Sith

Darth Sidious inherits and brings to fruition a thousand-year vendetta; a plot to reinstate the Sith as the ruling power in the galaxy, culminating in the Great Jedi Purge and the formation of the first Galactic Empire with himself in the position of Emperor. His demise ended the Banite Sith Order.

The Sith are major antagonists in the space opera setting of the Star Wars fictional universe.[1] They are depicted as an ancient monastic and academic kraterocratic organization of preternaturally-gifted warriors driven by an agenda of galactic domination and revenge against their forebears, the selfless, knightly Jedi.

Sith philosophy lionizes conflict as a catalyst for growth and as a tool to purge the unworthy. Members of the Sith Order are characterized by the desire to seize power by any means necessary, leveraging force (both physical and supernatural), social maneuvering and political cunning to gain advantage. Most infamously, Sith cultivate a connection to the Dark Side of the Force, which provides them with superhuman power and arcane knowledge, but corrodes their basic capacity for empathy, kindness and love.

Throughout Star Wars media and in popular culture, the Sith are famous as the dualistic antagonists to the Jedi, an affiliation of altruistic warriors who strive to use their own martial training and connection to the "Light Side" of the Force to promote peace and the common welfare throughout the galaxy. Over their long history, the Sith have established great empires, come close to realizing their ambitions of galactic conquest, and nearly eradicated the Jedi. Ultimately, however, they are depicted as self-defeating—their grand plans undone time and again by internal strife, rebellion inspired by their vicious tactics, and the psychologically noxious effects of their dark arts and philosophy. Prominent Sith such as Darth Vader and Darth Sidious have become pop culture icons of tyranny and evil.

Background and role in Star Wars canon

The schemes of the Sith are key to the overarching plot of the Star Wars films and much other fictional material in the franchise. Frequently opposed by the Jedi, the Sith have also been stymied at crucial junctures by internal frictions. The notion that the Sith’s dark arts and selfish philosophy are ultimately self-defeating on both a personal and institutional level is a running theme within Star Wars media.

Emergence of the Sith Order

This section outlines early Sith history based on currently official Star Wars canon. For previous depictions, refer to Sith#Star Wars "Legends" media.

The origin, agenda, abilities and philosophy of the Sith are intertwined with their relationship to the Force. With proper training, the Force may be called upon by rare individuals capable of "sensing" or "touching" it to achieve extraordinary feats such as telekinesis, precognition and mental suggestion. Not all psychological states are conducive to employing the Force; discipline is required. However, both quietude and focused, intense passion alike can be effective. The Sith originate in a group of Force-sensitive warriors who discovered efficaciousness of passion as a tool to draw on the Force approximately 6,000 years prior to the events of the first Star Wars film.[2] Fully embracing this approach, they became defined and corrupted by it.

The warriors who would become the first Sith were apparently heterodox members of an older martial order of Force-sensitive sapient beings in the Star Wars universe: The Jedi. The Jedi served as a space-faring knightly order within the Galactic Republic, a representative democracy encompassing most developed worlds. The Jedi Order sought to use the powers of the Force to help defend the weak and advance the rule of law across the galaxy, in keeping with their ethics of self-sacrifice and service to the common welfare. The Jedi creed mirrored their method of utilizing the Force, and Jedi doctrine favored states of serenity, detachment, compassion, and humility as the proper means of accessing its power. When members of the Jedi Order began to experiment with passion as an alternative, controversy emerged. The Jedi establishment saw these innovations as a threat to the ethos of the Jedi, opening members to the seduction of aggrandizement and cruelty. Eventually, this controversy led to a sectarian conflict in which the heterodox Jedi were defeated and exiled.[3]

In exile, the dissident Jedi were free to explore the relationship between passion and the Force. They concluded that the martial and ethical disciplines of the Jedi establishment were foolish and misguided: Passion, not quietude, was the most potent means of accessing the Force, and conflict, not peace, was the natural and healthy state of the universe. Rejecting the self-abnegation of their forebears, the exiles now embraced ruthless personal ambition, believing that power belonged to those with the cunning and strength to seize it. In their training, the dissidents would seek to master the Force by cultivating dark passions such as anger and hate, a practice anathematized by the Jedi as taking recourse to the Force's "Dark Side." Guided by their kratocratic and egoistic philosophy and armed with taboo Dark Side techniques, the former Jedi exiles would reemerge to menace the galaxy as the Sith Order, aiming to conquer the Galactic Republic and exact revenge against the Jedi.

