Indara was a human Jedi Master of the Jedi Order who lived during the High Republic Era and trained a Padawan, Torbin. Often commanding an authoritative presence, the Jedi Master was skilled in several forms of combat, including wielding the Force to protect herself and others. In 148 BBY, she was sent on the planet Brendok with the Jedi Master Kelnacca, the Jedi Knight Sol, and Torbin to discover if a vergence of the Force had regenerated life on the world following the Great Hyperspace Disaster. While there, the she and Sol tested the twin sisters Verosha "Osha" and Mae-ho "Mae" Aniseya to be potential Padawans after discovering them within a coven of witches led by Mother Aniseya.

When Mae started a fire to prevent Osha from leaving with the Jedi, Sol rescued her, bringing her into the Jedi Order as his Padawan afterward when the Jedi—including Indara—departed the world. At some point after leaving Brendok, Torbin completed his Jedi training under Indara, eventually ascending to the rank of Jedi Master. Around 138 BBY, Indara suggested to the Jedi High Council that Osha's training be ended, though the latter ultimately left the Order on her own. Meanwhile, Mae sought revenge against Indara and the other three Jedi who had been on Brendok for perceived wrongs, though the Jedi had assumed Mae had perished in the Brendok fire years before.

In 132 BBY, Indara fought Mae—now a Sith assassin—on the planet Ueda in a skirmish in Lomi Usqi Noodle Shop. The pair engaged in an extended spar, with the Jedi Master defending herself using the Force as Mae used her knives to attack. However, Indara was ultimately killed by Mae when the assassin stabbed her, as the Jedi had been distracted by trying to save the noodle restaurant's barkeep, Cabuck, from one of Mae's knives. Following this, the Jedi Knight Yord Fandar and his Padawan, Tasi Lowa, brought Osha in as a suspect in the murder, though they ultimately cleared her of suspicion after discovering Mae still lived and had been involved in Torbin's death on the planet Olega. Afterward, the Jedi continued investigating Indara and Torbin's murders and displayed their holograms in the planet Coruscant's Jedi Temple. Meanwhile, Mae-ho continued her quest and sought to fight Kelnacca on the planet Khofar next, discussing her killing of the two Jedi she had encountered so far with her associate—whom she knew as the trader Qimir, though he was secretly her Sith Master using an alias.

Biography

Mission to Brendok

Vergence search

The human Indara lived during the High Republic Era, serving the Jedi Order as a Jedi Master^[2] and training a Padawan, Torbin.^[4] In 148 BBY,^[6] she was sent to the planet Brendok with her friend,^[2] the Jedi Knight Sol, the Jedi Master Kelnacca, and Torbin.^[7] For seven weeks, the Jedi tested plant samples on the world—which had been devastated in the Great Hyperspace Disaster^[5] of 232 BBY^[8]—to discover if the world's regeneration of life was caused by a vergence in the Force. Indara used datapad and an analyzer device to assist,^[5] and the Jedi continued working under the assumption Brendok was uninhabited.^[4]

Torbin became increasingly restless with the assignment and expressed his discontent during a meal in the Jedi's camp. While Indara coached him to be mindful his feelings about their mission, Sol further explained that they were searching for a vergence. The following day, Indara and Sol discussed Torbin's distracted attitude as they worked to analyze more plant samples. The Jedi Master also noted to the latter that she sensed the Jedi Knight's discontent as well, indicating that it was why she had a Padawan while he did not. At Indara's instruction, Sol split from the group and she told him to meet them at camp later.^[5]

Investigations into a coven

Sol discovered^[5] that an exiled coven of witches led by Mother Aniseya started training children on Brendok to use the Thread—also called the Force—which was against Galactic Republic law when used in a dark way.^[4] After failing to reach Indara via comm, Sol decided to spy on the coven,^[5] taking notice of the twin sisters Verosha "Osha" and Mae-ho "Mae" Aniseya—daughters of Mother Aniseya and Mother Koril—as they wandered outside the witches' fortress.^[5]

