Star Wars fans have been buzzing about a potentially huge reveal in new footage from The Acolyte, and now a curious change to that footage on YouTube adds fuel to the fire of its accuracy.
The Acolyte, which debuts on Disney+ June 4, is about a Jedi Master named Sol (Squid Game’s Lee Jung-jae) who sets out on a mission to investigate crimes that are being committed by his former apprentice, Mae (Amandla Stenberg). Did she do it? Did she not? A new TV spot ends with Stenberg’s character pleading with her master that “I didn’t do it! Believe me.” Only, something isn’t quite right. This is where this rumor comes in. Here’s the clip, called “Plan.”
Note: If what follows is true, it reveals a potential major plot point in The Acolyte. If you want to be extra safe and not be spoiled, we suggest leaving now.
In the moment at the end of the footage, fans (such as the ones over at Bespin Bulletin) noticed that the subtitles originally referred to Stenberg as “Osha” instead of “Mae,” which is the character’s name that has been publically revealed. That, along with the fact “Osha” is dressed completely differently than “Mae,” feeds a rumor that Stenberg is playing twins on The Acolyte, one on the path of the Dark Side, one on the path of the Light Side.
But is that true? Is it not? Was it a mistake? Those are questions we don’t have answers to but io9 did notice a fairly significant piece of evidence strongly suggesting someone did not want the “Osha” character name out there.
At some point since the “Plan” TV spot was uploaded three days ago, the subtitle settings on YouTube appear to have changed. The subtitles on the video default to “English (Auto Generated),” which does not have character names. On the contrary, every other video on the Star Wars YouTube that we checked has an additional option called “English (United States),” which does have character names. So, did Lucasfilm ask for those to be turned off to protect the secret? We don’t know. io9 reached out to Lucasfilm for clarification or clarity on this matter and will update the post if or when we hear back.
Again, maybe this is just a mistake. Maybe after this post goes up, the subtitle settings will be updated (or rewritten). Maybe Osha is another character entirely. Or, maybe, someone messed up, got caught, and this is covering up the spoiler. What do you think is true?
We’re sure to find out soon when Star Wars: The Acolyte premieres June 4 on Disney+.
Need more entertainment? Pedestrian Television has launched on 9Now where you can cult classic movies like Fright Night, and homegrown content like Eternal Family and Rostered On. Watch all that and more for free, 24/7 on 9Now.