Rane

Rane was a Force-sensitive human witch within the coven of Mother Aniseya in a fortress on the planet Brendok. Serving as an ensign and an advisor, Rane attended the Rite of Ascension for Aniseya's twin daughters, Verosha and Mae-ho in 148 BBY. The ceremony was interrupted by a group of Jedi concerned about the witches training of the twins. Rane accused them of wishing to steal the children, but the Jedi denied this and asked to test if the twins could be tested to become Jedi, to which Aniseya agreed.

After Verosha chose to pass her test and declared that she wished to become a Jedi, Rane objected to the idea of letting the child leave, but Mother Aniseya chose to honor her child's wishes. Two of the Jedi then infiltrated the fortress, and Mother Aniseya was killed in a confrontation with them, after which Rane and a group of witches in the fortress's common room cast a spell to control the Wookiee Jedi Kelnacca, forcing him to fight his comrades. When Jedi Master Indara broke the witches' control over Kelnacca, it killed Rane and the others casting the spell.

Biography

Singing in the Rane

Rane was a Force-sensitive human female member of a coven of witches led by Mother Aniseya on the planet Brendok, serving as an ensign and a advisor.^[2] In 148 BBY,^[1] Rane walked through the courtyard of the coven's mountain fortress with fellow Ensign Eurus carrying staffs and followed by several other witches as the twins Verosha Aniseya and Mae-ho Aniseya, the daughters of Aniseya and Mother Koril, entered the fortress. The children waved to Rane and Eurus, who then left the courtyard via a set of stone steps.^[2]

In preparation for the twins Rite of Ascension later that night, Rane and many other witches gathered by a hole in the mountain at the base of the fortress and took part in^[2] a ritual of syncronized arm movements^[4] led by Koril. It ended with the group bowing before Mother Aniseya as she approached from the rear and then made her way through the crowd to begin the rite with a speech. The twins then joined her by the hole in the mountain, and Koril led Rane and the other witches in song and futher arm movements. Mother Aniseya completed the rite for Mae-ho, but before she could do so for Verosha, Eurus and the scout Sarria interrupted the ceremony to bring warning that a group of Jedi had sliced the fortress's entry platform and were fast approaching.^[2]

When it Ranes it pours

The witches then moved forward to conceal the twins behind them, with Rane ending up near the back of the group with Eurus. The four Jedi then entered and introduced themselves before revealing that they were concerned that the coven were training children. Aniseya initially tried to conceal the twins' presence, but when the Jedi Kelnacca sensed them in the crowd, Jedi Master Indara called for them to reveal themselves.^[2]

Verosha did so, with Mae-ho following once Mother Aniseya gave permission. When^[2] Jedi Knight^[3] Sol noticed a mark that Mae-ho had received in the rite and declared that she had not had it that morning, Koril accused the Jedi of spying, and Rane cried out that they were there to steal the children. Sol denied Rane's claim and then offered Verosha his lightsaber, asking if she would like to be tested to become a Jedi. Mother Aniseya then took control of Indara's Padawan Torbin using the Force, demanding the Jedi leave if they wished for him to be freed. However, after Verosha asked to be tested, Mother Aniseya relented and released Torbin before agreeing that the Jedi could test the twins the following day. Satisfied, the Jedi left, and Mother Aniseya ordered Koril to gather her advisors, including Rane.^[2]

Rane and the others gathered in the fortress's common room, where Koril suggested that they attack the Jedi that very night. Mother Aniseya declared that they must let the twins be tested, but Koril objected until Elder Naasa interjected. Rane moved out of the way to let Naasa pass as the elder approached the mothers, pointing out that the twins would only be taken by the Jedi if they passed the test. Aniseya then told Verosha and Mae-ho to intentionally fail the test, but Verosha chose to ignore her mothers' wishes and passed.^[2]

Rane on her parade

Rane sat with Eurus in the common room as the twins reported the results of the test to Mother Aniseya and Koril, with Verosha admitting she wished to be a Jedi and not a witch. Mother Aniseya promised to take Verosha's wishes into account and then sent her away,^[2] after which Rane and the other witches present rose to discuss what should be done about Verosha with Mother Aniseya.^[3]

