Seven Years After Rise of Skywalker, Is Star Wars Already Bringing Back the Sith?

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As a lifelong Star Wars fan, it’s always surprised me how much of the Sith’s backstory came after the original movies! We all know Darth Vader is a Sith Lord now, but it turns out that title actually first appeared in the novelization of A New Hope – it was written by Alan Dean Foster, so a lot of fans missed it. The original trilogy itself doesn’t even mention the Sith! It wasn’t until the prequels that George Lucas really explained who and what the Sith were, and introduced things like the Rule of Two to explain why there weren’t as many Sith as Jedi. It really changed how we see the whole saga!

The recent Star Wars sequels tried to create a new kind of villain in Kylo Ren, a dark Jedi, even though he wielded a traditional red lightsaber associated with the Sith. Eventually, the Sith did reappear with the return of Palpatine, who saw himself as the ultimate expression of their power. While Palpatine’s death seemingly ended the Sith lineage, there’s speculation that Star Wars may be reintroducing them in future stories after The Rise of Skywalker.

Shawn Levy’s Star Wars Film Features a Lightsaber Fight

2027 marks the 50th anniversary of the original Star Wars film, and Lucasfilm is planning a big celebration with a new movie called Star Wars: Starfighter, directed by Shawn Levy. Details about the story are still limited, but Ryan Gosling will star as a hero who rescues a teenager with Force abilities (Flynn Gray) and her mother (Amy Adams) from the villainous Matt Smith and Mia Goth. Recently, it was revealed that the film will include a lightsaber battle, with a portion of the scene filmed by none other than Tom Cruise during a set visit!

Celebrating Star Wars’ 50th anniversary with a lightsaber battle feels right, and it’s especially interesting considering the new story, Starfighter, takes place five years after Rise of Skywalker. Although other groups in the Star Wars universe have used lightsabers, Lucasfilm has always protected the classic Jedi and Sith lightsaber image in their films. We’ve even seen dark Jedi like Baylan Skoll and Shin Hati using orange lightsabers in the Disney+ series, probably to clearly distinguish them from the Sith and maintain the established visual identity.

The lightsaber fight in the latest Starfighter trailer strongly suggests the film will feature Jedi. Fans have wondered if Amy Adams’ character is a former Jedi, possibly protecting a child with Force abilities from the villains. It’s also possible Ryan Gosling plays a Jedi – or used to be one – and is connected to Rey’s new Jedi Order. Regardless, the biggest mystery is how all this affects the villains and their plans.

Matt Smith & Mia Goth Are Either Dark Jedi… Or Sith

If a movie features a lightsaber fight, it makes sense that the villains would also wield lightsabers. This likely means we’ll see characters who are either dark Jedi or Sith. While both are connected to the dark side, there’s a key difference: dark Jedi are former Jedi who believe their actions are justified, often for what they see as a greater purpose. Sith, on the other hand, are completely committed to the Sith philosophy, seeking power and fulfillment through control over others.

The concept of “dark Jedi” doesn’t quite fit within the story of the Star Wars sequel trilogy. Palpatine, through Supreme Leader Snoke and the First Order, aimed to control the galaxy and deliberately destroyed Luke Skywalker’s Jedi Order instead of turning them to the dark side – Kylo Ren was the only one who survived. Introducing more dark Jedi from Luke’s time would create inconsistencies in the story and diminish Luke’s impact. Also, Rey hasn’t had enough time – only five years – to train a new generation of Jedi for such a widespread problem to develop.

Could adding actors like Matt Smith or Mia Goth as Sith villains actually improve Star Wars? For a long time, fans have wondered why the Sith were such a threat, causing a disruption in the Force and ultimately leading to the prophecy of the Chosen One. The answer probably lies in how Darth Bane changed the Sith a thousand years before the Skywalker films. He created the “Rule of Two,” meaning there would only ever be two Sith at any given time: a master focused on gaining power, and an apprentice who uses it.

The Sith’s “Rule of Two” – where only two Sith Lords existed at any time – likely led to an imbalance in the Force, as each new Sith was stronger than the last. This opens the door for Star Wars to reintroduce the Sith without conflicting with the prophecy of the Chosen One, as long as these new Sith aren’t descendants of Darth Bane. Considering Palpatine demonstrated that the Sith represent power and control, and many ancient Sith records likely still exist, it’s easy to imagine a resurgence of the Sith driven by those seeking power.

What the Return of the Sith Would Mean for Star Wars

This is just speculation, but Lucasfilm might choose to focus on the ‘dark Jedi’ concept. However, it would be a good move for Star Wars to revisit a version of the Sith similar to what existed before the character of Bane. This could open up exciting possibilities for Rey’s future Jedi Order and lead to the kind of large-scale conflicts between Jedi and Sith that fans have wanted for years. These Sith wouldn’t be as powerful as Palpatine or Darth Vader, which would help keep those iconic villains unique and memorable.

It’s still unclear who’s battling in the lightsaber duel (which Tom Cruise helped film), but fans are wondering if it will be Matt Smith, Mia Goth, or a completely new character. Many believe Mia Goth, known for her work in horror, would be perfect as a powerful, Darth Maul-like Sith villain, and fans are hoping that turns out to be true. If so, it could signal an exciting new direction for the Star Wars franchise.

What Star Wars movie or show are you looking forward to the most? Share your thoughts in the comments and join the discussion on the ComicBook Forum!

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2026-01-10 02:43