Mother Aniseya and^[4] her^[9] colleagues kept track of the Jedi's movements with scouts, assuming the visiting group had moved their ship inland, where the group had set up a camp.^[4] Meanwhile, Sol snuck into the fortress and observed the witches training the children, fearing for their safety after learning of the upcoming ceremony. Indara was alarmed upon learning of the witches' presence on Brendok, but cautioned her colleagues that they could not be Nightsisters—as they did not raise younglings—and that they also did not have all the information. Though Indara initially felt the Jedi should ask the Jedi High Council for guidance, she ceded to Sol's opinion and instructed Kelnacca to slice the fortress's door controls so they could enter. The Jedi Master also initially expressed her wish to confront the witches alone, to seem less threatening, but eventually agreed they should go in as a group.^[5]

Interrupting a ceremony

On the night of the twins' Rite of Ascension ceremony to become witches, Indara and the other Jedi slashed one of the coven's platforms and entered to the courtyard where the ritual was being held. Indara introduced her colleagues by name to the witches, insisting to the skeptical women that the Jedi did not mean to intrude or cause harm, having thought the world was uninhabited. The witches rebuffed the Jedi's claim that children were present on Brendok, offended at the visitors breaching their sacred inner circle. After Osha caught Indara's eye, the Jedi Master encouraged the child to come out of the crowd of witches. Mother Aniseya agreed to Indara's inquiry of meeting Mae as well, informing her that the children had no father.^[4]

When Sol proposed to Osha that she be tested as a Jedi, the child implored her mother for permission. However, Mother Aniseya used a Thread ability to incapacitate Torbin, threatening Indara that they needed to leave or she would not undo the effects. Indara insisted that she could not deny the Jedi's right to test potential Padawans, prompting the leader to reluctantly agree to allow the twins to be brought to the Jedi's camp the following day. The Jedi Master thanked them for cooperating, exiting the courtyard with her colleagues.^[4]

Afterward on their ship, Indara thanked Sol for distracting the witches by asking them to test the girls, which would give her time to consult the Council. However, she sharply disagreed with her colleague's wish to seriously consider Verosha as a potential student due to her age and mused that the ceremonial markings part of the Ascension ceremony could be a harmless cultureal ritual.^[5]

Testing potential students

Afterward, Mother Aniseya's advisors discussed whether to kill the Jedi or not to prevent their testing, with Koril insisting on striking at the visitors. Mother Aniseya insisted that it was her decision to allow the twins to meet with the Jedi, though later told her children to lie to them to avoid being taken off Brendok. The next day on their ship,^[4] Indara helped test Mae-ho for Force-sensitivity^[10] using a Jedi testing screen, with the former explaining to the child that she would be expected to describe what images were displayed on the device, though the child answered the questions incorrectly.^[4] Afterward, Indara and Mae-ho discussed the witches' Ascension ceremony, with the Jedi Master becoming increasingly concerned after learning the ritual's details, including details about the child's marking and its meaning.^[5]

Following Mae-ho's failure of the test, Indara agreed to allow Sol to attempt a different approach with Osha.^[5] Indara sat beside Sol as they repeated the process for Osha, with the former Master explaining how the testing worked to the child. When Osha was caught lying on one of the trial questions, as she had promised her family she would do, Indara surmised that her family did not want to be separated from her. Osha eventually passed the test^[4] after answering questions from that point forward correctly, troubling Indara as she watched Sol conduct the rest of the testing. When the child left, Indara asked the Council for their advice on the matter and told Torbin to run the girls' blood samples to check their m-count, telling her colleagues to continue their field work until they had a response.^[5]

Later that day, however, Indara informed her fellow Jedi that the Council had said they should not interfere further nor take the girls for Jedi training. After the Jedi reviewed the twins' blood samples and found their symbionts to be the same, as well as their high Force-sensitivity. Torbin rushed to go collect the girls under the belief that the pair's creation was enough to prove a vergence on the planet existed—thus allowing the Jedi to return home—and Sol pursued him on speeder bike while Indara and Kelnacca followed on the Jedi's ship.^[5]

