New Interesting Implication Revealed About Darth Bane
Only two there are, no more, no less, a master and an apprentice. That is the way of the Sith. More specifically, that is the way of the Sith under the lineage of Darth Bane, founder of the Rule of Two. He has been a figure shrouded in mystery in the current Star Wars canon. All we know of him is his importance in the new lore of the Sith, one that is known even to Master Yoda himself. Well, the new Star Wars comic may have given us an answer.
Luke Seeks Answers Of The Past
Spoilers ahead of Star Wars Issue #20 by Charles Soule.
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In his travels to find more ancient Jedi lore, Luke Skywalker finds himself talking to a spirit of Jedi Master from the High Republic era. During this chat, the Jedi Master talks about the glory years of the Jedi, and the golden age was born when the Jedi defeated the rule of Darth Bane, Dark Lord of the Sith. This phrasing has massive implications for the Sith Lord, indicating that his role may be different from what was depicted in Legends.
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If we were to take his words literally, then this Jedi Master is essentially saying that Darth Bane might have been the ruler of the last Sith force that ruled the galaxy prior to The Phantom Menace. Few historical sourcebooks that were published after Revenge of the Sith have briefly explained that the Sith conquered and destroyed the Old Republic, and then ruled the galaxy for a time before being defeated by the Jedi Order.
In Legends, Bane was a member of the last Sith Empire. He was part of “The Brotherhood of Darkness” under the leadership of Lord Khan. He undermined it, believing that they were destined to fail. He did what he could to destroy Khan and the other Sith Lords as well until he was the last survivor. He then came up with the Rule of Two, and planned on passing his knowledge to only one apprentice.
Making Darth Bane the presumed leader of this Sith Empire would explain one aspect of his character. That was how Master Yoda know about him in those The Clone Wars episodes. It also makes Bane interesting in that he once thought as his predecessors did, building an empire to conquer the galaxy by force, only to then go against that principle. He would begin to practice secrecy, operating in the shadows, and plotting to take down the Republic from within. This change from being an emperor to someone who lives in the shadows would make an interesting arc.
Implications For The Future Past
The Old Republic era still remains shrouded in mystery. It is only known that it ended with the collapse of the Republic and a brief period of the rule of the Sith, followed by their inevitable collapse and defeat at the hands of the Jedi Order. This era is ripe for exploration and telling of all sorts of stories. What those stories will look like is hard to say.
It is still interesting that Darth Bane continues to have such a prominent role in the future of Star Wars lore moving forward. He has been one of the more iconic Sith Lords outside of Sidious and Vader from a wider text of Star Wars. Seeing him in a new elevated role is fascinating and hopefully, his lore will continue to expand as things move forward. It is hard to say if Bane will be expanded upon in later work. With ongoing stories in the future, anything is always possible in an ever-expanding universe.
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