| “ | Peace is a lie. There is only Passion. Through Passion I gain Strength. Through Strength I gain Power. Through Power I gain Victory. Through Victory my chains are Broken. The Force shall free me. |
„ |
| ~ The Code of the Sith. |
| “ | May the Force serve you well. | „ |
| ~ A typical Sith greeting. |
| “ | POWER!!! UNLIMITED POWER!!! | „ |
| ~ Darth Sidious defining what Sith (including himself) ultimately seek. |
The Sith, or more commonly known as the Sith Order, are the main antagonists of the Star Wars franchise.
They are a cult-like order of Force-sensitives who use the dark side of the Force to serve their power-hungry aims and desire to dominate others and are the ancient enemies of the Jedi. Known traits of Sith Lord include tendency to violence, sociopathy, narcissism, manipulative tendencies, bloodthirst, proneness to anger and, above all else, in insatiable hunger for totalitarian power. Their ultimate goal is to destroy the Jedi Order and rule over the entire galaxy. Immortality is also a common goal for Sith Lords.
They usually possess red-bladed lightsabers, as opposed to the Jedi who, while avoiding the red colors, wield lightsabers with various different colors. However, some Sith uses lightsabers with blades of another color; examples include Exar Kun, as well as fallen Jedi (such as Darth Vader, Darth Caedus, and Darth Krayt) before they fully converted to the dark side.
The Sith have evolved greatly over the course of their near 7,000-year history, including the several Sith Empires, the Sith Triumvirate, the Brotherhood of Darkness, the Order of the Sith Lords, the One Sith or posthumously the Sith Eternal (depending on the specific era of usage),
History[]
Hundred-Year Darkness[]
Thousands of years ago, a rogue Jedi Master, studied the forbidden teachings of the Force, believing that the true potential of embracing the Force is to tap into the Dark Side. After being bashed by the High Council for this, he gathered his followers and launched th Hundred-Year Darkness, becoming the first Dark Lord of the Sith.
The First Dark Lords of the Sith[]
The Sith's first-ever Dark Lords and Sith Emperors who ruled the Galaxy were The Fallen Jedi, Marka Ragnos, Tulak Hord, Naga Sadow, and Ludo Kressh who were the most powerful Sith Lords in the time of the Golden Age of the Sith, a period which came to an end when Ragnos died, leaving Sadow and Ludo to become each others' arch-rivals to occupy Ragnos' throne.
Following the rise of the spirit of Ragnos and the deaths of Simus and Ludo, Sadow became the new ruler of the Sith Empire but lost the Great Hyperspace war that he waged against the Jedi after being betrayed by Gav Daragon. Killed by his new apprentice while in exile, Sadow was buried in his tomb in the Sith Temples on Yavin IV. Freedon Nadd became the new Dark Lord and took over Onderon. After losing Onderon after his death, Nadd's descendants went through the same events and were also killed: King Ommin, Queen Amanora, Aleema Keto, and Satal Keto.
The Great Sith War[]
Centuries after his death, Nadd's tomb was explored by the Dark Jedi Exar Kun, who became Nadd's Sith Apprentice and passed tests under the guidance of Nadd's spirit. Kun destroyed Nadd's spirit and built up his own Sith Empire on Yavin IV, recruiting Mandalorians, the remnants of Sadow's demonic creation: the Massassi species, and the Krath Cult of the Empress Teta system.
Kun took another fallen Jedi named Ulic Qel-Droma as his apprentice and both were christened Dark Lords by the spirit of Ragnos. Kun and Ulic then waged the Great Sith War against the Republic and the Jedi but Qel-Droma betrayed Kun and Kun and his Sith Empire were destroyed. The war weakened the Republic, but Kun's spirit still remains in the ruins of Yavin IV to this day.
The Mandalorian Wars and the Fall of Revan and Malak[]
The true Sith Empire, however, remained elsewhere in the Galaxy on Dromund Kass were their New Sith Emperor became Dark Lord and was marked Dark Lord and Darth Vitiate by the spirit of Marka Ragnos. The Sith Empire was the true mind behind the Mandalorian Wars; the bloodiest war in Galactic History. The Mandalorians devastated the galaxy, but two Jedi Knights, Revan, and Malak, destroyed the Mandalorians on Malachor V and slew their Mandalore leader. After destroying Malachor V, Revan and Malak found the Sith Empire and were corrupted by the Sith Emperor. Building up their own Sith Empires, Revan and Malak waged the Jedi Civil War against the Republic.
