Summary
The Acolytejust made this one controversialStar Warsconcept introduced inStar Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menaceeven more complicated—and that probably isn’t a good thing.The Acolytereceived criticism and backlash before it even premiered, as have manyStar Warsmovies and TV shows, sadly. However,The Acolytewas particularly on the hot seat because it is set 100 years beforeThe Phantom Menace, inthe High Republic Era.
Because it was inevitably going to introduce brand-new concepts due to its place intheStar Warstimeline, audiences were at best on the defensive and at worst already up-in-arms about the direction the show would take. While much of the backlash toThe Acolytehas disappointingly stemmed from a place of many not liking diversity, the show did just make one move that may have legitimately confirmed some viewers' fears. Specifically,The Acolytejust made updates to midi-chlorians and vergences in the Force that increase how controversial these concepts are.
What Is A Force Vergence? The Acolyte’s Powerful Nexus Explained
The Acolyte has revealed a brand-new Force vergence in the Star Wars galaxy, a rare nexus of power with ties to the unique twins Osha and Mae Aniseya.
Midi-Chlorians Were Controversial From The Very Beginning
Midi-chlorians were introduced inThe Phantom Menacewhen Qui-Gon Jinn took a blood sample from young Anakin Skywalker and asked Obi-Wan to test the sample to obtain Anakin’s midi-chlorians. Although Qui-Gon was already clearly keen on bringing Anakin to the Jedi Order to be trained, the revelation that Anakin’s midi-chlorian count was so high (Obi-Wan specifically highlighted that it was even higher than Master Yoda’s) made him even more certain that Anakin was meant to be a Jedi. AlthoughThe Phantom Menacedidn’t come right out and say it,the implications were clear: midi-chlorians measured one’s strength in the Force.
Midi-chlorians became extremely controversial.
However, as many had warned George Lucas, midi-chlorians became extremely controversial. In fact, echoing the complaints of today, Lucas was warned that introducing this concept would ‘ruin’Star Wars, which had already caused him to table the idea before—initially, he’d toyed with the idea when working on the original trilogy. While midi-chlorians clearly didn’t ruin the franchise, they remained something generally disliked by audiences, and therefore,Star Warsaltered the definition somewhat, softening it to be not someone’s strength with the Force but rather their potential.
The franchise then allowed the term to slip into disuse over time. That changed, however, not only inThe Acolytebut also inStar Wars: The Bad Batch, both of which have referenced midi-chlorians or ’m-counts,’ as they are also called. Yet, whileThe Bad Batchmaintained the newer definition of midi-chlorians as the potential one has with the Force, given Omega’s increased m-count but unconfirmed Force abilities,The Acolyteseems to have walked that definition all the way back, even taking it one step further than George Lucas did.
The Acolyteseems to have walked that definition all the way back.
The Acolyte Changed The Definition Of Midi-Chlorians…Again
WhereasStar Warshad worked to make the definition of midi-chlorians less rigid and therefore more accepted,The Acolytedoubled down on George Lucas' original definition of midi-chlorians as a measurement of Force-sensitivity. InThe Acolyteepisode 7, echoing Qui-Gon Jinn’s interaction with Anakin, Torbin tests Osha and Mae’s blood samples and, in addition to some othershocking revelations about Osha and Mae’s origins, he discovers that the twins have high midi-chlorian counts. Following this information, Torbin says,“Very Force-sensitive.”
In that small statement,The Acolytereinforced the idea that midi-chlorians are a direct measurement of one’s power in the Force, returning to the definition suggested inThe Phantom Menace. However, in the full context of episode 7,The Acolytereally added to this original definition, making it even more technical. When midi-chlorians were introduced, a major part of the backlash was that it attempted to take a scientific approach toStar Wars. While, yes,Star Warsmay be science fiction technically, concepts like the Force make it seem much more like fantasy than science.
There is a literal ‘science’ to the Force.
However, this change inThe Acolytenot only returns to the notion of infusingStar Warswith science but also redoubles the idea that the Force is something measurable—there is a literal ‘science’ to the Force, in this case. Midi-chlorians also aren’t the onlyStar Warsconcept to get this treatment in episode 7, either. The Jedi stationed on Brendok are also seeking a vergence in the Force, essentially a hot spot of Force concentration. To do that, though, they aren’t tapping into the Force to guide their search; rather,they have literal technology to attempt to detect it.
What Do Midi-Chlorians Mean Now?
In truth, it’s unclear what the future of midi-chlorians or m-counts will be inStar Wars. The current implication is that they will be sticking around, as they’ve now surfaced in multiple recentStar WarsTV shows. However, these changes to the rules could suggest major updates are coming. Of course, it’s worth noting thatwhile the Jedi inThe Acolytemay have tried to use a scientific approach to identify a Force vergence, they weren’t successful; perhaps this is why the Jedi end up moving away from a more scientific understanding of midi-chlorians, too.
There is just one episode left ofThe Acolyte, and it isn’t clear to what extent m-counts will be further touched upon. It seems unlikely that this will be a focus of the finale, given everything else the show must wrap up. In that case, the future of m-counts inStar Warsmay not be revealed until the franchise’s next TV show or movie followingThe Acolyte.
The final episode of The Acolyte releases on Tuesday, July 16th, at 9 PM EST/6 PM PST on Disney+.
The Acolyte
Cast
The Acolyte is a television series set in the Star Wars universe at the end of the High Republic Era, where both the Jedi and the Galactic Empire were at the height of their influence. This sci-fi thriller sees a former Padawan reunite with her former Jedi Master as they investigate several crimes - all leading to darkness erupting from beneath the surface and preparing to bring about the end of the High Republic.
