Darth Nihilus

'''"You may be the superior apprentice, but I am still the master. I shall enjoy putting an end to your tortured existence."

- Darth Nihilus '''

Darth Nihilus is the Dark Lord of the Sith and the Sith Emperor that ruled after the Jedi Civil War and the main antagonist of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords and also later became a recurring villain throughout the Star Wars saga.

Nihilus was rated 2nd top villain ever in Star Wars by IGN and his character won the award for the most awesome Star Wars villain.

Past
Nihilus lost everything, including his will to go on living, after the Mandalorian Wars, between the Mandalorian Neo-Crusaders and the Galactic Republic. In the final battle of the war on Malachor V, the Jedi Meetra Surik had the Mass Shadow Generator weapon activated, killing practically everyone on the planet and in orbit.

Nihilus somehow survived the mass destruction of the planet and took on a new more dark personality so as to survive, having been trapped on Malachor V by artificial shadows with many disabled Mandalorian fleets, the shadows and Malachor V eventually caused Nihilus to become sick, making him feel empty and granting him great “hunger” that cannot be filled. He accidentally drained the life energy of another survivor, but while it was unpleasant, Nihilus felt his hunger disappear for a moment. He proceeded to feed on life energy from more survivors, but as he did, the hunger ceased for less and less time and grew more and more intense.

After Darth Malak was slain at the end of the Jedi Civil War, the Sith Empire became fractured with numerous factions trying to take command. Nihilus was found by Darth Traya who sensed he was a “wound in the Force”, a catastrophic disturbance in the Force. She explained to him that the Force fueled his hunger and offered to give him the training that would make him able to feed on entire planets. Nihilus went with Traya to her Sith Academy, where he studied to become a Sith, alongside Darth Sion. They learned aspects and skills of the Dark Side, finally becoming Sith Lords. With Traya, they formed a Sith Triumvirate and the three each took a title, in Nihilus’ case, “Lord of Hunger”. Sion's, "Lord of Pain" and Traya's "Lord of Betrayal".

Training new Sith and becoming the Dark Lord
Seeing her apprentice’s hunger as an obstacle to the success of the Sith, Traya kept her promise and taught Nihilus to harness it to become stronger. He devoured entire planets a number of times, relieving his hunger for a time and allowing himself to grow more and more immersed and powerful in the Dark Side.

As Nihilus’ hunger grew, so too did his power and he finally became stronger than Traya and Sion.

Nihilus and Sion became divided on how to wipe out the Jedi; the two wanted to destroy them with pure force while their master preferred a longer, less direct approach. This caused their Triumvirate to become fragile and finally Nihilus and Sion joined forces to overthrow Traya. They ambushed her in her Sith Academy, successfully defeating her, then cutting off her connection to the Force and banishing her.

Thus, Lord Nihilus took Darth Traya's place and became Dark Lord of the Sith and Sith Emperor.

The Dark Wars and Jedi Purge
Darth Nihilus and Darth Sion then became the new rulers of the Sith Empire and ended it becoming fractured with numerous faction attempting to take command and the two Dark Lords led the Sith in a massive Jedi purging campaign, waging war against them named the Dark Wars, with Sion hunting the Jedi down himself and slaying them. Meanwhile Nihilus hunted the fringes of space with a huge fleet he’d taken from Malachor V for large deposits of Force energy, so as to feed his hunger.

The two managed to wipe out the Jedi and Nihilus grew so consumed by the dark side and his hunger, his body started to decay. He realized he would soon die if he did not act soon so he removed his spirit from his body, placing it in his armor, while the dark side devoured his body, and yet keeping him alive still. Nihilus kept his armor together with the Force, granting him a physical form so he could wield his Force powers and lightsaber, but leaving him nothing more than basic, primitive purpose.

Traya’s Sith Academy continued to train large numbers of Sith Lords under the command of Nihilus and Sion. They unleashed destruction throughout the galaxy and recruited many Force-sensitives. Darth Nihilus ruled all with an iron fist while Sion led his and Nihilus' assassins who were sent out into war against the remaining Jedi. Most of Nihilus' followers, simply from being around their master, became able to drain Force energy from others to become stronger.

