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Sith Order
Emblem of the Sith Order
Universe	Star Wars
In-universe information
Type	Monastic Academic Kraterocratic Imperialistic
Founded	c. 5,000 BBY or prior (canon) c. 6,900 BBY (Legends)
Fate	Last member slain by Rey during the Battle of Exegol – 35 ABY (canon) Last known member slain by Ania Solo during the Battle of the Floating World – 139 ABY (Legends)
Location	Sith Temple, Moraband / Korriban (homeworld) Imperial Palace, Coruscant (headquarters – 19 BBY to 4 ABY) Fortress Vader, Mustafar (headquarters – 19 BBY to 4 ABY) Sith Citadel, Exegol (headquarters – 4 ABY to 35 ABY)[1] Legends Dromund Kaas (capital) Ziost (key planet)
Leader	Unknown Rogue Jedi Darth Bane (until c. 1022 BBY) Darth Plagueis (until 32 BBY) Darth Sidious (32 BBY – 35 ABY)
Key people	Darth Vader Darth Sidious Darth Tyranus Darth Maul Darth Plagueis Darth Bane Legends Emperor Vitiate Ajunta Pall Marka Ragnos Naga Sadow Darth Revan Darth Malak Darth Traya Darth Nihilus Darth Sion Ludo Kressh Darth Malgus Lord Kaan Darth Caedus Darth Krayt Lady Lumiya
Affiliates	Asajj Ventress Savage Opress Quinlan Vos (briefly) Inquisitorius (Grand Inquisitor) Supreme Leader Snoke Knights of Ren (Ren; Kylo Ren) Legends Starkiller HK-47 Bastila Shan (briefly)
Official language	Basic, Old Tongue

The Sith are the main antagonists of many works in the fictional universe of the Star Wars franchise.^[2] They are the antithesis and ancient enemies of the Jedi. The Sith Order is depicted as an ancient monastic and kraterocratic cultist organization of supernaturally gifted Force-wielders driven by a machiavellian-imperialist agenda of galactic domination and revenge against the Jedi Order. The various antagonistic factions in the franchise, namely the Separatist Alliance, the Confederacy of Independent Systems, the First Galactic Empire, the Imperial Remnant, and the First Order, all originated, either directly or indirectly, from the Sith.

Sith are ruthless and totalitarian by design, in which supreme autocratic authority is concentrated in a single individual granted the honorific Dark Lord of the Sith. Sith culture is of perpetual self-destruction and reinvention; transfer of power is conducted through state-sanctioned assassinations: Sith Lords who grow complacent and exhibit weakness are eventually killed, and their property and authority are transferred to the apprentice who killed them. Robberies, betrayal, and sabotage are commonplace; murder is acceptable so long as the culprit is not caught. Sith teach their apprentices to revere the dark side of the Force and to believe that the galaxy was theirs to rule by cosmic right. This kraterocratic system ensures that Sith society nurtures some of the most vicious and competitive individuals in the galaxy and is only governed by those strong enough to seize control.

Like the Jedi, the traditional weapon of the Sith is the lightsaber, a device that generates a blade-like plasma powered by a kyber crystal and uses modulation circuits and an energy gate or other focusing systems. In contrast to the Jedi, who primarily use blue and green lightsabers, among other colors, the usual color for a Sith lightsaber is red, born of an unnatural corruption of the kyber crystal through the dark side's malignancy, causing it to "bleed". This even affects the sound of ignition, with a harsher hiss.

Etymology

The word Sith is taken from the 1914 science fiction novel, The Warlord of Mars, by Edgar Rice Burroughs in which it refers to a species of beetle. It was first used for Star Wars in the 1974 rough draft of Star Wars^[3] with the first published use being the 1976 novelization of Star Wars as a title for the key villain Darth Vader, the "Dark Lord of the Sith". Sith characters had also been portrayed as such in some Star Wars Legends works prior to the release of The Phantom Menace (the first film to identify characters as Sith on-screen), and in deleted footage from the original film.

In his novel series The Thrawn Trilogy (1991–1993), author Timothy Zahn labeled Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine as "Dark Jedi", as the meaning of the term "Sith" had not yet been defined. Subsequent Star Wars Legends media use the term "Dark Jedi" for various characters attuned to the dark side of the Force. Some of these characters (including Vader and Sidious) would be later identified as Sith, although the term would also be applied to non-Sith characters with similar goals and practices.

Influences

George Lucas acknowledged that the Jedi, Sith, and other Force concepts have been inspired by many sources. These include: knighthood, chivalry, paladinism, samurai bushido, Shaolin Monastery, Feudalism, Hinduism, Qigong, Greek philosophy and mythology, Roman history and mythology, Sufism, Confucianism, Shintō, Buddhism and Taoism, and numerous cinematic precursors. The works of philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche and mythologist Joseph Campbell, especially his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces (1949), directly influenced Lucas, and was what drove him to create the 'modern myth' of Star Wars.^[4][5] In particular, the contrasting narrative relationship between the dark side-using Sith and light side-using Jedi mirrors several modern and classical literary tropes.

