Yoda’s Tricks: How the Sith Survived After Palpatine’s Fall

In the Star Wars Legends continuity, the defeat of Emperor Palpatine marked a significant turning point, leading many to believe that the galaxy would finally escape the dark ages of the Sith. Prior to the events of The Phantom Menace, a millennium had passed without the Sith’s oppressive presence, providing hope for an enduring peace. With Palpatine vanquished, Luke Skywalker aimed to restore the Jedi Order and usher in a similar era of harmony. However, this dream was thwarted by a clandestine group of surviving Sith, employing a strategy reminiscent of one popularized by Master Yoda himself.

The origin of this new Sith threat is unveiled in Star Wars: Legacy #0, authored by John Ostrander, with art by Jan Duursema, Sean Cooke, and Dan Parsons. This issue introduces the One Sith cult, headed by Darth Krayt, which fundamentally rejects the traditional Sith Rule of Two. In a stark departure from this ancient doctrine, the One Sith professes that there may be only one Sith Master but allows for an unlimited number of Sith Lords, all devoted to their singular leader.

What makes the One Sith particularly compelling is its emergence not only during Palpatine’s reign but also while he was firmly in power. Darth Krayt stealthily expanded his followers right under the Emperor’s watchful gaze and continued after Palpatine’s demise. Despite Luke Skywalker and other Jedi attempting to locate and train new Force-sensitive individuals, they remained oblivious to the machinations of Krayt and his followers.

How Darth Krayt and the One Sith Carried On Emperor Palpatine’s Legacy

Darth Krayt: A Different Kind of Sith

Darth Krayt wielding a green and red lightsaber in Star Wars Legends.

While Palpatine would have likely sought to eliminate the One Sith if he had known of their existence, Darth Krayt mirrored the Emperor in many respects. Within Star Wars: Legacy, Krayt employs his Sith Lords in a power grab reminiscent of Palpatine’s tactics, ultimately claiming the title of Emperor for himself. Both figures share a hunger for immortality, with a core storyline involving Krayt’s attempts to corrupt Cade Skywalker, a Jedi with rare abilities to heal others using the Force.

Although Palpatine adhered to the Sith Rule of Two—albeit with the inclusion of Inquisitors—his methods differed from those of Krayt. Nevertheless, Krayt embodies Palpatine’s sinister legacy with a more pronounced aesthetic, ensuring that the essence of Sith darkness continued to loom large in the galaxy.

Emperor Palpatine Accidentally Created Darth Krayt & the One Sith

Palpatine’s Unintentional Creation of His Successor

Emperor Palpatine from Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker.

In a fascinating twist, while Darth Krayt emerged as the ideal replacement for Palpatine, the relationships between them reveal deeper implications. Krayt was originally A’Sharad Hett, a Jedi who valiantly served the Republic during the Clone Wars. Following the execution of Order 66, orchestrated by Palpatine himself, Hett succumbed to the dark side and transformed into Darth Krayt. Hence, Palpatine played a pivotal role in the creation of his successor.

Emperor Palpatine must grapple with the fact that his actions inadvertently facilitated the rise of the One Sith, ensuring that the legacy of the Sith endured long after his own fall from power. Strikingly, the survival of the One Sith in the Star Wars narrative was, in part, a result of Yoda’s technique of leveraging dark side energy for concealment, highlighting how historical tactics find relevance across eras.

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