Editor's Note: The following contains light spoilers for episodes 1 and 2 of The Acolyte.
The big picture
- The Sith hid for centuries, biding their time to grow stronger and plot against the Jedi in secret.
- Darth Bane's Rule of Two ensured that the Sith always had a Master and an Apprentice to carry on their legacy.
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the acolyte
The series explores the hidden existence of the Sith during the era of the High Republic, setting the stage for the coming conflict.
Star Wars has long focused on the conflict between the light and dark sides of the Force, and while the franchise is expanding and changing rapidly, that fact remains the same. But there's one problem: the Jedi's ancient enemies, the Sith, aren't a constant presence in the galaxy's history. While dark side servers have existed throughout the Star Wars timeline, they disappeared for many years. In Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menacethe Jedi are surprised when Darth Maul (Park Ray) is revealed, having previously believed the Sith to have been extinct for a millennium. The new enemy is a shock. After all, even Yoda (Frank Oz) was not the last time the Jedi and Sith openly fought. The Sith were apparently inactive, so it's no wonder the Jedi let their guard down. But the enemies of the Jedi never went away, as evidenced by the sudden appearance of Maul and Darth Sidious.Ian McDiarmid) back plot.
Before The Phantom Menace, the Dark Lords hid themselves for generations, hiding their presence from the Jedi for a thousand years and getting stronger, all the time. Its apparent expanse allowed for an extended time of peace known as the Age of the High Republic, where the Jedi thrived. the acolyte it's set during that time, but of course there are still Sith, as the title suggests. The newest Star Wars series will take audiences back to a time when the Sith were largely forgotten, but the conflict between light and darkness is still present. With the possibility of the two facing each other the acolyte, this secrecy may be threatened, raising the question, how did the Sith remain so hidden for so long?
Why did the Jedi think the Sith were gone?
At first glance, it seems short-sighted of the Jedi to believe that their enemies were so fiercely and completely defeated that they would never re-emerge, but they had good reason to believe that the Sith were gone. The two groups of Force users fought in the Jedi-Sith Wars, but the Sith were weakened by their tendency to fight for power among themselves. However, the Jedi struck a near-final blow in 1032 ABY (Before the Battle of Yavin), killing all but one of the Sith. Having come so close to destroying the ways of the Sith, the Jedi were confident of their victory, but it was not as complete as they thought.Darth Bane survived, continuing the Sith but changing his way of operating.
The infamous Dark Lord conspired against the Jedi, but first he needed to strengthen the Sith. Studying the ancient Sith texts, Bane established the Rule of Two, which he limited the number of Sith to one master and one apprentice, which requires any aspiring dark side user to kill a Sith Lord to earn their title. This not only limited infighting, but ensured that each new Sith would be stronger than the last. He also began making his self-titled “Grand Plan,” in which he planned for the Sith to take revenge on the Jedi by corrupting the Republic, destroying the Jedi Order, and conquering the galaxy (which may sound familiar). The Jedi learned of Bane's survival, but after his death at the hands of his apprentice, the Jedi believed themselves safe since the apprentice was never identified. So for the next thousand years, the Sith lay silent, growing stronger and plotting until Sidious enacts Bane's revenge.
Where were the Sith during the time of the High Republic?
To hide for so long, the Sith had a knack for staying hidden, but they can be traced to some places. Darth Bane himself was buried on the Sith world of Moraband, which appears in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 6 episode, “Sacrifice”, when Yoda (Tom Kane) travels the planet in his quest to learn the power of immortality. There, he is confronted by a vision of Bane (voiced by Star Wars himself Mark Hamill). However, Bane's final confrontation with his apprentice is rumored to have occurred on Ambria, a planet connected to the dark side, so both Bane and his apprentice (who presumably buried him) they must have spent time on these planets. There are certainly other Sith worlds in Star Wars. Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith shows the planet Mustafar, where Sidious has a base, and Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker features Exegol, where the resurrected Palpatine is hiding. To stay secret, the Sith must have traveled between hideouts to throw their enemies off the scent, and in the meantime they kept busy.
While they were hiding, the Sith were not entirely separate from the galaxy. They spent this time shaping Bane's Grand Plan, integrating themselves into the galactic government. This Grand Plan is the basis of Sidious's actions throughout the prequels, though as millennia of Sith Lords contributed, it's impossible to know who accomplished what. All we can know for sure is that as a Sith, Sidious spent time on both Naboo and Coruscant and probably made a trip to Dathomir to recruit Maul as his apprentice. basically, during the thousand years they were supposedly extinct, the Sith were everywherebut they were never discovered.
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Where are the Sith in “The Acolyte”?
the acolyte it's set during the Sith's hideout, so epic duels between a Jedi and Sith Lord cannot occur — or not one where the Jedi lives to tell the story. However, the title of the series suggests that the problem is not the Sith Lords themselves, but rather the Sith Acolyte. This seemingly small distinction allows the true Sith to remain secret and ensures Maul's continued appearance in The Phantom Menace like the first sighting of a Sith in a thousand years.
Whoever is responsible for killing the Jedi, the Sith are definitely alive and plotting from the shadows. In the series, the Sith have been a secret for 900 years, so they are well hidden, having had a lot of practice. While they're certainly working on their plan to destroy the Jedi, the story is set a few decades before Darth Sidious is born, meaning they're not ready to put it into motion. Where the Sith are the acolyte is as mysterious as who they are, but that doesn't mean they are incapable of manipulating the situation against the Jedi.
Watch episodes 1 and 2 of the acolyte on Disney+. New episodes premiere on Wednesdays.
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