I’m desperate to finally learn more about the Sith in Star Wars. The Sith Order has been something of a mystery for 47 years. Sith were first mentioned in the novelization of the first Star Wars movie, with Darth Vader called the “Dark Lord of the Sith,” but he never explained what it meant. In fact, when Timothy Zahn created an alien race called the Noghri for his legendary Thrawn trilogy in 1991, he originally envisioned them as the Sith – but Lucas vetoed that idea.

George Lucas always knew how attractive and exciting the Sith were, and he finally unveiled his version of the Sith in 1999’s Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. I’ll never forget the thrill of watching Darth Maul on the big screen. And yet, even now, the Sith remain so very mysterious. Here are the secrets and mysteries I’m eager to see revealed at last.

8

What Were The Sith Doing During The High Republic Era?

The Jedi believed the Sith had been rendered extinct after the death of Darth Bane, roughly a thousand years before the Skywalker Saga. Instead, Darth Bane established the Rule of Two and the Sith operated in the shadows. Fast-forward to the High Republic Era, the Golden Age of the Jedi and the Republic, and precious little has been revealed about the Sith of that time. Alexander Freed’s “Alphabet Squadron” trilogy revealed a horrific (apparent) High Republic Sith fortress in a black hole cluster around the planet Troithe, but that’s about the limit of it to date.

All this is about to change in Leslye Headland’s The Acolyte, a Disney+ TV show set at the tail-end of the High Republic Era. According to Headland, this will reveal the truth about the Sith Rule of Two, focusing on one Apprentice’s quest to overthrow their Master. It will be thrilling to learn how the agents of the dark side operated in the time of light.

7

How Did The Jedi Know About The Rule Of Two?

I recently rewatched Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, and I found one question really bugging me; how did the Jedi know so much about the Sith? According to Star Wars lore, Darth Bane destroyed the Sith in order to reinvent them; he was the one actually responsible for wiping out the Sith, not the Jedi. If the Jedi had no further contact with the Sith after that point, then they shouldn’t really know about the Rule of Two at all.

This question seems to have troubled Leslye Healand as well, and it’s one major reason I’m so excited about The Acolyte; she believes Yoda’s comments suggest the Jedi recently learned more about the Sith, even if they didn’t realize their ancient nemeses had returned. That view was also held by writers in the old Star Wars Expanded Universe, who had several plots in which the Jedi retrieved ancient Sith artifacts or where Jedi were corrupted by Holocrons. Headland’s a huge Legends fan, so she may well take a similar approach.

6

How Did The Sith Hide During Their Thousand Years Of Concealment?

It’s always seemed incredible to me that they managed to conceal themselves for a thousand years, especially given the nature of the dark side; Sith are fueled by passion, which doesn’t lend itself well to patience. There must have been so many near-misses, moments when the Sith were almost exposed because of their own hatred and rage. That’s especially true because they weren’t just hiding, they were also working to undermine the Jedi and the Republic.

We’re so used to the idea of Sith hiding in plain sight with Palpatine. But was he the exception, or the rule? Is it possible the Sith long since mastered the Force powers that allowed them to hide from the Jedi, and had been walking the streets of Coruscant for centuries? If so, it’s even possible some of the established characters in Star Wars: The High Republic are secret Sith.

5

How Did Sith Recruit While Hiding From The Jedi?

Part of the problem, of course, is the fact the Sith would always have to be on the lookout for new recruits. That seems to be what’s going on in The Acolyte; it looks as though a Sith Apprentice is seeking to kill their Master in accordance with the Rule of Two, but first they’re looking for an Acolyte to ensure the line of the Sith continues. Jedi and Sith aren’t the only Force cults in the galaxy, so presumably they looked elsewhere.

But I can’t help wondering if there’s more to it than that. George Lucas introduced a Sith Apprentice who was a former Jedi (Count Dooku), and he originally planned to have Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas be a secret Sith Lord as well. The implication is that the Sith actually hid inside the Jedi Order, recruiting from among the ranks of the Jedi. The Acolyte has been called the story of how the Sith “infiltrated” the Jedi, and that may well be the truth.

4

How Does A Sith Apprentice Replace Their Master?

Now let’s add another wrinkle; my suspicion is that under the Rule of Two, an Apparentice needs to seek out a potential recruit (an “Acolyte,” if you will) before they face their Master in battle. That’s the only way I can see of avoiding a scenario in which there’s briefly only the one Sith, and the entire line is imperiled. It’s the scenario we see in Drew Karpyshyn’s phenomenal Darth Bane trilogy, although that story isn’t canon anymore.

If this is the case, it raises so many questions. When did Palpatine choose his own Acolyte, as he prepared to kill Darth Plagueis? Was Darth Maul his Acolyte, or did he have another recruit he cast aside before then? This idea even explains why Palpatine was so spooked when Count Dooku recruited Ventress in Star Wars: The Clone Wars; he considered Ventress to be Dooku’s Acolyte, and couldn’t allow things to escalate any further.

3

Will We Ever Get To See Darth Plagueis?

Speaking of Darth Plagueis… will we ever get to meet Palpatine’s Master? James Luceno told the story of Darth Plagueis in one Legends novel, but that isn’t canon; in fact, in canon there’s only been a single image of Darth Plagueiis to date. Seen in the in-universe reference book Secrets of the Sith, it shows Plagueis concealed in shadow.

Darth Plagueis was a Muun, a long-lived alien race, meaning he’d likely have been alive at the time of The Acolyte. Is he the Sith Master? Is he the mysterious new Sith who’s been shown facing Amandla Stenberg’s Mae? Given The Acolyte‘s place in the Star Wars timeline, Plagueis simply has to turn up somewhere.

2

How Did The Sith Gain Influence With The Trade Federation?

When The Phantom Menace kicks off, the Sith are already in an alliance with the Trade Federation. It feels like something fairly recent (at least in a Neimoidian lifespan, anyway), because the leaders of the Trade Federation seem rather uncomfortable with Darth Sidious’ plans. But when did this partnership begin, and how was it initiated?

My suspicion is that the official partnership was being worked on for decades before it became a reality. After all, the Sith were playing the long game; think of it like a game of chess, where countless different pieces are being moved across the board with precision, in preparation for the endgame. The Skywalker Saga is this endgame – and everything was being moved into place long before then.

1

What Kind Of Power Does A Force Dyad Really Have?

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker introduced the Force Dyad, finally defining the mysterious bond between Rey and Ben Solo. This was easily one of the best ideas in the movie, even if the execution was somewhat lacking, and it’s ripe for more exploration. According to Palpatine, this was a power not seen in generations, and the ancient Sith believed it would grant them the power to transcend life and death. Reference books have even hinted it can allow manipulation of time and space.

Even more intriguingly, though, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Visual Encyclopedia revealed the Force Dyad is the basis for the Rule of Two. The Sith have been hunting for a Force Dyad for as long as they’ve existed, aware it would give them the power they need to destroy the Jedi once and for all. Could The Acolyte be the story of a Force Dyad? Amandla Stenberg appears to be playing twins – one light, one dark – and some trailers have hinted at a mysterious bond between them. The story is set generations before Palpatine, after all, which fits.

Whether The Acolyte is the story of a Force Dyad or not, sooner or later Star Wars really has to show what this phenomenon is really capable of. This is a franchise that hops around the timeline with little care, meaning it’s easy to imagine a scenario where viewers finally get to see a Force Dyad in action. Hopefully, that will be sooner rather than later.