The ongoing struggle of the humanistic "light side"-affiliated Jedi to permanently defeat the egoistic "dark side"-affiliated Sith is framed not only as a contest of values, but as a deep metaphysical conflict: The dark side of the Force is viewed by the Jedi, and generally represented within Star Wars media, as not only a dangerous expedient but as a form of existential corruption which must be purged for the universe, or a person, to attain spiritual balance.^[6] Jedi are often depicted as imperfect individuals, but their cause of selfless heroism is ultimately on the right side of an inexorable cosmic struggle against evil, embodied in the power-hungry Sith and the dark side of the Force.

The dualistic relationship between these Sith and Jedi concepts of "purity" mirrors the philosophical and literary concept of "Apollonian and Dionysian": the Jedi are portrayed as embracing purity, reason, temperance, altruism and other humanistic virtues; the Sith, by contrast, embrace curiosity, emotion, conflict, power, instincts, unfettered self-interest and other hedonistic vices. However, whereas the classic Greek concept did not necessarily view the Apollonian and Dyonisian principles as opposed, Star Wars frames the Jedi and Sith as opponents in a dire moral struggle, with the Sith cast as corrupted villains apparently destined to defeat or self-destruction in the end.^[7] Although a path to temporary power, the Sith way inevitably leads to ruin.

Within the Star Wars narrative, the Jedi and Sith naturally have a different understanding of the Force. In Sith rhetoric, the relationship between the philosophy of Jedi versus Sith closely mirrors Nietzsche's concept of master–slave morality. Sith value "master" virtues, such as pride and power, whereas the Jedi value altruistic "slave" virtues like kindness and sympathy. The goal of the Sith is tangible greatness: the ability to shape or destroy a world according to one's will, alone. The goal of the Jedi is moral goodness: freedom from inner turmoil and selfish desires. However, the Sith consider the Jedi's aspirations to be either hopeless or pathetic. To the Sith, achieving greater power, following one's passion, and freedom from inhibition are more authentic ways of expressing the Force. While the Jedi seek a harmonious connection to the Force, the Sith seek a deeper understanding through conflict because they believe the Force is defined by conflict.^[8]

Development

Originally, George Lucas conceived the Sith as a group that served the Emperor in the same way that the Schutzstaffel had served Adolf Hitler. In developing the history for The Empire Strikes Back, Lucas condensed this into one character in the form of Darth Vader.^[9]

Ideology

Sith philosophy lionized conflict as a catalyst for growth and as a tool for purging the weak, disloyal, and undisciplined. Sith academies were structured with rules, lectures, and classes, with an underlying "kill or be killed" mentality amongst the apprentices. Sith emphasize the maxims, "because we feel like it" and "survival of the fittest" and view restraint as a weakness. Members adhere to master morality, are characterized by the desire to seize power by any means necessary, leveraging force (both physical and supernatural), social maneuvering, and political cunning to their advantage. The Sith cultivate a connection to the dark side of the Force, which provides them with easy access to superhuman power and arcane knowledge; however, the trade-off is the severe cost of adopting a dark triad personality that corrodes their basic capacity for empathy, kindness, and love.

Throughout Star Wars media and in popular culture, the Sith are infamous 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. The Sith have a philosophical framework that "justifies" their ruthless and self-serving actions, but their agenda are considered appalling by society in general, and the Jedi who actively oppose them. To counteract the Jedi's benevolent influence, the Sith were responsible for secretly instigating many small regional conflicts as part of their larger plan to destabilize the Republic and eventually take control of the galaxy. Hiding in the shadows, their fingerprints are everywhere, in every conflict in the galaxy, and their subversive influence reaches far and wide.

The Code of the Sith

The Sith are dedicated to the "Code of the Sith" and to mastering the dark side of the Force.^[2] The Code of the Sith 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.

The Code:

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

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 user of the dark side is a Sith, nor is every user of the light side a Jedi.

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 seductive, corruptive, and addictive by the Jedi, who view it as evil,^[10] whereas the Sith consider the dark side of the Force to be its most powerful manifestation, and regard the abstemious Jedi as blinded by false virtue. 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. 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.^[11] 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.

Beneath anger is always fear. Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering. I sense much fear in you. Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose.

— Yoda, in The Phantom Menace

Extended indulgence in the dark side reshapes the user's psychology, resulting in a loss of humanity, morality, empathy, and the ability to love, leaving every Sith, to varying degrees, 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. Sith Lords, in particular, adopt a new name upon their initiation into the Order, prefixing it with the title Darth (e.g., "Darth Vader"). Severe saturation in the dark side may even lead to physical degradation. It is common for Sith that have immersed themselves in the dark side to receive yellow eyes and pale skin.^[12] Although Sith are deeply affected by the Machiavellian methods and dark arts they practice, they 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.

The dark side is generous... It is patient and it always wins – but in the heart of its strength lies its weakness: one lone candle is enough to hold it back.

