Star Wars may be setting up a secret Jedi-Sith war. In various projects released the last few years, there’s been a lot of connections to the Jedi survivors of Order 66 and how they survived the “Dark Times” of Imperial rule. As such, it’s quite possible that Star Wars has been building to an epic confrontation in the near future.

The majority of the Jedi Order was decimated in Revenge of the Sith thanks to Order 66. However, Darth Vader and his Imperial Inquisitors were then dispatched to hunt down any remaining survivors, something we’ve seen in shows, books, and games. Now, there may soon be an epic Dark Times battle between the light and dark sides of the Force.

Star Wars’ Order 66 Survivors Ultimately Worked Together

As has been revealed in various projects since 2022’s Obi-Wan Kenobi, various Jedi survivors came together during the Dark Times. Known as the Hidden Path, this secret network was dedicated to helping Force-sensitives and their families evade the Empire and find sanctuary.

Having agents on worlds all over the galaxy including Daiyu, Mapuzo, Jabiim, and even Jedha, it’s since been revealed that the Hidden Path was founded by Quinlan Vos. Likewise, connections have been made to Asajj Ventress, who once helped a young Force sensitive find the Path as seen in Tales of the Underworld.

Cal Kestis is a part of the network as well, as seen in EA’s Jedi: Survivor. There’s also a strong case to be made that Barriss Offee is also connected to the Path following her defection from the Imperial Inquisitors (see Scotty Holiday Star Wars on Youtube).

Currently, there has yet to be any kind of story offering resolution for the Path and what happened to the secret network.

However, the Path’s future was teased at the end of Jedi: Survivor. Having discovered the secret world of Tanalorr hidden inside a nebula, the implication is that Cal Kestis intends to make the world a Jedi sanctuary for the Hidden Path, potentially even as a base to start a full resistance against the Empire.

The Inquisitors Are The True Enemy Of The Jedi

It’s important to note that these Jedi survivors aren’t being hunted by the Empire at large. They’re specifically being hunted by Darth Vader and his Imperial Inquisitors. This likely means that when and if Tanalorr is ever discovered and becomes a battleground in Star Wars’ future, the conflict is going to be between Jedi survivors and Inquisitors.

Rather than single encounters between a handful of Jedi or Inquisitors at a time like we’ve seen, it’s possible Star Wars is instead building toward something much bigger in scale: a major confrontation between Jedi survivors and Sith agents hidden away on this secret world, one the rest of the galaxy was never even aware of during the Dark Times.

We Know How Things Ended For Both Jedi & Inquisitors

Ultimately, we know that Cal Kestis and his allies will fail to bring down the Sith Lords and their agents during the Dark Times. After all, Luke Skywalker is the one who does this at the end of the Galactic Civil War, redeeming his father, who sacrifices himself to defeat Emperor Palpatine.

Meanwhile, it’s long been clear that the Imperial Inquisitors will be largely wiped out at some point during the Dark Times. After all, only a handful seem to be left by the time of Star Wars Rebels in the years just before the original trilogy, and they too die by the series end.

By the time we get to Luke Skywalker and the start of his Jedi path in the original trilogy, the Inquistiors are no more (save for the resurrected Marrok seen in Ahsoka). This begs the question: what happened to the majority of the Inquisitors during the Dark Times?

Considering Tanalorr and the Hidden Path’s similarly unknown fate, the most likely explanation might be mutual destruction with Vader’s Imperial Inquisitors bring nearly wiped out along with the Jedi survivors of Tanalorr tragically being obliterated along with them.

Rather than a battle of fleets and soldiers, this would be more of a clash between the light and dark sides of the Force, one that ultimately ends with Vader and a handful of Inquisitors as the victors (the ones we see in Rebels).

The stage has certainly been set for a confrontation just like this, a major battle with multiple lightsabers and Force powers, while still being one that wouldn’t break the established Star Wars canon. After all, Tanalorr was largely considered to be a myth and is incredibly hard to access due to its location inside a dangerous nebula.

An entire shadow war could easily have occurred on Tanalorr during the Dark Times, unbeknownst to the rest of the Star Wars galaxy at large.

That said, we’ll have to see if a new Jedi-Sith war during the Dark Times actually comes to fruition at some point in the Star Wars franchise’s future. Perhaps the upcoming animated series Maul: Shadow Hunter (also set in the Dark Times) will offer the next piece of the puzzle.