Dark Lord of the Sith

Dark Lord of the Sith

Dark Lord of the Sith was a title used by members of theSith, also known asSith Lords. Under theRule of Two, it was applied to both theSith Master and theSith apprentice.

Darth Plagueis' apprentice,Darth Sidious, conspired to restore the Sith to power roughly amillennium after thedeath ofDarth Bane, the DarkLord who reformed the Sith. During theClone Wars,Darth Maul andSavage Opress claimed the mantle of Dark Lord despite the presence of Sidious andDarth Tyranus. Sidious killed Opress and chastised Maul, reminding his former apprentice that there could only be two Sith Lords at any giventime in the galaxy.

After theGalactic Republicfell,the galaxy was ruled by two Dark Lords—Galactic EmperorDarth Sidious and his apprentice, the fallenJediDarth Vader—during theera of theGalactic Empire. Their reign ended when Vadersacrificed himself by destroying his master, rendering the Sith extinct through thedeaths of the final Dark Lords.

Despite the Sith'sprophesied destruction, their legacy endured through Sidious, who was revived throughcloning and thedark side of the Force, as well asSupreme LeaderKylo Ren, Vader'sgrandson. During theFirst Order'swar against theResistance, Ren aspired to rule all thegalaxy as the newEmperor and Dark Lord of the Sith. Following Ren'sredemption, Sidious perished along with hisfollowers in theBattle of Exegol as the very last Dark Lord of the Sith remaining.

History[]

Early history[]

The DarkLord of theSith, alternatively known as aSith Lord, was a title in the Sith Order.^[2] The title "Darth" used by all Sith Lords roughly translated into "Dark Lord."^[5]

TheValley of the Dark Lords on theplanetKorriban contained crypts of the deceased Dark Lords of the Sith.^[6] The planet became a sacred place of ceremonial rituals for the Sith. Theburial ceremony of a Dark Lord of the Sith would be accompanied by hundreds of Sith warriors carrying the body of the fallen master. The corpse was stored in the tomb along with precious objects, and an escort of slaves accompanied the deceased on his journey to the spirit realm. The Sith then left the planet until the next burial.^[7]

The Sith later fell victim to infighting because of their greed for power, weakening the Sith Order to the point where theJedi Order defeated and nearlydestroyed their ancient rivals.^[8] However, the ancient Sith Order had one surviving member:Darth Bane. Bane assumed the mantle of Dark Lord and established a philosophy known as theRule of Two, declaring that only two Sith Lords could exist at anytime—aSith Master and aSith apprentice.^[9] After his death, Bane was the last Dark Lord to be buried at Moraband's Valley of the Dark Lords.^[10]

Fall of the Republic[]

The Dark Lords that succeededDarth Bane would adhere to his teachings, maintaining the Sith Order's ranks at two members throughout themillennium-longreign of the modernGalactic Republic.Darth Sidious, publicly known as Sheev Palpatine fromNaboo, became the Dark Lord of The Sith after betraying andmurdering his Sith MasterDarth Plagueis. Sidious was the Dark Lord of the Sith during thelast years of the Republic and therise of theGalactic Empire.^[11]

At the time of theClone Wars, Sidious' former apprenticeDarth Maul sought to reclaim his status as a Sith Lord while training his brother,Savage Opress. Having replaced Maul withDarth Tyranus, Sidious confronted theZabrak Sith claimants onMandalore. There, he killed Opress and subdued Maul. The Dark Lord castigated Maul, informing theDathomirian that he had been replaced in an Order that permitted only two Sith Lords. However, Sidious informed Maul that he still haduses for his former apprentice,^[12] using him todraw outMotherTalzin.^[13]

Age of the Empire[]

Sidious would later betray Tyranus and have him killed by theJedi KnightAnakin Skywalker, as he desired to make Skywalker his apprentice. After the death of Tyranus, Skywalker fell to the dark side and became Darth Vader, Sidious' third apprentice. Sidiousproclaimed himselfGalactic Emperor afterdestroying the Jedi Order.^[11] The Dark Lords ruledthe galaxy for a generation^[15] until theBattle of Endor^[16] in4 ABY,^[17] when Sidious betrayed Vader and tried to makeLuke Skywalker his new apprentice.^[16] Previously, Vader had tried to do the same, but he gave up on his quest to make his son his apprentice after themission to Exegol,^[18] only to resume during his alliance with theSchism Imperial.^[19]

