OSHA
In “Lost / Found” (The Acolyte 1.1), the ex-Jedi padawan Osha Aniseya is first introduced working as a meknek (mechanic) on a Trade Federation frigate. In this context, her first name is cheekily ironic, because anyone who works in the film industry in the United States would be familiar with the acronym OSHA, which stands for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Per its own website, OSHA exists “to assure America's workers have safe and healthful working conditions,” but the Trade Federation employs Osha to do highly dangerous work on the exterior of the frigate. The captain denies there are any mekneks onboard, however, since “The Republic has legislated that only droids may perform outer ship repair.” He lies because he knows that the work Osha is doing puts him out of compliance with the Republic’s equivalent to OSHA regulations.
This connection between Osha and OSHA might seem like a throwaway joke, but there is a reason Osha’s name connotes safety. While doing repairs on the frigate, Osha has to put out a fire, and this triggers her memories of when her twin sister, Mae Aniseya, started the fire that destroyed their clan on the planet Brendok. If Osha is associated with safety, repair, and order, Mae is associated with recklessness, destruction, and chaos. Indeed, this dichotomy between order and chaos is the heart of the conflict depicted in The Acolyte: Osha’s former master Sol is trying to capture Mae and her anarchic teacher Qimir before they damage the Jedi Order’s carefully managed reputation for maintaining order and safety in the galaxy.
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Characters: Mae Aniseya / Osha Aniseya
Shows: The Acolyte
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Concepts: duality / fire / names / occupations / order and disorder / safety and security / siblings
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