Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Star Wars: The Acolyte episode 2.

Mae, the Sith assassin introduced in Star Wars: The Acolyte, has demonstrated the use of a dangerous power that was the key to Emperor Palpatine’s secrecy and success, something that has bigger implications for Sith history as a whole. The biggest moving piece of Palpatine’s carefully orchestrated rise to power with the Galactic Empire was keeping himself and his Sith identity a secret, all while maintaining the ability to move throughout the galaxy as needed. Better yet, he had to stay hidden when he lived within the heart of the Jedi Order itself on Coruscant.

The close relationship between the Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic was beneficial to Palpatine’s plans at the time, but there was also great risk in him moving amongst their ranks. With the Jedi being so attuned to the Force, any one of them would have been able to sense the darkness within Palpatine if he didn’t consciously conceal it – so he found a way to mask his true darkness and malign intent from the Jedi while working so closely with them during the Clone Wars. This ability is now being demonstrated by the Sith in Star Wars yet again.

Mae Shares Palpatine’s Ability To Hide Her Presence From Jedi

Mae Gets Inside The Olega Jedi Temple Unnoticed

The Acolyte episode 2 sees Mae using Palpatine’s Force power to keep her presence, especially the dark side of the Force surrounding her, a secret from the other Jedi in the Jedi Temple on Olega. While infiltrating in an attempt to kill Master Torbin, getting past the gatekeeper was only half the battle. If Mae could not mask her presence in the Force, then the Jedi would have been able to quickly sense her moving amongst their ranks. Her ability to get past them undetected is proof that she, like Palpatine, could use the Force to keep her presence hidden.

Was This A Common Sith Power?

Mae & Palpatine May Not Be Exceptions

There aren’t many, if any, specific mentions in canon (or even Star Wars Legends) of other Sith wielding this Force power, but that doesn’t mean it’s an impossible conclusion to reach. The Sith had to remain concealed for thousands of years after the Jedi-Sith War, even adopting Darth Bane’s Rule of Two to keep themselves hidden until just the right time. Secrecy was quite literally their survival, and so it’s very logical to conclude that this was a power the Sith not only knew of, but also used on a regular basis.

While there’s no tangible proof of this, the evidence certainly supports this conclusion. For one, Mae and Palpatine would have had to learn this Force power somehow, which likely means their masters had already perfected the ability to keep their presences hidden in the Force. The mere fact the Sith were able to operate in secret for so long also points to this conclusion, as the Jedi would have been able to detect them if they could not master this ability – especially during the High Republic era, when the Jedi had outposts on many different worlds.

Perhaps The Sith Have Been Hiding In Plain Sight For Generations

This Power Would Allow Them To Live In The Open

If this Force power was, indeed, used by the Sith during their millennia or so of supposed extinction, then it’s very possible the Sith didn’t have to hide themselves much at all. The Sith could have been operating in plain sight, perhaps even interacting directly with the Jedi, to get up close and examine each and every flaw of the Order over time. This would have allowed them to pass down their knowledge through each master and apprentice until Palpatine was able to take it all and craft his perfect plan to bring the Sith to power once again.

With an insatiable craving for power being the Sith’s constant downfall, it’s easy to conclude they would have thoroughly enjoyed employing this Force ability to face their enemies without them ever knowing it. It would have given them a sense of power over the Jedi that would have fed their pride. They would have been able to manipulate the Jedi up close and further the illusion of the Sith’s extinction until the perfect moment, when Palpatine perfected this craft. The Acolyte is now showing this in motion with Mae, fully rounding out this piece of Star Wars lore and history.

The Acolyte episode 3 is now streaming. New episodes release Tuesdays on Disney+.