Confronting the witches

Meanwhile, Osha informed her mother that she wished to become a Jedi,^[4] much to the dismay of most coven members other than Aniseya. At Koril's prompting, Mae-ho sought to prevent her sister from leaving Brendok and sabotaged the fortress's door controls before accidentally starting a fire outside Osha's room. In the Jedi's ship, Indara approached the fortress and witnessed explosions rocking it from within, allowing Kelnacca to jump down to the structure while she found somewhere to land. However, Kelnacca was affected by the witches' collectively using a Force ability to control his actions and fought Sol and Torbin. Upon arrival Indara used the Force, with much effort, to cease its effects before instructing Sol to find the twins. In breaking the witches' hold on Kelnacca, the chanting witches died when their concentration broke.^[5]

Sol ultimately saved Osha, bringing her to the Jedi's ship for medical care.^[4] Indara instructed Kelnacca to send a message to^[5] the planet^[11] Coruscant,^[4] telling Torbin they were going home. The Jedi Master berated both Sol and her Padawan for not heeding her warning to not interfere and tussling with the former. However, she nonetheless insisted that their group of Jedi should lie to the Council and tell them that Mae-ho's fire had killed all the witches, which would allow Osha to become Sol's Padawan—not taking her dream of being a Jedi from her, now that the rest of her life was ruined.^[5] Osha remained unaware that Mae had survived, despite the rest of the witches dying. Following the ordeal, Sol took Osha as his Padawan^[2] after they returned to Coruscant.^[4]

Post-Brendok

At some point following their departure, Torbin completed his Padawan training, eventually ascending to the rank of Jedi Master.^[12] Meanwhile, Mae decided she wished revenge on four Jedi who had been on Brendok—one of whom was Indara—for leaving her for dead in the fire. Her grudge prompted her to^[13] plot to kill them to please^[12] her Sith Master, an individual known only as "the Master,"^[14] though who was using the alias Qimir while posing as a trader.^[14]

Eventually, Indara advised the Jedi High Council to discontinue Osha's training. Ultimately, Osha departed the Jedi Order^[2] around 138 BBY^[15] after deciding on her own to leave the Jedi.^[2]

Death and legacy

Noodle shop chaos

At some point, Indara was assigned to a village on^[2] the planet^[16] Ueda.^[2] In 132 BBY,^[1] she visited the Lomi Usqi Noodle Shop restaurant, sitting at a corner table with several other alien and human patrons. Mae—by that time operating as a secret^[2] Sith assassin^[17]—pursued the Jedi Master to Ueda, bribing a masked alien at the settlement's gates to tell her where Indara was, intending to kill the Jedi. Once inside the restaurant, Mae prompted Indara to attack her to settle their "unfinished business." However, when the nearby patrons laughed at her, the Jedi Master silenced her dining companions and insisted she had no reason to fight the newcomer, as Jedi do not strike the unarmed.^[2]

Angered, Mae attacked several aliens and started a mass barfight in the noodle shop. After briefly seizing the assassin by the wrist, Indara engaged in hand-to-hand combat with Mae, dodging the latter's attempt to take her lightsaber.^[2] Mae eventually became frustrated when she was unable to land a blow on the Jedi Master without using a weapon, eventually taking out a set of knives.^[18] Using defensive techniques, the Jedi Master avoided Mae's attempts to stab her with her knives, using the Force to halt her movements mid-strike. When Indara inquired who trained her, the assassin^[2] Force jumped^[18] to the second level of the noodle shop and took a hostage, holding a knife to her captive's throat.^[2]

Indara swiftly vaulted herself toward the hostage, sending a comlink message informing others of the assassin's presence while dodging other patrons as they fled. Mae threw her hostage off the edge of a catwalk and hid, prompting Indara to slow the patron's descent with the Force. Indara then walked around the rest of the second level of the establishment, eventually engaging Mae in combat again as the assassin continued her knife attacks. Though the Jedi Master was pushed into a wall by one of the assassin's kicks, she managed to use the Force to push her assailant away from her.^[2]

