I Can't Believe Star Wars Has Quietly Erased Darth Plagueis' Sith Master From Canon

Summary Star Wars quietly removed Darth Tenebrous from canon, leaving the identity of Darth Plagueis' mentor a mystery once more.

The High Republic Era is the focus of future Star Wars content, as seen in The Acolyte series, exploring the golden age of Jedi and Sith.

Disney's interest in Darth Plagueis may have led to the erasure of Darth Tenebrous, leaving room for future canon revisions.

Star Wars has quietly erased Darth Plagueis' Sith Master, Darth Tenebrous, from canon. The future of Star Wars lies in the past; specifically, the High Republic Era, the golden age of the Jedi and the Republic. The Acolyte brought the tail-end of the High Republic Era into live-action at last, and even introduced two Sith of the time - including Palpatine's eventual master, Darth Plagueis. But who mentored Darth Plagueis?

In Star Wars Legends, Darth Plagueis was taught by the even more mysterious Sith Lord Darth Tenebrous. Star Wars set up Darth Tenebrous in canon all the way back in 2015, in Build the Millennium Falcon #44. There, an article on Darth Maul's Sith Interceptor revealed he was believed to have been the ship's designer, a nod to his role in Legends:

"Said to be one of the fruits of the creative genius of Raith Sienar, the renowned designer's involvement in the project was later disputed, and the ship is thought to have actually been designed by Darth Tenebrous, the Sith Master of Darth Plagueis."

To my surprise, though, it now seems Star Wars has walked this back.

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Darth Tenebrous' Name Has Been Quietly Erased

Screen Rant first covered the Darth Tenebrous name-drop in Build the Millennium Falcon #44 last year. I spotted the reference on Wookieepedia, and promptly ordered a copy of the issue; we always prefer to double-check the references, to make sure everything we cover is accurate. More recently, though, I've actually subscribed to the magazine; I'm quite enjoying it, with fun fact-files, a buildable model, and a number of bonuses such as a Millennium Falcon cap, cup, and T-shirt. Today, I received #44 - and I was quite surprised when I flipped through the pages.

I'd read this issue before, so I expected it all to be so very familiar. I quickly realized the issue had been changed slightly, updated, and in fact the name of Darth Tenebrous has been quietly erased. The paragraph quoted above now simply says, "Said to be one of the fruits of the creative genius of Raith Sienar, the renowned designer's involvement in the project was later disputed." It's unclear why this change was made, but the approach is an interesting one nonetheless, because there's still room for Darth Tenebrous to be slipped back into canon quite easily.

Why Has Star Wars Erased Darth Tenebrous From Canon Like This?

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Surprisingly few Sith Lords have been mentioned in canon, largely because the periods where the Sith were more numerous - before Darth Bane and the Rule of Two - have yet to be explored by Disney. This Darth Tenebrous erasure is certainly eyebrow-raising, but the edit likely reflects the fact Disney has indeed become interested in the Plagueis timeline. Darth Plagueis himself appeared at the end of The Acolyte season 1, and he's confirmed to be a major factor in season 2 (should the show be renewed).

Realistically, Lucasfilm probably don't want to wind up locked in because of a throwaway reference in a random fact-file published nine years ago. Recognizing that Build the Millennium Falcon is still for sale, the lore-keepers must have asked the publisher DeAgostini to make the change. Darth Tenebrous could still become part of Star Wars canon again, but for now, the Sith mentor of Darth Plagueis is a mystery once again.