Forget About Sith Lords, The Phantom Menace Almost Introduced A Sith Knight

Star Wars nearly introduced Sith Knights in The Phantom Menace, expanding the hierarchy of the dark side Force-users beyond the singular title of Sith Lord. As seen throughout the Star Wars canon, the Sith are almost always referred to as “Dark Lords”, regardless of their status as the master or apprentice within the Sith’s Rule of Two which established there could only be one of each. However, “Sith Knights” was an idea that would have fleshed out the power structure of the Sith when their numbers were greater.

Though it’s yet to make it to the current and official Star Wars canon, “Sith Knight” is a rank seen throughout Legends in some rare cases. Likewise, the term itself is also tied to the very origins of Star Wars, having first been established by none other than George Lucas. As such, Sith Knights were nearly featured in The Phantom Menace, the first film of the Star Wars prequel trilogy.

The Phantom Menace Concept Artists Toyed With A Sith Knight

Above Apprentice But Below Sith Lords

As seen with the Sith’s light-side counterparts, the Jedi have very clear ranks with an established hierarchy. Children brought to the Jedi Temple for training were first referred to as Younglings before becoming Padawan learners apprenticed to Jedi Masters. They could then become Jedi Knights once passing their trials before eventually earning the rank of Jedi Master. The ranks of the Jedi Order also included the Service Corps, a seat on the Jedi Council for the most esteemed Masters, and the Order’s highest rank was that of Jedi Grandmaster (a title long held by Yoda).

To that end, the Sith nearly had a similar ranking with Sith Knights existing as a title to be earned between an apprentice and a Sith master. As seen via concept art for The Phantom Menace by artist Ed Natividad, it seems as though the concept of a Sith Knight was toyed with during the development of the first prequel film. However, the idea was likely nixed once George Lucas cemented the idea of the Rule of Two, establishing that there would only be one master and one apprentice during this era, collectively known as Dark Lords of the Sith.

Sith Knights Are A Surprising Part Of Star Wars Legends

From George Lucas’ Early Star Wars Drafts

That said, the term Sith Knight did originate from Lucas himself as seen in his very first drafts for The Star Wars. Thanks to Dark Horse who adapted these first drafts in 2014, an unnamed member of the “Knights of Sith” is featured at the very beginning of the story as a dark counterpart to the Jedi-Bendu as they were referred to in Lucas’ first drafts before refining the story into what it’s known as today. While The Star Wars was considered non-canon even in the Legends era, there are other examples of Sith Knights that were also established.

During the Clone Wars and Dark Horse’s Republic comics detailing the various conflicts between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, Count Dooku’s various dark side acolytes were referred to as Sith Knights. Likewise, Legends’ New Republic introduced the Lost Tribe of the Sith and their “Sith Sabers” who were also referred to as Sith Knights, a sect of Sith from Wild Space whose ancestors crash-landing on a remote world before the Rule of Two and only emerged decades after the end of Palpatine’s rule as new foes for Grandmaster Luke Skywalker.

Palpatine’s Knights of Ren are perhaps the closest approximation to the concept of Sith Knights in the established Star Wars canon. However, perhaps the official Sith rank will return to the current canon one day. After all, it’s not hard to imagine something like the Lost Tribe of the Sith and their Sabers becoming canon again as dynamic new foes for Rey Skywalker’s upcoming New Jedi Order movie, or even early Sith Knights being introduced in James Mangold’s Dawn of the Jedi movie, set thousands of years before the Rule of Two.