After Jedi Master Atris gathered a large group of Jedi on Katarr, she leaked the location so as to draw in and destroy Nihilus, whom she’d sensed.

The Dark Lord did head for the planet, but as he drew close, he spoke and the Miraluka, the inhabitants of Katarr and all of the Jedi felt his hunger in the Force. It overwhelmed and destroyed them, along with everything else touched by the Force. Nihilus wiped out most of what was left of the Jedi, though Atris did not actually attend the gathering. As he walked across Katarr, the Dark Lord found only one living creature, a Miraluka woman named Visas Marr.

Nihilus put her in a deep sleep, before taking her to his ship and when she awoke days later, she asked why she only had survived. The Dark Lord said nothing and showed Marr a vision of how he saw the galaxy, in chaos, with beings ignorant of the Force and unconnected, which Nihilus restored order to. This vision took away Marr’s Force sight ability, as well as destroying her eyes. Marr agreed to become Nihilus’ apprentice and the two developed a strong Force bond, making both stronger and granting them the ability to empower or weaken one another.

Plans on Onderon and hunt for Meetra Surik
Nihilus formed an alliance with General Vaklu, the leader of the separatists of Onderon, just as Meetra Surik, known as the Exile, returned to the Republic space after her banishment by the Jedi, becoming a major force in politics. Atris arranged for Surik’s return on a Republic warship and leaked her location, hoping to draw in Nihilus. However Surik became the student of the Dark Lord’s former teacher, Darth Traya, now known as Kreia, who hoped to use her for revenge against Nihilus and Sion. Nihilus eventually sensed a disturbance in the Force that only Marr was able to pinpoint and he sent her to find Surik, the source, for him to devour.

However, Marr was defeated by Surik, causing her to question her loyalty and finally she came to serve Surik in her fight against Nihilus. Meanwhile, the Dark Lord continued to aid Vaklu in breaking Onderon off from the Republic so that Onderon would fall under the influence of the Sith and he would later feed on the planet. Nihilus also set up a base on Dxun, Onderon’s moon, in the tomb of Freedon Nadd, an ancient and powerful Sith Lord, which contained a dark Force nexus Nihilus later hoped to feed on. Some of Nihilus’ followers, led by a Sith Master who served Nihilus and was sent there, prepared to perform a dark ritual to help the Onderon separatists win the Onderon Civil War.

However Surik, aided by Mandalore the Preserver and his Mandalorian clan, which lived in secret on Dxun, interfered. She sent a team to Nadd’s tomb that stopped the ritual, while she supported Onderon’s queen, Talia, who wanted the planet to remain as part of the Republic. Nihilius and Sion's Dark Jedi followers that had allied with the separatists marched on Onderon’s royal palace. However Surik defeated the separatists and Vaklu, ending Nihilus’ plans for Onderon. But the Dark Lord would soon be coming back for Onderon to devour it. It would only be a matter of time.

Final Battle
Later, Colonel Tobin, Vaklu’s second-in-command and Nihilus’ contact, informed the Dark Lord that there was a Jedi Academy on Telos IV. However this was a trick organized by Kreia to draw in Nihilus, while she went to retake her academy. When the Dark Lord and the Sith fleet arrived at Telos IV, he found the Republic fleet waiting for him, aided by the Mandalorians and Meetra Surik and her companions.

A huge battle erupted and it was only too late that Nihilus realized there were no Force-sensitives to be found. However his hunger made him try to devour planets anyways. Eventually Nihilus’ ship was boarded by the Mandalorians, along with Surik and Visas Marr, who headed for the bridge, setting 4 proton bombs as they went.

Finally, Surik, Visas and Mandalore entered the bridge alone to face Nihilus. After a brief talk in the confrontation, Nihilus tried to feed on the Exile’s Force energy. However her ability to absorb Force energy from others just made Nihilus tire himself out. The Dark Lord then fought Surik  in the epic battle and proved to be beyond either one of Surik's, Visas's or Mandalore's ability to defeat, but Surik figured out that he shared a Force bond with Marr and used this to her advantage.