A succession of Sith-led regimes would arise to challenge the Jedi and the Galactic Republic.[4] However, internal power struggles would prove decisive in thwarting the Sith's designs. The paradox of reconciling endless personal ambition with corporate action would become a great practical and philosophical concern for the Sith. Ultimately, this paradox would be “resolved” through a drastic reorganization effected by a leader named Darth Bane, who recast the Sith in an esoteric lineal master-apprentice tradition known as “The Rule of Two.”[5] Thereafter (at least, as a matter of orthodoxy) there would be only two Sith at a time: One to embody power, and another to crave it. While concealing their identity as Sith, a succession of Sith masters and apprentices would work through the centuries to inveigle or force themselves into positions of power and undermine responsible government, preparing the Galactic Republic for eventual usurpation. The Banite tradition encouraged each apprentice to eventually challenge and slaughter his or her master, and take an apprentice in turn. In this way, Darth Bane believed that the kratocratic essence of Sith philosophy could be reconciled with a sustained project of galactic domination and revenge against the Jedi. The first six Star Wars films chronicle the consummation, and eventual undoing, of this ancient scheme.

Ascent to power and demise

Darth Bane’s plan would come to fruition through Sheev Palpatine, a Senator, later Supreme Chancellor, of the Galactic Republic, and secretly a Dark Lord of the Sith (“Darth Sidious”). By manipulating disgruntled factions within the Galactic Republic, Palpatine orchestrated a civil war. This conflict, known within the Star Wars universe as the “Clone Wars,” provided a justification for consolidating power in the Galactic Republic’s chief executive and assembling a large army of hastily cloned soldiers—surreptitiously conditioned to obey certain key commands issued by Palpatine. Although the Jedi eventually discovered Palpatine’s identity as a Sith and attempted to arrest him, this action was anticipated by Palpatine, who successfully framed their actions as an attempted coup, providing in turn a pretext for annihilating the Jedi by activating “Order 66,” one of the clone soldiers’ embedded protocols. In the course of effecting his designs, Palpatine also manipulated the Jedi’s most powerful initiate, Anakin Skywalker, into his service, by promising to teach Skywalker Dark Side techniques that could save the life of Padme Amidala, a Galactic Senator to whom Skywalker was secretly married in violation of Jedi rules, and whose death in childbirth Skywalker had preternaturally foreseen. In a tragic irony, Amidala’s sheer horror at discovering Skywalker’s collaboration with Sidious in destroying the Jedi would itself be the cause of her death during childbirth, though Sidious would trick Skywalker into believing that an episode of Skywalker’s physical abuse of Amidala had been the actual cause of her death. Skywalker’s subsequent emotional collapse would lead him to fully embrace the Dark Side of the Force and assume the persona of Darth Vader, Lord of the Sith.

With Darth Vader at his side, Palpatine would rule the newly styled Galactic Empire for approximately 20 years as its emperor. Initially unknown to Vader and Sidious, two children were successfully delivered by Padme before her death. One, Luke Skywalker, would be secretly tutored in the ways of the Force by Vader’s own former Jedi master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and a powerful elder Jedi, Yoda, who also survived Palpatine’s purge. Along with his sister, Leia, Luke would become a key member of a rebellion to restore the Galactic Republic. Ironically, during a final confrontation between Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader and the Emperor aboard a mobile battle station known as the Death Star, the Sith lineage would end as Darth Bane prescribed that it proceed. The Emperor offered Skywalker an ultimatum to enter his service or die, and proceeded to use his Force-derived powers to torture and kill Skywalker when the latter refused to embrace the Dark Side of the Force. Experiencing a crisis of conscience at the imminent death of Skywalker, whom Vader now knew to be his son, Darth Vader chose to intervene and kill his master, the Emperor. Darth Vader would die of his own injuries shortly thereafter, thus apparently bringing an end to the Sith and their ancient vendetta.

