There have already been hints events played out differently in canon. Now, the new Star Wars Encyclopedia's profile on Darth Bane confirms that the Jedi alone were responsible for the destruction of the Sith in canon. It notes:
"Darth Bane is the sole survivor when the Jedi Order destroys the Sith a thousand years before the Clone Wars. Recognizing that infighting has weakened the Sith, Bane creates the Rule of Two when he reforms the Sith Order, mandating that there can be only a master and an apprentice."
Notice there's no hint that Darth Bane engineered the downfall of the Sith, as in Legends, where he tricked the Brotherhood of Darkness into using a destructive Force power that would wipe out Jedi and Sith alike. The history of the Sith seems to be being streamlined in canon.
What Darth Bane's Canon Story Means For The History Of The Sith
Little by little, we're gradually getting a sense of how the last great Sith War ended in canon. Star Wars #20, by Charles Soule and Marco Castiello, saw a Jedi from the High Republic Era drop a massive hint. "This is what the Order was for me," an echo of the temporally-displaced Elzar Mann told Luke Skywalker. "A golden age, about eight centuries after we ended the rule of Sith Lord Darth Bane." Elzar Mann's statement implies that Darth Bane was the ruler of the Sith at the time of their ultimate defeat, but he survived to reform them.
Star Wars Rewrites Sith History With New Darth Bane Canon
Star Wars has just revealed the canon history of Darth Bane, founder of the Sith Rule of Two - and explores the history of the Old Republic.
Darth Bane would go on to recruit Darth Zannah as his apprentice, a powerful Sith sorceress who would ultimately kill him in accordance with the Rule of Two. In Legends, the final battle between Darth Bane and Darth Zannah took place on the planet Amblin. In canon, though, Darth Bane's spirit appears to be bound to the Sith homeworld of Moraband - strongly suggesting he died there. It is fitting for a ruler of the Sith to be killed on the Sith planet.
Our Take On Darth Bane's Star Wars Story
Modern Star Wars has been reluctant to reveal too much about Sith history, although there have been tantalizing hints. Putting the pieces together, the picture looks so very different to the Legends version. Recent Star Wars stories have finally begun to move away from the Skywalker saga, and it's surely time to reveal the full story of the Sith.
- Created By
- George Lucas
- Cast
- Mark Hamill
- TV Shows
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars
One of the most important ancient Sith Lords, Darth Bane became convinced in-fighting among the Sith was the real reason they would inevitably lose - again and again - to the Jedi. He formulated the Rule of Two, a dogma that means there can only ever be two Sith at any time: one to wield power, and the other to crave it.