A violent end

After disarming Mae, Indara shifted the assassin's cloth mask off her face, questioning why she had come. The assassin declared her intent to kill the Jedi Master, using the Force to draw several more knives and throw them at Indara. The Jedi Master sliced each into pieces with her lightsaber, telling her opponent that her current course of action was unwise, as she would not win. Mae countered that a Jedi never drew their weapon unless prepared to kill, prompting Indara to deactivate it and move out of her attack stance. After both heard clanking noises, the pair turned to see^[2] Cabuck,^[19] the noodle shop's barkeep, still at^[2] his^[11] station below.^[2]

Mae threw one of her knives at Cabuck, which Indara stalled mid-air using the Force. However, while the Jedi Master was distracted, the assassin stabbed her with another knife. Indara collapsed to one knee as her lightsaber deactivated, bleeding from her chest as Mae surveyed her mortally wounded opponent.^[2] Emotional at the Jedi's death, Mae maintained a cold facade^[11] as the Jedi died, backing away only after her passing and leaving the restaurant.^[2]

Initial investigations

Following the shocking incident,^[11] Cabuck described Mae's physical appearance to investigators. The Jedi Knight Yord Fandar and his Padawan, Tasi Lowa, were dispatched to look into the incident, tracking down Mae's twin sister—Osha—as a potential suspect. After the pair informed her of why they had come, Osha was offended that the Jedi thought her capable of a crime such as killing Indara, as she now worked as a simple meknek mechanic. When Cabuck claimed that Osha was the killer after recognizing her physical appearance, Osha was sent on a DTE-CSA-17 Calaboose prison ship,^[2] the Palwick,^[20] to Coruscant.^[2]

In the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, Jedi Master Vernestra Rwoh informed Sol—now a Jedi Master—that they had Osha in custody as a suspect in Indara's murder. Though saddened by his friend's death, Sol was hesitant to believe his former student would commit such a crime, citing how they had saved Osha from a fire in her youth.^[2] When Osha's prison transport crashed on the snowy^[2] planet^[11] Carlac following a failed escape attempt by several of the other criminals on Osha's prison transport, Fandar, Sol's Padawan Jecki Lon, and Sol were dispatched to the world. After finding Osha, she repeatedly claimed to Sol that she was not responsible for Indara's murder and eventually left Carlac with the Jedi.^[2]

Tracking a murderer

Though Fandar remained suspicious of Osha for Indara's death, Sol refused to put her in restraints. Sol and Rwoh then communicated via hologram about the former's theory that Mae had committed the crime, which the latter agreed with due to another break-in occurring at a Jedi temple on^[12] the planet^[22] Olega while Osha was in their custody, thus making it impossible for her to have been responsible. On Olega, Sol confronted Mae for killing Indara and then later Torbin in Olega's Jedi temple, prompting the assassin to attack him before eventually fleeing to escape Jedi arrest.^[12]

In Coruscant's Jedi Temple, several Jedi Masters met to discuss Indara and Torbin's murder, with Rwoh displaying the pair as holograms on a central table beside Kelnacca, though the two Jedi who had passed away were tinged in red. Rwoh ordered the Jedi present to have Kelnacca pull out from his post on the planet^[23] Khofar and have Mae-ho brought in, pointing out to Sol that the assassin was targeting the four Jedi who had been on Brendok sixteen years prior. On Khofar, Mae-ho and Qimir—who had traveled to the world to find Kelnacca—discussed the former's murder of Indara and Torbin and how it had not satisfied their Master's demands due to using weapons to end their lives.^[21]

Mae-ho opted to end her quest and forego killing Kelnacca in favor of reuniting with her sister, whom she had recently discovered was alive on Olega. However, the Master then killed the Wookiee Jedi instead,^[21] and Jecki's later attempt to arrest Mae-ho for Indara's murder was unsuccessful.^[14] Afterward, Mae-ho posed as Osha by dressing in her sister's clothes and left Khofar with Sol. As he walked through the Jedi's ship, she reminisced on when she had been on one prior, hearing in her mind Indara's instructions on how testing to become a Jedi worked.^[10]

