Star Wars Explains How Rise of Skywalker’s Sith Wayfinder Actually Works

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker featured an ancient Sith Wayfinder – and the latest Star Wars novel has just explained how it works. The Sith Wayfinders were essentially the MacGuffins of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, ancient artifacts designed to guide Force-sensitives to the lost Sith redoubt of Exegol in the Unknown Regions.

There were two Sith Wayfinders: one previously owned by Darth Vader, the other by Emperor Palpatine. It’s unclear when exactly the Dark Lord of the Sith acquired them – some of Palpatine’s attempts to chart the Unknown Regions mentioned in Chuck Wendig’s novel Aftermath: Empire’s End make no sense if he’d always possessed them – but nonetheless, they were crucial to navigating through the complex gravitic chaos of the Unknown Regions. Lucasfilm has subsequently revealed Luke Skywalker owned a Jedi Wayfinder in Star Wars: The Last Jedi as well, a compass that is believed to have guided him to the first Jedi Temple on Ahch-To.

Justina Ireland’s novel A Test of Courage has finally revealed just how the Wayfinders actually work. The book is part of Lucasfilm Publishing’s Star Wars: The High Republic initiative, and it tells a story roughly 200 years before the events of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. A small group of survivors escape the tragic destruction of a leisure vessel, including Jedi Knight Vernestra Rwoh and a Padawan named Imri. They are stranded on a shuttle in the depths of space, and their air is running out. Imri suggests using Wayfinding to navigate.

“‘I could maybe try wayfinding,’ Imri said, voice hesitant. ‘Through the Force. Master Douglas was showing me how it is done.’ Seeing Avon and Honesty’s confused expressions, the boy elaborated. ‘I, um, should be able to detect someplace that has a lot of life, and if there are creatures living there on the planet it should be safe enough for us, as long as I have a good idea of what I am looking for. Right, Vern?’

‘Yes,’ Vernestra said, nodding. ‘Good idea.’ It was a long shot. She had only heard a few stories of wayfinding. It was something mostly done by seasoned Jedi Masters who had practiced the skill their entire lives.”

Imri’s description makes sense of the Force power of wayfinding. All life exists in the Force, and worlds rich in life have a distinctive Force-presence. Thus a Jedi who is “wayfinding” presumably searches for a vergence and fixes upon it, then trusting the Force to guide them to it. A Jedi or Sith Wayfinder, then, is a device that is fixed to one specific Force vergence – such as Ahch-To or Exegol – and has been imbued with the ability to guide a starship to it.

It is likely the ancient Sith and Jedi discovered many of their most sacred sites through wayfinding. Star Wars: Complete Locations includes a vague account of the discovery of the ice planet Ilum, a world rich in kyber that was ultimately transformed into Starkiller Base – and, with the benefit of hindsight, the Jedi who discovered Ilum was probably practicing wayfinding. Thus this Force-power, and the Jedi and Sith wayfinders, have now been absorbed effortlessly into Star Wars lore.

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Thomas Bacon
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Tom Bacon is one of Screen Rant’s staff writers, as well as a Peer Mentor for new writers and a member of the Care Team, offering support and a listening ear to members of the Comics group. A lifelong fan of major franchises including Star Wars, Doctor Who, and Marvel, Tom is delighted his childhood is back – and this time it’s cool. You can find him on Twitter @TomABacon.

A graduate of Edge Hill University, Tom remains strongly connected with his alma mater as a volunteer chaplain. He’s heavily involved with his local church, and anyone who checks him out on Twitter will swiftly learn he’s into British politics too.

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