One theory surrounding Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker‘s Sith Eternal fills in a somewhat tragic backstory for the zealots. The Sith Eternal were the group of characters on Exegol who supported Palpatine’s rise to power once more and were shown surrounding the Sith Lord’s throne at the end of Episode IX. Unfortunately, the lack of depth awarded to Palpatine’s resurgence and the Sith Eternal were among the chief reasons why The Rise of Skywalker is often counted among the worst-ranked Star Wars movies in what is already a divisive trilogy.
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While the potential is there to explore the Sith elements of Exegol in upcoming Star Wars movies, the disappointment remains that The Rise of Skywalker failed to adequately explain much of Palpatine’s plans. As has seemingly been the case with Star Wars of late, upcoming Star Wars TV shows could retroactively provide the backstory for many elements of The Rise of Skywalker. One such element is the Sith Eternal, with one theory from the movie explaining where the dark side acolytes came from.
There’s No Way Palpatine Could Get So Many Loyalists To Exegol
Undoubtedly one of the biggest mysteries of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker was how Palpatine managed to transport so many Sith loyalists to his base on Exegol. In the film, it is clear that there are tens of thousands of acolytes awaiting the rise of the Final Order. However, it would be near impossible for anyone in the galaxy not to notice a mass exodus of that many people. The Sith Eternal was also revealed to have reached Exegol before Return of the Jedi, making the mystery even more mystifying.
Similarly, The Rise of Skywalker established one pressing fact about Exegol. That fact is that the planet is incredibly hard to reach, adding another layer to the mystery of how the Sith Eternal managed to reach it. That said, there is one major group of beings in Star Wars who would arguably not be missed in regular society due to their composition, their lack of a home, and what has been explored about them in various properties set after Order 66 and the formation of the Empire.
Millions Of Clones Have Vanished In Star Wars Canon
Despite the overwhelming mystery of the Sith Eternal, one theory surrounding wider Star Wars canon may have explained how they managed to form without anyone noticing. This theory links to the clones that were introduced in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones. The Kaminoans produced millions upon millions of clones for the Grand Army of the Republic during the time of the Clone Wars, many of which lived beyond Order 66 in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith.
However, in Star Wars canon, clones became a rarity in the galaxy. This is proven by the lack of clones in both the Star Wars original trilogy and the sequel trilogy, meaning millions of clones seemingly vanished in the franchise after the events of the prequels. This could hint at a darker future for the clones than many thought, linking to both the Sith Eternal and an intriguing plot point introduced in a 2023 Star Wars TV show.
The Bad Batch Season 2 Hinted At Brainwashing Turning Clones Into “Believers”
The TV show in question is Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 2. Interestingly, The Bad Batch is one of the rare Star Wars TV shows which focused on the clones specifically after Order 66 and the end of the Clone Wars. The show depicts what happened to the clones after the formation of the Empire, specifically their usage as mindless weapons for the organization as well as their replacement by conscripts. These conscripts then became the stormtroopers which are synonymous with the Empire by the time of the original trilogy.
One of the subplots regarding the clones’ lives after Order 66 was found in Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 2, episodes 7 and 8. In this two-part story, an Imperial Senator named Chuchi is shown advocating for clones’ rights as people in light of the Emperor’s proposed stormtrooper program. Chuchi attracts the attention of Admiral Rampart who sends an assassin after her to further push the stormtrooper program closer to being passed in the Senate. Chuchi is saved by former clone captain Rex who unmasks the assassin as another clone.
Before killing himself, the clone refers to himself as a “Believer.” The concept of Believers, brainwashed clones, is something that is yet to be explored again in The Bad Batch. While the upcoming story of The Bad Batch season 3 may answer this, the theory stemming from The Rise of Skywalker is that Believers are in fact the Sith Eternal. It would make sense for millions of clones to be brainwashed by the Empire into Imperial Believers, inherently meaning they subscribe to the Sith way of thinking.
Through this theory, the clones’ disappearance in Star Wars could be explained by them becoming Believers, thus traveling to Exegol to await Palpatine’s master plan. Another aspect of The Bad Batch that supports this theory is Dr. Hemlock. Hemlock was introduced in The Bad Batch season 2 as a scientist working from Palpatine’s secret, secure facility beneath Mount Tantiss. Hemlock experiments on clones, cloning, and other seemingly immoral aspects of science to further the Empire’s success. Palpatine imbuing clones with Sith mindsets as Believers would make more sense if this process was conducted in the Emperor’s secret facility.
Are The Clones Destined To Become The Sith Eternal?
All of this begs the question of whether the clones truly are destined to become the Sith Eternal. The mysteries surrounding the latter group certainly leave a wealth of storytelling potential given the lack of exploration provided by Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. It would make sense for Palpatine to realize that his Empire was fading before Return of the Jedi and begin building an army alongside his decades-long contingency plan for revival. This army could well have been the Sith Eternal, made from the addled minds of the clones that once served the Republic.
All of the elements mentioned from The Bad Batch and other areas of canon seem to indicate that the clones will have a major role to play in the timeline before the events of A New Hope. Given the importance of the Believer clone in The Bad Batch season 2, it is hard to imagine these brainwashed versions of Republic soldiers will not appear again. If they do, it could easily be explained that the Believers are Palpatine’s way of making an army of loyalists who are present on Exegol in the finale of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