— Yoda, in Revenge of the Sith novelization

Martial arts are a core part of the Sith tradition, and Sith featured in the Star Wars film series have all been highly trained warriors who further augment their abilities with the Force. Like the Jedi, the Sith's signature armament 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, although General Grievous, a non-Force user, was able to murder numerous Jedi and seize their lightsabers as weapons. Sith use lightsabers in combination with Force-derived powers, such as telekinesis, enhanced dexterity and precognition, to achieve superhuman combat prowess. A well-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. In matters of dress, Sith may adopt any attire consistent with their plans or guise; they commonly favor black robes, armor and gis when presenting themselves authentically.

Fictional backstory (Legends)

In the non-canonical Legends continuity, the Sith Order began around 6,900 BBY, during a period known as the Hundred Year Darkness. A series of conflicts began between the rebellious dark Jedi, a faction of the Jedi Order, and the rest of the Order. The dark Jedi were defeated and cast out, exiled to the unknown regions. These Exiles came across the planet Korriban, and its native species, the Sith. The strongest among the Exiles, Ajunta Pall, became the first to hold the title Dark Lord of the Sith. His contemporaries, such as Karness Muur and XoXaan, became Sith Lords. The human Dark Jedi interbred with the Sith species, who also had an affinity for the Dark Side. They would become the original Sith Empire.

One of the earliest leaders of this Sith Empire was Tulak Hord. He expanded the Sith territories and conquered the Dromund System, home to Dromuund Kaas, later the capital of the Sith Empire. He was eventually followed by Marka Ragnos, the last ruler of a period known as the Golden Age of the Sith. Upon the passing of Ragnos, two contenders for the throne of Dark Lord, Naga Sadow and Ludo Kressh, dueled at his funeral. Eventually, after a series of conflicts, Sadow was victorious, and Kressh apparently killed.

Sadow began the Great Hyperspace War, invading the Republic and laying siege to its planets. Sadow's efforts were initially met with success, his forces amplified by illusions that Sadow projected from his meditation sphere. Unfortunately the Dark Lord's concentration was broken when his apprentice turned on him. With his illusions dispersed, Sadow's forces were forced to retreat. Upon returning to Sith space they found that Kressh had not been killed, and engaged him in a space battle. Sadow was victorious again, but they were soon attacked by Republic forces. Sadow escaped by causing the Denarii Binary Star to go supernova. The Sith Empire would be saved from collapse by Darth Vitiate, another former acolyte of Ragnos, who led the Sith into hiding in the Unknown Regions where they rebuilt on Dromund Kaas.

In the Empire's absence, the influence of the Sith would eventually lead to the rise of Exar Kun and Ulic Qel-Droma. The spirit of Marka Ragnos declared Kun Dark Lord of the Sith, and made Qel-Droma his apprentice. Corrupting many Jedi to their cause and allying themselves with warriors such as the Mandalorians, Kun and Qel-Droma declared war on the Galactic Republic. During a raid on the Jedi Library at Ossus, Qel-Droma dueled and killed his brother, but was captured. Qel-Droma was redeemed and was instrumental in Kun's downfall, when the latter retreated to Yavin IV.

Exar Kun's invasion directly influenced the Mandalorian Wars, whereas the individuals known as Revan and Alek came across Darth Vitiate's empire in the Unknown Regions. Seduced to the dark side and declaring themselves Sith Lords, Revan and Alek became Darth Revan and Darth Malak, respectively. Vitiate had them seek out the Star Forge, an ancient, alien weapons plant that the Sith hoped to use to speed up their return to the galaxy. Revan and Malak instead opted to use the Star Forge to fuel their own imperial war machine and led a brutal and hugely successful campaign against the Republic. Revan was eventually betrayed by Malak, allowing a Jedi strike team to capture him. Malak continued his conquest without Revan's tactical leadership until a redeemed Revan defeated him, and the Star Forge, the source of the Sith fleet, was destroyed.

Remnants of Revan's Sith Empire were reorganized into a loose alliance of soldiers, assassins, and fallen Jedi led by the Sith Triumvirate, a triad of Sith Lords consisting of Darth Traya, Revan's former teacher; Darth Nihilus, a fallen Jedi and survivor of the Mandalorian Wars; and Darth Sion, a veteran Sith warrior from Exar Kun's war. The three of them began a shadow war against the Jedi, with Nihilus using his power to absorb Force energies to wipe out an entire planet of Jedi refugees, while Sion led a contingent of assassins to hunt down the survivors. This First Jedi Purge brought the Jedi Order to the brink of extinction. The Triumvirate's downfall came about when Meetra Surik, a Jedi who was exiled after the Mandalorian Wars, returned to known space. She defeated the three Sith, and without the Sith leadership, and the destruction of their base of operations on Malachor V, the remaining Sith forces faded into obscurity. Surik's students were able to help the Jedi recover from the Triumvirate's purge.