Personality and traits

Often exuding a sense of command, authority,^[3] and resolve^[24] with her presence^[3] Indara was a well-respected Jedi Master^[25] who led her colleagues on missions.^[4] She was loyal to the Jedi Order's ideals and supported the organization's belief that, under Galactic Republic authority, Jedi had the right to test any children as potential Padawan candidates.^[4] Indara carried a friendly demeanor^[9] toward Osha and Mae on Brendok when first meeting them, reassuring them that the Jedi would not harm them.^[4] By 132 BBY,^[1] Indara was friends with Sol, with whom had been stationed on Brendok previously.^[2]

As a Jedi, Indara did not believe in attacking unarmed individuals^[2] and sought to be respectful of those she met. However, in contrast, the witches in Aniseya's coven on Brendok took offense to Indara and her colleagues being armed with their lightsabers on Brendok while trespassing in one of their sacred areas.^[4] On Ueda, Indara to attempted save as many innocents as possible^[2] out of moral duty^[25] when they were in danger, including the noodle shop's barkeep.^[2] Mae, meanwhile, sought to test the Jedi Master's resolve to put others' lives above her own by attacking civilians to see if the Jedi would help them.^[18] Though Indara was confident that Mae would eventually be unsuccessful in her revenge-fueled endeavors, Indara was ultimately killed in their duel.^[2]

Mae wished to exact revenge on Indara and three other Jedi for perceived wrongs,^[12] as the Jedi had taken her sister away from Brendok, which she had tried and failed to prevent.^[4] The assassin felt emotional upon her successful murder of the Jedi Master,^[11] pleased with her actions.^[12] In contrast, Sol was saddened upon hearing of her passing.^[2] The Jedi stood 1.77 meters tall and had light skin and blue eyes. Indara kept her brown hair styled in an updo.^[3] In 148 BBY,^[6] Indara bore one circular marking near one of her eyes, though^[26] by 132 BBY,^[1] she had added one more, making for two markings total.^[26]

Powers and abilities

Indara was a powerful^[25] Jedi Master possessing refined physical and mental skills. Having been trained by the Jedi Order, her command of the Force allowed her to engage in combat easily.^[3] Indara managed to train at least one Padawan—Torbin^[4]—who eventually became a Jedi Master himself after finishing his training^[12] under Indara.^[4] Though she did not seek out conflict, she could use her defensive skills to protect others from harm while also keeping awareness of her surroundings, such as when an assailant attempted to take her lightsaber.^[3]

During her time on Brendok, Indara proved able to lead^[5] the Jedi under her command^[27] as they searched for a vergence for several weeks. The Jedi Master was able to pilot a starship and also use various types of equipment such as scanners and analyzers. When the Brendok witches exerted a Thread ability on Kelnacca to force him to attack his colleagues, Indara was able to counter it by concentrating her prowess of the Force after knocking him to the ground. The moment the Jedi Master broke the coven's concentration and freed Kelnacca from their spell, the witches lifelessly collapsed.^[5]

On Ueda, Indara used telekinesis to save Cabuck from being stabbed with a knife by halting the weapon mid-air and also used the ability to prevent a hostage from falling to the floor from a story above. The Jedi Master was adept at hand-to-hand combat^[2] by using controlled^[11] defensive maneuvers, able to dodge many weapons thrown at her either by moving to avoid them or slicing them in pieces with her lightsaber in an attack stance.^[2] Indara was physically able to complete acrobatic maneuvers to scale distances and quickly move to different levels of a structure.^[11]

Equipment

On Brendok, Indara wore yellow Jedi robes featuring a darker yellow undertunic. She paired the outfit with a brown cloak, and a dark-colored utility belt with maroon edging and a gold buckle^[4] bearing the Jedi Order's insignia.^[28] Indara also used some light colored thread to keep her hair secured behind her head,^[4] carried a brown shoulder bag, and wore black gloves featuring fasteners. For several weeks on Brendok, Indara worked alongside her fellow Jedi to look for a vergence on the world by using a variety of equipment. The Jedi Master utilized long-handled ground scanner, as well as a different type of scanner mounted on a post, the data of which ported to a datapad.^[5]

