* ''StarWars'' is the TropeNamer. The Sith have the RuleOfTwo, where there can only be a Sith master training a student. The master cannot teach another student, and the student cannot learn from another Sith master.
** In fact, there can be only two Sith Lords, the master and the apprentice, ''in total''. The origins of this rule are explained in ''Darth Bane: The Path of Destruction'', where the Sith have become so "corrupt" (from a perverse DarkSide point of view) that there are hordes of people with the title of "Dark Lord of the Sith", and their leader pretends to be just a first among equals; their official philosophy states that anyone claiming the title "Darth" or supreme leadership would only lead to strife an infighting. The VillainProtagonist Bane (who gradually becomes a peculiar variation of TheUbermensch) has been reading the ancient Sith texts and realises how against the traditional values such a policy is. Eventually, after [[spoiler: visiting that Rakatan temple from ''KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' and viewing an ancient recording by his idol Darth Revan]], he comes to the conclusion that there should only ever be two Sith Lords at a time: one to hold power, and the other to covet it and take it by force when they're ready; and that the Sith should not work for the fall of the Jedi and to conquer the galaxy by armed conflict, but subtlety, which Palpatine eventually pulled off. [[spoiler: Having made up his mind on this, ''Darth'' Bane makes sure all the collectivist Sith Lords unintentionally commit collective suicide.]]
** The actual RuleOfTwo itself is that each Sith Lord teaches one apprentice, and when that apprentice is strong enough, he (or she) will kill the master and take their place, choosing another student. In this manner, each master not only ''becomes'' strong, but must ''stay'' that way to stay alive, and each student must become stronger than their master. Each generation of Sith is stronger than the last, because any weak link in the chain is dead. A master cannot have more than one apprentice, because they will team up to kill the master while each of them is individually weaker than him, and will then turn on each other and weaken the Sith Order. In short, ChronicBackstabbingDisorder as a way of life and a code of morality.
*** When you think about it, a philosophy based on Hate isn't really conducive to long-term teamwork anyway...
*** It's not about teamwork, it's about power, and Obi-Wan finished the Sith's 10,000 years winning streak when he killed Darth Maul, also Palpatine was quite happy that Dooku was killed because he would soon get a "far younger and more powahful" apprentice.
** The expanded universe makes it clear that pretty much every Sith lord and apprentice had extra force-sensitive people hanging around anyway, some of them on the hook with "okay so when I overthrow the master/my current apprentice has [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness outlived his usefulness]], then you'll be my ''official'' apprentice in our secret society."
*** Actually, although the ExpandedUniverse reveals that Palpatine, Dooku, Vader and other Sith Lords had their own minions trained in the dark side, the rule wasn't broken because they weren't true Sith Lords, but mere warriors or spies with some lightsaber training and little ability in the force.
**** And in the case of Darth Maul, the novel ''DarthPlagueis'' also implies that, even if Darth Maul was officially Sidious' apprentice, he still wouldn't have broken the RuleOfTwo anyway because his master, Darth Plagueis, decided to end it after making Palpatine his apprentice. Of course, for some reason, Sidious decided to reinstate the RuleOfTwo after [[TheStarscream offing Plagueis]].

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* ''StarWars'' is the TropeNamer. The Sith have the RuleOfTwo, where there can only be a Sith master and an apprentice. No more no less. One to possess power and the other to desire it. The mentality is that each Sith Lord teaches one apprentice until they are strong enough to destroy their them and take their place. At which point they will seek out another student. In this manner, each master not only ''becomes'' strong, but must ''stay'' that way to stay alive, and each student must become stronger than their master. Each generation of Sith is stronger than the last, because any weak link in the chain is dead. A master cannot have more than one apprentice, because they may team up to kill their master despite being individually weaker than him, turn on each other and weaken the Sith Order. In short, ChronicBackstabbingDisorder as a way of life and a code of morality.
** The origins of this rule are explained in ''Darth Bane: The Path of Destruction'', where the Sith have become rife with in-fighting due to hordes of individuals claiming to the title of "Dark Lord of the Sith" with a leader pretending to be just a first among equals. The Sith philosophy in such a climate can only lead to self-destructive power struggles that serve to only to empower their enemies. [[VillainProtagonist Bane]] eventually comes to the conclusion that there should only ever be two Sith Lords at a time: one to hold power, and the other to covet it. Eventually the apprentice should take it by force when they're ready. Furthermore he concludes the Sith should not work for the fall of the Jedi and to conquer the galaxy by armed conflict, but rather subtlety, which Palpatine eventually pulled off. [[spoiler: Having made up his mind on this, ''Darth'' Bane makes sure all the collectivist Sith Lords unintentionally commit collective suicide.]]
** Interestingly the ExpandedUniverse reveals that Palpatine, Dooku, Vader and other Sith Lords had their own minions trained in the dark side, the rule wasn't technically broken because they weren't "true" Sith Lords, but mere warriors or spies with some lightsaber training and ability in the force. However it seems once these minions begin to grow too strong or worse is discovered being trained in the Sith arts, ''someone has to go'' be it master or minion.

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26th Oct '12 6:10:01 AM TwoGunAngel

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