Key concepts and nomenclature

The Sith are dedicated to the "Sith Code" and to mastering the Dark Side of the Force.[6] The Sith Code identifies conflict as the fundamental dynamic of reality, and holds that the search for lasting peace, within or without, is both quixotic and misguided. Rather, Sith embrace strife and dark passion as salutary and emancipatory forces, as they believe that violent struggle purges the decadent and weak, and that emotions such as aggression and hate provide the strength and resolve to secure freedom through victory. Although Sith seek dominion, Sith philosophy stresses that power belongs only to those with the strength, cunning, and ruthlessness to maintain it, and thus "betrayal" among the Sith is not a vice but an endorsed norm. Accordingly, the Sith reject altruism, self-abnegation and kindness, as they regard such attitudes as founded on delusions that fetter one's perceptions and power. In connection with their philosophy, the Sith draw on the Dark Side of the Force through severe negative emotions, a technique antipodal to that of their archenemies, the Jedi, who rely on the Force's "Light Side," i.e., the Force as experienced through disciplined states of quietude and compassion. Notably, both the Jedi and Sith shun romantic and familial love, as the Jedi fear such love will lead to attachment, and thus selfishness, and the Sith fear it will compromise their ruthlessness and connection to the Dark Side of the Force. Although the Sith are intimately linked to the Dark Side, not every "Dark Side"-user is a Sith; nor is every "Light Side"-user a Jedi. Sith Lords traditionally use the title Darth before their Sith name (e.g., "Darth Vader").

Yes, a Jedi’s strength flows from the Force. But beware of the dark side. Anger, fear, aggression; the dark side of the Force are they. Easily they flow, quick to join you in a fight. If once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will, as it did Obi-Wan’s apprentice.
— Yoda, in The Empire Strikes Back

The Dark Side of the Force is stigmatized as corruptive and addictive by the Jedi, who view it as evil.[7] As portrayed in all Star Wars-related media, the Dark Side provides users with powers similar to those of the Light Side-using Jedi, but as it leverages passion and violence, its use is enhanced by negative raw and aggressive emotions and instinctual feelings such as anger, greed, hatred, and rage. Extended indulgence in the Dark Side creates a loss of humanity, morality, empathy, and the ability to love, leaving the Sith amoral, cruel, sadistic and violent. Considering this dark change in personality to be a transformation into a different person altogether, some who turn to the Dark Side take on a different name, as they regard their former persona as dead and destroyed. By deciding to learn the ways of the Dark Side of the Force, the Sith may also acquire powers and abilities considered by some in the Star Wars universe to be unnatural.[8] A notable example is a form of directed dielectric breakdown called "Force Lightning," infamously used by the Sith Lord Darth Sidious to torture Jedi-initiate and rebel Luke Skywalker. Darth Sidious claimed that his own master, Darth Plagueis, could even use the Force to avert the natural deaths of those whose lives he wished to save. Being uninhibited in their use of the Force, Sith could also repurpose abilities shared with the Jedi, such as telekinesis, to new and terrifying effect: Darth Vader was infamous for his use of telekinetic strangulation, or "Force Choke," as a means of execution or intimidation. Nevertheless, Sith are not portrayed as necessarily irredeemable: Some Sith, most famously Darth Vader in the final moments of his life, have renounced the Order and the Dark Side of the Force.

Like the Jedi, the Sith's signature weapon is an extremely lethal focused energy melee weapon known as a lightsaber, which (generally) only those trained in the ways of the Force can use effectively. Sith use lightsabers in combination with Force-derived powers, such as telekinesis, enhanced dexterity and precognition, to achieve superhuman combat prowess. A fully trained Sith is depicted as being at least a match for a well-trained Jedi Knight, and either can handily defeat multiple ordinary attackers armed with projectile weapons.

