengeance which he tries to dissuade her by reminding what it did to Mae. She finally accepts that Sol will try to save Mae again, but not without reminding him that he is one of the Jedi that Mae wants to kill at all costs. Spying on the confrontation through radio frequency exchanges, Osha pursues Mae after she escapes the fight and finally confronts her in a street while she is stoling a speeder. Mae is shocked but happy to see her twin sister who she thought was dead for so long alive, which is not the case with Osha being so angry with Mae that she tries to hit her with stunning shots, only for Mae to escape.
In "Destiny", Osha's tragic past is fully explored. One day on Brendok, an eight-year-old Osha left the fortress despite the prohibitions and goes to isolate herself under her favorite Bunta tree, anxious about this evening's Rite of Ascension. Mae soon joins her, briefly the sisters argue individually due to Mae's tendency to torture insects and Osha to always isolate herself. Mae then consoles Osha about her doubts on the Ascension as they will be together when they have to. Upon returning, the twins are found and scolded by Koril for not heeding her repeated warning. Back in their community, Osha and Mae share a joyful embrace with Aniseya that allows them to enjoy treats despite their transgression.
Later, Aniseya teaches her daughters the use of the Thread, described not as a power but as a link to destiny uniting everyone. The twins' constant bickering forces Aniseya to discipline them more harshly by testing their power. Instinctively, Mae blocks Aniseya's Force Push, while Osha hides behind her sister, disappointing Koril. In the twins' room, Aniseya feels the stalking of Osha who admits to not wanting to do the Ascension, just as she doesn't know if she wants to become a witch, which Mae takes badly. Aniseya manages to reconcile her daughters, affirming that they have been linked to the Thread since before their birth and that the Ascension will help them face their fears but somehow discourages Osha from hoping for anything other than Brendok. During their ceremonial dressing, the sisters argue again, with Osha fed up with Mae not respecting her individuality.
Under the two moons of Brendok, the coven gathered around a crater warmly welcomes the twins as the Rite of Ascension begins. Once the witches finish singing, Mae gets her own witch tattoo after promising to follow that path. When her turn comes, Osha is terribly nervous but influenced by Mae and Koril's hopes, she ends up promising too. However, the ceremony is interrupted by the announcement of the intrusion of Aniseya, Indara, Torbin and Kelnacca into the sanctuary. Osha is intrigued by the Jedi's moment, causing her to be noticed by Kelnacca and then invited to introduce herself to them. Sol is the first to sympathize with her, also seeing in her the potential to become a Jedi and invites her to take a test with Mae who should prove it, which she accepts with excitement despite the reluctance and mistrust of those around her.
In the morning, Aniseya asks her daughters to voluntarily fail the tests, fearing that it will separate the twins from their family forever, to which Mae fully agrees. At the Jedi ship, as Mae goes first, Osha admits that she doesn't want to lie but a stubborn Mae makes her promise that she will fail anyway, albeit reluctantly. When Osha's turn comes, she deliberately lies about what she sees during the testing screen but Sol and Indara quickly understand what she is trying to do. Sol then tells her of his own distressing experience of feeling different from his family and his fear of leaving them to join the Jedi, only to discover other children like him, a perspective intriguing Osha. The Jedi Master then asks Osha to have the courage to say what she really wants and the girl confesses her desire to become a Jedi. When her sister leaves the ship, Mae angrily realizes that Osha has broken her promise.
Returning to the community, Osha admits to telling the truth against her mother's wishes, much to Mae's disdain and Koril's disbelief who accuses Sol of having used his powers on her but Osha contradicts her, expressing for the first time what she really wants, such as becoming a Jedi, exploring the galaxy, not sharing her entire life with Mae and most of all, not becoming a witch. A distraught and even angrier Mae physically attacks Osha until Koril takes her back to her room. Although saddened, Aniseya is able to accept her daughter's choice, even if it means they will never see each other again. Mother and daughter share a final emotional hug as a farewell.
