The Acolyte: What Is a Vergence in Star Wars Lore?

Warning: The following article contains spoilers for The Acolyte Season 1, Episode 7, “Choice.”

The Acolyte‘s penultimate episode, “Choice,” reintroduces a key concept from The Phantom Menace: vergences in the Force. So, what exactly is a vergence in the Force, according to Star Wars lore?

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The Acolyte’s Vergence in the Force, Explained

The term “vergence” crops up early in The Acolyte Season 1, Episode 7. It’s the reason Indara, Sol, Kelnacca, and Torbin are on Brendok: they’re investigating a possible vergence on the planet. We only get a very top-level explanation of what a vergence is, though. Indara describes a vergence as “a concentration of Force energy centered around a location.” Sol adds that vergences have the potential to create life (as one has apparently done on once lifeless Brendok). But what does all of that mean? Basically, vergences are Force nexuses, and where they form, wild stuff happens.

For example, the Cave of Evil and the Mirror Cave – where Luke Skywalker and Rey experience trippy visions in The Empire Strikes Back and The Last Jedi, respectively – are both vergence sites. Luke’s lightsaber, which calls to Rey (and triggers further mental malarky) in The Force Awakens, is a kind of portable vergence. And, as established in The Phantom Menace, Anakin Skywalker is a living vergence; it’s how the Chosen One’s mom-only birth happened.

What is The Acolyte‘s vergence? Based on what we learn in “Choice,” it’s a Force nexus that Mother Aniseya’s coven built its headquarters on. Aniseya seemingly used the vergence’s power to impregnate Mother Koril with Osha and Mae. The exact specifics are still a bit vague, however, Aniseya’s vergence-centric ritual involved splitting one consciousness in two, resulting in twins.

Related: The Acolyte: Do The Stranger and Osha Visit a Key Star Wars Sequel Trilogy Location?

Is The Acolyte’s Vergence Connected to Anakin Skywalker?

Yes and no. The major overlap between The Acolyte‘s vergence and the vergence surrounding Anakin Skywalker in The Phantom Menace is that both involve the “virgin birth” trope. Both the twins and Anakin were conceived via the Force; they have no biological fathers.

The big difference is that The Acolyte makes it explicitly clear that Aniseya actively engineered Osha and Mae’s birth. By contrast, The Phantom Menace suggests that the Force created Anakin of its own volition, without any outside influence.

Admittedly, Revenge of the Sith (along with other Star Wars media) leaves it ambiguous whether Darth Sidious had a hand in Anakin’s creation. However, according to the Lucasfilm Story Group’s Matt Martin, the official canonical position is that the Chosen One manifested without Sidious’ help.

The Acolyte Season 1 is currently streaming on Disney+, with new episodes dropping Tuesdays.