Thematic role in Star Wars

The Sith worldview and modus operandi are often portrayed as self-destructive. Star Wars characters who “give into the Dark Side of the Force” and seek to use its power for their own narrow self-interest (or for morally dubious purposes on behalf of others, such as revenge) usually meet with tragic or terrible fates, or have their accomplishments eventually undone by characters with altruistic motivations. Rather than the masters of the universe they seek to become, Sith are depicted as eventually enslaved to their own self-serving desires; amoral, sadistic, vindictive, violent and ultimately self-defeating. Several Sith, such as Darth Vader and Darth Sidious, provide spectacular examples of this trope. As manifest villains within the Star Wars franchise, the Sith appear to embody a kind of elemental moral error. Whether this error ultimately lies in the Sith’s embrace of passion itself, or rather in their selfishness and cruelty, is left ambiguous. Star Wars media occasionally hints that the Jedi may also be misguided in some measure.[9]

Star Wars "Legends" media

Many of the stories featuring the Sith belong to a branch of the Star Wars canon now known as "Star Wars: Legends," and previously as the "Expanded Universe" (or "EU"), consisting of a variety of media created prior to the advent of the 2015 feature film Star Wars: The Force Awakens.[10] Future authors and screenwriters are not required to honor all of the events depicted in this material, but the Expanded Universe has apparently remained a source of creative inspiration. Certain characters important to EU history, such as Darth Bane, have become part of broadly shared Star Wars canon. The EU thoroughly details the schism between the dissident “Dark Jedi” and the Jedi establishment that led to the creation of the Sith Order, as well a series of conflicts between the Sith, Jedi and the Galactic Republic spanning the millennia prior to the events of the Star Wars motion picture series, and certain events thereafter.

In the EU, the Sith trace their origins to the followers of a dissident Jedi named Ajunta Pall, who endorsed the use of the Dark Side of the Force, contrary to Jedi orthodoxy.[11] After Pall and his “Dark Jedi” followers were exiled for their practices, they eventually settled on a planet named Korriban, which was occupied by the “Sith,” a red-skinned humanoid race with a high prevalence of Force-sensitives. Over the course of centuries of intermingling between the ethnic Sith and Dark Jedi, the name “Sith” would come to apply to the martial philosophy and political affiliation created the former Jedi exiles on Korriban, rather than a specific race. This Sith regime would strike out at the Galactic Republic and Jedi on numerous occasions. Notable conflicts between the Sith and the Galactic Republic include the “Great Hyperspace War,” in which the Sith would launch a massive invasion of the Republic but succumb to infighting, and the “Sith Holocaust,” in which the Galactic Republic would unsuccessfully attempt to exterminate the Sith from known space, leading the Sith survivors to take a vow of eternal vengeance on the Galactic Republic. The EU also describes the exploits of Sith characters following the collapse of Emperor Palpatine’s Galactic Empire and the restoration of the Republic, such as the attempt by “Darth Krayt” to establish a New Sith Order on Korriban.

Prominent Sith Darth Vader and Darth Sidious have become iconic villains in popular culture. Their personae are frequently used as exemplars of authoritarianism, brutality and evil in serious[12], humorous[13] and satirical[14] settings. Darth Sidious is archetypal as the "Evil Emperor"—a cunning tyrant who rules through deception, propaganda, fear and oppression.[15] Although usually considered as a villainous "enforcer" of such power, Darth Vader has also been regarded as a tragic figure and cautionary study in the corruption of a hero who loses sight of the greater good and resorts to evil practices out of fear and desperation.[16] A "turn to the Dark Side" has become a popular idiom to describe an (often misguided) individual or institution's embrace of evil out of a desire for power. [17]

Development in the Star Wars franchise

The word "Sith" was first used in the novelization of Star Wars, as a title for Darth Vader, the "Dark Lord of the Sith". The Sith were not formally introduced or mentioned on-screen until the release of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, in 1999, though they had been named in some Expanded Universe works and in archived footage for the original Star Wars before that time.

