Sith


 * "Once more the Sith will rule the galaxy, and we shall have peace."
 * ―Darth Sidious, to Darth Vader[src]

The Sith, also referred to as the Sith Order, were an ancient order of Force-wielders devoted to the dark side of the Force. Emerging as a divergent faction of the Jedi Order, the Sith became mortal enemies of the Jedi and fought against them in numerous wars. Driven by emotions such as hate, anger, and greed, the Sith were deceptive and ultimately obsessed with amassing power no matter the cost.

A thousand years prior to the Invasion of Naboo, the Sith teetered on the brink of extinction as a result of internal strife. In the aftermath of their near destruction, Darth Bane emerged as the sole Dark Lord of the Sith, allowing him to enact the Rule of Two. Henceforth, there would be only two Sith Lords—a Master and an apprentice—at any given time. Throughout the era of the Galactic Republic, the Jedi served as guardians of peace and justice in the galaxy while the Sith operated in secret.

Approximately thirty-two years before the Battle of Yavin, SenatorSheev Palpatine of Naboo was elected to the office of Supreme Chancellor, leader of the Galactic Senate of the Republic. In secret, Palpatine was the public persona of Darth Sidious, a Sith Lord who manipulated the political system in order to gain power over the Republic. In the aftermath of the Clone Wars, Sidious had achieved the Sith's goal of galactic conquest by reorganizing the Republic into the First Galactic Empire, an autocratic regime led by himself as Galactic Emperor. Although the Emperor also destroyed the Jedi Order in the process, several Jedi survived the purge and went into hiding.

The reign of Darth Sidious was brought to an end by his apprentice, Darth Vader, who ultimately killed his Master during the Battle of Endorin the year 4 ABY. Vader perished as well, having sustained fatal injuries during the act of overthrowing the Dark Lord. By sacrificing his life to save his son, Luke Skywalker, Vader died finding redemption in the light as Anakin Skywalker—a fallen Jedi Knight who turned to the dark side due to the machinations of Sidious, near the end of the Clone Wars. The deaths of both Sidious and Vader marked the definitive end of the Sith Order and the restoration of balance in the Force, fulfilling the ancient Jedi prophecy of the Chosen One.

While the prophecy foretold the destruction of the Sith, it never predicted the end of the dark side. In the years that followed the Empire's defeat, the First Order steadily prepared for war under the direction of a powerful dark side wielder known as Supreme LeaderSnoke. Intrigued by the potential of the Skywalker bloodline, he succeeded in turning Vader's grandson, Ben Solo to the dark side of the Force, taking the name of Kylo Ren. Snoke, however, was later betrayed and assassinated by Ren, who sought to rule the galaxy as the new Supreme Leader. Though a product of Jedi and Sith teachings, Ren intended to destroy the combined legacy of both orders out of a desire to completely sever all ties with his past.

PhilosophyEdit

 * "Anger and pain are natural and part of growth. They give you focus. They make you strong."
 * ―Darth Vader[src]

The Sith focused on primal emotions like anger and pain in order to gain power from the dark side of the Force. They followed a code that was the antithesis of the Jedi Code. The Sith code insisted on the importance of passion and the rejection of peace.
 * 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.[14]

The Rule of Two ensured the relationship between a Sith Master and their apprentice was not one of trust; indeed, both the master and the apprentice constantly searched for any sign of weakness in the other, for a weak master deserved to be overthrown by their pupil, just as a weak pupil deserved to be replaced by a worthier, more powerful recruit. This philosophy was embraced by the Sith, who adopted it as a way to purify the weak and become stronger over time, since only an apprentice who had surpassed all previous Sith could take their master's place through honorable combat.