Difference between revisions of "Sith"

"The Sith and the Jedi are similar in almost every way, including their quest for greater power. The only difference between the two is that the Sith are not afraid of the dark side of the Force. That is why they are more powerful."
"The Sith rely on their passion for their strength. They think inwards only about themselves."
"And the Jedi do not?"

―Palpatine and Anakin Skywalker

Forged by fire

"Without strife, your victory has no meaning. Without strife, you do not advance. Without strife, there is only stagnation."

―Yuthura Ban

"It is natural for him to want to destroy me. It is not crude mundane ambition, as it would be in an ordinary man; it is part of his growth. And of course it does not offend me—it is why I chose him. But he needs to grow still further."

―Emperor Palpatine, on his apprentice, Darth Vader

Sith philosophy emphasized conflict. The Sith believed that it empowered both individuals and civilizations by forcing them to change, grow, and evolve. Conflict ensured that only the strong would survive, thus leading the Sith down the path to perfection. Sentients only deserved what they were strong enough to take and those too weak to protect themselves were fair game.

The pacifistic teachings of the Jedi were viewed as obstructions to progress; lack of conflict led only to stagnation and decline. Likewise, morality was treated as an obstacle to be overcome as it got in the way of a Sith's ability to recognize and seize opportunities for advancement and self-empowerment.

Naga Sadow (Left), Darth Sidious (Center), and Darth Bane (Right), three of the most important figures in Sith and galactic history.

Empowered by passion

"What fuels your power with the Force but your passion? The stronger, darker emotions. Anger, hatred, fear… these passions empower us."

―Yuthura Ban

The core of a Sith's power came from emotion. The Jedi taught that fear and anger were negative emotions that must be overcome, but the Sith understood that every living creature was subject to such passions. They believed in harnessing rather than suppressing these natural urges. The Sith did not endeavor to place themselves beyond passions as the Jedi did – on the contrary, they believed that emotion was required in order to attain a holistic understanding of the Force.

However, not all emotions were embraced by the Sith. They, like the Jedi, considered 'love' a dangerous emotion, but for different reasons. The Jedi discouraged love because it led to attachment, but the Sith taught that love led to mercy, which was anathema to them.

"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

Sith tattoos

Many Sith Lords adorn themselves with Sith tattoos, as a symbol of their devotion to the order. The tattoos often have an alternating pattern of red and black based mostly off of Ancient Sith Holocrons. Sith tattoos are incredibly painful to have applied, as they often cover the entire body. Examples of tattooed Sith Lords include the infamous Darth Maul, Darth Talon, Darth Wyyrlok, Darth Ruyn, and many other members of Darth Krayt's New Sith Order.

Lightsabers

Many Sith and Dark Jedi used synthetic, reengineered lightsaber crystals, also known as synth crystals, to focus the blades of their lightsabers. These crystals were red giving the blade a red hue. Synth crystals were more powerful but were unstable, causing lightsabers to short out or die after a much shorter time than normal lightsaber crystals.

"But in their hearts they never forgot the Jedi. The hatred for the Jedi Order burns in their veins like fire, and it echoes in their teachings."