Because the term Sith was never spoken in the original trilogy (although Darth Vader was described as "Lord of the Sith" in the published screenplay), early Expanded Universe products usually considered the "evil Jedi," those who joined the dark side of the Force, as "Dark Jedi." In his novel series The Thrawn Trilogy, author Timothy Zahn labeled Sith Lord Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine as "Dark Jedi," and the term "Sith" was never mentioned in the series until later reprints of the novels. Dark Jedi is the name given in the Star Wars universe to antihero fictional characters attuned to the Force and adept in its dark side. The concept of "Dark Jedi" is not endorsed anywhere within the movie trilogies. They exist by that name only in the Star Wars Expanded Universe, including video games such as Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and the Star Wars: Jedi Knight series; the term is never used in any of the seven Star Wars films.

In the context of the Star Wars "Expanded Universe" of fiction, the term "Sith" originally referred to a species of Force-sensitive sentients indigenous to the planets Korriban and Ziost; these people were later enslaved and ruled by exiled "Dark Jedi" from the Galactic Republic. Following centuries of interbreeding and mixing of cultures between the aliens and the exiles, the Sith would no longer be identified by their race, but by their dedication to the ancient Sith philosophy.

Appearances

Star Wars Saga series
Star Wars television series

The Star Wars saga began with the film Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, which was released in 1977.[18] Since then, films, books, computer games and comics have been released, all set in the fictional universe of Star Wars, which has expanded the history of the Sith within their stories.

Notable affiliated characters

Star Wars Canon Sith Lords

Sith Masters

Darth Bane

Darth Bane (Dessel) established the Rule of Two within the Star Wars canon. This rule stated that there must be only two Sith Lords at a time: a master to embody power, and an apprentice to crave it and eventually overthrow his master and adopt an apprentice of his own.[19] He is the main character of non canonical the Darth Bane Trilogy by Drew Karpyshyn.

Darth Plagueis

Darth Plagueis (Hego Damask) was a male Muun Dark Lord of the Sith first referenced in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, then appeared as the protagonist of the non canonical novel Star Wars: Darth Plagueis. He was the master of Darth Sidious, who claimed that Plagueis's abilities in the Force grew to such an extent that he could create life by influencing microscopic force-sensitive entities called "midi-chlorians," and even save people from dying. The novel reveals that Plagueis maintained a public influence as a member of the Intergalactic Banking Clan (which served as one of the Separatist groups during the Clone Wars) until he was eventually killed in his sleep by Sidious.

Darth Sidious

Darth Sidious (Sheev Palpatine) was a male human Dark Lord of the Sith who appeared in the first six Star Wars saga films. Originally the oldest son of an aristocratic family from the planet Naboo, he rose to power within the Galactic Republic's government system starting from Senator of his homeworld, then to Supreme Chancellor of the Republic, and finally to self-proclaimed Emperor of the Galactic Empire. This was done by cultivating a public image as a humble and competent politician while secretly mastering dark Sith arts and planning the destruction of the Jedi Order and Republic. Eventually, by manipulating disaffected political groups and using double agents to sow discord, Palpatine fomented a civil war that provided an opportunity for him to seize absolute power. He had three known "Shadow Hands" (Sith apprentices): Darth Maul, Darth Tyranus and Darth Vader. He was eventually killed by his last, Vader, at the end of Return of the Jedi.[20]

Darth Maul

Darth Maul was a male Zabrak Sith Master who served as the first Shadow Hand of Darth Sidious. He first appeared in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, in which Sidious sent him to find the escaped Queen Amidala and bring her back to Naboo to sign a treaty that would legalize the Trade Federation's invasion there. After tracking the Queen's personal starship to Tatooine, he briefly attacked Qui-Gon Jinn, the Jedi sent to escort Amidala to Coruscant, near its landing zone until the latter escaped by leaping aboard. Later, Maul was sent back to Naboo to aid the Federation in their struggle to fight Amidala's counterattack, where he again battled Jinn and his Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi in the plasma refinery complex beneath Theed Palace. Although the viscous Zabrak was able to defeat Jinn, he fell to Kenobi when the Padawan used his master's lightsaber to slice Maul in half. 12 years later, during the Clone Wars, his fellow nightbrother Savage Opress found him dumped on the junk planet Lotho Minor, where it was revealed that Maul survived the injuries from his last duel, due to his strength with the dark side of the Force as it fueled his anger against Kenobi. Maul left the Sith Order and was eventually killed by Kenobi about 20 years later.

