While The Acolyte has revealed a massive Jedi cover-up during the High Republic era, Star Wars actually introduced another Jedi conspiracy 6 years ago that’s so much bigger than the events on Brendok. Audiences were shocked when The Acolyte’s ending revealed that the Jedi, particularly Vernestra Rwoh, had created a massive cover-up for the events on Brendok and the deaths of the Jedi Master Indara, Master Torbin, Master Kelnacca, and Master Sol, placing the Order knee-deep in a massive conspiracy. This, however, is far from the Jedi’s first cover-up in Star Wars.
One of the Jedi Order’s most notable conspiracies, introduced 6 years ago, surrounds the planet Malachor. First appearing in canon in the Star Wars Rebels season 2 two-part finale “Twilight of the Apprentice,” the planet Malachor has a long history with the Sith. In Rebels, it’s explored by Kanan Jarrus, Ezra Bridger, and Ahsoka Tano, and it’s where Ahsoka has her fateful confrontation with her former master Darth Vader.
But Malachor has a much longer history that is hinted at in Rebels, which actually dates back to the days of Star Wars Legends. In Knights of the Old Republic, Malachor V was the location of the final battle of the Mandalorian Wars, and where a superweapon was activated. While part of a different conflict, the same thing happened in canon. A superweapon was activated on the planet, turning combatants into dust – but it was forgotten, leading to a massive Jedi cover-up.
Malachor’s Existence Was Removed From The Jedi Archives
Star Wars Sourcebook Confirms A Cover-Up
Malachor was a prominent Sith planet, and was also the location of a huge and climactic battle in canon between Jedi and Sith over a thousand years before the events of Rebels. Because of the Sith nature of the planet, Malachor’s existence was actually completely erased from the Jedi Archives. This is an unprecedented cover-up, similar to the erasure of Kamino by Count Dooku leading to the events of the Clone Wars.
One of their most fearsome strongholds resided on the Outer Rim planet of Malachor. Rumors spread that the Sith bastion hid unstoppable weaponry and forbidden knowledge. Fearing the worst, the Jedi laid siege to the temple. The battle left no survivors. The Jedi archives erased all records of the planet, hoping to bury the Sith secrets along with the dead.
The Fantasy Flight Games Star Wars sourcebook titled Unlimited Power revealed this, quoted above, about the future of Malachor after the deadly conflict there. This not only has some big ramifications for the Jedi Order’s reputation, but also sets the stage really well for the Order’s willingness to cover up dark side-related events. The Acolyte presents another one of these instances that was clearly kept a secret by Jedi such as Vernestra Rwoh, who seem to want to suppress the dark side in all ways.
What Really Happened On The Sith World Of Malachor?
A Jedi vs. Sith Conflict & A Superweapon
As described in Rebels and pictured in the comic Darth Maul #2 by Cullen Bunn and Luke Ross, the Great Scourge of Malachor happened over a thousand years before Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. It began as a battle between the Sith Empire and the Jedi Order. A Sith Lord named Darth Tanis had designed a superweapon into the temple on Malachor, and it was fired during the battle. This incredibly deadly weapon killed all life on the entire planet.
As a Force-powered weapon, life was directly sucked out of every living being there, leaving petrified husks of warriors, both Jedi and Sith, strewn across the battlefield. Some of these statue-like corpses were still standing even by the time of Rebels. During the Galactic Republic era, all of this was covered up by the Jedi Order to keep Sith Force weapon secrets away from any potential Jedi or otherwise who went looking for them. This conspiracy yet again proves that the Jedi Order of old is not always the most honest group in the Star Wars galaxy.