But it feels more likely that this is a new character we haven’t actually met yet, a forefather of Palpatine’s plan to destroy the Jedi once and for all. What’s important is that this is the first Sith the Jedi of this era have ever encountered, as evidenced by Master Sol (Lee Jung-jae) asking the red lightsaber-wielding villain, “What are you?”
As we know from the High Republic era books and comics, the Jedi were enjoying a bit of a golden age at this point in the timeline. The Sith were thought to be all but extinct after millennia of conflict, although we know that’s anything but true. The villains just spent centuries in hiding, quietly planning and manipulating events from the shadows, waiting for the right moment to strike against the Jedi and the Republic, which they eventually did in the Prequel Trilogy. Meanwhile, the Jedi Order let their guard down against their greatest enemy, which is why meeting a Sith lord who can single-handedly take on a whole group of Jedi Knights, including a few masters, is a bit of a shock for Sol and company.
There are so many questions to be answered about this Sith lord, but here’s a key one: is this mystery Sith the master or the apprentice? Either way, Sol should be very, very worried.
Master Sol and Mae’s Connection
While there’s been lots of speculation surrounding the show’s central character, a former-Jedi-padawn-turned-rogue-warrior named Mae, it’s still unclear whether she’s the Sith acolyte of the title. Either way, the trailer makes it clear that she no longer has any love for the Jedi, as she tries to kill several with her dagger, including her former master, Sol. In other words, it looks a lot like Mae is behind the crimes Sol and the other Jedi are investigating. Sol even says in the trailer that he should be the one to bring her in as he trained her in the ways of the Force.
What led to Mae turning against the Jedi—and perhaps even joining the Sith (we’re speculating here)—is still not clear, although a shot of what looks like Mae running through burning woods as Stenberg’s voiceover says to a victim that “it’s time to face the past” seems to have something to do with it.
