George Lucas cut a Clone Wars scene because he didn't want Sith ghosts in Star Wars: "They cannot conceive of anything beyond death"

Darth Maul in Star Wars: The Clone Wars with lightning behind
(Image credit: Disney)

Prolific Star Wars actor Sam Witwer has given a definitive answer as to why a key Sith lore scene from The Clone Wars was left on the cutting room floor.

Witwer – who has voiced the likes of Darth Maul in The Clone Wars and Emperor Palpatine in Star Wars: Rebels, as well as The Force Unleashed's Starkiller – was asked by a fan for the reason why a scene involving Knight of the Old Republic's Darth Revan and Darth Bane (who created the Sith's Rule of Two master-and-apprentice dynamic) was cut from The Clone Wars.

The answer? As Witwer explained on Twitter, "George [Lucas] cut it because he wanted to make sure it was clear – there are no Sith ghosts. They cannot conceive of anything beyond death."

The original vision for the season 3 episode 'Ghosts of Mortis' involved the pair of Sith being the ones behind Son (the embodiment of the Dark Side) and his nefarious plans.

But seeing as they were both dead for centuries at this point, Lucas seemingly wanted no way for them to be able to contact Son in the same way several Force Ghosts would appear before those on the Light Side of the force in past and future entries.

Darth Bane would later appear before Yoda as an apparition (tellingly, post-Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm) in a season 6 episode, titled 'Sacrifice'.

Elsewhere in a galaxy far, far away, Ahsoka season 2 is currently in the works. Meanwhile, a Mandalorian and Grogu movie is set to release next May, with all roads leading to Dave Filoni's as-yet-untitled 'Mando-verse' crossover feature.

For more, check out our guides to upcoming Star Wars movies and how to watch the Clone Wars in order.

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Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.

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