Darth Tyranus

Darth Tyranus (Count Dooku) was a male human Sith Master and the second Shadow Hand of Darth Sidious. He first appeared in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, which reveals that he had a prominent role in engineering the Clone Wars,[21] recruiting bounty hunter Jango Fett to become the template for an army of clones to be used by the Galactic Republic. Tyranus led the Separatist Alliance during the Clone Wars until he met his demise while dueling Anakin Skywalker aboard the Invisible Hand in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith.

Darth Vader

Darth Vader (Anakin Skywalker) was a male human cyborg Sith Master and the third Shadow Hand of Darth Sidious, who first appeared in the Star Wars original trilogy, and later in the prequel trilogy. A Jedi hero of the Clone Wars, he fought alongside his master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, but was slowly seduced to the dark side by Darth Sidious. After helping Sidious kill Jedi Master Mace Windu, he swore allegiance to the Sith before setting out to destroy all Jedi left on Coruscant. After being sent by Sidious to murder the Separatist council members on Mustafar, Vader was badly injured in a duel with Kenobi. He was saved by Sidious, and encased in a black suit of armor with extensive cybernetics. As the Galactic Empire was established and continued to grow, Vader became the Emperor's greatly feared second-in-command and was given the task of finding the Rebel Alliance's base. After the destruction of the First Death Star, Vader was charged with tracking down the Rebel Alliance and destroying their headquarters. However, the actions of his son, Luke Skywalker, eventually turned Vader against his master, resulting in both Sidious' and Vader's deaths.[22]

Sith Shadow Hands

Asajj Ventress

Asajj Ventress was a female Dathomirian Sith Shadow Hand trained under Darth Tyranus and an antagonist of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars. She first appeared in the 2003 series Star Wars: Clone Wars, in which Darth Sidious assigned her to kill the then-Padawan Anakin Skywalker. After tracking the young war hero to the planet Muunilinst, Ventress engaged Anakin's Republic fighter forces fighting above the Separatist-occupied world and baited him in a chase to Yavin IV, where a fierce battle from the forest to the Massassi temple took place. Though she initially gained the upper hand in the ensuing lightsaber duel, Anakin called upon his immense connection to the Force to brutally overpower her, causing the Dathomirian to fall over the edge of a cliff. She luckily survived the landing, and continued to serve her master throughout the Clone Wars on several occasions. Some of which included helping form an alliance between the Toydarians and the Separatists until Yoda thwarted it, spying on Kamino in a Separatist plot to destroy the clone production facilities while stealing Jango Fett's DNA template, and freeing Trade Federation viceroy Nute Gunray from the custody of Luminara Unduli and Ahsoka Tano while fighting the two Jedi before ultimately succeeding in her mission. After being replaced with Savage Oppress for her failures, Ventress returned to the Nightsisters until General Grievous led a massacre against them, which only she and Mother Tsalzin survived. From there, she helped Boba Fett's team of bounty hunters on a dangerous mission, which thus marked the start of her own bounty hunting career.

Savage Opress

Savage Opress was a male Zabrak Sith Shadow Hand first trained under Darth Tyranus and later under Darth Maul (who was a fellow Nightbrother), as well as a major antagonist in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Originally a Nightbrother under Mother Talzin on Dathomir, he was hand picked by Asajj Ventress as part of her scheme to kill Darth Tyranus for the attempt on her life. His mind was eventually altered by the Nightsisters, making him more of a berserker on Ventress' call to the point of killing his brother Feral without remorse. Opress managed to become Tyranus' new Shadow Hand and learned only a bit in the ways of the Sith before Ventress had him help her fight their master due to his actions under him getting unwanted attention from the Jedi. However, in the heat of the moment and provoked by both of them, Opress tried to kill both Tyranus and Ventress before escaping back to Dathomir. There, he was instructed by Mother Talzin to find Maul so he can complete his training to defend himself against the numerous enemies he made. After finding the fellow Nightbrother in question as a shell of his former self on a junk planet, Opress managed to stir up Maul's grudge with Obi-Wan Kenobi to aid him in his revenge against the Jedi. From there, the Zabrak duo were able to set up a Confederacy against the Republic separate from the Separatists, only for Opress to be killed by Darth Sidious on Mandalore.

