The Clone Wars teased the existence of another shadowy villain in the Star Wars prequel era - other than just Palpatine and his associates. The shadow of the dark side fell over the entire galaxy during the Clone Wars, with the Jedi leading the war against the Separatist droid armies as generals in the Republic's army of clone troopers.
Of course, in reality, the Clone Wars were the ultimate Jedi trap. Darth Sidious, Lord of the Sith, had engineered the Clone Wars in order to wear the Jedi down. All the while, he was building his own power base, preparing for the moment when he would transform the Republic into the Empire. Meanwhile, the chaos of the Clone Wars allowed other villains to rise to positions of prominence, meaning the Jedi found much of their time occupied with Darth Maul and crime cartels such as the one led by Hondo Ohnaka. Curiously, though, The Clone Wars season 5 subtly hinted at another threat to the Jedi - one that never materialized.
The Clone Wars season 5 included an intriguing multi-episode plot in which Hondo attempted to steal Kyber Crystals from Jedi Younglings who had just retrieved them from the secret world of Ilum. Needless to say, the attempt didn't go well, but Hondo wound up with a captive Jedi - Ahsoka. Annoyed at losing the opportunity to acquire the priceless Kyber Crystals, Hondo resolved to sell Ahsoka instead. "I have my sights set on more nefarious criminals than I," he told Ahsoka. "A businessman who will pay handsomely for a Jedi - a female Jedi, at that... They don't care if you're dead or alive."
Ahsoka was successfully rescued, so she never found out just who Hondo intended to sell her to. His account doesn't match with Palpatine's agenda, so it can't be anything to do with Darth Sidious.While Palpatine was indeed abducting Force-sensitive children in order to use them as weapons against the Jedi, a Padawan would be too much trouble, so he wouldn't have wanted Ahsoka alive. Hondo rules out Count Dooku and the Separatists, believing they'd stab him in the back. The most likely is Grakkus the Hutt, a crime lord who was introduced in Jason Aaron's Star Wars run, who collected Jedi artifacts, and who is known to have been active at this time. And yet, again, the "dead or alive" comment seems odd, because Grakkus would have paid far more for a living Jedi than for a dead one.
It all looks as though there was another enemy of the Jedi operating in the shadows during the Clone Wars, perhaps taking advantage of the conflict to quietly acquire Jedi artifacts and even capture the occasional live Jedi. This mystery foe is a businessman wealthy enough to satisfy Hondo's greed. They're clearly malevolent, perhaps envious of the power of the Jedi, given Hondo thinks they'll be particularly interested in exercising power over a female Jedi. Nothing else can be said for certain.
With The Clone Wars returning for one final season on Disney+, it's possible this plot could yet be developed. That would be a smart move on Lucasfilm's part, because it would potentially fit Hondo into the show yet again; Hondo is a major character at Galaxy's Edge, so a Hondo-centric arc would be a clever bit of synergy. At the same time, though, the fact remains that this plot is quite a subtle one, which is why it's generally flown under the radar. Lucasfilm may not have any interest in resolving it so many years later.
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