Around 300 years later, the original Sith Empire, now under the leadership of Vitiate, emerged from the Unknown Regions and declared war on the republic. This war, dubbed the Great Galactic War, was halted when Vitiate, on the cusp of victory, was restrained by the telepathic prowess of Revan. After a period of non-fighting, called the Galactic Cold War, tensions boiled over, and the Galactic War began. The war briefly fell in favor of the Republic and the Jedi, with the Sith gradually losing ground, until both factions were forced to join in an alliance against a third faction of Force-users known as the Eternal Empire. Once the Eternal Empire was defeated, the war against the Sith resumed. Vitiate perished during the conflict, with Darth Malgus eventually taking control. Malgus proved to be a fairly successful leader but over time the Sith Empire eventually fell to infighting and mostly disappeared. Occasionally, a Dark Lord such as Darth Rivan or Darth Ruin would rise and fall, but the Sith did not become a major threat again until around 2,500 years later.

At this point the Brotherhood of Darkness arose, led by the Sith Lord Skere Kaan. They focused on controlling the infighting between the Sith. This policy allowed them to make great progress in their war against the Republic. Ironically, one of their own, a Sith Lord by the name of Bane turned on them, because he disapproved of their methods. He manipulated the Brotherhood into extinction, and they were defeated. Bane started the Rule of Two, which evolved into the Sith as they are seen in the films.

Fictional history

The Star Wars saga began with the film Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, which was released in 1977.^[13] 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.

The schemes of the Sith are key to the overarching plot of the Star Wars films and much other fictional material in the franchise. Their background has varied among depictions, but the Sith have always been insidious archenemies of the Jedi leveraging dark arts in pursuit of power and revenge. The Sith were first mentioned in A New Hope in a scene ultimately cut from the film. They were expanded upon heavily in the following years in books, comics, games and other multimedia. The Sith were formally introduced on-screen with the release of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace in 1999 as a shadowy martial order manipulating the movie's political factions into a galaxy-spanning civil war.

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.^[14] 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.

Emergence of the Sith Order

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 originated in a species of Force-sensitive warriors who discovered the efficacy of passion as a tool to draw on the Force at least 5,000 years prior to the events of the first Star Wars film.^[15][16] Fully embracing this approach, they became defined and corrupted by it.

The warriors who would become the first Sith were apparently heterodox members of 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. Controversy emerged when members of the Jedi Order began to experiment with passion as an alternative. The Jedi establishment saw these innovations as a threat to the ethos of the Jedi, opening members to the seduction of power and cruelty. Eventually, this controversy led to a conflict in which the rebelling Jedi were defeated and exiled.^[17]

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 teachings of the Light side of the force, 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 condemned by the Jedi. Guided by their egoistic philosophy based on ruling by seizing power, and armed with taboo Dark Side techniques, the former Jedi exiles reemerged to menace the galaxy as the Sith Order, aiming to conquer the Galactic Republic and exact revenge against the Jedi.

Great Hyperspace Wars

A succession of Sith-led regimes would arise to challenge the Jedi and the Galactic Republic, an era known as The Great Hyperspace Wars.^[18] The Jedi-led Republic Armed Forces managed to repel the Sith Invasion from Coruscant and then pursued them all the way back to Corban and essentially killed and purged all of the Sith they could find; Republic historians would call this campaign the post-great hyperspace War counter Invasion but the Sith simply called it a holocaust. However, internal power struggles would prove decisive in thwarting the Sith's designs. The paradox of reconciling endless personal ambition with the interests of the Sith as a whole became a great practical and philosophical concern for the Sith. Ultimately, this paradox was “resolved” through a drastic reorganization by Darth Bane, who recast the Sith into a master-apprentice tradition called the Rule of Two.^[19] Starting with Darth Bane, there would be only two Sith at a time: one to embody power, and the other to crave it. While concealing their identity as Sith, a succession of Sith masters and apprentices would work through the centuries to place themselves into positions of power and undermine the responsible authorities, preparing to overtake the Galactic Republic. The Banite tradition encouraged each apprentice to eventually challenge and murder his or her master, and take an apprentice in turn. In this way, Darth Bane guaranteed the conspiracy remained a secret for a thousand years. He believed the Sith could exert their power and obtain their revenge against the Jedi by galactic domination. The first six Star Wars films chronicle this ancient scheme.

Ascent to power of the Sith

Darth Bane's plan would come to fruition through Sheev Palpatine, a Naboo 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 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 cloned soldiers conditioned to obey certain key commands issued by Palpatine. The Jedi eventually discovered Palpatine's identity as a Sith Lord and attempted to arrest him. Palpatine framed their actions as an attempted coup, using it as a pretext for annihilating the Jedi by activating “Order 66,” one of the embedded protocols in the clone soldiers. In the course of effecting his designs, Palpatine also manipulated the most powerful Jedi knight, Anakin Skywalker, into his service by promising to teach him how to save the life of Padmé Amidala. In a tragic irony, the sheer horror of discovering Anakin collaboration with Sidious to destroy resulted in the death of Padmé during childbirth. Sidious would trick Anakin into believing that he had killed Padmé in anger. Anakin's subsequent emotional collapse would lead him to fully embrace the dark side of the Force. Sidious would rule the newly created Galactic Empire for approximately 20 years as its Emperor with Darth Vader at his side. Initially unknown to Vader and Sidious, two children were delivered by Padme before her death.