Rane immediately objected to Verosha leaving, claiming she was too young to know how powerful she truly was and that it was not her choice to make. In response, Mother Aniseya wondered if it was right for them to ignore Verosha's wishes and choose for her, causing Rane to accuse her of sacrificing the coven's future over a child's wishes. Despite this, Mother Aniseya choses to respect her daughter's wishes.^[3]

Rane drops

Meanwhile, Mother Koril had told the other witches outside the common room to arm themselves and Sol and Torbin had infiltrated the fortress seeking to rescue the twins. Aniseya left the room, but she was killed by Sol during a confrontation in the courtyard, after which Rane and the other witches in the common room^[3] cast a spell^[5] to take control of Kelnacca when^[3] he^[6] entered the fortress as Aniseya had previously controlled Torbin.^[3]

Entering a trance-like state of concentration,^[5] Rane and the others sat mumbling a chant while swaying with their palms raised and their eyes fully black. Kelnacca fought Sol and Torbin till Indara arrived and used the Force to free him from the witches' control.^[3] This killed Rane^[1] and the other witches casting the spell,^[3] causing them to fall into a lifeless heap.^[5] After Sol then saved Verosha from a fire in the fortress, she saw Rane's corpse as she and the Jedi fled.^[2]

Personality and traits

Rane objected to Verosha joining the Jedi and prioritized the coven's future over the child's own wishes. The ensign had light skin, brown hair, and brown eyes.^[3]

Equipment

Rane wore green robes over a brown shirt with a copper-colored pentagonal emblem on a necklace^[3] and also carried a staff. At the twins' Rite of Ascension, Rane wore^[2] a ceremonial purple cloak with a gold trim.^[4]

Behind the scenes

Auditioning and building a character

Rane first appeared in "Destiny,"^[2] the third episode of the television series The Acolyte, which aired June 11, 2024, on Disney+.^[7] The character was portrayed by Amy Tsang, and although Rane's name was not spoken in the episode, it was listed in the credits.^[2] Tsang sent in an audition tape for the role using dummy sides for another character after her friend Jeff King, an executive producer on the series, saw her in an indie film and suggested that she would be a good fit for Rane. She learned she had gotten the role three months after the audition^[8] and began filming two weeks later in London.^[9]

Tsang was given little information about the character and initially only had a codename. She read up on previous depictions of witches in Star Wars but felt they were different to Aniseya's coven and so also drew on out-of-universe witchcraft and films like The Craft.^[9] Recieving only the scripts for her scenes, she used material from the art team including the costume, hair, and makeup designs to understand the character from the outside in.^[10] Costumer designner Jennifer Bryan was very specific with the design for each individual witch. Rane's costume was very structured with a high neck, making Tsang stand straight and so informed how she moved around in the world.^[9]

Movement and filming

Movement coach Alex Reynolds worked with Tsang to help her get into the body of the character and had her connect with nature by walking through a park in winter and developing a wider peripheral vision. The actress also put together a playlist to get into the mindset of Rane to listen to on the way to work each day and found that the costume helped as well^[11] Tsang also had a chance to speak with show runner Leslye Headland about the character before filming her first scene^[10] and has said discussions with episode director Kogonada also helped shape Rane. Tsang primarily describes Rane as a noble character who is protective both of the twins and of her coven, seeking to live in peace. She sees the character as siding more with Mother Koril then Mother Aniseya.^[12]

Tsang and the other witch actors filmed the Ascension Ceremony scenes first,^[10] rehearsing for days with a pre-composed song for the chant playing in the background with the rehearsal.^[13] These shoots took place outside on an almost entirely practical set and at one point they shot under a full moon.^[12] Each witch moved in a distinct way that Reynolds worked on with Tsang personally for Rane and various images and movements were shown to the cast to draw on including ideas of African tribal dances.^[13]

On the last day of filming, Mother Aniseya actress Jodie Turner-Smith recorded a TikTok video of Rane and the other witches dancing in costume on a production phone, although it has not yet been released.^[11] Tsang and the other witch actors each had their own backstories for the characters beyond what was shown on screen and she has said she would love to portray the character again in a prequel series.^[9]

Appearances

Explore all of Wookieepedia's images for this article subject.

• The Acolyte — "Choice"
• The Acolyte — "Destiny" (First appearance)

Notes and references