―Darth Traya

Timeline of major events in Sith history

• 130,000 BBY – The Sith society begins (that is, the species, and not the Sith cult).
• 100,000 BBY – The Sith species begin to develop their culture and civilization, their religion begins.
• 28,000 BBY – Adas rules as King of the Sith. He later led the Sith race to victory over the invading Rakata, but at the cost of his own life, plunging the Sith into civil war.
• 25,000 BBY The Unification Wars are fought on Tython in between darkness and light. The dark side Force's users are defeated, the Jedi establish their main temple on Ossus, the Old Republic is formed, based on Coruscant. The dark side is forbidden to the Jedi and will not rebel until 500 years later.
• 24,500 BBY – Xendor and his students leave the Jedi Order in the First Great Schism.
• 24,400 BBY – The First Great Schism ends and the Dark Jedi defeated.
• 19,000 BBY – A Killik Sith Lord lived on Alsakan, but was driven off when Humans arrived on the world. He fled to Sarafur, where he was buried in a treasure-filled crypt.
• 7,000 BBY – A group of Jedi break off from the Order, and pioneer the science of dark-side mutations, starting the Second Great Schism — the war known as the Hundred-Year Darkness.
• 6,900 BBY – Exiled after their defeat during the Hundred-Year Darkness, the Dark Jedi arrive on Korriban, where they interbreed with the Sith natives, and form the Sith Empire. Over the millennia, the empire expands to surrounding systems, including Ziost.
• 5,000 BBY – Dark Lord of the Sith Naga Sadow is defeated in the Great Hyperspace War, and the Sith Empire collapses ten years later. Sadow flees with his Massassi warriors to Yavin 4.
• 4,990 BBY – Final collapse of the Sith Empire, following the defeat of Naga Sadow.
• 4,400 BBY – Jedi Knight Freedon Nadd falls to the dark side, and is trained by the awakened Naga Sadow. Sadow dies at the hand of Nadd, who soon establishes himself as the King of Onderon.
• 4,250 BBY – The Third Great Schism occurs on Coruscant, resulting the Dark Jedi fleeing to Vultar, where they activate the Cosmic Turbine, causing the Vultar Cataclysm.
• 4,000 – 3,998 BBY — Freedon Nadd's descendants Queen Amanoa and King Ommin lead the Naddist Sith cult in a skirmish with the Jedi during the Beast Wars, and the Freedon Nadd Uprising. The Great Sith War begins. Satal and Aleema Keto are taught Sith teachings by Nadd's spirit. After the defeat of the Naddists, they flee to the Empress Teta system, and form the Krath sect.
• 3,997 BBY – Exar Kun falls to the dark side. The spirit of Freedon Nadd leads him from Dxun to Korriban, and thence to Yavin IV, where Kun destroys Nadd utterly. There he founds a new Sith order, which he names the Brotherhood of the Sith.
• 3,996 BBY – Kun takes the fallen Jedi Ulic Qel-Droma, leader of the Krath, as his apprentice. The Brotherhood of the Sith and the Krath fall during the Battle of Yavin IV.
• 3,961 BBY – Jedi Knight Revan falls under the influence of the dark side after discovering the Trayus Academy on Malachor V, a relic of the mysterious True Sith.
• (3,960 - 3,959 BBY) – Revan, hero of the Mandalorian Wars, betrays the Galactic Republic, declares himself Dark Lord of the Sith, and forms a new Sith Empire.
• (3,959 - 3,956 BBY) – Darth Revan supplements his forces with a fleet constructed by the Star Forge, and invades the Republic during the Second Sith War. Revan is supposedly killed when his apprentice Darth Malak betrays him, but later reappears as a Jedi, having returned to the light side. Revan leads Republic forces to victory by defeating Malak and destroying the Star Forge. After the Second Sith War, it became common practice for the Sith to append the title "Darth" to their name.
• (3,956 – 3,955 BBY) – In the wake of the Battle of Rakata Prime, the First Sith Civil War erupts on Korriban, and virtually wipes out the Sith followers of Revan and Malak.
• (3,955 – 3,951 BBY) – Darth Traya, Darth Nihilus and Darth Sion wage a shadow war upon the devastated Republic, but are defeated by the Jedi Exile. A Second Sith Civil War ensues, as the remaining Sith fight over the remnants of their empire.
• 2,000 BBY – Darth Ruin, another fallen Jedi, forms a new Sith order and begins the New Sith Wars. Lasting a millennium, by 1,466 BBY the New Sith Empire conquers all of known space outside the Colonies.
• 2,000 – 1,000 BBY – The Sith prove to be their own undoing, as internal power struggles destroy their organization. Lord Kaan unites the survivors under the Brotherhood of Darkness, and grants the title of "Dark Lord" to many Sith.
• 1,000 BBY – Both Jedi and Sith armies are destroyed in the Seventh Battle of Ruusan, leaving Darth Bane the only survivor. To ensure the continued survival of the Sith, Bane institutes the Rule of Two.
• 1,000 – 33 BBY – The Rule of Two continues. Darth Millennial abandons his master, Darth Cognus, and establishes the Prophets of the Dark Side. Darth Vectivus becomes the administrator of a mine on an asteroid near Bimmiel, and builds a mansion there at the heart of a dark-side energy nexus. He lives out the rest of his days there, surrounded by friends and family, and presumably trains his own apprentice. The Muun Sith Lord, Darth Plagueis is found and trained by an unknown Master. Palpatine is trained under the tutelage of Darth Plagueis, and is given the title of Darth Sidious. Palpatine kills his Master in his sleep. He then trains Darth Maul as his own apprentice.
• 32 BBY – The Sith, who had been in hiding for nearly one thousand years, resurface again when Darth Sidious orchestrates the Battle of Naboo in which Darth Maul is killed by Obi-Wan Kenobi.
• 22 – 19 BBY – Darth Sidious and Darth Tyranus provoke the Clone Wars, and many Jedi die, or turn to the dark side.
• 19 BBY – Darth Vader becomes Sidious's new apprentice. The Republic falls and the Galactic Empire is established by Darth Sidious. The Sith rule the galaxy once more, from the Core Worlds to Wild Space.
• 19 – 1 BBY – Darth Sidious takes efforts to eradicate the Jedi in the Great Jedi Purge. Some include Roan Shryne and An'ya Kuro.
• 4 ABY – Vader is turned back to the light side of the Force by Luke Skywalker, resulting in the deaths of both Sidious and Vader.

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