In a recent Acolyte preview clip, we see assassin Mae (Amandla Stenberg) face off against Jedi Master Indara (Carrie-Ann Moss). While Indara resists taking out her saber until her life is threatened, Mae’s daggers and Force skills are a problem she can’t ignore. Just what makes Mae such an even match? The secret may actually lie in the daggers themselves.

In the now non-canon era of the Old Republic, millennia before the events of the Star Wars movies, Sith often fought with bladed weapons over sabers. These weren’t just any blades, but Sith swords imbued with Dark Side energy. They were developed by the ancient Sith (the species, not the Dark Side users) and were later adopted by the Jedi exiles who would become the Sith (the Dark Side users, not the species) and incorporate lightsaber combat elements in their use.

Sith blades occasionally popped up in the old canon, especially in the Old Republic era, but they soon fell out of favor over the more powerful (and more iconic) lightsabers. However, they’re quite powerful in their own right: because of the Force powers involved, Sith swords can fend off lightsabers and deflect blaster bolts, just like Beskar. And when attacked with Force lightning, these blades can store the electric energy and transfer it with a blow.

While Sith swords are usually larger, often ceremonial weapons, there is precedence for Sith daggers. Kowakian monkey-lizard Dark Jedi Picaroon C. Boodle from the video game Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II used a Sith dagger to fit his diminutive nature. Yes, that is a real character.

Could Mae’s dagger be imbued with Sith energy? There has been an effort to include more alternatives to lightsabers in modern-day canon; Ahsoka introduced the ominous green Blade of Talzin, given to Morgan Elsbeth by the Great Mothers of the Nightsisters. While not technically a Sith sword, as it’s imbued with a different kind of magic, there’s definitely room for more evil magic weaponry in the Star Wars universe.