The Sith Order’s Rule of Two was known to the Jedi by the start of the Star Wars prequel trilogy, yet some viewers may wonder how they knew of the doctrine, given its creation after the supposed destruction of the Sith. The Rule of Two states that there can no more or less than two Dark Lords of the Sith, with the greater Lord, the Master, ruling the galaxy alongside the lesser Lord, their Apprentice. The Star Wars canon and Legends continuities each offer a different explanation for how the Jedi discovered the Rule of Two.
The Sith Order once rivaled the Jedi Order in size, and the two ancient enemies clashed in numerous, galaxy-spanning wars. The Jedi ultimately prevailed because the Sith Order was plagued by dark side-fueled betrayals, leading the Sith to fight amongst themselves as much as they did against the Jedi. The Rule of Two was created by Darth Bane in the aftermath of the Sith Order’s defeat (known in Legends as the Ruusan Campaign), placing a check on the Sith Lords’ knack for backstabbing and allowing them to continue their existence in secret, orchestrating galactic history and the fall of the Jedi from the shadows.
Following the Invasion of Naboo (and the subsequent death of Qui-Gon Jinn) in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Yoda and Mace Windu ponder whether the Sith Lord who killed Jinn was the Master or Apprentice, referencing the Rule of Two. The Sith hadn’t revealed their existence until the events of the film, so the Yoda and Windu’s knowledge of the Rule of Two would appear to be a plot hole. Non-movie material from canon and Legends, however, explain their knowledge as being tied to the defeat of Darth Bane and the fallen Jedi padawan Kibh Jeen, respectively. Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 6 provided the first canon insight as to how the Jedi discovered the Rule of Two. In the episode “Sacrifice,” Yoda travels to Moraband and speaks to the spirit of Darth Bane, acknowledging his creation of the Rule of Two. While a seemingly minor detail, this provided the first hint that Bane didn’t create the Rule of Two in secret as his Legends counterpart did.
Issue 20 of 2020’s Star Wars comics by Marvel expands on Darth Bane’s mysterious history that The Clone Wars hinted at. Learning more about the Jedi Order’s history from an imprint of the mind of Elzar Mann, a High Republic era Jedi, Luke Skywalker learns that the Jedi experienced a “Golden Age” after Darth Bane was overthrown, implying that Darth Bane ruled publicly following the Sith Order’s defeat. If this is the case, the Jedi would likely have known about The Rule of Two before Bane’s death at the hands of his apprentice, Darth Zannah.
Legends-era material gave a clear answer to how the Jedi discovered the Rule of Two. The Jedi padawan, Kibh Jeen, had fallen to the dark side and become affiliated with the Dark Force, a dark side religion affiliated with the Sith Order and the Prophets of the Dark Side (a Sith splinter religion) that was headquarters in an ancient Sith temple on Dromund Kaas. Less than two centuries before The Phantom Menace, Jeen discovered the survival of the Sith and the Rule of Two, and he revealed this knowledge to the Jedi before he died. His warnings were noted but not believed until the Invasion of Naboo. Whether they were warned by a fallen Jedi or knew of Bane’s doctrine before the Sith Lord’s death, the Jedi were aware of the Rule of Two before the Star Wars prequel trilogy.
