The Sith

The Jedi Order
Homeworld	Korriban, Coruscant

The Sith Order was a dark side organization bent on galactic conquest. The Order existed in many forms and structures throughout history. Originally, the Sith were a humanoid species, enslaved by a group of exiled Dark Jedi. These renegades came to call themselves the Lords of the Sith, or simply Sith. Through the years, it became common for the Sith to append the name "Darth" to their own. The goal of the Sith was to conquer the Galactic Republic and exact vengeance on the Jedi Order.

Sith Philosophy

The tenets of the sinister order were cunning, stealth, subterfuge and most of all, a virtue borrowed from their worst enemy, patience.

"The Force gives us all power, even the Jedi. It is our mastery of our passion that gives us the strength they lack." - Yuthura Ban

The Sith believed that the true power of the Force lay not through contemplation and passivity, but rather by tapping into the emotion-filled and hateful energies of the dark side. They believed it was their passion for things - anger, hatred, fear - that fueled their power of the Force. The Sith desired to become stronger, both as individuals and as an organization, so they could achieve a higher potential of being. They compared the passive teachings of the Jedi to the actions of shepherds, while the Sith themselves were seekers of true knowledge and power.

Improvement through Conflict

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

The Sith philosophy pointed out that it was conflict that lead to the improvement of both individuals and civilizations, because it encouraged people to better themselves. Conflict forced change, growth, adaptation, and evolution. Conflict ensured that the strongest survived. This could be seen throughout the galaxy, as stronger organisms flourished and weaker ones died off. The Sith believed that this same philosophy, one not invented by them but used by the universe itself, was the path towards true perfection. Without conflict there would be only stagnation. They saw the teachings of the Jedi as a crux that prevented change and improvement.

The Sith believed that any opportunity, even an unsure one, must be snatched. They believed that beings only deserved what they were strong enough to take and protect, and that those too weak to stand against the strong deserved their fate. The way of the Sith was for the pupil to outshine the master and the stronger Sith to take the lead, often through the destruction of one former partner. Some, but not all, Sith believed that morality was but an obstacle to overcome, because it got in the way of a Sith's ability to recognize and grasp opportunities.

Some Jedi who left the Order to join the Sith felt that their mettle and worth was tested far more often as a Sith than as a padawan learner, and that this made them stronger in a shorter amount of time.

It is interesting to note that use of the dark side of the Force sometimes left the user horribly disfigured. Some Force users argued that this was because the dark side corrupted those who use it, as it was an improper use of the Force, but a few Sith believed that the true power of the Force was simply too much for mere mortal bodies to withstand, and took disfigurement as a sign of their increased capability.

Emotion

"The Force is our servant and our master. Our teacher and our companion. A weapon and a tool. Know it and you know the universe. Master it and you master the universe. Strive for perfection and the Force shall reward you." - Yuthura Ban

The Sith did not think of emotions as a negative force but rather a tool or path to power. Whereas a Jedi would teach that fear was a negative emotion that must be overcome, a Sith would point out that every living creature was subject to fear, and that without feelings of fear that told it to run or feelings of anger that told it to fight the creature would probably die. The Sith did not consider themselves beyond the need of simple passions, but recognized the key role certain passions played in channeling the power of the Force.

The Sith felt that Jedi teachings treated the Force as a burden where users must guard against weakness and evil. The Sith preferred to think of the Force as a gift. They celebrated the Force and used it to acquire power over others because they felt that was how the Force was meant to be. The Sith challenged and embraced the passions that lay within them and used them to realize their true potential. Many Sith described this goal as "being what they were meant to be."

Like Jedi, love was a dangerous emotion to the Sith. Some Jedi discouraged love because it led to attachment. The Sith taught that love could be a beneficial emotion because it often lead to anger or hatred, which fueled a Sith's power in the Force. Often, however, love lead to mercy, which was one of the worst emotions a Sith could have, as it displayed weakness. The Sith did not believe in showing mercy to those weaker than you, as that meant beings that were unfit still survived. The only way to ensure the survival of the strong was for the strong to prove their power by removing obstacles that stood in their path, including, if necessary, those weaker than them. Contrary to popular belief, removal did not always mean death, though many Sith were ruthless and considered leaving potential opponents alive to be a weakness.

History of the Sith

Timeline of major events in Sith history

• c. 24,500 BBY - 24,400 BBY - Xendor and students leave the Jedi Order in The Great Schism
  
• 7,000 BBY - Banished from known space, the Dark Jedi arrive on Korriban after The Hundred-Year Darkness, where they discover the Sith people.
  
• 5,000 BBY - Naga Sadow defeated in The Great Hyperspace War
  
• c. 4,400 BBY - Jedi Knight Freedon Nadd falls to the dark side and is trained by the awakened Naga Sadow
  
• c. 4,000 BBY - Exar Kun finds and destroys the spirit of Freedon Nadd. Kun takes fallen Jedi Ulic Qel-Droma as his first apprentice and begins the Great Sith War.
  
• c. 3,960 BBY - Jedi Knight Revan, hero of the Mandalorian Wars, discovers a deserted academy belonging to the old Sith Empire and forms a new sect of Sith.
  
• 3,959 BBY – 3,956 BBY - Revan builds an army using the Star Forge and makes war upon the Republic. Many more Jedi fall to the dark side before Revan eventually returns to the light.
  
• 3,956 BBY - 3,951 BBY - Darth Traya, Darth Nihilus and Darth Sion wage a shadow war upon the devastated Republic, but are eventually defeated by the Jedi Exile.
  
• c. 2,000 BBY - Darth Ruin, another fallen Jedi, forms a new Sith order and begains the New Sith Wars. Lasting a millennium, by 1,466 BBY the Sith conquer all of known space outside the Colonies.
  
• 2,000 BBY - 1,000 BBY - The Sith prove to be their own undoing, as internal struggles for power 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 the Battle of Ruusan, leaving Darth Bane the only survivor. To ensure the continued survival of the Sith, Bane reinstitutes the Rule of Two.
  
• c. 32 BBY - The Sith go into hiding for nearly one thousand years, resurfacing again when Darth Sidious orchestrates the Battle of Naboo
  
• 22 BBY- 19 BBY - Darth Sidious and Darth Tyranus fight the Clone Wars, and many Jedi die or turn to the dark side.
  
• 19 BBY - Darth Vader becomes Sidious' new apprentice.
  
• 19 BBY - 1 BBY - Darth Sidious takes efforts to eradicate the Jedi in the Great Jedi Purge.
  
• 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, presumed extinction of the Sith Order.

Dark Lords of the Sith

The Dark Lords of the Sith were acknowledged as the leaders of their order, and were the most powerful Sith of their time. Up until the reign of Kaan, only one Dark Lord existed at a time.