Torbin

For other uses, see Torbin (disambiguation).

No one is safe from the truth.

Warning! This page contains spoilers from the episodes "Choice" and "The Acolyte" of The Acolyte. Caution is advised.

"I've been waiting for you, Mae."

―Torbin, to Mae Aniseya^[3]

Torbin was a human male who served as a Jedi of the Jedi Order during the High Republic Era. By 148 BBY, he was the Padawan of Jedi Master Indara. That year, he was stationed on the planet Brendok along with his Master, Jedi Knight Sol, and Jedi Master Kelnacca. While searching for a vergence in the Force on the planet, the Jedi discovered a coven of witches lead by Mother Aniseya. Concerned that the witches were training children to use the Force, the four Jedi interrupted a ceremony and requested to test the children they had learned of—the twins Verosha "Osha" and Mae-ho "Mae" Aniseya—to see if they were Force-sensitive. Aniseya initially refused and used the Force to incapacitate Torbin while threatening the other Jedi, but reluctantly agreed after being persuaded by Osha and Indara.

The next day, Torbin took blood tests from the twins as part of their testing. After receiving the test results and noticing an irregularity, Torbin took a speeder bike to the witches' fortress. After a fire broke out during a skirmish between the Jedi and witches, Torbin was injured and many of the witches were killed.

Sometime later, Torbin completed his Jedi training and eventually attained the rank of Jedi Master. By around 142 BBY, Torbin took took the Barash Vow and entered a silent state of meditation to atone for his role in the incident on Brendok. In 132 BBY, Mae, who had been presumed dead after the fire on Brendok, began targeting the four Jedi who had been stationed there. After killing Indara, Mae tracked Torbin to the Jedi temple on the planet Olega, where her first attempt to kill Torbin failed due to a Force barrier he projected. She later returned with bunta poison and persuaded Torbin to take his own life. Following this, the Jedi, including Sol, continued their investigation into Mae's murders. After Sol was killed by Osha, Jedi Master Vernestra Rwoh covered up the murders, insisting that he had been responsible for the killings of Torbin and the other Jedi who had been stationed on Brendok.

Biography[]

The Brendok incident[]

Investigating the witches[]

"If you want your Padawan returned to his right mind, I suggest you all leave. Now."

―Mother Aniseya, threatening the Jedi^[7]

The human male Torbin was a Jedi of the Jedi Order during the High Republic Era who was born to paupers on Bonadan.^[1] By 148 BBY,^[8] he was the Padawan of Jedi Master Indara.^[7] That year,^[8] he was stationed on the planet Brendok along with Indara and the Jedi Sol and Kelnacca. There, the Jedi investigated the life present on the planet, as it was thriving despite being catalogued as lifeless after a hyperspace disaster^[1] in 232 BBY.^[9] Seven weeks into the mission, Kelnacca cooked Nuna legs for the group, which Torbin complained about due to having already eaten them often during the mission. Indara warned him not to insult a Wookiee's cooking. Torbin did not understand why the mission was important, so Indara and Sol explained that they were looking for a vergence, a concentration of Force energy centered around a location. The next day, while continuing their investigation Indara and Sol spoke about how Torbin's feelings on the mission and Indara's method of teaching him.^[1]

Sol learned of a coven of witches led by Mother Aniseya, and became concerned that they were training children to use the Force, which the witches called the Thread. He spied on the coven, and noticed the twins Verosha "Osha" and Mae-ho "Mae" Aniseya, who often wandered outside of the witch's fortress. After Sol reported this to the other Jedi, they rode speeder bikes to the fortress.^[1]

The Jedi then entered the courtyard where the twins' Rite of Ascension ceremony, where they would become witches, was being held. Indara introduced the four Jedi, and stated their concerns about the witches training children against Republic law. The witches refuted Indara's claims, stating that Brendok was not part of the Republic, and that they had no children. However, after Kelnacca noticed the twins, Indara asked them to come out of the crowd. When Sol suggested that Osha be tested to train as a Jedi, she asked her mother for permission. In response, Aniseya incapacitated Torbin with a Thread ability.^[7] While incapacitated, Torbin saw only Aniseya around him, who spoke to him about his desires and offered to help him leave the planet.^[1] Aniseya threatened the other Jedi, telling them she would not release Torbin unless they left. However,^[7] she^[10] reluctantly agreed to allow her children to be tested. Following this, the Jedi exited the courtyard and returned to their starship.^[7]

Testing the twins[]

"Do all Jedis get one of those?"
"After much training, yes."

―Osha and Torbin, discussing lightsabers^[7]

The next day, Osha and Mae arrived at the site of the Jedi's encampment to be tested. While Mae tried to persuade Osha to fail the test on purpose, Torbin spoke with their other mother, Koril.^[7] Before Mae was tested, Torbin took a blood sample from her, and then was present during her test, which she deliberately failed.^[1] After she completed her testing, she exited the Jedi's ship, followed by Torbin, who informed Osha they were ready for her. Aboard the ship, Torbin took a blood sample from Osha. When she asked him if all Jedi got a lightsaber, he told her they did, but only after much training. Torbin remained present while Sol and Indara tested Osha, who attempted to fail the test at first, but was persuaded to admit that she did wish to become a Jedi.^[7]

After, Indara told Torbin to run the girls' blood samples. That night, while the Jedi discussed what to do about the twins, Torbin expressed his opinion that the witches were dangerous. When he checked the blood test results, he realized that their symbiotes were the same, an unusual result even for identical twins. Believing that the girls would be proof of the vergence they were searching for, Torbin took a speeder bike to the fortress and was pursued by the other Jedi.^[1]

Battle in the fortress[]