Sith temples

The Rebels episode "Twilight of the Apprentice" features a forbidden planet called Malachor,^[20] home of an ancient Sith temple.^[21] The temple contains a superweapon, and can only be activated by placing a special Sith Holocron^[22] in an obelisk at the summit of the pyramid inside the temple. Thousands of years prior, a battle was waged on Malachor that resulted in the deaths of its inhabitants. Somewhere between the events of his last appearance in Solo: A Star Wars Story and this Rebels episode, Darth Maul had become stranded on the planet. When Ahsoka Tano, Kanan Jarrus and Ezra Bridger arrive, Ezra is separated from them. He is discovered by Maul, and together, they use the Force cooperatively to solve a series of tests, and retrieve a Sith Holocron. With the help of Kanan and Ahsoka, they fought three Inquisitors, all of whom are killed by Maul. Maul then betrays his allies, blinding Kanan, and proceeds to activate the superweapon.

Maul is defeated by a sightless Kanan, and Darth Vader arrives with the intention of retrieving the holocron, but is challenged by Ahsoka, his former Padawan. While the superweapon is preparing to fire, Kanan and Ezra retrieve the holocron and escape, preventing the weapon of mass destruction from being used. Even though the temple is destabilized, Ahsoka and Vader keep fighting to the death within the rapidly crumbling building, until it eventually explodes, wounding Vader.^[23]

The Star Wars Resistance episode "The Relic Raiders" depicts a Sith temple hidden underneath a later Jedi temple.^[24]

End of the Sith

Anakin's children, Leia, and Luke Skywalker would become key members of the Rebel Alliance to restore the Galactic Republic. Luke 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 Emperor Darth Sidious' purge. 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. Darth Sidious offered Skywalker an ultimatum to enter his service or die, and proceeded to use his Force-derived powers to torture and threaten to 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 former master, Sidious, fulfilling the prophecy of the Chosen One. Vader would die of his own injuries shortly thereafter, thus apparently bringing an end to the Sith and their ancient vendetta.

The 2019 film The Rise of Skywalker depicts the climax of the conflict between the Sith and the Jedi,^[25] and features the group known as the Sith Eternal, led by a resurrected Darth Sidious. When Sidious meets his final demise at the hands of his granddaughter, Rey, the moment also marks the definitive end of the Sith.

Overview

Timeline

• Before the films - At an unknown point in time, numerous Jedi become disillusioned with the Order and exile themselves, forming the Sith Order. Thousands of years later, a centuries-long war between the Jedi and the Sith takes place, which culminates with the apparent death of all the Sith. The sole survivor, Darth Bane, takes an apprentice and goes on to create the Rule of Two, beginning the era of the modern Sith, who live in secrecy. Almost 1000 years after Bane's death, Darth Plagueis trains Darth Sidious, who ultimately kills his master and takes Darth Maul as his first apprentice.
• Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace - Sidious and Maul are the only known Sith in the galaxy. The latter kills Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn but is defeated by his padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi and is presumed dead.
• Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones - Sidious has replaced Maul with Darth Tyranus who had formerly been a Jedi Master and was once the mentor of Obi-Wan’s late master Qui-Gon Jinn.
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars film and television series - Sidious and Tyranus are the main pair of Sith in the galaxy. Tyranus takes Asajj Ventress as an informal apprentice, and later replaces her with Savage Opress. After betraying Tyranus, Opress finds his lost brother, Maul, who resurfaces as a Sith Master to rival Sidious and takes Opress as an apprentice. Sidious later kills Opress, and Tyranus kills Ventress.
• Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith - Tyranus is killed by Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, who later turns to the dark side and becomes Sidious' third apprentice, Darth Vader. The Sith effectively take over the galaxy by nearly exterminating the entire Jedi Order and converting the Republic into the Galactic Empire, which Sidious rules as Emperor.
• Star Wars Rebels - Sidious and Vader are the main pair of Sith in the galaxy. Vader trains the Inquisitors, most of whom are former Jedi, to hunt down surviving members of the Order hiding from the Empire. Maul lives in exile and no longer sees himself as a Sith; he later tries to take Ezra Bridger as an apprentice, but fails, and is eventually killed in a duel against Obi-Wan.
• Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, and Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi - Sidious and Vader are the only Sith in the galaxy. Vader eventually kills Sidious to save his son, Luke Skywalker, redeeming himself and returning to the light side at the cost of his own life. The deaths of Sidious and Vader signify the end of the Sith for the following three decades, and the beginning of the downfall of the Galactic Empire, which eventually collapses one year later.
• Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens - Snoke and his apprentice, Kylo Ren, Vader's grandson fill in the power vacuum left by the absence of the Sith in the galaxy. Snoke serves as Supreme Leader of the First Order, which emerged from the remnants of the Galactic Empire, while Kylo leads the Knights of Ren, a group of Force-wielders who take their strength from the dark side. None of them are official Sith.
• Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi - Snoke is killed by Kylo Ren, who replaces him as Supreme Leader.
• Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker - Sidious is revealed to have been resurrected and to have manipulated Kylo Ren's actions. He leads the Sith Eternal on Exegol and attempts to reconquer the galaxy for the Sith, but is ultimately killed by his granddaughter Rey, the last living Jedi. Kylo is redeemed like Vader before him and kills the Knights of Ren, before giving his own life to help Rey defeat Sidious. Without its leadership, the First Order eventually collapses, marking the definitive end of the Sith.

