An excellentStar Warstheory has raised the possibility of the Sith Rule of Two being a lie, potentially giving the dark-siders the chance to return. The Sith have mostly been explored thanks toPalpatine’s backstory inStar Wars, with the Skywalker Saga focusing on his attempts to build a Sith Empire. Thanks to the efforts ofStar Wars’most powerful Jedilike Anakin, Luke, and Rey Skywalker, Palpatine was defeated at multiple points before being banished for good inStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
With the announcement of anupcomingStar Warsmovietaking place 15 years afterThe Rise of Skywalker, theories have been crafted about which villains Rey’s new Jedi Order will face. The Sith are supposedly gone, potentiallyallowing a mainlineStar Warsmovieto move beyond the iconic villains of the Jedi for the first time since 1977. However, a recent theory concocted surroundingStar Wars' Sith Rule of Twohas indicated this concept may have been a lie, giving the Sith another chance to spread their evil throughout the galaxy.
Darth Bane Established The Sith Rule Of Two A Thousand Years Ago
The Rule Of Two Has Shaped The Structure Of The Sith For Generations
Firstly, it is worth exploring what exactly the Sith Rule of Two is, where it came from, and what its purpose is. The Rule of Two was created by an ancient Sith named Darth Bane, a warrior from the time ofStar Wars’Old Republic. Bane fought for the Sith in the Jedi-Sith War, a conflict between the Knights of the Jedi Order and the countless numbers of Sith practitioners. However, the inherent greed of the Sith saw several of their ranks turn on one another, greatly weakening the dark order as a whole.
This allowed the Jedi to gain a foothold in the war due to the infighting of the Sith, with the former defeating the latter in a decisive battle that ended the Jedi-Sith War. Unbeknownst to the Jedi, one Sith Lord survived: Darth Bane. Bane, realizing that it was their thirst for power that resulted in the Sith’s downfall, created the Rule of Two. This rule stated thatonly two Sith Lords can exist at any given time, a master and their apprentice.
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The master was the embodiment of the dark side, and the apprentice would crave such power, looking to one day take their master’s place. This doctrine was created to prevent the infighting of thousands of Sith and began Bane’s Grand Plan, that being the Sith living in hiding and biding their time until they can defeat the Jedi once more. Almost every Sith Lord inStar Warscanon has followed this, though the hunger for power remained, often leading apprentices to overthrow their masters and take on apprentices of their own.
The Acolyte’s Sith Don’t Fit Into Palpatine’s Line
Qimir & Osha Add An Interesting Wrinkle To The Sith Rule Of Two
Despite many Sith Lords such as Palpatine, Vader, Dooku, and Maul following the Sith Rule of Two in all its backstabbing glory, there have been some recentStar Warscharacters that mark some interesting changes. These characters in question came inThe Acolyte, specifically the Stranger/Qimir and Osha. By the time ofThe Acolyte’s ending, Qimir had become Osha’s Sith master, and the two were committed to training in the ways of the dark side around 100 years beforeStar Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace.
While the cancelation ofThe Acolytemeans more will not be revealed about Qimir’s connection to Plagueis, the show depicted it as if the former did not know of the latter…
Another interesting inclusion inThe AcolytewasStar Wars’Darth Plagueis, the mysterious Sith master of Palpatine. While Plagueis and Palpatine fit the line of the Sith Rule of Two by being the major Sith of the Skywalker Saga, Osha and Qimir do not fit this line. While the cancelation ofThe Acolytemeans more will not be revealed about Qimir’s connection to Plagueis, the show depicted it as if the former did not know of the latter, and Plagueis was looking at Qimir as a Sith pretender rather than as his former student looking to supplant him using Osha.
Did Darth Bane Set Up Multiple Factions Of Sith?
Bane’s Entire Rule Of Two Can Be Recontextualized
The inclusion of other Sith like Qimir and now Osha leads to the interesting theory that Darth Bane created multiple factions of Sith when he established the Rule of Two. After all, Bane was cunning and realized that the Sith could not operate as a giant group like the Jedi without fighting against one another. As such,Bane created the Rule of Two, but who is to say he did not pass this rule on to many Sith apprentices or masters?
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It could be the case that in order to ensure the Sith’s strength throughout the galaxy without being a collective force that would tear itself apart, Bane instilled the Rule of Two throughout the galaxy and created several lines of Sith warriors. Bane’s insistence upon the creation of the Rule of Two that the Sith must operate in secret would decrease the likelihood of different factions crossing paths in the vastness of the galaxy. If they ever did, they would simply see each other as rivals or Sith pretenders and take care of the matter, still preserving the Sith ways.
Could Another Sith Faction Still Exist After Rise Of Skywalker?
With this theory in mind,it could be the case that a faction of the Sith still exists afterStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. It remains the case that Palpatine and his line of Sith are destroyed, but another faction could rise up in their place, potentially posing a threat in the story ofRey’s new Jedi Order movie. This would certainly be an intriguing development and could offerStar Warsa way to explore the Sith once more but in a different light than the franchise has done so before.
The Acolyte proved how different kinds of Sith could be explored, with Qimir being one of the show’s most compelling characters.
A different faction of Sith appearing would not only continue the core conflict of Jedi vs. Sith inStar Warsbut also allow an entirely different type of villain to be explored. The Sith Lords featured in the Skywalker Saga were all shaped by Palpatine, and thus embodied the traits of his - and thus Bane’s - version of the Sith.It would be an excellent choice to include Sith warriors who have not learned from this line of teaching, instead having their own hierarchy, powers, and goals outside of Bane’s Grand Planthat Palpatine attempted to finalize.
In Rey’s movie, more about Bane could be explored through flashbacks, or through the use of other Sith factions…
If this theory turns out to be true, Rey’s new Jedi Order movie would be tied intrinsically to the history ofStar Wars. The only canon appearance of Darth Bane came inStar Wars: The Clone Warsseason 6 when his apparition appeared to Yoda. In Rey’s movie, more about Bane could be explored through flashbacks, or through the use of other Sith factions. This way, the furthest point forward in theStar Warstimeline could be tied to one of the furthest points back, as the entire Sith faction and the Old Republic are recontextualized.
Star Wars: New Jedi Order
Cast
The tenth mainline installment in the Star Wars franchise is the first movie to follow the sequel trilogy, where Mark Hamill’s Luke, Carrie Fisher’s Leia, and Harrison Ford’s Han Solo gave their final farewell. After the release of The Rise of Skywalker, development on a direct sequel had become dormant as Disney shifted focus on other parts of the galaxy, namely, Disney+ shows such as The Mandalorian, Andor, and Ahsoka. However, a movie starring Daisy Ridley as Rey Skywalker was officially announced at Star Wars Celebration 2023.
