Star Wars: How Did Yoda Know about the Rule of Two?

[DarKush]

In Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Yoda talks about the Sith's Rule of Two: "Two there are/no more/no less/One to embody the power/the other to crave it."

But after reading Bane trilogy and the Plagueis novel, not to mention seeing the awesome trailer for Clone Wars Season 5, it makes me wonder how did Yoda know what the rule of two was, since it was instituted by Darth Bane after the Jedi and most of the galaxy thought that all of the Sith had been wiped out a 1,000 years before TPM? For most of Sith history, there had been multiple Sith, so the new rule was a radical departure that Yoda shouldn't have been privy to.

Anyone have any insight on why Yoda would know, or has there been something written explaining how he found out about the rule?

[Captain Nebula]

Because the Star Wars Movies and the Star Wars Expanded Universe aren't the same.

The movies supersede any books - i.e., the book is wrong.

[Temis the Vorta]

Yoda could sense it because of the Force and stuff.

But the Force didn't let him sense a Sith right under his nose. Above all, the Force wants a good story, or failing that, any kind of story. I envision the Force as Q, manipulating events arbitrarily depending on what suits its whim.

[Turtletrekker]

Qui-Gon told him.

[Reverend]

OK, it's been a while since I saw TPM but I'm pretty sure that's not what Yoda says. IIRC the line is: "Always two there are. No more, no less. A master and an apprentice."

As for how Yoda knew...hell if I know. Maybe the Jedi have had more encounters with the Sith over the preceding millennium than is generally known. A secret known only to the grand master and a select few on the council perhaps? Lucas has always been a bit vague and inconsistent regarding the history of the Jedi, Sith & the Republic.

Either way I'm sure the EU will find some way to retcon an explanation in sooner or later.

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Captain Nebula wrote:

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Because the Star Wars Movies and the Star Wars Expanded Universe aren't the same.

The movies supersede any books - i.e., the book is wrong.

Doesn't George Lucas treat the EU novels as canon? I thought SW's attitude towards such things was different from Trek.

[Anwar]

I think he said that the EU is canon until the movies say otherwise.

[PsychoPere]

The Jedi Order learned of the "Rule of Two" around 188 BBY during the Dark Jedi Conflict.

Reverend wrote:

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OK, it's been a while since I saw TPM but I'm pretty sure that's not what Yoda says. IIRC the line is: "Always two there are. No more, no less. A master and an apprentice."

That was Yoda's line in the movie, yes. DarKush was quoting Darth Bane's rule.

Mr. Laser Beam wrote:

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Doesn't George Lucas treat the EU novels as canon? I thought SW's attitude towards such things was different from Trek.

The SW franchise approach is different from Trek, but not quite in the way you're thinking. In SW, there are varying levels of canon.

• G-Canon is "George Lucas canon" - namely, the movies themselves and anything else Lucas decides is canon.
• T-Canon is "Television canon" - The Clone Wars and its feature film, and supposedly Tartakovsky's Clone Wars microseries. The live-action series, if it ever comes to fruition, would belong here. This tier apparently does not, however, include the old Ewoks tv movies or cartoons, or the Droids cartoons.
• C-Canon is "Continuity canon" - all transmedia works (books, comics, video games, etc.) that are included in the effort to maintain a consistent continuity. In other words, the modern Expanded Universe.
• S-Canon is "Secondary canon" - older works published prior to the consistent continuity efforts (Marvel's comics, for example). Some elements of these works may be moved into a higher tier when contemporary works include references.
• N-Canon is "Non-canon" - "Infinities" ("what if") tales, and other works that are explicitly deemed by Lucas and Lucasfilm to be non-canon. An obvious example would, of course, be The Star Wars Holiday Special.

See the link above for more detail and many quotes, if interested.

[DarKush]

Thanks for all the responses so far. Perhaps I did mangle Yoda's quote, but I got most of it right and I think everyone got the gist of what I was asking.

Just checked out the link you provided Psycho Pere. Thanks a bunch. I'm glad someone caught it and explained how Yoda would know about the Rule of Two.

[Mr. Adventure]

Unfortunately, Darth Bane was known to get drunk and sing

We are better than you
We have a rule of two
Na-na na-na boo boo
Stick your head in doo doo

And thus the legend spread through the galaxy

[DWF]

The Jedi do maintain a history, I'm sure it's all required reading about in case the Sith returned one day.

[Temis the Vorta]

Sith Lore 101.

[Valin]

Mr. Adventure wrote:

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Unfortunately, Darth Bane was known to get drunk and sing

We are better than you
We have a rule of two
Na-na na-na boo boo
Stick your head in doo doo

And thus the legend spread through the galaxy

Shouldn't that line be:
Na-boo Na-boo boo boo ?

[Mr. Adventure]

Valin wrote:

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Shouldn't that line be:
Na-boo Na-boo boo boo ?

Naboo Naboo Naboo would work.

I suppose that rhyme might be a US only thing. Kids seem to pick it up through osmosis.

[Valin]

Mr. Adventure wrote:

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Naboo Naboo Naboo would work.

I suppose that rhyme might be a US only thing. Kids seem to pick it up through osmosis.

I've lived in the US all my life. I've never heard any kid say that. Maybe it's regional.