The Jedi Civil War[]
The Republic was nearly destroyed and only 100 Jedi were left and survived the war, but Revan was redeemed after Malak usurped his place as Dark Lord. After Revan joined the Jedi and saved the Republic, killed Malak and destroyed his and Malak's Sith Empire. The Star Forge was destroyed and the Jedi Civil War was ended in the Jedi's favor, but many worlds were left bombed and devastated by the Sith like Dantooine and Telos IV.
The Dark Wars and the First Jedi Purge[]
After the death of Malak and the disappearance of Revan, the Sith were left with no leader. But it turns out that Malachor V had survived its destruction and the Trayus Sith Academy rebuilt and gathered up all of the surviving Sith from the Jedi Civil War and they embraced the new Dark Lord, Darth Nihilus, as their new ruler of the Sith Empire and of the Sith Triumvirate after Lord Nihilus and Darth Sion exiled Darth Traya from the Sith. They then waged a ruthless, brutal and devastating war against the Jedi and the Republic. The Republic was devastated and destabilized, and then came the First Jedi Purge. Nihilus began destroying entire planets like Katarr, in the process he also killed notable High Jedi Masters including Master Lestin, Master Dorak, and Master Vandar.
The other Jedi were killed by Sion and his Sith Assassins until only 5 members of the Jedi Council were left, they scattered into hiding; Master Vrook went to Dantooine, Master Vash went to Korriban, Master Ell went to Nar Shaddaa, Master Atris went to Telos IV and Master Kavar went to Onderon. These Jedi Masters knew of the actions of the Sith but were powerless to stop it.
There was one other remaining Jedi who survived the war: the Jedi Exile Meetra Surik. Surik had been banished for defying the council with Revan and Malak and following Revan to war 10 years ago from then. Surik, however, found Traya (who had now taken the identity as her true name, Kreia) and traveled with her across the Galaxy to help the Jedi and gather them to deal with the Sith. As Surik traveled across the Galaxy, she fought her way through the Sith and their new allies, like the Onderon Separatists, battled Darth Sion and gathered Kavar, Vrook, and Ell.
But Kreia revealed herself as Darth Traya and killed the 3 masters. She then traveled to Telos IV and completed Atris' fall to the Dark Side. Surik dueled, defeated and then redeemed Atris, broke her bond with Kreia and destroyed Darth Nihilus. She then traveled to Malachor V, killed Sion and Traya, reclaimed her place as a Jedi and once again Malachor V was destroyed and this time forever.
Rule of Two[]
| “ | Two there should be. No more, no less. One to embody power, the other to crave it. | „ |
| ~ Darth Bane's Rule of Two |
Until 1000 BBY, the Sith have existed in numerous incarnations and battled the Jedi and the Republic. However, they soon betrayed and killed each other off in a bloody civil war.
Darth Bane, the only survivor, created the Rule of Two (which is the successor of the Doctrine of the Dyad, a concept based on a Force Dyad, which is when two Force-Sensitives are unbreakably one with the Force), which said that only two Sith in existence at a time, in order to prevent their ultimate extinction and preserve their teachings. Darth Plagueis carried out this tradition and took Darth Sidious as his apprentice. However, Sidoius would go on to kill Plagueis and usurp him, following the Rule of Two after taking Darth Maul as his apprentice.
Legends[]
Rule of One[]
The rule of two was later abolished after the final death of Darth Sidious and also abolished by Darth Krayt who had many Sith serving him when he created the Rule of One (in which there would be multiple Darths serving one Dark Lord of the Sith). Even after Lord Krayt's ultimate death, the One Sith still lived on as his apprentice, Darth Nihl, took Krayt's place, gathered up all of the remnants of Krayt's empire and they continued with their fight between the Jedi and the Republic, to avenge Krayt.
Members[]
Dark Lords of the Sith[]
- Ajunta Pall - Leader of the Exiled Dark Jedi, first Dark Lord of the Sith and founder of the Sith Order.
