I was reading through my Google news articles, and spotted an article covering the introduction of a new Sith character within the Star Wars books who was set to hunt down Luke.
My reaction was of mild interest, but I was surprised to see that the fan reaction was largely negative.
Many passionate fans have rejected the idea of the Sith returning after Palpatine's death in episode VI. My own boyfriend actually shared the same viewpoint. One which I will try my best to validate and document.
These are the key points to contest Sith characters after Sidious-
A Sith isn't just an evil force user, or a force sensitive who is in tune with the dark side of the force. They are a specific religious order.
Like how you may believe in God or even in the Holy Bible, but if you don't believe in the Book of Mormon then you aren't a Mormon.
To be a Sith, you must be trained by a Sith. You must follow the Sith teachings. You must be given the title of Darth by your master in order to be a lord and have a true place among the order.
In ancient history the Sith were once a massive empire and army of force sensitive beings who carried Lightsabers and went to war with the Jedi, but eventually a Sith Lord named Darth Bane noticed the large amount of infighting created by so many power-hungry dark lords all in such close proximity, and then established the Rule of Two.
The Rule of Two demands that there only be two Sith Lord's at any given time. A Master to teach and an Apprentice to listen and pass on the teachings eventually.
This line of Sith Lords was brought to an end finally when Palpatine died and his apprentice, Darth Vader, returned to the light side of the force. A sentiment expressed by George Lucas himself when he said that Return of the Jedi marked the finale to the Sith order as Luke and Anakin (Darth Vader) finally bring balance to the force, fulfilling the prophecy of the chosen one.
In summary-
Adding new Sith characters breaks the rules established for the Sith, goes against the wishes of George Lucas, and breaks the ending of Return of the Jedi.
Now here is where I heavily contest all of that-
The Sith doctrine is heavily individualistic. It puts the individuals desire for power and expression of passionate emotion above all else. It is by its nature chaotic and unstable. Forcing order out of any of this is unreasonable and even, when considering Sith as a religious order, blasphemous. Blasphemous to put doctrine and order above the individuals own desires.
"Peace is a lie. There is only Passion.
Through Passion, I gain Strength.
Through Strength, I gain Power.
Through Power, I gain Victory.
Through Victory my chains are Broken.
The Force shall free me."
This is the Qotsisajak also known as the Code of the Sith. In the very first line "Peace is a lie" I am given insight into the blasphemy of Darth Banes followers. Although it was, of course, Darth Banes own desires for revenge on the Jedi and continuity of the Sith that motivated him to create the Rule of Two, it was out of a desire for Peace that Sith adhered to it. Giving up their own individual freedoms for it.
Even beyond that, the Rule of Two is ignored constantly by Sith Lord's.
-In Legends, Darth Tenebrous had two apprentices- Venamis (Who himself had an apprentice named Naat Lare) and Plagueis. Later in the same continuity Plagueis is the master of Sidious who is then the master of Maul. For years all three carried the title of Darth.
-In Canon, Darth Sidious established the Tenebrous Legion, a massive army of five-thousand Sith Troopers. He also instructed Darth Tyranus (Count Dooku) to bring up two apprentices at different times (Savage Opress, and Asaj Ventress).
I see how this could be Interpreted differently from a certain point of view. Perhaps some were not "Full sith" but merely "Sith Assassins" or "Potential Sith". (Naat Lare in particular is questionable.) However what decides the rules that are essential to the Sith?
Darth Gravid was at one point the Dark Lord of the Sith, and believed that the Sith devotion to the Dark Side would one day be its destruction, and attempted instead to merge the teachings of the Sith with the Light Side of the Force.
In pursuit of his goal he destroyed a great deal of Sith documents and eventually went mad.
Not only does this bring into questions whether the Dark Side itself is necessary to be a Sith, but also if the Sith teachings have been in some way effected by the actions or subjective views of those who teach it. Has it been changed or diluted over time? Sure they do have documents for instructions, but what is the basis for this religion?
If it is merely the Code of the Sith, then almost any force user can be a Sith.
At one point the Sith was just a race. A Sith Species of red tentacled aliens. Perhaps that is the true nature of the Sith.
Now for the supposed end of the Sith. Return of the Jedi.
In every continuity available, this is not the end of the Sith.
-In Legends, we had a rebirth of Sidious and even Lumiya's Sith which brought them back in some way or another.
-In Canon, somehow Palpatine returned and fought Rey in The Rise of Skywalker (Episode IX)
-And even in the hypothetical Lucas trilogy which was mid-production in 2012 before the Disney acquisition, Maul was going to return with his apprentice Darth Talon.
In conclusion,
The rules of the Sith are anti-sith in nature, and breaking them makes sense for the continuity, George Lucas himself planned to use Maul in his sequel trilogy, and Return of the Jedi's ending was broken long before the Disney acquisition.
The Sith never had order. The Sith never truly died. The Jedi never brought balance. "Peace is a lie."
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