Marr then entered a trance to slightly weaken Nihilus, finally letting Surik strike down the Dark Lord of the Sith. Visas then removed the mask from Nihilus' demonic face and brought it to Surik. When she looked upon Nihilus, Visas saw Malachor V, and said that she felt it through him as she feels it through Surik too. They then left the bridge. The Dark Lord's body then faded away as Dark Side energies dissipated his body as it faded away, but somehow, Darth Nihilus was not truly dead...

Afterwards, Surik, the Mandalorians and Surik's other allies left the Ravager in the shuttle that they had arrived in and set off the 4 explosive proton bombs and the Ravager and the rest of the Sith fleet were destroyed.

After "defeat"
But even after his physical body was lost, Nihilus’ spirit lived on inside his armor, which survived the destruction of his ship and of Malachor V. It was brought to Korriban to be buried and Nihilus’ spirit came into contact with the dark side nexus there, letting his spirit stay in contact with the physical world. The Dark Lord lived on, even after the deaths of Kreia (who became Darth Traya again) and Sion.

At one point, Nihilus had made a holocron that allowed people to communicate with his spirit, as well as containing numerous secrets of the Sith. It eventually fell into the hands of a crime lord named Diago Hixan and a Sith, Vaverone Zare, tried to obtain the holocron. However she was betrayed by a smuggler she was working with, who aided a Jedi, Nariel Pridence.

Pridence managed to get Nihilus’ holocron, but after some time, it came into the hands of Darth Krayt, as well as two that contained Darth Andeddu and Darth Bane. He sought advice on how to stop the Yuuzhan Vong from consuming him, but Nihilus just said something in his strange language which the other two didn’t try to translate. The three Sith Lords believed Krayt was not a worthy Sith, saying the Rule of One he’d instated went against the ways of the Sith.

Personality
Nihilus is always determined to gain more power. He believes that death is life’s only purpose and power is the way of gaining it. Nihilus is very cautious, but is also highly aggressive, refusing to allow anything to threaten his power. He fully embraces his strange condition, thanks to the fear it instills in all those around him and does not feel fear or any other emotion, only acting on purpose. However Nihilus did have something of a bond with Marr, showing anger when she turned on him and being slightly weakened when she severed it in the final battle with him.

Powers and Abilities
Nihilus is a skilled lightsaber wielder, using an aggressive fighting style, and very powerful in the Dark Side of the Force. While he is extremely knowledgeable in the powerful arts of the Sith, to the point he was able to remove his spirit from his body to escape death, Nihilus suffers from a dependence. He must feed on Force energy to restore himself, which makes him stronger. Nihilus is able to sense Force sensitives throughout the galaxy and can wipe out anything linked to the Force on a planet, feeding on their Force energy.

However this hunger controls Nihilus and it increases in intensity each time he feeds, to the point that he instinctively feeds on everyone around him. Just Nihilus talking is able to unleash suffering and death on others, as well as turn people into complete mutilated slaves that do his bidding.

His various Force powers include telekinesis, to the point that Nihilus can lift and keep together a huge starship, Force Rage, where he channels his negative emotions to form them into a fierce rage, boosting his abilities, Farsight, the ability to see vague visions in other places or times, Force lightning, Force resistance, a shield that somewhat protects Nihilus from other Force attacks, Force scream, a powerful shriek of rage or grief that sends shockwaves through the Force, Force whirlwind, a maelstrom created by telekinesis, a version of Force healing, and a dark variation of Sever Force, which blocks a person’s connection to the Force and various other great powers of the Dark Side.

Nihilus’ knowledge of the dark side extends to even more secret powers, which lets him increase the power of his Force attacks to up to twice its power and increase the range of a Force power to up to a whole star system. Nihilus even knows the ways of Sith Alchemy which can also control beasts.

In fan-made films of Star Wars: KOTOR II: TSL
Darth Nihilus also was included in fan-made film on Youtube from the KOTOR and TSL trilogy fan-film makers.

