WARNING! This article contains spoilers for Star Wars: The Inheritors Episode 2.
Summary
- May, like Palpatine, was able to use dangerous Force powers to hide his existence from the Jedi, thereby revealing a key aspect of Sith history.
- The ability to mask the Darksiders helped Palpatine rise to prominence in secret, suggesting that other Sith may have used the power as well.
- If the Sith had been using this force for generations, they could have been hiding in plain sight, manipulating the Jedi from within.
May, Sith Assassin, Star Wars: The Inheritorshows the use of a dangerous force that was key to Emperor Palpatine’s secrecy and success, which has larger implications for the entire history of the Sith. The most moving part of Palpatine’s carefully planned rise to power with the Galactic Empire was keeping himself and his Sith identity a secret while maintaining the ability to move around the galaxy. Even better, he had to remain hidden while he lived in the heart of the Jedi Order on Coruscant.
The Jedi Order’s close relationship with the Galactic Republic was a great benefit to Palpatine’s plans at the time, but his activities within the Jedi Order were also very risky. The Jedi were so sensitive to the Force that any one of them could sense the darkness within Palpatine if he wasn’t hiding it – so he found a way to hide his true darkness and malevolence from the Jedi while working so closely with them during the Clone Wars. Now, the Sith are Star Wars again.
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Amandla Stenberg’s masked fighter Mae plays a major role in the Star Wars: The Following trailer, and here’s all we know about her.
May shares Palpatine’s ability to hide his existence from the Jedi
Mei sneaks into the Jedi Temple in Olega
Acolyte In Episode 2, May uses Palpatine’s Force powers to hide her presence, especially the Dark Side of the Force around her, from the other Jedi at the Jedi Temple on Olega. In her infiltration attempt to kill Master Tobin, getting around the gatekeepers is only half the battle. If May couldn’t use the Force to mask her presence, the Jedi would be able to sense her moving through their ranks very quickly. Her ability to get around them undetected proves that she, like Palpatine, can use the Force to hide her presence.
Mae
May, a former apprentice to Jedi Master Thor, is drawn into a sinister mystery that unexpectedly places her at the center of the conflict.
Created by Leslye Headland
Actor Amandla Stenberg
Relationship Sol (previous owner)
Alliance Jedi
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Is this a common Sith power?
May and Palpatine may be no exception
In canon, there aren’t many specific mentions (or even any). Star Wars Legend has it that other Sith also possess this power, but that doesn’t mean it’s an impossible conclusion. After the Jedi-Sith War, the Sith had to live in seclusion for thousands of years, even adopting Darth Bane’s Rule of Two to hide themselves until the right time. Secrecy was practically their way of survival, so it’s reasonable to conclude that the Sith not only knew about this power, but also used it regularly.
Secrecy was truly their way of survival, so it’s reasonable to conclude that the Sith not only knew about this power, but used it regularly.
While there’s no definitive proof, the evidence certainly supports this conclusion. First, May and Palpatine would have to have learned this Force ability in some way, which could mean that their masters had perfected the ability to hide their presence in the Force. The fact that the Sith were able to operate in secret for so long also points to this conclusion, since they would have been able to detect the Jedi if they hadn’t been able to master this ability – especially during the Republic era, when the Jedi had outposts on many different worlds.
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Maybe the Sith have been hiding for generations
This power will allow them to live in an open environment
If the Sith did use the Force during the thousands of years or so of their alleged extinction, then it’s likely that the Sith didn’t need to hide themselves at all. The Sith could have been operating in plain sight, and could have even interacted directly with the Jedi, examining up close every flaw that the Order had developed over time. This would have allowed them to pass on their knowledge to every Master and Apprentice until Palpatine could get a handle on everything and enact his perfect plan to bring the Sith to power once again.
As the Sith continued to decline due to their insatiable thirst for power, it’s easy to conclude that they would be more than happy to use the Force against their enemies without them even realizing it. This would give them a sense of power over the Jedi, feeding their pride. They were able to manipulate the Jedi up close, further creating the illusion of Sith extinction, until Palpatine perfected the art, and this moment was perfect. Acolyte Now showing this with Mae, it completely completes this Star Wars Legends and history.
Acolyte Episode 3 is now available. New episodes will be available on Disney+ on Tuesdays.
Acolyte 
The Acolyte is a TV series set in the Star Wars universe, set during the end of the Republic, when both the Jedi and the Galactic Empire are at the height of their influence. The sci-fi thriller follows a former Padawan who reunites with her former Jedi Master as they investigate several crimes – all leading to a Darkness that breaks out from beneath the Earth and prepares to put an end to the Republic.
Actors Dafne Keen, Lee Jung-jae, Amandla Stenberg, Judy Turner-Smith, Joonas Suotamo, Carrie-Anne Moss, Margarita Levieva, Charlie Barnett, Dean-Charles Chapman
Season 1
Streaming service Disney+
Screenwriters: Leslye Headland, Charmaine De Grate, Kor Adana
Directors: Leslye Headland, Alex Garcia Lopez
Leslye Headland, producer
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