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In The Last Jedi, Snoke says “Finish your training... and fulfil your destiny.”

After this, Kylo kills his master and becomes a master himself.

If they are not Sith, why do they obey the Rule of Two?

Paul D. Waite
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janisz
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    Who says they are obeying it? He just killed him because he wanted to and wanted to rule. – TheLethalCarrot Jan 05 '18 at 11:41
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    Such a lovely tradition must be carried on to the new sect – Bardo Jan 05 '18 at 11:43
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    How do you know the Knights of Ren aren't also alive and Dark Side users? – Machavity Jan 05 '18 at 13:20
  • Even if the KoR are there, there are plenty of dark side users working for the dark side that did not have the same statis of Master/Apprentice relationship (ie Asajj Ventress)--Some of my questions are also hitting this noise on the head too--where it seems like there is something from one Empire to the New order (or Sidious to Snoke) that feels like it might be passed on or a deeper connection between them, despite some differences. However it could just be thematic-- – Darth Locke Jan 05 '18 at 15:11
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    @JakeGould true, but the idea ends up being more vital to Palpatine (pyschologically and philosophically speaking) and his understanding of "Sith" beliefs more than anything else, except for general Master and Apprentice relationships on both sides--but I think even though Snoke/KoR are not Sith, the concept or idea of it is again displayed in TLJ, especially since Kylo asks rey to join him, so I think the question is valid to Star Wars' over all philosophy or themes about pairs and maybe paving the way to symbiotic relationships – Darth Locke Jan 05 '18 at 16:00
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    Disagree slightly, the theme of TLJ is uncertianty. But also all characters eventually take action which rely on how they feel about other characters (ie: Luke helps the Liea and the resistence/Rey, he seemingly dies for it), DJ (don't join) is still seemingly taking actions to meet some weath equality goal (he will join or not join any side to acieve his goals and the jury is still out where his philosophy derives). Snoke expains what he believes Kylo and Ren equivicate, but not how, why, or to what end. We don't know if Ren is still doing what Snoke wants, despite the sudden departure. – Darth Locke Jan 05 '18 at 16:56
  • If Kylo wanted to go it alone, he wouldn't have asked Rey. And those two characters are really where the heart of this story has to be, one way or another for anything presented to make any sense. Episode IX has to philosophically sort it all out. I think there is a reality that even going it alone, relies on other people, despite what one believes, because survival and having goals to change things is about giving and taking power (ie power struggle), but that idea relies opposition power, menaing something sentinal has to believe and invest in it... – Darth Locke Jan 05 '18 at 16:59
  • Hey, did anybody else notice that Snoke really wasn't very nice to Kylo? He saw an opportunity to get rid of his tormentor, and he took it - becoming ruler of the First Order was a nice bonus too. In-universe, there's no reason to think this has anything to do with the Rule of Two. (Out-of-universe, sure.) – Harry Johnston Jan 06 '18 at 00:19

1 Answers1

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As the old Soviet joke goes, "Officer, I didn't steal those jeans. And they were dirty and all full of holes anyway!".

As such:

  1. We don't know that they follow Rule of Two in the first place, in word or even deed:

    • Supplementary fact books show that Snoke had at least another apprentice besides Emo Ren.

    • We are given strong (but not yet canon confrimed) hints that Knights of Ren are Luke's former students that left with Ben Solo. If so, clearly Snoke was teaching them too

    • Finally, it can be argued that Kylo has no apprentices after killing Snoke.

  2. Having said that, the rule of Two is not 1 to 1 associated with the Sith:

    • First, even the Sith didn't exactly obey it. For one thing, Sith before Darth Bane didn't. For another, we have tons of examples of Sidious/Vader violating it.

    • Second, Rule of Two isn't a "Sith only" thing. It's just a tactical/philosophical concept. As such, any Force user may act in the ways that follow such a rule, not because "they are following Sith ways" but because the rule makes a lot of sense (it did work out well for the Sith, after all).

DVK-on-Ahch-To
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    “it can be argued that Kylo has no apprentices after killing Snoke” — absolutely, although I guess he might have thought he had one in Rey. – Paul D. Waite Jan 05 '18 at 15:14
  • Just the fact he asked her after all of that, suggest he didn't want to be alone, he feels for her, and/or that he still needed Rey for something yet to be determined. But thematically, it's no coincidence that it is calling back to "paired" relationships, and how Palpatine/Sidious psuedo operated. – Darth Locke Jan 05 '18 at 16:05
  • @DVK-on-Ahch-To: What's will all the "old Soviet jokes"?? – ThePopMachine Jan 08 '18 at 18:45
  • @ThePopMachine - I usually don't have a first clue if equivalent English speaking ones exist. i'm ESL – DVK-on-Ahch-To Jan 08 '18 at 19:01