Members

Darth Sidious

Darth Sidious (Sheev Palpatine) was a human Dark Lord of the Sith who appeared in each trilogy of the Skywalker Saga. Originally the eldest 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 studying under Plagueis, 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 Sith apprentices: Darth Maul, Darth Tyranus, and Darth Vader. He was eventually betrayed and killed by his last, Vader, at the end of Return of the Jedi.^[26] He returned more than 30 years later in The Rise of Skywalker, having managed to cheat death through powerful mastery of the dark side of the Force.^[27] He attempted to reclaim control of the galaxy through the Sith Eternal's fleet of Xyston-class Star Destroyers, the Final Order, but was finally killed by his granddaughter, Rey, who deflected his Force lightning back at him using the Skywalker lightsabers. Darth Sidious' final death marked what appears to be the definitive end of the Sith.

In Legends continuity, Darth Sidious would return using clones and ancient Sith powers, returning in several clone bodies over the course of several novels and comics. During this time he would briefly turn Luke Skywalker to the dark side of the Force through sheer power as much as by guile, though Luke would later be redeemed by his sister Leia and restored to the light side of the Force and defeated Palpatine once and for all. Shortly before his first death, Palpatine had sent a psychic command through the Force to Mara Jade, planting in her the need to kill Luke. She eventually fulfilled this command by slaying a clone of Luke called Luuke Skywalker, whom Palpatine had made in an attempt to use him against the original, though this plot ultimately would fail due to Mara's fatal attack on the clone.

Darth Maul

Darth Maul was a Dathomirian Zabrak Sith Lord who served as the first apprentice of Darth Sidious. He first appeared in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, where he was ordered by his master to capture Queen Amidala of Naboo in order for her to sign a treaty that would legalize the Trade Federation's invasion of the planet. During a duel with Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his Padawan apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi, who were assigned to protect Amidala, Maul killed the former, but was sliced in half by Obi-Wan and fell down a shaft. Although presumed dead, he survived his injuries and ended up on the junk planet Lotho Minor, where he would become a cyborg and be driven to insanity. He was eventually rescued by his brother Savage Opress twelve years later, during the Clone Wars. After being provided with a pair of new robotic legs by the Nightsisters, led by Maul's mother, Talzin, he sought revenge against Obi-Wan. This culminated with Maul allying with various crime syndicates, taking over the planet Mandalore, and killing Duchess Satine Kryze, whom Obi-Wan loved. Although he was then captured by his former master, Sidious, who came to see him as a rival, he managed to escape and rebuild his criminal empire. Following his overthrow and capture by the Galactic Republic, Maul escaped once again and went into hiding while no longer being a Sith Lord. During the reign of the Galactic Empire, Maul resurfaced as a crime lord and ran his syndicate, the Crimson Dawn, from the shadows, but is eventually stranded on the Sith world of Malachor. He escaped years later, after meeting Ezra Bridger, whom he then forced to assist in locating Obi-Wan. Finding him to be hiding on Tatooine, Maul fought his old nemesis one last time and was mortally wounded. Before dying, Maul took comfort in the fact that Obi-Wan was looking after who he believed to be the "Chosen One", who would one day avenge them by destroying the Sith.

Darth Tyranus

Darth Tyranus (Count Dooku) was a human Dark Lord of the Sith and the second apprentice of Darth Sidious, first appearing in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones. Born to the royal family of the planet Serenno, Dooku was rejected by his family as an infant upon the discovery of his connection to the Force, which his father in particular feared and, as such, abandoned him after contacting the Jedi Order to come and take him to Coruscant. During his training under Yoda, Dooku proved himself to be both strong with the Force and a skilled duelist, regarded by many as one of the best in the Order. Upon becoming a Jedi Master, he left the Order and returned to Serenno to reclaim his title and heritage as a nobleman. He later fell to the dark side and became a Sith Lord and Darth Sidious' puppet. Dooku helped Sidious with his galactic conquest plans, recruiting the bounty hunter Jango Fett as the template of the clone army that would be used by the Galactic Republic, and forming the Confederacy of Independent Systems from various planets and systems that wanted to become independent from the Republic, resulting in the Clone Wars. Dooku served as the figurehead of the Separatist Alliance throughout the Clone Wars, until meeting his demise at the hands of Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. In his final moments, Dooku realized that Sidious had merely used him to aid his schemes, and had planned to have him killed and replaced by someone more powerful all along.^[28]