Star Wars Legends Sith Lords

Darth Revan (Star Wars Legends)

Darth Revan is in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. A Jedi hero who led the Republic to victory in the Mandalorian Wars, he and his Padawan, Malak, later unwittingly discovered the Sith Empire, hidden in the Unknown Reaches of space. The Sith turned Revan and Malak to the dark side, but the two broke free from their control and formed their own Sith Empire to wage war on the Republic, with Revan as the leader and Malak as his Shadow Hand. As a Sith, Revan prepared to battle with the Jedi who boarded his flagship, and Darth Malak, in the hopes of destroying both Revan and Bastila Shan, betrayed his master, ordering the ships under his command to fire on Revan's flagship's bridge. Revan was critically injured and taken by Bastila Shan to the Jedi Council Enclave. The Council chose to wipe Revan's memory, and imprint him with a false identity. Revan later awoke on a starship under attack and encountered Malak, who eventually revealed the truth of his identity. Following this, Revan defeated Malak in a final battle, claiming victory for the Republic.

Darth Caedus (Star Wars Legends)

Darth Caedus (Jacen Solo) was a Dark Lord of the Sith born as the oldest son of Han Solo and Leia Organa Solo. A Jedi hero of the Yuuzhan Vong War, he eventually fell to the dark side years later and masterminded the Second Galactic Civil War. He was however killed by his twin sister Jaina for his actions.

Darth Traya (Star Wars Legends)

Darth Traya (Kreia) is a mentor to the "Jedi Exile" in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II – The Sith Lords.[23][24] She is revealed to have been a Sith Master at the end of the game.

Franchise media

Expanded Universe novels


The first Expanded Universe novel was Splinter of the Mind's Eye, written by Alan Dean Foster and published in 1978.[25] The setting for this novel takes place between Episode IV: A New Hope and Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.[25] It provides a new adventure that includes Princess Leia, R2-D2, C-3PO, Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader. In the story, Darth Vader tries to get the Kaiburr Crystal to use it for his evil schemes.[25]

Other novels that depicted Sith characters were Darth Maul: Saboteur and Cloak of Deception by James Luceno.[26] Cloak of Deception describes the political background surrounding the Republic in the time period before The Phantom Menace, as well as Darth Sidious' plans to rule the galaxy, starting with the blockade of Naboo. In Darth Maul: Saboteur, the Sith Lord Darth Sidious sends Darth Maul to destroy InterGalactic Ore and Lommite Limited.[27]

In Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter, by Michael Reaves, Darth Sidious sends his apprentice, Darth Maul, to investigate the traitor who leaked the secret of his plan to take down the Republic.[28] Shadow Hunter provided insight into the Sith while detailing how Darth Sidious brought his plan of usurpation into action.

Star Wars comics


Dark Horse Comics purchased the copyrights to several Star Wars stories.[29] With their publication of Star Wars: Dark Empire #1 in 1991, they initiated what has become a large line of Star Wars manga and comics.[30] The Sith appear as major antagonists throughout this story's plot.[30] Many of the comics that were published helped expand the backstory of the characters and followed the rise and fall of the Dark Lords of the Sith.[30]

Star Wars TV series


Star Wars: The Clone Wars first aired on Cartoon Network in 2008. This series took place between Episode II: Attack of the Clones and Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. During this time, Anakin Skywalker is a full-fledged Jedi Knight and the series shows how he progresses into his fall to the dark side of the Force.[31] Count Dooku is the active Sith Lord and leader of the Separatist Alliance. The series also explores Dooku's attempts at training secret apprentices like Asajj Ventress and Savage Opress in order to eventually defeat Darth Sidious and become the ruling Sith Lord.