Gathering her things, Osha is confronted by Mae refusing her departure. As Osha states that she cannot stop her from leaving, Mae responds that she can by killing her. Mae suddenly steals her sister's sketchbook and locks Osha in her room before burning the sketchbook and using it to set the room on fire. Frightened, Osha managed to escape through a passage in the wall, just in time for the agonized screams of the witches dying in the flames. The two sisters find themselves in the generator room before it explodes due to fire. Separated between two gateways, Osha learns from Mae that their mother is dead, much to her horror and leading the twins to furiously blame each other for what has just happened. The gateways collapse and Mae falls first into the void, Osha falling second but is caught in time by Sol and evacuated before the fortress ends up completely devoured by fire. Devastated and having lost everything, Osha tearfully accepts Sol's offer to come to Corusant, also receiving the promise that she would never have to feel such pain again.
In "Day", After accompanying her friends to Coruscant, Osha comes to say goodbye to Jecki, considering that she no longer needs to worry about Mae's capture now that her innocence has been proven, although Jecki feels that she worried about Mae. Before she can leave, she catches up with Sol who needs her for the mission to Khofar to find Kelnacca before Mae finds him. She is reluctant to continue but Sol convinces her that his presence can encourage Mae to break away from evil. Although still considering her sister a murderer, Osha agrees to come.
On Khofar, she has some friction with Yord first over her right to keep the blaster then over his continued problem with her presence, but primarily tries to convince him that Mae might be hopeless, but Yord thinks differently. In the heart of the forest where the group is looking for Kelnacca, Osha accidentally wakes up an insect which attacks but Sol kills it. This experience causes Osha to talk to Jecki about her feelings of guilt for leading to the creature's death, to which Jecki muses that Osha has experienced death too many times to move on. This pushes Osha to admit that she doesn't accept what she lost, as much as she recognizes that she is both angry at Mae and misses her. Jecki tells her that she should not define herself by what she lost but by what she survived as she has already survived a lot.
When the group loses Bazil, a tracking creature accompanying them from the beginning, the tracker's cries allow them to find Kelnacca's lair, Mae also being inside. Suddenly, Osha and the Jedi find themselves face to face with a mysterious person wearing black armor. Osha becomes completely paralyzed with fear when faced with the mysterious character, before the latter draws his red lightsaber and pushes Osha away using telekinesis.
In "Night", Osha wakes up and sees in horror the Jedi dying one by one under the blows of the mysterious assailant. Sol orders Yord to evacuate her against her will but along the way, Osha senses that everyone is going to die and convinces Yord to turn back. Alas, they arrive shortly after the enemy, turning out to be Qimir all along, had mortally wounded Jecki. Osha then sees Yord fighting and having his neck broken. Simultaneously, Osha sees Mae trying to run away, only to knock her out with a stunning shot. An enraged Sol confronts and subdues Qimir, nearly killing him without Osha's intervention, only wanting his former master to succumb to the darkness. Using Pip's lighting, Osha attracts the giant insects to Qimir who carries him away. Sol is subsequently stunned by Mae waking up and using the blaster.
When dawn comes, the two sisters finally meet again, Mae so happy to see Osha again, although the feeling is not mutual due to Osha's bitterness for the actions of her twin in the past and present. Mae tries to justify herself and once again attempts to manipulate her sister into going her way so that they can be a family again but Osha proves unwavering before attempting to subdue Mae to answer for her crimes. The twins come to blows and Mae knocks Osha out with a Force-push, Mae noting that Osha never knew how to block. Now with her own agenda, Mae dons the clothes of a still unconscious Osha to pretend to be her sister and deceive Sol's vigilance in order to leave with him. A Qimir returning to the battlefield finds an unconscious Osha and plans things for her.
Trivia[]
- Amandla Stenberg also plays Osha's twin sister, Mae. But the two sisters are individually played by twins Lauren Brady and Leah Brady as young girls.
- Osha is twenty-four years old at the start of the series.
- In "Destiny", it is revealed that Osha and Mae were not born naturally, Mother Aniseya declaring that she created them, probably by the Force, and then Koril carried them within her.
- Due to being made of the Force, it is unknown if Osha and her sister have a high midi-chlorian count of over 20,000 in a blood cell like Anakin Skywalker.
- In "Choice", it is revealed that Osha and Mae do have a very high midi-chlorians, but the symbionts are exactly the same. Torbin stated in the same episode that even identical twins have different symbionts, which is impossible unless there was some kind of manipulation. His master Indra theorize that Osha's mother, Aniseya split one consciousness into two bodies. However it is unknown how high their m-count potential is.
Gallery[]
External links[]
- Osha Aniseya on Wookieepedia: The Star Wars Wiki
- Osha Aniseya on StarWars.com (backup link on Archive.org)