- Tulak Hord - Ruler of the Sith Empire before Marka Ragnos' time and one of the greatest lightsaber masters of all time.
- Marka Ragnos - Ruler of the Sith Empire before the Great Hyperspace War.
- Naga Sadow - Ruler of the Sith Empire during Great Hyperspace War.
- Darth Vitiate - Emperor of the Sith Empire after the Great Hyperspace War.
- Freedon Nadd - King of Onderon.
- Exar Kun - Founder and leader of the Brotherhood of the Sith.
- Darth Desolous - Leader of his Pau'an army during the Inter-Sith Wars period.
- Darth Phobos - Leader of her own Sith cult at the end of the Inter-Sith Wars period.
- Skere Kaan - Founder of the Brotherhood of Darkness.
- Darth Bane - Founder of the Rule of Two.
- Darth Plagueis - Master of Darth Sidious and the Force user who discovered the obscure ability to manipulate the midichlorians.
- Darth Sidious - Emperor of the Galactic Empire
- Darth Vader - Apprentice to Darth Sidious and Dark Lord of the Sith, formerly known as Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker of the Jedi Order. Fell to the dark side of the Force after being manipulated by Darth Sidious into killing his fellow Jedi.
- Lumiya - Dark Lady of The Sith after the Galactic Civil War.
- Darth Caedus - Lumiya's apprentice and later leader of the Galactic Alliance. Darth Vader's grandson (Legends).
- Darth Krayt - Leader and founder of the One Sith.
Revan and Malak's Sith Empire[]
- Darth Revan - Ruler of his own Sith Empire.
- Darth Malak - Former apprentice to Darth Revan and last ruler of his master's Sith Empire.
- Darth Bandon
Sith Triumvirate[]
Sith Empire[]
Dark Council[]
- Darth Arctis
- Darth Thanaton
- Darth Nox
- Darth Acharon
- Darth Marr
- Darth Ravage
- Darth Jadus
- Darth Zhorrid
- Darth Mortis
- Darth Ekkage
- Darth Vengean
- Darth Baras
- Darth Arho
- Darth Arkous
- Darth Azamin
- Darth Decimus
- Darth Vowrawn
- Darth Mekhis
- Darth Hadra
- Darth Karrid
Sith Lords[]
- Darth Andru
- Darth Malgus
- Darth Vindican
- Darth Serevin
- Darth Angral
- Lord Tarnis
- Lord Nefarid
- Lord Sadic
- Lord Praven
- Lord Vivicar
- The Emperor's Wrath
- Jaesa Willsaam
- Lord Draahg
- Darth Dralgon
- Aloysius Kallig
- Ashara Zavros
- Xalek
- Darth Zash
- Darth Skotia
- Darth Tormen
- Darth Gravus
- Darth Glovoc
- Lord Scourge
- Ludo Kressh
- Stranger
Confederacy of Independent Systems[]
- Darth Tyranus - Publicly known as Dooku, the Count of Serenno and Head of State/public face of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Sith apprentice to Sheev Palpatine/Darth Sidious (formerly)
- Savage Opress - Brief apprentice to Count Dooku/Darth Tyranus. Defected after being "betrayed" by Asajj Ventress and being brutally tortured by his temporary master.
- Darth Maul (formerly)
Galactic Empire[]
- Galen Marek - Darth Vader's secret apprentice and personal assassin. Left the Galactic Empire after being betrayed by his master so he would prove his loyalty to the Rule of Two and Darth Sidious by killing him.
- X1
One Sith[]
- Darth Wyyrlok III
- Darth Reave
- Darth Maladi
- Darth Nihl
- Darth Talon
- Darth Vurik
- Darth Stryfe
- Darth Havok
- Darth Luft
- Darth Azard
- Darth Wredd
- Saarai
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- The Star Wars prequel and sequel trilogies are the only trilogies of the Star Wars nonalogy where the Sith are identified by name onscreen, making the original trilogy the only trilogy of the series where the word "Sith" went unmentioned. However, the concept of the Sith and their rivalry with the Jedi was already established in earleir drafts for A New Hope, and a deleted scene from the film itself had Darth Vader referred to as a Sith Lord.