Years later on Ueda, she wore multi-layered ivory-colored Jedi robes featuring delicate pleating, a brown utility belt with a gold-colored buckle, pleated brown boots. Her undertunic featured a slight ribbing pattern, while her overtunic was made of rougher, more structured material.^[29] She also donned a brown cloak and owned a silver-colored comlink. Indara wielded a green-bladed lightsaber with a gold-and-silver hilt,^[2] which she kept attached to her belt as a symbol of the Jedi's role as guardians of peace in the galaxy.^[30]

Behind the scenes

Milestones

Indara first appeared in "Lost / Found," the first episode of the live-action Disney+ series The Acolyte,^[2] which aired on June 4, 2024.^[32] She was visually depicted in a Celebration Europe-exclusive trailer^[33] released during the Lucasfilm Studio Showcase on April 7, 2023. Carrie-Anne Moss's casting for the role was revealed in a StarWars.com article the following day.^[34] Indara was first identified by name in a StarWars.com article on March 18, 2024, that announced The Acolyte's first publicly available trailer and the series' premiere date.^[32]

A May 4, 2024, StarWars.com article revealing The Acolyte's final trailer and poster art indicated that Torbin was Indara's Padawan.^[35] However, the information had been removed from the article by May 7.^[36] Torbin was later confirmed to have been Indara's Padawan in events set prior to The Acolyte's main storyline that were depicted in the third episode of the series, "Destiny,"^[4] which was released on June 11, 2024.^[37]

Filming

Indara's stunt double, Katie McDonnell,^[2] practiced lightsaber choreography with Moss for the role.^[38] Like the rest of The Acolyte, Indara's scenes were filmed on practical sets and limited usage of CGI to honor Headland's vision.^[39] Moss spent around three weeks training for the role leading up to the series' production in action and stunt combat preparation,^[25] finding the process extremely physically exhausting due to the short timeframe.^[40] Despite her initial struggles, Moss became much more comfortable with the physical aspect of the role by the last week of her training. Ultimately, filming for all of Indara's scenes lasted three months.^[41] Similar to her co-star, the first fight sequence Stenberg and her stunt doubles learned for The Acolyte was also the noodle shop duel against Indara.^[42]

Moss indicated that one of the primary reasons she wanted to portray Indara was the opening fight scene of the series^[31] on Ueda,^[2] as she had not done acting work with that level of choreography in a long time^[31] and considered it a deep responsibility.^[43] She considered the scene to be the favorite one she had filmed for the show,^[44] despite how tiring the training for it had been.^[45] Moss was passionate about making sure she used her lightsaber properly while filming, wanting to do it exactly right. She would practice with a baton in her hotel to prepare, and participated in reshoots until the scene was perfect, considering it one of the most stressful parts of the performance.^[41]

Portrayal

Casting

Moss enjoyed the method series creator Leslye Headland's used to create The Acolyte's story, finding multiple perspectives shown in the narrative particularly interesting. The actor was excited to be part of a Star Wars production and had not imagined doing so in the past.^[31] Though she knew Star Wars was a lore-heavy franchise, she sought to bring her character to life in her own way by staying open minded and trusting her director.^[40] She found portraying a Jedi to be "incredible,"^[46] honored to be part of a franchise that has impacted many people, including her family, who were excited to see the series upon its release.^[44] In the past, her family had often joked about her taking on a Star Wars role, with Moss noting that in one instance, they had done so, and she had gotten the call to be in The Acolyte two weeks later.^[41]