However, when Sol caught up with Torbin, they worked together to enter the fortress and rescue the girls. Inside the fortress, Sol and Torbin confronted the witches about the girls. After Mae entered the courtyard asking for help, Koril and Torbin readied their weapons to attack each other. Aniseya turned into black smoke, resulting in Sol fatally stabbing her. While Sol and Koril fought, Torbin used his lightsaber to deflect attacks from a group of witches attacking with bows.^[1]

During the fight, Kelnacca arrived, but he was under the witches' influence and attacked Torbin and Sol. He dueled them, and during the fight, slammed Torbin into a wall, injuring his face. Sol was able to disarm Kelnacca, and then fought him in hand-to-hand combat. As Kelnacca attempted to strangle Sol, Indara arrived. She knocked Kelnacca away and was able to free him from the witches's power. Indara then ordered Sol to rescue the twins from a fire Mae had started, but he was only able to save Osha. Along with Indara, Torbin was present in the ship's medical bay along when Osha awoke from her injuries and Sol told her about the fire. ^[1]

Finding absolution[]

The Barash Vow[]

"Forgive me. We thought we were doing the right thing."

―Torbin, to Mae Aniseya^[3]

TorbinLevitation-RevengeJustice — Torbin meditating

At some point after the mission, Torbin attained the rank of Master.^[3] By 142 BBY,^[11] Torbin took the Barash Vow to atone for his part in the incident on Brendok. As part of his vow, he entered a levitating meditation and did not speak for over ten years.^[3] The Barash Vow created an impenetrable barrier around Torbin, which may have been a side effect of the inner journey he took while meditating.^[12]

Sixteen years after the incident on Brendok,^[3] in 132 BBY,^[2] Mae, now an assassin, began targeting the four Jedi who had been stationed on Brendok, both to seek revenge and to please her master. After killing Indara, Mae found Torbin in the Jedi temple on^[3] the planet^[13] Olega, where he was still in his levitating state. There, Mae challenged him to attack her, but he remained silent. Mae then attempted to attack him, but he remained unresponsive while his barrier deflected her attacks. After her break in was noticed by other Jedi, she was forced to flee.^[3]

Death[]

"Master, there are no signs of struggle."
"He took this poison willingly."

―Jecki Lon and Sol^[3]

Mae later returned to the temple, this time with a vial of Bunta poison, which she had obtained from her accomplice, Qimir. Instead of attacking Torbin, she placed the poison in front of the Jedi. She offered him a choice to either confess his crime to the Jedi High Council, or to drink the poison and receive forgiveness. He finally responded to this, ending his silent meditation, and drinking the poison, killing himself.^[3]

After his death, Osha, who was assisting in the investigation into her sister, found Torbin's body. After closing his eyes, she picked up the empty vial and smelled it, identifying it as Bunta from her homeworld of Brendok. When other Jedi, including Sol and his Padawan, Jecki Lon, entered the room, they were initially suspicious of Osha, but another Jedi, Yord Fandar, confirmed her innocence. After Sol realized that Torbin had taken the poison willingly, Osha informed the group of the poison's identity. Shortly after, Osha told Sol that Mae was targeting the four Jedi who had been stationed on Brendok.^[3]

Later, in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, Jedi Master Vernestra Rwoh convened a small council to discuss Mae and the Jedi she was targeting. During the meeting, which Sol attended, holograms of Torbin, Kelnacca, and Indara were shown. The holograms of Torbin and Indara, who had been killed, turned red.^[14] A team then traveled to the planet Khofar to extract Kelnacca from his post. There, Lon encountered Mae, and attempted to arrest her for the murders of Torbin, Indara, and Kelnacca, who had also been killed, but she was unsuccessful.^[15] Sol was later killed by Osha on Brendok. Afterwords, Jedi Master Vernestra Rwoh covered up the murders, insisting that he had been responsible for the killings of Torbin and the other Jedi targeted by Mae.^[16]

Personality and traits[]

Torbin was a human male with auburn hair and a beard. The left side of his face, including over one eye, had several scars. He had light skin and blue eyes,^[3] and stood 1.8 meters tall.^[4]

While on Brendok, Torbin wished to go home and showed impatience. He disobeyed his Master when he thought he could find a way home.^[1] Later, he felt guilty about his actions, and killed himself in order to receive forgiveness from Mae.^[3]

Powers and abilities[]

Torbin was powerful with the Force, able to levitate for an extended period of time while simultaneously projecting a Force barrier.^[3]

Equipment[]

Torbin wielded a yellow-bladed lightsaber.^[17] As a Padawan, Torbin wore brown and gold Jedi robes.^[3] During the time he spent taking the Barash Vow, he wore white and gold temple robes.^[7]

Behind the scenes[]

Torbin-CharPoster-Acolyte — Torbin character poster from *The Acolyte*

Torbin was created for the 2024 Disney+ live-action series The Acolyte, and first appeared in "Revenge / Justice," the second episode of the series,^[3] which aired on June 4, 2024.^[18] The character was first depicted in the official trailer for the series, which released on March 19 of the same year,^[19] and he was identified in his databank entry the same day.^[20] The character is portrayed by Dean-Charles Chapman.^[21]

Showrunner Leslye Headland said that Torbin's impatience was because he was struggling from a blind spot that "any person that's ever been an eighteen year old who's on a camping trip they don't want to be on" would relate to. She also said that like Osha and Mae, Torbin suffered from the "worst kind of guilt" caused by mistakes made at a young age, which would be difficult to make amends for. Headland believed that Torbin never made peace with the mistakes he made, and that he was in a trapped state of mind, which she thought went thematically well with Torbin being literally trapped in his mind by Aniseya.^[22]