For example: in Darth Ycey's films
In Darth Ycey's fan films, Nihilus was once a Jedi who fell to the Dark Side. He was convinced to turn to the Dark Side by a Sith Lord named Darth Secullus, another fallen Jedi who was once a disciple of Revan. After becoming a Sith Lord and becoming more powerful and more stronger than Kreia, Sion and Secculus, Nihilus and the others then exiled Kreia, stripped her of her connection to the Force and Nihilus took her place and became the Dark Lord and the Sith Emperor. After waging war on the Republic and beginning the Jedi Purge, Nihilus destroyed Katarr and took Visas Marr (the only living thing on the planet left) as his Sith Apprentice, forming a powerful Force Bond with her.

Rise of the Sith Lords
"Then your moment has come at last. Bring her to me...alive. And do not forget the cost for your failure."

- Darth Nihilus to Visas Marr, telling her to bring Meetra Surik to him.

After Sion destroyed Peragus after his failed attempt to capture Meetra Surik, Visas was sent by the Dark Lord to find Meetra Surik and bring her to him. Sion arrived and informed him that Darth Traya still lived and that their alliance was over. Betraying the Dark Lord, Sion attacked Nihilus, but the Dark Lord proved to be the more powerful and wounded him with blasts of dark side energies. After Sion healed himself, he attempted to attack again, but Nihilus warned him that "his anger would lead to his destruction". Seeing that Nihilus was indeed the more powerful, Sion left for Korriban.

Meanwhile, Visas arrived at Peragus, only to find it as a destroyed burning wreck. But Visas sensed a vision of Kreia, Sion and Meetra, indicating that Meetra had been there, along with Sion and Kreia and was now on Telos IV with Kreia. After informing her master, Visas travelled to Telos IV, but her vision was clouded by the echos on the planet's surface due to the destruction there caused by Malak during the Jedi Civil War, so she landed on Citadel Station and after killing members of the Exchange and wounding Chodo Habat, she finally sensed that Meetra was landing on Korriban in search of Jedi Master Lonnah Vash.

Visas informed her master and he said "not to contact him again until Visas had found Surik". Visas boarded the Ebon Hawk and took care of Meetra's companions (but not killing them) and waited for Surik. After witnessing Lonnah Vash being killed by Darth Sion and after fighting and escaping Sion and a rancor, Surik arrived on the Ebon Hawk, where she and Visas then fought each other and Surik ended up destroying her lightsaber and redeeming her. Surik then left with her companions after killing the rancor with a turbolaser and they set course for Onderon. In the epilogue, Kreia tells Surik that "war is a hunger and there are spirits in the galaxy whose hunger is never satisfied" referring to the Dark Lord. The scene then shifts to Darth Nihilus on the bridge of the Ravager, sensing that Visas has betrayed him.

Hunger for the Force
"Ah, the so-called last of the Jedi. Or so it was thought. You're kind should have died at Katarr. I will not make the same mistake with Telos."

- Darth Nihilus

"Kreia has lied to you; there are no Jedi here."

- Meetra Surik

"Your Jedi tricks will not work on me! You will not deny me what is mine!"

- Darth Nihilus

"Look past Citadel Station. The planet is barren. Surely you can sense this."

- Meetra Surik

"No you are wrong. There is a Jedi here: you!"

- Darth Nihilus

-Darth Nihilus and Meetra Surik setting the stage for the final battle.

After learning that Visas has betrayed him, the Dark Lord formed an alliance with General Vaklu and the Onderon separatists to help them gain Onderon's influence and turn it away from the Republic. Darth Nihilus called for Darth Secculus and when he came before him, the Emperor informed him that Visas had betrayed the Sith and so Lord Seccullus took Visas' place and was sent by Nihilus to oversee the Tomb of Freedon Nadd on Dxun. Seccullus later informed the Dark Lord that Onderon was progressing acordding to their plan, and that many people were falling under the influence of General Vaklu and that soon they would be left with no choice but to surport Vaklu and accept him as their new king of Iziz and all go against the Queen Talia of Onderon and abandon her and the republic.