One of her sons is a Star Wars fan, and she asked both him and Headland a lot of questions to feel grounded in the universe's lore.^[47] She immediately accepted the role upon offer wanting to pour her heart and soul into the character because of her appreciation for Headland's work. Moss felt that her fight scene had a story in it, specifically calling out Indara's "containment" as an aspect she liked, in that the character had power in her but moreso that her true power came from strict control and prowess over her abilities, rather than letting loose and wild, and to make it look effortless.^[41] The actor enjoyed her character's fierce demeanor and sense of humanity^[25] and at one point spoke to Pablo Hidalgo while preparing for the role.^[41] In an interview The Acolyte's launch premiere for cast, press, and select fans on May 23, 2024, Moss expressed her hopes for fans to enjoy the journey, story, and action the series' characters would engage in.^[48]

Showrunner thoughts

Headland was inspired by Trinity from The Matrix, who was portrayed by Moss, hence why her casting in the show was "no-brainer" as Hedland wanted the audience to see Indara as one of the most powerful Jedi in the room by perceiving her like "Trinity with a lightsaber." Moss felt hooked by Headland's vision for the show in the same way she felt connected to her projects with Christopher Nolan and the Wachowskis, enjoying playing a Jedi Master and training to do so, acknowledging that her role as Indara made her realize how much she loves the action genre and aims to make her part perfect.^[49]

Moss felt that the nature of the Force was an intriguing concept, particularly how Jedi could train to use the Force as a "kung-fu" style force field within the story of a fight.^[50] The showrunner felt that the fast paced scenes with a lot of physical exertion made the scenes feel more visceral to the audience, stating that Moss was able to perfectly stay on-beat with her death scene.^[51]

Cast commentary

The actor Manny Jacinto, who portrayed Qimir, felt that bringing in Moss from an iconic franchise such as The Matrix showed audiences that The Acolyte would be a new and fresh type of Star Wars not seen before.^[51] Charlie Barnett, Fandar's actor—agreed with Moss's statement that the noodle shop duel was one of her favorite scenes in the series. He particularly highlighted Moss's prowess of the Force in the fight sequence as Indara, joking that she was a "strong, wise Jedi."^[44]

Amandla Stenberg^[46]—who portrayed Mae and Osha in The Acolyte^[2]—said she nearly had a heart attack upon learning the first person she would fight in the show would be Moss. Stenberg indicated that she knew Moss had been in The Matrix franchise^[46] portraying Trinity, a character Stenberg considered one of science fiction's most powerful and intimidating characters. Despite her anxiety over their characters fighting, Stenberg also felt Moss kindly took her under her wing while they filmed Indara and Mae's scenes together.^[52] Moss, meanwhile, stated that training for the fights needed for filming was a very special experience to share, expressing that Stenberg was dedicated to her performance.^[46] Moss was also was fond of her co-star Lee Jung-jae's portrayal of Sol, finding that his acting had a lot of heart in it to make scenes feel genuine.^[53]

Development

An intentional cold open

In the script for "Lost / Found"'s cold open, Headland described Indara's demeanor on Ueda as relaxed and controlled, similar to^[54] the Jedi Master^[55] Obi-Wan Kenobi or the character O-Ren Ishii from the Kill Bill franchise,^[54] a martial arts movie series.^[56] Though Headland understood why some fans may have found Indara's death shocking, she indicated that it was important for the Jedi to be able to lose, making them not infallible.^[51] Headland's background as a television writer inspired her decision to have Indara's death scene as a cold open.^[57]

The showrunner was particularly fond of the cold open to the television series Breaking Bad, and while thinking about what version of that she could put in her own show, settled on killing Moss's character to shock those who would recognize the actor and the parallels between her character Trinity in The Matrix.^[57] The actor indicated that she always knew her character would die in the opening scenes of The Acolyte, stating that Headland had wanted her death to impact the audience.^[40]

Noodle shop choreography

Action designer and second unit director Christopher Clark Cowan indicated that Mae and Indara's duel intentionally depicted the assassin trying to attack Indara without a weapon first, before raising the stakes and using knives after being unable to land blows on the Jedi Master. Cowan felt that the duel scene depicted Mae trying to test Indara's resolve to protect innocents throughout the fight, as the Jedi otherwise was only acting defensively. Lu Junchang, an assistant fight coordinator for The Acolyte, noted that extensive wire work and Force pushes were used in the scene to set a standard for the rest of the series' fights.^[18]

