While the Sith seemed to have been defeated by the end of Rise of Skywalker, there are still ways they could return to the Star Wars franchise. Whether we see a return in the distant past or the timeline’s near future, the dark side of the Force (and its wielders) is just as necessary as the light for balance.
Existing for thousands of years and defying the widely held belief they’d been defeated during the Old Republic, the Dark Lords of the Sith and their ideals are as strong as the Jedi Order and its own legacy. Keeping that in mind, here are five ways we could easily see the Sith return to the Star Wars franchise.
A Darth Plagueis/Acolyte Spin-Off Project
Despite being an idea that’s now more challenging in the wake of The Acolyte’s cancellation by Disney, it’s still possible that we might one day see a spin-off from the High Republic show that focuses on Darth Plagueis, Darth Sidious’ master in the years before the prequels.
Through Plagueis, Lucasfilm could finally shed new light on the Rule of Two established by Darth Bane, revealing the unique lineage of Sith operating in the shadows while the Jedi and the rest of the galaxy believed their entire galaxy to be extinct for nearly 1,000 years.
Whether it’s a spin-off movie, live-action or animated series, book, or comic, it would be fascinating to see how Darth Plagueis shaped the galaxy and the widespread corruption his apprentice would come to take advantage of (as well as Plagueis’ exact relationship with The Acolyte’s Qimir aka The Stranger).
The Old Republic & The Sith Empire
For years, Star Wars fans have been hoping and praying for Lucasfilm to canonically explore the Old Republic Era, a dynamic early period thousands of years before the prequels, when the Sith Empire was vast, featuring just as many Sith warriors as the Jedi.
The Sith Empire existed before the preserving work that was Darth Bane’s Rule of Two, ensuring the Sith’s survival after nearly facing their own extinction due to infighting and never-ending power grabs. There are several dynamic Old Republic Sith Lords who could easily lead the Sith Lords’ return to the Star Wars franchise, with notable names including Darth Revan and/or Malgus.
Proto-Sith With James Mangold’s Dawn of the Jedi
Director James Mangold is currently developing a Dawn of the Jedi movie, going back further into the Star Wars’ past than ever before. Revealing the origins of the First Jedi who first formed their order 25,000 years before the prequels, not much is known about the film other than Mangold’s intention for it to be an epic of biblical proportions.
Many fans are also expecting to see the droid Professor Huyang, seeing how he was built by the First Jedi as one of the oldest known Star Wars characters. However, we might also see the origins of the Sith in this upcoming movie as well.
Canonically, we know that the dark side wielders who would become the Sith Order were formed much later in Star Wars’ ancient history compared to the Jedi, having splintered off from the Jedi during an event known as the 100-Year Darkness.
Perhaps we could see this event in Mangold’s Dawn of the Jedi, or even early dark side pracтιтioners who laid the groundwork for the Sith Lords’ inception.
Dark Side Relics Could Revive The Sith Lords
At any point in the Star Wars timeline, the danger of dark side artifacts and Sith relics is always present as a means of bringing about the Dark Lords’ return.
Sith Holocrons filled with dark teachings can be discovered and learned. At the same time, it’s been established in the Star Wars canon that while the Sith couldn’t become Force ghosts like the Jedi, they could tether their spirits to locations of objects.
A prime example is the ancient Sith heretic Darth Momin, whose spirit remained in his mask, allowing him to possess and take over any who wore it. Likewise, the spirit of Darth Bane himself remained tied to his tomb on Moraband, haunting the site as was seen when Yoda visited the Sith homeworld in The Clone Wars.
A New Sith Order In Star Wars: Starfighter
At the moment, we know of two Star Wars movies set after the events of Rise of Skywalker. The first is a “New Jedi Order” movie starring Daisy Ridley’s Rey as she presumably seeks to rebuild the Jedi from director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy.
The second is Star Wars: Starfighter starring Ryan Gosling as the lead from director Shawn Levy. Set to release in 2027, filming for Starfighter is well underway. We also know of two actors who’ve been cast as key villains seeking to hunt down a young boy in Gosling’s care: Matt Smith and Mia Goth.
Without a doubt, both actors would make excellent Sith Lords, especially if they were attempting to build their own New Sith Order in the wake of Palpatine’s ultimate fall, along with his Sith Eternal cult.
Seeing as how Starfighter is only set 5 years after Rise of Skywalker, it makes sense that “Neo-Sith” might rise to take advantage of the dark side power vacuum in the wake of Sidious’ demise.