But Seccullus informed Nihilus some bad news: Meetra Surik had arrived on Onderon, formed an alliance with the Mandalorians on Dxun and had met contact with Jedi Master Kavar on Iziz. And that the queen was receiving outside help from a Jedi. Enraged to see that another Jedi had escaped the purge, the Dark Lord ordered Seccullus to continue with their preparations for the civil war on Iziz, stating "the queen will be dead by the time the Jedi tries to return, the fall of Onderon is nearly upon us".

After learning of the failure and deaths of General Vaklu and Darth Seccullus and of the end of the Onderon Civil War at the hands of Meetra Surik, Nihilus regarded it of no matter as he would come back for it to destroy it. But before he could, Colonel Tobin arrived and informed Nihilus false information about the Jedi Academy on Telos IV. The Dark Lord and the Sith Empire then attacked Telos and Citadel Station, where Meetra Surik and her companions where as well, setting the stage of the Battle of Telos IV.

Meetra Surik and her companions as well as the Mandalorians and Visas Marr, boarded the Ravager and Mandalore set the three proton bombs while his soldiers and Meetra and Visas battled their way through the Sith. Meanwhile, Nihilus sensed their arrival and ordered two Sith Lords to wait for Meetra and Visas outside the entrance to the bridge. Meetra and Visas went to the bridge to face the Dark Lord alone.

When the two reached the entrance to the bridge to finally face the Emperor, the two Sith Lords waiting for them outside locked the door, cutting Visas off from Meetra and Visas was forced to go on alone until Meetra was able to pass. Meetra then fought and killed both of the Sith Lords. Meanwhile, Visas reached the Dark Lord and confronted her former master. Darth Nihilus stated that Visas "should not have come here" and blasted Sith lightning at her, but she deflected it with her lightsaber. Sensing Meetra approaching, Nihilus proceeded to torture Visas until she lost consciousness to further antagonize Meetra. Feeling the Force fading from Visas, the Dark Lord said that he would take what is left of her life and then kill her master before destroying Telos.

But before he could finish her, Meetra Surik arrived and stopped him. She told him that Kreia has lied to him that there where no Jedi on Telos. But the Dark Lord knew this too was a lie; there was a Jedi here: Meetra. With that, the Dark Lord attempted to drain her of life and force but her ability to absorb Force energy from others just made Nihilus tire himself out. But Nihilus easily regained his strength and realised why Meetra had so many followers.

The two then fought each other in the epic final battle and Nihilus proved too powerful for Surik and revealed that he was from Surik's past; he was part of the Jedi strike team sent to Malachor V and that he had survived the horrors of the mass shadow generator. He told Surik that she commended hundreds to their deaths at Malachor, Jedi and Mandalorians, but where there was death and destruction, there was also a birth of power. Nihilus claimed too strong for Surik to defeat and the two continued their final battle.

Nihilus chokes Meetra, but before he can finish her off, he is distracted by Visas (who awakens) and fights them both and proves too powerful for them. But Meetra remembered that Kreia had told her earlier on in the film that Visas and Nihilus shared a Force bond. Visas entered a trance and served the bond between them, slightly weakening Nihilus, giving Meetra enough time to strike the Dark Lord down. Darth Nihilus collapses and after his body fades, a vision of what Nihilus looked like in his human form appeared before all of them and then dissapeared as Darth Nihilus faded into the shadows.

After that, Mandalore set the four proton bombs in the ship and after escaping with Meetra, Visas and the others, ordered Colonel Tobin to detonate them, and he did. The Ravager was destroyed, along with everyone else on board (including Tobin).

Trivia

 * Nihilus’ name is derived from "nihilist".


 * In the game, Nihilus never speaks clearly, just speaks an ancient Sith language that also comes out of Sith holocrons and the Sith Assassins, which are never subtitled unlike other alien languages. However, in Darth Ycey's fan-made films, it is subtitled and you know what he's saying.