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Star Wars retconned a Sith canon element for Rise of Skywalker

We know, Star Wars is the franchise that may by no means cease altering. No matter what occurs on the massive screens or small, there’s at all times a novel or comedian to clear issues up.

We’ve had plot holes stuffed (like how Palpatine amassed that big military) and newfangled ideas defined (power dyads for everybody!) however now we’re getting a extra historic idea retconned. The Sith Rule of Two is now one thing else solely.

Usually, arms are thrown up within the air each time a retcon occurs. This time, although we’re positive some followers are irritated at yet one more change, the retcon really helps some issues make extra sense.

Lucasfilm

The Sith Rule of Two was formally launched into the Star Wars canon in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. Yoda explains it at Qui-Gon’s funeral (trigger that is the place all the very best pearls of knowledge are dropped): “Always two there are. No more… no less. A master and an apprentice.”

Except Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker launched us to a complete Sith tradition current underneath the radar on Exegol, deep within the unknown areas. Populated by the Sith Eternal, Exegol was dwelling to Palpatine as he used clone after clone to attempt to receive everlasting life.

So if there are at all times two Sith, no extra no much less, how was there a complete planet of Sith followers simply chilling? The Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker junior novelisation has the reply.

In the novel, Rey discovers a part of an historic textual content that reads (by way of ScreenRant): “The Prime is one, but the Jedi are many. The Sith were Many but often emerge Ruled by Two.”

So, the Rule of Two has grow to be Ruled by Two. We’ll chalk it as much as a foul Sith language translation…

Before the retcon, the Sith have been simply two dark-side-of-the-Force customers, however now the time period additionally applies to all darkish facet worshippers who observe a frontrunner like Palpatine. Just because the Jedi have loads of followers, force-sensitive or in any other case, who’re on the ‘mild’ facet of issues.

star wars the rise of skywalker, dark rey, emperor palpatine

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The Ruled by Two tenet additionally helps to clarify why Sidious/Palpatine and Vader/Anakin have been known as the ‘Lords of the Sith’, as in rulers over a bunch of Sith. With this slight edit, the center of the Sith duality remains to be saved.

It is not that there can solely ever be two Sith within the galaxy, however that there are solely ever two in cost. In the case of The Rise of Skywalker, Palpatine hoped it will be him and his granddaughter Rey, as he would switch his essence into her.

Then this Palpatine/Rey hybrid (which had all of the souls of the Sith that got here earlier than, too) would choose a brand new apprentice to rule over the galaxy. Only that plan did not come to fruition…

Of course, this is only one in an extended line of retcons which have proved divisive amongst Star Wars followers. Whether it stays true over the following few many years of Star Wars content material stays to be seen.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is offered on DVD, Blu-ray and 4K now.