Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Star Wars: The Acolyte episode 2.
Summary
- Mae, like Palpatine, can hide her presence from Jedi using a dangerous Force power, revealing a key aspect of Sith history.
- The ability to mask darkness helped Palpatine rise to power in secrecy, suggesting other Sith may have used this power as well.
- If Sith have been using this power for generations, they could have been hiding in plain sight, manipulating Jedi from within.
Mae, the Sith assassin introduced in Star Wars: The Acolyte, has demonstrated the use of a dangerous power that was the key to Emperor Palpatine's secrecy and success, something that has bigger implications for Sith history as a whole. The biggest moving piece of Palpatine's carefully orchestrated rise to power with the Galactic Empire was keeping himself and his Sith identity a secret, all while maintaining the ability to move throughout the galaxy as needed. Better yet, he had to stay hidden when he lived within the heart of the Jedi Order itself on Coruscant.
The close relationship between the Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic was beneficial to Palpatine's plans at the time, but there was also great risk in him moving amongst their ranks. With the Jedi being so attuned to the Force, any one of them would have been able to sense the darkness within Palpatine if he didn't consciously conceal it - so he found a way to mask his true darkness and malign intent from the Jedi while working so closely with them during the Clone Wars. This ability is now being demonstrated by the Sith in Star Wars yet again.

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Mae Shares Palpatine's Ability To Hide Her Presence From Jedi
Mae Gets Inside The Olega Jedi Temple Unnoticed
Jedi Temple on Olega. While infiltrating in an attempt to kill Master Torbin, getting past the gatekeeper was only half the battle. If Mae could not mask her presence in the Force, then the Jedi would have been able to quickly sense her moving amongst their ranks. Her ability to get past them undetected is proof that she, like Palpatine, could use the Force to keep her presence hidden.

- Created By
- Leslye Headland
- Cast
- Amandla Stenberg
- First Appearance
- The Acolyte
- RELATIONSHIPS
- Sol (Former Master)
- Alliance
- Jedi
- TV Shows
- The Acolyte
The former Padawan of Jedi Master Sol, Mae gets swept up into a sinister mystery—one that puts her into the center of a conflict in unexpected ways.
- Franchise
- Star Wars
Was This A Common Sith Power?
Mae & Palpatine May Not Be Exceptions
There aren't many, if any, specific mentions in canon (or even Jedi-Sith War, even adopting Darth Bane's Rule of Two to keep themselves hidden until just the right time. Secrecy was quite literally their survival, and so it's very logical to conclude that this was a power the Sith not only knew of, but also used on a regular basis.
Secrecy was quite literally their survival, and so it's very logical to conclude that this was a power the Sith not only knew of, but also used on a regular basis.
While there's no tangible proof of this, the evidence certainly s this conclusion. For one, Mae and Palpatine would have had to learn this Force power somehow, which likely means their masters had already perfected the ability to keep their presences hidden in the Force. The mere fact the Sith were able to operate in secret for so long also points to this conclusion, as the Jedi would have been able to detect them if they could not master this ability - especially during the High Republic era, when the Jedi had outposts on many different worlds.

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Perhaps The Sith Have Been Hiding In Plain Sight For Generations
This Power Would Allow Them To Live In The Open
If this Force power was, indeed, used by the Sith during their millennia or so of supposed extinction, then it's very possible the Sith didn't have to hide themselves much at all. The Sith could have been operating in plain sight, perhaps even interacting directly with the Jedi, to get up close and examine each and every flaw of the Order over time. This would have allowed them to down their knowledge through each master and apprentice until Palpatine was able to take it all and craft his perfect plan to bring the Sith to power once again.
With an insatiable craving for power being the Sith's constant downfall, it's easy to conclude they would have thoroughly enjoyed employing this Force ability to face their enemies without them ever knowing it. It would have given them a sense of power over the Jedi that would have fed their pride. They would have been able to manipulate the Jedi up close and further the illusion of the Sith's extinction until the perfect moment, when Palpatine perfected this craft. The Acolyte is now showing this in motion with Mae, fully rounding out this piece of Star Wars lore and history.
The Acolyte episode 3 is now streaming. New episodes release Tuesdays on Disney+.

The Acolyte
- Release Date
- 2024 - 2024-00-00
- Showrunner
- Leslye Headland
- Directors
- Leslye Headland, Alex Garcia Lopez
Cast
- Mae
- Lee Jung-jaeMaster Sol
The Acolyte is a television series set in the Star Wars universe at the end of the High Republic Era, where both the Jedi and the Galactic Empire were at the height of their influence. This sci-fi thriller sees a former Padawan reunite with her former Jedi Master as they investigate several crimes - all leading to darkness erupting from beneath the surface and preparing to bring about the end of the High Republic.
- Writers
- Leslye Headland, Charmaine De Grate, Kor Adana
- Franchise(s)
- Star Wars
- Seasons
- 1
- Streaming Service(s)
- Dis
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