Darth Vader

Darth Vader (Anakin Skywalker) was a human-cyborg Dark Lord of the Sith and the third and final apprentice of Darth Sidious, who first appeared in the Star Wars original trilogy, and later in the prequel trilogy. As the Jedi hero Anakin Skywalker, he fought alongside his master Obi-Wan Kenobi during the galaxy-wide Clone Wars, 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 and was given the name Darth Vader before setting out to destroy all Jedi left on Coruscant. After being sent by Sidious to assassinate the Separatist council members on Mustafar, Vader was badly injured in a duel with Kenobi, resulting in the loss of his remaining organic arm, both legs, and severe burn injuries. He was saved by Sidious, and encased in a black suit of armor with extensive cybernetics which kept him alive. As the Galactic Empire was established and continued to grow, Vader became the Emperor's immensely feared second-in-command and was given the task of finding surviving Jedi and 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, as well as the fulfilment of the Chosen One prophecy.^[29]

Darth Plagueis

Darth Plagueis was a Muun Dark Lord of the Sith and Darth Sidious' master, first referenced in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. In the film, Sidious (as Palpatine) uses Plagueis' story to seduce Anakin Skywalker to the dark side, claiming that Plagueis' 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. According to the Rule of Two, Plagueis was eventually killed by Sidious in his sleep, who subsequently became the new Sith Master and would later take on an apprentice of his own.

Plagueis is the main character of the Legends novel, Star Wars: Darth Plagueis, which explains much of his backstory, including his training under Darth Tenebrous, mentorship of Palpatine, and early plans to undermine the Galactic Republic and drive the Jedi Order into ruins. The novel also reveals that Plagueis' public identity was Hego Damsk II, a member of the Intergalactic Banking Clan.

Darth Bane

Darth Bane (Dessel) was a human Dark Lord of the Sith and the sole survivor of the Sith Order in the aftermath of the ancient war between the Jedi and the Sith. He is best known for establishing the Rule of Two, which was considered the beginning of the modern Sith within the Star Wars canon. This law 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/her master and adopt an apprentice of his/her own.^[2] He is the main character of the Darth Bane Trilogy by Drew Karpyshyn, which part of the Legends continuity.

In the Star Wars canon, Darth Bane's backstory as the only Sith survivor of the Jedi-Sith war and the creator of the Rule of Two is mostly unchanged, though not much else is known about him. His only canonical appearance was in the episode "Sacrifice" of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, where his spirit was encountered by Yoda on the Sith homeworld of Moraband. It is revealed by the novelization of The Rise of Skywalker and Darth Sidious in his book, titled The Secrets of the Sith that the Rule of Two is said to merely be a pale imitation, an unworthy but necessary successor to the Doctrine of the Dyad, a concept centered on two Force-sensitive beings who had an unbreakable Force-bond—which made them one in the Force—collectively known as a Force Dyad.

Darth Momin

Darth Momin was a humanoid Dark Lord of Sith who appeared in the comic book Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith and briefly in Lando. Once a sculptor, he was imprisoned at a young age for his creations, which scared most people who saw them. Momin was eventually rescued by a Sith Lady named Shaa, who trained him in the dark side of the Force until he became more powerful than her and killed her. Momin then built a superweapon named Fermata Cage to destroy a city and perished when the Jedi intervened to stop him, losing control over the energy he wielded and causing his physical body to be destroyed, leaving behind only his mask with his spirit inside. Many years later, the mask was retrieved from the Jedi Archive vault by Darth Sidious, who gave it to Darth Vader as a gift for his journey to Mustafar, which Vader sought to make his personal stronghold. After Momin's spirit killed some of his personnel, Vader examined the mask and learned of Momin's past, before letting him possess the body of a Mustafarian and build a fortress for him. Shortly after Momin finished building of the fortress, Vader was distracted by an invasion of Mustafarians, which Momin took advantage of to open the door to the Dark Side and resurrect himself. However, after challenging Vader to a duel, Momin met a quick demise by being crushed with a giant rock. Despite Momin's death, his dark essence remained in the mask for several more years. At one point, Momin's mask was aboard the Imperial yacht Imperialis, when a group of thieves led by Lando Calrissian attempt to rob the ship. After Momin's spirit possessed the bodies of two thieves, the others were forced to abandon them and blow up the ship, seemingly destroying Momin's mask, and his spirit with it. Luke Skywalker later learned about Momin and his history during his travels across the galaxy, and described the Sith Lord's role in building Vader's fortress in his book, titled The Secrets of the Jedi.

