Sith Rule of Two

The Sith rule of two was a guiding principle of the Sith order that was established by Darth Bane. This rule constrained the existence of the Sith to only two at a time - a Master and an Apprentice. Bane developed this rule with the understanding that Sith infighting and rivalry weakened them to the point that their Jedi adversaries could conquer them. According to Bane, the rule of two would ensure the hereditary succession of power and survival of Sith teachings.

Darth Bane, who was a disciple of the Sith teachings but believed their demise was primarily due to their disjointed operations, envisioned a remedy in the Sith Rule of Two. He believed that the presence of many Sith at once would inevitably incite rivalry and internal strife, which would in turn pave the way for their downfall. The Rule of Two was a means to address this problem by condensing the presence of the Sith to a Master who possesses the power and an apprentice who craves it.

Darth Bane perceived the dark side of The Force as a sort of cannibalism: whenever many Sith users equally shared the dark side, none of them could reach their real potential. Comparing it to Venom, Bane agreed that by spreading it too thinly it may lose its lethal efficiency. Therefore, he surmised that The Force’s dark side had to be embodied by a single Sith.

The practical implication of the Rule of Two was that the apprentice would learn all they could from the master, then eventually take their place, often by fatal means. Knowledge was seen as power, and keeping it from potential rivals was Paramount. The goal of the apprentice was to learn and overthrow the master; whereas the master aimed to maintain power and continue the Sith line by training a qualified successor.

The Sith Rule of Two remained a key subplot of the Star Wars franchise, influencing its storyline more than a thousand years after Bane's death. It is seen in the relationship dynamics between Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader, among many others, and gives viewers an insight into the quiet but persistently stirring undercurrents of the dark side of the Force.