Duality has been a focus of galactic tales from the beginning.
Tight-knit, torn apart, or recently reunited — we meet twins of all kinds in Star Wars.
Most recently, the Aniseya twins played a large role in The Acolyte, first revealed in the premiere episode “Lost/Found,” where we learned the assassin Mae also had a twin sister, a skilled meknek (and former Padawan) named Osha. Separated after a tragic fire on their home planet Brendok — a planet with twin moons, no less — the sisters each believed the other had perished until Mae resurfaced to take revenge on the Jedi she blamed for the death of her family.
Twin characters — and their unique connections to each other — as well as twin imagery can be found in many Star Wars stories, from animated shorts to the film that started it all. Early in Star Wars: A New Hope, Luke Skywalker wistfully looks at Tatooine’s binary suns, having no idea his journey will reunite him with his twin sister, Leia. A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi bring the adventure-seeking farmboy and the steel-spined princess together as they lead a feisty group of rebels in a fight against the Empire — and their father Darth Vader. Vastly divergent childhood experiences lead Luke and Leia to see their father through different lenses, but the two always support and protect each other. Decades later, continuing the power of two in Star Wars, Leia’s son Ben Solo discovers he is part of a powerful Force dyad with a scavenger named Rey. While Ben and Rey are not twins, or related by blood, they share a unique bond that bridges the minds of the duo, connecting them across space and time.
Another set of twin Jedi appeared in the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Tiplee and Tiplar, Mikkian twins, were both Jedi generals during the Clone Wars. Fighting as a unified front, Tiplee and Tiplar are a rare example of Jedi who were not separated from their entire family as children. Their connection and attachment to each other takes a tragic turn in the episode “The Unknown,” when Clone Trooper Tup’s inhibitor chip malfunctions leading him to prematurely execute Order 66 and assassinate Tiplar in battle. Grieving the loss of her sister, Tiplee must fight some very un-Jedi-like emotions to keep her from seeking revenge. The loss of a twin also played a role in the comic series Bounty Hunters where former bounty hunter T’onga leaves her peaceful life as a farmer behind to return to the underworld to avenge the death of her twin brother, T’ongor.
The Star Wars: Visions canon-adjacent short “The Twins” focuses on twin siblings created through the power of the dark side. Master Am and Master Karre both wear armor refined with dark energy that threatens to power a planet-destroying weapon. While Master Am is prepared to sacrifice her body if necessary to make this dark power a reality to fight the Republic, her brother Karre revolts from his planned destiny, stealing the weapon’s kyber crystal power core. The twins battle each other; as one sees a chance for power, the other sees only despair. Ultimately, Karre turns to the power of the light side of the Force to try and stop his sister’s plan — as well as save her life.
Some Star Wars siblings work closely together while other duos are literally connected to each other. A pair of Hutt twins, known simply as the Twins, try to lay claim to their cousin Jabba the Hutt’s territory during the New Republic era in The Book of Boba Fett episode “The Tribes of Tatooine.” The brother and sister Hutt make an indelible impression as they’re carried on an enormous litter through the streets of Mos Espa with a personal drummer to signal their arrival. And while not technically twins, Star Wars stories have also featured some peculiar twin-headed characters. The talkative two-headed Troig Fode and Beed appeared in The Phantom Menace and the Danzikan Lark and Jonk can be found in Solo: A Star Wars Story.
During the High Republic era, about a hundred years before the events of The Acolyte, Jedi bond-twins Terec and Ceret assisted the Jedi Order in their battle against the deadly and carnivorous Drengir and violent Nihil marauders. As bond-twins, Terec and Ceret’s connection is unique. The twins share the same mind, can sense each other’s thoughts, and are affected when the other is injured or in pain. While not physically connected, the Kotabi siblings in many ways share the same life experience — even able to help their sibling heal despite a long physical separation.
Many mysteries remain about Osha and Mae’s creation, but their existence appears unique in the Star Wars galaxy: as Torbin discovered through a blood sample analysis, the girls are biologically the same person, essentially one consciousness split into two bodies. Created by Mother Aniseya’s witch coven, whose chants allude to “the power of two” the girl’s bond as young children is clear, as evidenced in their call-and-response rhyme “Always one, but born as two. As above sits the stars, and below lies the sea. I give you you. And you give me me.” While Mae finds comfort and meaning in these words, Osha seems to feel trapped and limited. The siblings find themselves at a dangerous crossroad after Osha tells her mothers she wants to become a Jedi, instead of remaining with their witch coven alongside Mae, a choice that quite literally sparks the events of the series beginning with the fire at the fortress. Both Mae and Osha remain filled with mixed feelings of grief and blame, but their bond remains clear when they are reunited years later.
Every Star Wars story is defined by the connections characters have to one another - whether these connections are by blood, shared history, or common goals. Twins are just one of many ways Star Wars continues to explore the themes of duality, balance, and attachment. Continue to unravel the secrets of Osha and Mae with all 8 episodes of The Acolyte now streaming on Disney+.
