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| 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.
