Within the lore of Star Wars, certain details have changed significantly since the decanonization of the Expanded Universe continuity. One of these changes involves the ancient Sith Wars, which were only briefly alluded to in the main series of films.
The Phantom Menace, George Lucas’ first installment in his prequel trilogy, established lore for the ancient Sith that rivaled the Jedi, including the Rule of Two. Discussed by Jedi Masters Yoda and Mace Windu, the Rule of Two states that there will only ever be two Sith at a time: a master and an apprentice.
According to Screenrant, within the old Star Wars Expanded Universe, the Rule of Two was created by the ancient Sith Lord Darth Bane as a way to thin the ranks of the Sith and reduce infighting for power. Darth Bane eventually made an on-screen appearance in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, voiced by Mark Hamill.
A new Star Wars encyclopedia adhering to the current canon provides a revised explanation for this piece of lore.
The new canon states that the Jedi were the ones to annihilate the Sith entirely, leaving Darth Bane to create the Rule of Two due to their diminished numbers, rather than as a preemptive strategy. However, the new explanation maintains the open hostility among the Sith as a contributing factor to their weakening.
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