By George & Josh Bate
The Rule of Two was first mentioned in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, but now, twenty six years later, the doctrine that dictates the Sith has been reworked in the new novel Master of Evil by Adam Christopher.
For those unfamiliar, Master of Evil takes place shortly after the events of Revenge of the Sith and follows a newly anointed Darth Vader as he seeks to achieve the ability to cheat death and resurrect his beloved Padme. The novel features Vader, Palpatine, and even Dooku in the prologue, giving fans plenty of Sith speeches and tidbits to feast on.
One of the more interesting pieces of information gleaned from the Sith in the novel involves how the Rule of Two really works. Check out the quote below….
“The power of the dark side is the truth, but it is not a truth to be shared. Its secrets are to be gathered, hoarded, kept for the self. That is how it is meant to be. The master’s strength and power come from the anger and fear of his apprentice. The master uses that power, absorbing the resentment, fueling the fire, focusing his power and his grip on the dark side. It is the apprentice that makes the master, not the master the apprentice.”
This quote reconceptualizes the Rule of Two in suggesting that the rule does not merely exist to reduce the likelihood of infighting among the Sith. Rather, the rule also exists so that the Sith master becomes more powerful.
Through an apprentice’s anger and fear, the Sith master draws immense power, In turn, the Sith master uses this to fuel his power and grip on the dark side. This explains why Palpatine was so determined to make Anakin his new apprentice. Not only would Anakin’s fall to the dark side aid in Palpatine’s takeover of the Republic but it would also enhance his power in the Dark Side.
Taken a step further, this could suggest that Sith are powerful in tandem than apart. This is something Matthew Stover touches on in his annotations included in the 20th anniversary re-release of the Revenge of the Sith novelization. Essentially, Stover posits that perhaps Palpatine and Darth Vader are easier to defeat because they are physically apart, thus explaining why Obi-Wan goes to Mustafar to fight Vader and Yoda goes to Coruscant to fight Palpatine. This could also explain why Palpatine struggled to defeat Mace Windu, yet bested (or at least matched) Yoda in the duel in the senate.
Master of Evil is out now. Check out our review of the new book below….