A new theory suggests Star Wars Has actually introduced a Sith Apprentice in Star Wars: The High Republic. The High Republic era was the golden age of the Jedi and the Republic, a time when the light of the Jedi shone brightly across the galaxy. Naturally, the light did not go unopposed; The Jedi face intense opposition from groups such as the Path of the Open Hand, the Nihil space pirates led by their twisted leader Marchion Ro, and Force predators called the Name.
Meanwhile, the shadow of the shadows lurked in the shadows. The Jedi believed that the Sith were wiped out 800 years ago, after the defeat of Darth Bane. They had no idea that Ban established a Sith lineage through the rule of two; The Baneite Sith played the long game, working to undermine the Jedi slowly and gradually. But there is actually some evidence that one High Republic character is in fact a Sith apprentice, one who was forced to step out of the shadows.
Who is Azlin Rell, the prospective Sith apprentice of the High Republic?
A fallen Jedi who feared the horrifying threat of the name
Azlin Rel was a Jedi who crossed paths with the creatures known as the Name during a tragic confrontation on the planet Dalna. The mere presence of the name distorts the Force, subjecting nearby Jedi to terrifying visions, and they drain the Force from their victims – reducing them to calcified husks. Although Azlin Rel survived, his mind was shattered. He ran away from the Jedi, and dedicated his life to uncovering the secrets of the Name.
This search took him into the depths of the dark side, as he became completely consumed by fear and hatred. He certainly learned some Force powers associated with the dark side, unnaturally extending his own life, only to return to the Jedi 150 years after he disappeared. The Nihil had unleashed the threat of the Name on the entire galaxy, and Azlin Rell wanted to do his part to destroy them.
Azil Rell seemed to know about the Sith
He accidentally touched the seat
Azlin Rell played a key role in Charles Sole and Ibrahim Roberson Game Shadows of Starlight #1. There, he manipulated Lord Yoda into letting him commit planetary bombardment to kill people he believed knew the location of the name of the homeworld. Master Yoda, of course, got away with the cruelty, and never noticed Azlin Rel’s words when he explained his actions.
This act was a gift for everyone who touches the army. Jedi, Sith, all of us.
Although Azlin Rell denied being a Sith Lord, he claimed his act was a gift – “To everyone who touches the craft. Jedi, Sith, all of us.“The key point is that he used the present tense to describe the Sith, as knowing that they still exist. Yoda never noticed the slip of the tongue, but it is a hint of exactly where Azlin Rell learned secrets of the dark side.
Azlin Rell used the Sith Shrine on Coruscant
Again, the Jedi never noticed his wording
The Jedi of the High Republic imprison Azlin Rell in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, but that also seems to be his plan. Azlin Rell was strong in the dark side of the Force, able to effortlessly slip past the Temple guards, and He seems to have been particularly interested in the shell in the depths – The ancient Sith shrine that lay beneath the Jedi Temple, its dark presence eclipsed by the light of the Jedi.
The presence of the name was leading to a strange illness of the Force, one described in ancient Jedi prophecies, and the Sith sanctuary was affected. This effect was known as the blight, and Azlin Rell hinted at its influence in George Mann’s Tears of the name. He described a “Creeping danger in our midst,“What the Jedi eventually learned to be the Blight in the Shrine. Crucially, though, they never joined the dots; focused on the Blight, they never realized Azlin Rel had to visit the temple in the deep.
It seems unlikely that Azlin Rell would be an actual Sith Lord. The more reasonable explanation is that his search led him to the Sith, and he apprenticed himself to the Sith Lords of the High Republic era, learning secrets of the dark side from them. Then, when the name came up again, he came out of the shadows – sacrificing himself for what he believed to be the great one. Goodness. By this interpretation, he is not exactly Sith, but rather is Sith-adjacent – and well aware of their existence.
There is a certain tragic irony in the story of Azlin Rel, which deepens the sadness of the Skywalker saga itself. He may be manipulative, but he’s not exactly subtle; He casually dropped two hints about his awareness and involvement with the Sith, but the Jedi never picked them up because they were focused on the problems of the day. Star Wars: The High Republic Indeed, potentially added a whole new wrinkle to the history of the Jedi and the Sith.