Star Wars Quietly Rewrote the History of the Sith and the High Republic Era (And I Can't Believe I Missed It)

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew
episode 5 contains a subtle hint at the history of the Sith, revealing their role in the High Republic Era. The Jedi defeated the Sith a thousand years before the Skywalker saga – or so they thought. Darth Bane survived and recreated the Sith around the Rule of Two – an approach he hoped would avoid the infighting that led to his defeat.

As seen in The Acolytethe Sith have operated in the shadows for a millennium. As passionate as the Dark Side was, generations of Sith were prepared to work in secret, carefully orchestrating the downfall of the Jedi and the Republic. I've always been fascinated by what they've done over a thousand years… and, to my surprise, an Easter egg in Skeleton Crew episode 5 just dropped an exciting clue.

Star Wars' “Ancient Pirates” Were Shockingly Close to the Sith

Skeleton crew secretly hinted at the truth

I first saw the image above in October, when Empire Magazine released official photos of Skeleton Crew. Those runes on the wall, the ones that even KB doesn't recognize? It's no surprise that she can't translate them; they are written in the ancient language of ur-Kittât, sometimes known as the Old Tongue. Dating back to before the Jedi Order itself, the Ancient Tongue was adopted by the Sith. He is immersed in his own dark side, which means that learning the Ancient Tongue is a very dangerous undertaking.

You may recognize these runes from Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalkerwhere they were inscribed on an ancient dagger – used by Ochi of Bestoon to kill Rey's parents. The film revealed that the Old Republic banned the use of ur-Kittât and C-3PO couldn't even translate it. Then it is impressive to see ur-Kittât on the walls of the pirate fortress of Lanupa. What is really happening?

All evidence links “Captain Donner” to the Nihil

Star Wars' most terrifying pirates

So far, so curious. But now we need to take a step back to understand the broader context of piracy in Star Wars. Skeleton Crew It may be the first live-action TV show to really focus on the pirates ravaging our beloved Galaxy Far, Far Away, but other outlets have fleshed them out in much greater detail. Lucasfilm Star Wars: The High Republic transmedia initiative revealed that pirates flourished on the outskirts of Republic space – and resented the Republic's advance towards the Rimwards.

This resentment escalated into all-out war in the High Republic Era, some 200 years before the Skywalker Saga. A series of “Great Works” saw the Republic advance towards the Outer Rim, and a group of pirates known as the Nihil opposed it – violently. The Nihil critically weakened the Republic, even managing to conquer a part of the galaxy as their own, using stolen technology. The Nihil logo is eerily similar to Captain Donner's in Skeleton CrewIt's certainly no coincidence.

Other evidence suggests that Captain Donner and Attin are somehow linked to the High Republic Era. This mention of “Great Works” is significant; The residents of Attin believe they are engaged in a “Great Work”. The lightsaber in Captain Donner's lair? Gold is a trademark of the High Republic, and the design is actually similar to what is for sale at Galaxy's Edge, which originates from the High Republic. In context, Donner seems linked to the pirates who opposed the Jedi at that time.

Were the Pirates of the Galaxy a Sith Conspiracy?

Whether Directly… Or Indirectly

Skeleton Crew gave us Sith runes disturbingly close to those of High Republic pirates. At first I assumed it was just a coincidence; Perhaps Captain Donner had found an ancient Sith world, I reasoned, and I even speculated that Donner's lair on Lanupa was once a Sith stronghold. That possibility is in itself frightening, because it would mean that groups like the Nihil would likely be basing themselves in Sith hideouts, steeped in the dark side. I wondered if they learned ur-Kittât, knowing that the Republic could not translate it.

But what if there is another explanation? What if the pirates themselves were a Sith conspiracy? I've long noticed the similarities between the Jedi war with the Nihil and the Clone Wars; the Jedi emergency protocols invoked during the previous crisis were the same ones Palpatine took advantage of when he militarized the Jedi. Foolishly, I assumed this was just a coincidence, but Skeleton Crew raises the possibility that the similarities are deliberate. Could the pirates have been a test for the Sith, a way to learn the Jedi's weaknesses?

The good thing is that the manipulation doesn't even have to be obvious. If some pirates were indeed based in Sith strongholds, then the Sith Lords of the High Republic Era would certainly know how to get past their defenses and keep watch. They would be able to manipulate the pirates through the Force, encouraging their hatred of the Jedi. Even the Force predators known as the Nameless – monstrous creatures used by the Nihil – wouldn't be a problem. Palpatine knew how to hide his presence in the Force, and The Acolyte confirmed that the Sith of the High Republic knew the trick.

If I'm right, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew has just offered an important clue to a mystery that has bothered me since we were introduced to the High Republic Era; Where are the Sith? They were operating in the shadows, manipulating the pirates, generating conflict against the Jedi. It's a brilliant solution and makes perfect sense.