Star Wars Theory Reveals Palpatine's Rival Sith Order & Its KOTOR Roots
Summary
- A possible new theory on Sith involvement in The Acolyte draws upon a key part of lore established in Knights of the Old Republic.
- The use of “Acolyte” hints at a different faction of Sith, separate from Darth Bane’s line, in the High Republic era.
- Speculation arises about whether a rival Sith faction is emerging, leading to potential conflict with existing Banite Sith.
The next upcoming live-action Star Wars TV show, The Acolyte, has raised questions leading to a new theory about the Sith, Emperor Palpatine, and even Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. The Acolyte, which has released a trailer ahead of its arrival on Disney+ this June, is touting itself as the first live-action Star Wars story to really focus on the villains as main characters. This will be fascinating to see, but particularly because of the time period that the series is set to take place: the High Republic era.
During the High Republic era, the Galactic Republic and Jedi are at their height. They are powerful, and serve the galaxy in a much less corrupt and stagnant way than we see them both do in the prequels. The Jedi have not faced the Sith in over 800 years by the time of The Acolyte – so how does this series involve the Sith and the dark side? The answer to that question may lie in a very specific theory.
Star Wars: The Acolyte – Cast, Story Details & Everything We Know
The upcoming Star Wars show The Acolyte will take the franchise into the grand High Republic era, but what mysteries await in the Jedi’s golden age?
“The Acolyte” Title Is A Hint This May Not Be Darth Bane’s Sith Line
KOTOR Confirms The Meaning Of “Acolyte”
The Sith weren’t actually gone during the High Republic like the Jedi thought, just in hiding, as was Darth Bane’s plan for the Rule of Two. There were only two “Banite” Sith at a time in hiding, the master training the apprentice until the apprentice violently takes the master’s place. That, however, means if someone with a red lightsaber, potentially a Sith, appears in The Acolyte, they might not even be from Darth Bane’s line of Sith. Clear evidence of this can be found in Knights of the Old Republic, or, KOTOR.
In KOTOR, the term “Acolyte” is specifically used to refer to Sith who have not yet completed their trials. Acolytes were not truly Sith yet, and were only seen before the Rule of Two was established, as that’s when KOTOR takes place. This term is likely being used in the upcoming series for the same reason, as it’s possible that the villains of The Acolyte could be from a totally different line of Sith.
Has A Rival Sith Faction Been Established In The Acolyte?
Confronting The Jedi Or Trying To Impress The Sith?
A lot of the speculation surrounding The Acolyte has involved pre-existing Sith and Jedi lore, and how the series will factor that in. One question many have is how the Sith are even involved in this era, especially with the Jedi. This idea of a rival Sith faction could explain all of that. Perhaps a Sith Holocron has been discovered, and someone is following its teachings. The Acolyte follows a string of Jedi murders; it could be that this untrained acolyte is trying to impress the Sith, but hasn’t actually met them.
Star Wars: The Acolyte Cast & Character Guide
Here’s everything we know about The Acolyte’s cast and the characters they will be portraying in Star Wars’ most mysterious project yet.
The Banite Sith Would Want To Shut This Rival Faction Down
In Order To Maintain Secrecy, The Sith Must Act
If there is some sort of other Sith activity going on during this late part of the High Republic era, it’s safe to assume the existing Banite Sith in hiding would hear about it somehow. That could explain exactly what the lightsaber combat going on in The Acolyte‘s trailer is. If some sort of dark side user or Sith fanatic is murdering Jedi, a real Sith could show up to kill everyone involved to prevent the Jedi from investigating.
If some sort of dark side user or Sith fanatic is murdering Jedi, a real Sith could show up to kill everyone involved to prevent the Jedi from investigating.
A big part of the Banite Sith’s method of survival is maintaining absolute secrecy in their hiding. They have to absolutely guarantee that the Jedi have no idea that they are still around, and that can sometimes get messy if other parties are involved. If the definition of “acolyte” from Knights of the Old Republic applies to The Acolyte, it’s definitely possible that we could see not one, but two groups of Sith in live-action Star Wars this summer.
Star Wars: The Acolyte starts streaming June 4th on Disney+.
The Acolyte
- Cast
- Dafne Keen , Lee Jung-jae , Amandla Stenberg , Jodie Turner-Smith , Joonas Suotamo , Carrie-Anne Moss , Margarita Levieva , Charlie Barnett , Dean-Charles Chapman
- Streaming Service(s)
- Disney+
- Writers
- Leslye Headland , Charmaine De Grate , Kor Adana
- Directors
- Leslye Headland , Alex Garcia Lopez
- Seasons
- 1
- Showrunner
- Leslye Headland
