Palpatine Revealed The Sith"s Greatest Weakness - The Rule Of Two

Summary

• The Rule of Two, created by Darth Bane, limited the Sith to only two members at a time to prevent infighting and ensure the survival of the Sith.
• The master and apprentice relationship in the Rule of Two was inherently flawed, as they were in constant competition and mistrust, hindering true cooperation.
• Palpatine's greed for power and refusal to train a legitimate successor ultimately led to the downfall and extinction of the Sith.

In Star Wars, Palpatine represents the culmination of the Sith and the Rule of Two. Over one thousand years before the Skywalker saga, Darth Bane originally invented the Rule of Two in order to strengthen the Sith. The Rule effectively stopped the Sith from causing their own extinction. By limiting the existence of Sith to two at any given time, Bane eradicated the problem of multiple Sith clamoring over each other for power. Instead, as Yoda put it in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, “Always two, there are. No more. No Less.” Nevertheless, Bane’s Rule had an innate weakness.
According to the Rule of Two, there was always meant to be a greater Sith and a lesser Sith; a master and an apprentice. The master would exercise the full power of the Sith, while the apprentice would train to one day take the role of the master. Palpatine exemplified this change in power when he killed his master, Darth Palgueis the Wise, and succeeded him as leader of the Sith. However, Palpatine failed to truly train a legitimate successor, and instead sought to become immortal and keep the power he’d gained for himself.