What is the Sith Impostor theory? Closing in on the release date of The Acolyte on Disney+, early reviews for the Star Wars series have fans wrapping their head around the possible existence of "Sith Pretenders."
With The Acolyte set 100 years before The Phantom Menace, the former Padawan Mae (played by Amandla Stenberg) is one of the top suspects of being part of the Dark Side after leaving her Jedi Master Sol (Lee Jung-Jae).
With this new theory in mind, what does this mean for the series?
What Are Sith Impostors? Explaining the Star Wars Theory
The main goal of the Sith is to destroy the Jedi and bring order to the galaxy, according to how they see fit.
However, Star Wars fans cannot forget Darth Bane's Rule of Two, in which there could presumably only be two true Sith Lords.
In James Luceno's 2012 Darth Plagueis novel, Palpatine's Sith master, Darth Tenebrous, was one of the two envisioned lineages of Sith Lords. Alongside Tenebrous came Plagueis, and both were sworn to protect the Sith.
However, while the Rule of Two states there can be no more or less than two Dark Lords of the Sith, the novel also confirms that this didn't mean there were no other Dark Side users. This is where the "Sith Impostor theory" comes in.
Sith Impostors are essentially pretenders who chose to carry the same mission without being bound to Bane's Rule of Two.
Plagueis said that there had been plenty of Sith pretenders who did so, even if Tenebrous and Plagueis were the only ones recognized as the true Sith Lords during their time.
It is worth mentioning that the novel is considered non-canon despite Disney purchasing the Star Wars franchise in 2012. However, this does not entirely negate the theory that Sith Impostors could exist in The Acolyte.
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The Acolyte Could Have Sith Impostors
The Acolyte trailers seemingly point at the former Padawan turning to the Dark Side for a reason yet to be unveiled once the show starts premiering on Disney+. But does this mean Mae is a Sith? Well, not exactly.
It does imply though that the Sith Impostors will likely lurk in The Acolyte, which appears to be one of the teased elements from showrunner Leslye Headland.
While sharing her love for the Star Wars original films, novels, and the Legends story, Headland says that The Acolyte will "canonize one species that's yet to be seen."
The Legends series introduced several concepts that were soon canonized in the later series, and Sith Impostors could be one of them.
Headland may not have disclosed which "new species" will be canonized, but given that The Acolyte is set in the same period when Tenebrous and Plagueis were the active Sith, then this should be something interesting to keep an eye on the show.
Keep in mind that the Sith Impostor theory is called a theory for a reason — nothing has been confirmed until Disney+ debuts the new Star Wars series.
Star Wars: The Acolyte premieres its first two episodes on Disney+ on June 4.
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