Other canon Sith Lords

• Darth Atrius – Ancient Dark Lord of the Sith who lived before Darth Bane and the modern Sith. He owned two crossguard lightsabers, which were found and given away by the smuggler Sana Starros after the Battle of Yavin. The anger possessed by Atrius when wielding both these crossguard lightsabers at the same time, carried over to the weapons themselves, and can transfer over to their new owners. These lightsabers were eventually destroyed by Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker, thus possibly erasing all knowledge about Atrius himself.^[30]
• Darth Caldoth – Duros Dark Lord of the Sith mentioned in the 2019 novel Myths & Fables. He lived at an unknown point in time before Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace and wrote a book titled The Bestiary of Darth Caldoth, which mentioned various Sith warbeasts. According to the legend, Caldoth eventually gained a Sith apprentice, the Twi'lek Ry Nymbis, and they were considered the two most powerful individuals in the galaxy at the time. Caldoth killed his own apprentice with a Sith ritual that turned the person's body into stone when he felt Nymbis was going to betray him. With the ritual, Nymbis was trapped in an eternal nightmare.
• Darth Krall – Dark Lord of the Sith born as Radaki, who lived at an unknown point in time before Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. He was first mentioned in the 2019 audiobook Dooku: Jedi Lost. Krall was seduced to the dark side after losing his faith in the Jedi Order, believing that the Jedi should retain their family ties and wealth. During his life, he fought in the Battle of Wasted Years, where the Sith emerged victorious, and tamed the Nightmare Conjunction. His lightsaber would later be stored in the Bogan Collection at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant.
• Darth Skrye – Dark Lady of the Sith mentioned in the audiobook Dooku: Lost Jedi. She lived at an unknown point in time before Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. Her voice was heard by Count Dooku during his time as a Jedi Padawan, in a Force vision that he had after encountering the Presagers of Hakotei on Asusto. In this vision, Skrye claimed that the Sith were reborn and activated a superweapon called the Cauldron, which destroyed a planet. She also owned an artifact called the Hand of Skrye, which would eventually be found by the Jedi Lene Kostana and Sifo-Dyas on Rishi.
• Darth Wrend – Dark Lord of the Sith mentioned in the novel Master & Apprentice. He lived at an unknown point in time before Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, and was best known for coming back to life after being killed by the Jedi Order, in order to fight them once again. The legend of Darth Wrend would come to Qui-Gon Jinn's mind during his time as a Padawan, who opened the holocron of prophecy, which contained numerous prophecies, many of which dated from ten thousand years ago. One of the prophecies said that evil would disappear yet appear again once the righteous had lost its light, which many believed that was referring to the return of the Sith. At that time, Qui-Gon believed that the prophecy talked about Darth Wrend's return from the dead and that it had already been fulfilled; it would later be revealed that the prophecy was actually about the return of the Sith after living in secrecy for almost a millennium.
• Darth Tanis – Ancient Dark Lord of the Sith who lived at least 4000 years before Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, as Sith accounts from the year 3966 BBY describe kyber weaponry developed by him on the planet Malachor. Darth Tanis is only mentioned in The Rise of Skywalker: The Visual Dictionary, where it is revealed that Darth Sidious' Sith Eternal cult named the 17th Legion of Sith Troopers after him.
• Darth Revan – Ancient Dark Lord of the Sith mentioned in The Rise of Skywalker: The Visual Dictionary, as the namesake of the 3rd Legion of Sith Troopers from Darth Sidious' Sith Eternal cult. Darth Revan is a more important figure in the Legends continuity, where he is main protagonist of the video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and a major character in related works. Once a Jedi hero of the Old Republic who led the Jedi to victory in the Mandalorian Wars, Revan later searched for the secret Sith Empire and was captured and tortured by the Sith Emperor, turning him to the dark side. After breaking free of the Emperor's control, Revan and his friend and Sith apprentice, Darth Malak, created their own Sith Empire using the ancient Star Forge to wage war on the Republic, but Malak eventually betrayed Revan and ordered his soldiers to fire on his ship during a battle against the Jedi. The wounded but still alive Revan was then captured by the Jedi, who erased his memories and gave him a new identity so that he could fight on their side once again. In the end, Revan defeated Malak and his Sith Empire and was seen as a Jedi hero once again, but was later captured by the Sith Emperor again and his psychic broke into a lighter half and a darker half. After being rescued by his descendant Satele Shan 300 years later, Revan's darker half sought to resurrect the Emperor's physical form so that he could kill him for good, but was defeated by the combined efforts of the Jedi, Sith, and his lighter half. The two halves of Revan then merged in peace and died for the final time.
• Darth Andeddu – Ancient Dark Lord of the Sith mentioned in The Rise of Skywalker: The Visual Dictionary, as the namesake of the 5th Legion of Sith Troopers from Darth Sidious' Sith Eternal cult. Darth Andeddu is a more important figure in the Legends continuity, where he is one of the first known Sith Lords to have lived, as he preceded the creation of the "Darth" title. After being forced to flee from Korriban, Andeddu created the world of Prakith, which he ruled as a deity for several centuries, before tombing himself to prevent his followers from stealing his secrets after his death. During his life, he created the first ever Sith holocron to store his knowledge, and discovered the ability to cheat death by transferring one's essence into another vessel.
Zdroj:https://en.wikipedia.org?pojem=Inquisitorius
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