The Immortal Gods of the Sith

From an artistic depiction of the Battle of Yavin

 "I am defenseless. Take your weapon. Strike me down with all of your hatred and your journey towards the Dark Side will be complete..."

- Emperor Palpatine, Endor, 4 ABY

Since the release of The Rise of Skywalker there have been discussions about possible revelations concerning the Sith's Rule of Two. The Rule of Two, the ancient edict of Darth Bane created 1,000 years before the Battle of Yavin, was made to keep the survival of the Sith a secret from the Jedi, and also to create a unique system of preserving Sith knowledge. Under the Rule of Two, the Sith Apprentice would become jealous of their Master's knowledge of the Dark Side of the Force, and eventually murder them after learning all they knew, becoming the new Master and eventually taking a new Apprentice who would continue the cycle. This would continue until the Sith Lords fulfilled the Grand Plan of taking control of the galaxy. Yet, The Rise of Skywalker now suggests that the Sith Lords in truth possess their Apprentices, so that each new Master is all the Sith. Darth Sidious contains the essence of Darth Plagueis, who contained the spirit of Darth Tenebrous, and so on. This provides new context to the scene in Return of the Jedi where Palpatine urges Luke Skywalker to strike him down to turn to the Dark Side. It is likely that Palpatine initially sought to enter the body of Anakin Skywalker, but his injuries on Mustafar caused him to seek out yet another Apprentice, which he found in the form of Anakin's son. This all connects to the Sith quest for immortality, which many Sith sought outside of their practice of the Rule of Two.

But who was the first Sith to begin this tradition of taking new bodies? Who was the oldest spirit held in Palpatine's body by the time he clashed with Rey on Exegol? Logic would argue Darth Bane, but there are references in Supernatural Encounters to suggest that there is something far more ancient living inside Sidious. Something far more devilish.

The Life and Death of Ben Kenobi

Obi-Wan Kenobi was one of the most famous and well-respected Jedi of his time. Branded a terrorist and a traitor by the Galactic Empire, he fell from glory and lived a humble existence on Tatooine, before destiny brought him in contact with the son of his former apprentice. In turn, this encounter brought him before his fallen student, who ended his life. Yet in death, Kenobi became more powerful than before, inspiring the heroes of the Rebel Alliance to fight for victory in his name. In both versions of Star Wars continuity, his adopted name of Ben lives on through the children of the Skywalker family, with the Legends version of Luke naming his son after the Jedi Master, and Leia naming her son after him in the Canon stories. In his nearly six decades of life, Obi-Wan went on many adventures and formed bonds with hundreds of individuals through the galaxy. This is a selection of just some of them, taking accounts from both Canon and Legends stories.

The Twin Galaxies

As I discussed in my last post, there are obvious traces of the Star Wars Legends continuity in the new canon material. However, there is the possibility that the two incarnations of Star Wars canon actually exist side by side. This brief article will explore the references pointing towards a multiverse containing both versions of Star Wars canon.

Parallels in Legends and the Sequel Trilogy

Welcome to the first post of Twin Galaxies, a new blog I put together to address my reawakened love of Star Wars in the wake of The Rise of Skywalker. I look forward to the new Expanded Universe content that will undoubtedly emerge to offer speculation on what the Sequel Trilogy laid out. I decided to create a space where I can reminisce about Legends while also offering my own thoughts, theories, and reports on the Disney canon. Like many fans of the old Legends continuity, I saw a variety of parallels between the new canon and the old, which were only further cemented by what was depicted in TROS. There will be spoilers for that film under the jump below, but if you've seen the movie, let's get started!