Star Wars video games


Star Wars video games have also been adapted from the plots of the films, novels, and TV shows. The games follow the basic plot of the story, but they can also include alternative, non-canonical, endings depending on which character is being played.

Some of the video games that have a heavy focus on Sith characters and lore are Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, released in 2003,[32] Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II – The Sith Lords, released in 2004[33] and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, released in 2008.[34]

References

  1. ↑ "Sith". StarWars.com.
  2. ↑ Luceno, James (2014). Star Wars: Tarkin. Del Rey Books. ISBN 978-0-345-51152-2.
  3. ↑ Marvel Comics, Star Wars 9 – "Showdown on the Smuggler's Moon, Part II"
  4. ↑ Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "Escape from Kadavo"
  5. ↑ Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "Sacrifice"
  6. ↑ "Sith, Star Wars Encyclopedia". StarWars.com. Lucasfilm. Retrieved 2013-03-20.
  7. ↑ Decker, Kevin S.; Eberl, Jason T. (2005). Star Wars and Philosophy: More Powerful Than You Can Possibly Imagine. Open Court. ISBN 0-8126-9583-6.
  8. ↑ Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith
  9. ↑ "Star Wars: The Clone Wars - The Wrong Jedi".
  10. ↑ Ars Technica Op-ed: Disney takes a chainsaw to the Star Wars expanded universe, 1/10/2014
  11. ↑ Book of Sith: Secrets from the Dark Side
  12. ↑ "The "Darth Vader" of Russia: meet Igor Sechin, Putin's right-hand man - Vox, Feb. 8, 2017".
  13. ↑ "The infamous BBC interview gets parodied with Darth Vader, R2-D2 and BB-8 - Polygon, Mar. 17, 2017".
  14. ↑ "San Diego Union Tribute - May 4, 2017 Political Cartoon - "A White House invitation..." by Steve Breen".
  15. ↑ "Emperor Palpatine Is Running For President - Huffington Post, July 25, 2017".
  16. ↑ "Tragic Hero: Anakin Skywalker (Darth Vader)".
  17. ↑ "What Are the Politics of Star Wars? - Newsweek, Sept. 14, 2016".
  18. ↑ "Internet Movie Database". Retrieved 2011-11-14.
  19. ↑ "Darth Bane". StarWars.com. LucasFilm. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
  20. ↑ "Darth Sidious". StarWars.com. LucasFilm. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
  21. ↑ "Darth Tyranus/Count Dooku". StarWars.com. LucasFilm. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
  22. ↑ "Darth Vader". StarWars.com. LucasFilm. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
  23. ↑ Hilary Goldstein (30 November 2004). "KOTOR 2: Meet Your Team". IGN. Retrieved 9 February 2011.
  24. ↑ Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords Developer Interview 2. GameSpot. 8 May 2004. Retrieved 8 March 2011.
  25. 1 2 3 "Splinter of the Mind's Eye". tvtropes.org. Retrieved 18 November 2011.
  26. ↑ Luceno, James (2002). Star Wars: Cloak of Deception. Random House Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-307-79570-0.
  27. ↑ Luceno, James (2001). Darth Maul:Saboteur. New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-345-44735-7.
  28. ↑ Reaves, Michael (2001). Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter. Ballantine Publishing Group. ISBN 0-345-43541-9.
  29. ↑ "Timeline". www.darkhorse.com. Dark Horse. Retrieved 18 November 2011.
  30. 1 2 3 Lavin, Michael R. (1998). "A Librarian's Guide to Dark Horse Comics". Serials Review. 24 (3/4).
  31. ↑ "Star Wars: The Clone Wars". Retrieved 18 November 2011.
  32. ↑ "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic". Retrieved 20 March 2013.
  33. ↑ "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II – The Sith Lords". Retrieved 18 November 2011.
  34. ↑ "Star Wars: The Force Unleashed". Retrieved 21 November 2011.

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