Doctrine of the Dyad

"For a millennium, the Sith have adhered to the Rule of Two. But this decree is said to merely be a pale imitation of its predecessor, the Doctrine of the Dyad. Legends claim that two beings sharing this profound connection gain access to a great number of abilities—skills beyond the grasp of even the most powerful Force wielder."

―Darth Sidious

The Doctrine of the Dyad preceded the Sith Order's Rule of Two.

The Doctrine of the Dyad was a concept centered on the Force dyad, a pairing of two Force-sensitive beings linked by a unique Force-bond that was unbreakable. It was the predecessor of the Rule of Two, a decree developed by Darth Bane to limit the Sith Order's ranks to two Sith Lords—a Sith Master and a Sith apprentice—at any given time. Although the Rule of Two ensured the survival of the Sith for a millennium, the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Sidious called it a "pale imitation" of the Doctrine of the Dyad.

The Doctrine of the Dyad was etched into the walls of the Sith Citadel on the planet Exegol, where it served as a reminder of its importance to the Sith Order and the Sith Eternal cult. Under the Rule of Two, the Sith unsuccessfully tried for a millennium to create a dyad through force of will. Darth Plagueis failed to form a dyad with Darth Sidious, his apprentice, who in turn failed to create a dyad with his own apprentice, Darth Vader. The Sith Eternal, a group of Sith cultists that followed the Sith religion, believed that the dyad was the future of the Sith—the key to unlocking the full potential of the dark side of the Force. A prophecy in the Sith Eternal's lore foretold the birth of a Force dyad.

Entire generations passed before a dyad was born in Ben Solo, the grandson of Darth Vader, and Rey, the granddaughter of Darth Sidious, during the New Republic Era. Linked together through a rare and powerful Force connection, their bond as a dyad allowed Solo and Rey to communicate across time and space. During the Battle of Exegol, Sidious discovered their nature as a dyad and drained the combined life force of Rey and Solo to heal his weakened clone body. After Sidious' destruction, Solo transferred his life force to Rey, resurrecting her at the cost of his life.

Doctrine

Source: Star Wars: The Secrets of the Sith
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Behind the scenes

The Doctrine of the Dyad was first mentioned in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: Expanded Edition, the 2020 novelization of the film of the same name, and was first identified as such in the 2021 reference book Star Wars: The Secrets of the Sith.

In the Star Wars Legends continuity, in the 2011 novel Knight Errant, written by John Jackson Miller, the Dyarchy Sith principality was ruled with a similar Force bond that existed between the Sith twins Quillan and Dromika during the Republic Dark Age, who were described as "separated in body, but conjoined through the Force" and "one being, that no power in science or Sith alchemy could separate."

Appearances

• Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: Expanded Edition (and audiobook) (Mentioned only)

Sources

• Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: The Visual Dictionary (First mentioned)
• Star Wars: The Secrets of the Sith (First identified as Doctrine of the Dyad)

Notes and references

In other languages

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