Indara's scene on Ueda was inspired by^[58] the film^[59] Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, as both it and The Acolyte feature fast, high-flying martial arts choreography.^[58] Headland's input on the choreography was also influenced the Kill Bill franchise, and elements of that franchise were seen when Mae swiftly jumped away from Indara and onto the noodle shop's second floor.^[18] The showrunner's crew worked hard to incorporate heavy elements of hand-to-hand combat and martial arts into every major fight scene,^[45] including Indara's on Ueda,^[2] while also striving to make each combat sequence in The Acolyte unique to viewers.^[60]

Indara's duel's music

Composer Michael Abels, who created the musical score for The Acolyte, indicated that the music in the noodle shop fight sequence was intended to have a kinetic and slightly primitive energy throughout Indara and Mae's fight. Having felt the fight's musical theming was crucial for setting the rest of The Acolyte's tone, he informed Headland that he did not wish to work on the sequence first while doing work for the series.^[61]

Abels noted that when Indara drew her lightsaber in the scene, the stakes of the skirmish were raised to a new level, echoing the traditional themes of Star Wars music.^[31] The composer described the music that played when Indara died as a "theme of profound loss," which he indicated would be used in other parts of the series in the future when other characters felt or experienced the same emotions.^[61]

Costume development

Jedi robes

The Acolyte's costume designer, Jennifer Bryan, created Indara's Jedi attire and other costume elements. Bryan sought to make the Jedi Master recognizably a Jedi to anyone who saw her—both in-universe and outside of it—by having her don the classic brown Jedi robes that were first worn by Obi-Wan Kenobi in^[29] the 1977 original trilogy film^[55] Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope. The ivory coloring of Indara's Ueda Jedi robes beneath her cloak was inspired by Princess Leia Organa's white dress from the original trilogy. The designer felt that the scene of Indara in her hood on Ueda was particularly memorable and liked its finished result, having designed her costume by keeping in mind that the Jedi Master would be the first Jedi depicted in the series.^[29]

A structured leather doublet was constructed for Moss to give her more support, using stiff material that featured topstitching matching the delicate pleating of her undertunic and the micro pleating of her boots. Aside from their stylistic qualities, Bryan created all components of Indara's costume with utility in mind to suit The Acolyte's action choreography.^[29] Moss noted that the boning in the costume injured her at some points because it restricted the movement of her back. Though the actor did not often feel the pain while in character, she often needed to recover from filming each night due to the costume's constraints.^[41]

Lightsaber

According to sound designer Kimberly Patrick, the sound emitted when all lightsabers used in the series ignite,^[31] including Indara's lightsaber,^[2] was customized by the VFX efforts of Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound after starting as a version of the classic lightsaber ignition sound. For the steady humming sound produced by an active lightsaber blade, Patrick used a modified version of the sound from Kenobi's lightsaber in the original trilogy, using various methods to slightly distort and alter the pitch for different characters.^[31]

The Jedi Master's lightsaber was displayed alongside several others at The Acolyte's press premiere on May 23, 2024.^[48] Much of the center glow lighting of Indara's lightsaber was added after filming, as actors had filmed with a new, hybrid type of lightsaber not previously used in Star Wars productions. Though Headland wished to have at least some light reflecting off characters faces in filming to have a further depth of realism, she realized that lighter props, such as the ones used in the prequel trilogy, were necessary to make them usable.^[39] The showrunner personally selected the lightsaber colors for each original character in The Acolyte,^[62] which included Indara,^[2] based on the aesthetic of what the scene needed and the character's personality.^[62]

Appearances

• The Acolyte — "Choice"
• The Acolyte — "Destiny"
• The Acolyte — "Lost / Found" (First appearance)
• The Acolyte — "Revenge / Justice" (Mentioned only)
• The Acolyte — "Day" (Appears in hologram)
• The Acolyte — "Night" (Mentioned only)
• The Acolyte — "Teach / Corrupt" (Voice only)

Sources

Notes and references