During the Battle ofEndor, Luke refused to kill hisfather, however, declaring his allegiance to theJedi.^[16] Enraged by Luke's refusal to turn to the dark side, Sidioustortured the Jedi Knight withForce lightning. Luke begged Vader to save him; unwilling to see his son die, Vader sacrificed his life^[15] by destroying theEmperor.^[20]

Return of the Dark Lord[]

The deaths of Sidious and Vader marked the end of the lineage of Dark Lords going back to Darth Bane,^[22] and the beginning of theNew Republic Era.^[15] Vader died as Anakin Skywalker^[23] having returned to the light side^[24] through an act of selflessness and sacrifice,^[23] which allowed Yoda to preserve Anakin's identity when he became one with the Force. As a result, Anakin joined Yoda andObi-Wan Kenobi in death as aForce spirit. With his death, Anakin brought balance to the Force^[25] and his destiny as theChosen One was fulfilled.^[26]

Unbeknownst to the galaxy at large, Sidious was revived when he used the dark side to move his spirit to acloned body.^[20] Aided by hisfollowers onExegol, theSith Eternalcult, the fallen Emperorengineered thestrandcastSnoke^[21] to groom Vader's grandson,Kylo Ren, into an heir that was worthy of inheriting the Sith legacy.^[27] Ren, who coveted the power of his Sith grandfather,^[28] sought to rule all the galaxy as the new Emperor^[29] and Dark Lord of the Sith.^[30]

Sidious' plan to restore his Order through the creation of a newSith Empire^[27] ended at theBattle of Exegol. Kylo Ren had returned to thelight side of the Force, renouncing the dark side and his claim to the Sith mantle, while Sidious'granddaughter, theJedi apprenticeRey rejected the Emperor's entreaty to succeed him. Ultimately, Rey used the power from all the past deceased Jedi to permanently destroy Sidious and Sith for good.^[29]

List of known Dark Lords of the Sith[]

Pre-Rule of Two[]

Period	Dark Lord	Sith apprentice
c.4000 BBY[31]	Exar Kun[32]
	Darth Quellus[33]
c.1100 BBY–1000 BBY[34]	Darth Shaa[35]	Darth Momin[36]

Rule of Two[]

Period	Sith Master	Sith apprentice
After1032 BBY[37]–	Darth Bane[38]	Darth Zannah[38]
Before132 BBY[39]	Darth Tenebrous[40]	Darth Plagueis[40][41]
c.132 BBY	Darth Plagueis[40][41]	The Stranger[40][41]
Before32 BBY	Darth Plagueis[21][41]	Darth Sidious[21]
–32BBY[17]	Darth Sidious[42]	Darth Maul[42]
c. 32 BBY[43]–19 BBY[17]	Darth Sidious[2]	Darth Tyranus[2](publicly known asCountDooku)[44]
23 BBY[45]–20 BBY[46]	Darth Tyranus[47](Master in unofficial capacity)[48]	Asajj Ventress(Apprentice in unofficial capacity)[48]
20 BBY[49]	Darth Tyranus(Master in unofficial capacity)[50]	Savage Opress(Apprentice in unofficial capacity)[50]
20 BBY–19 BBY[17]	Darth Maul(claimant)[3]	Savage Opress(claimant)[3]
19 BBY[51]	Darth Tyranus(Master in unofficial capacity)[48]	Quinlan Vos(Apprentice in unofficial capacity)[48]
19 BBY–4 ABY[1]	Darth Sidious[11]	Darth Vader[11]
After 4 ABY–35 ABY[1]	Darth Sidious[29]

Other Dark Lords of the Sith[]

Period	Sith Master	Sith apprentice
	Darth Caldoth's Master[52]	Darth Caldoth[35]
	Darth Caldoth[35]	Ry Nymbis[35]
	Darth Noctyss[35]	Darth Sanguis[35]

Behind the scenes[]

In the story of the non-canonStar Wars: Visions short "THE TWINS," theForce-sensitivetwinsAm andKarre both held the title "Dark Lord."^[53] In that capacity, both wielded power over aGalactic Empire^[54] that emerged after theBattle of Exegol.^[55] The twins' empire hoped to claim control over the galaxy, only for Karre to rebel and abandon the regime.^[54]

Appearances[]

Non-canon appearances[]

• Star Wars Epic Yarns: Return of the Jedi
• LEGO Star Wars: Droid Tales Episodes I-III(Appears as Force spirit and in flashbacks)
• Star Wars: Visions — "The Duel"
• Ronin: A Visions Novel(andaudiobook)
• Star Wars: Visions — "Journey to the Dark Head"

Sources[]

Notes and references[]