Sith Empire/Legends

"Across the reaches of the galaxy, through seas of dark stars, rivers of whispering black shadow from the Republic's ancient past. Evil history we had thought forgotten."

- Jedi Master Ooroo

The Sith Empire, later the Old Sith Empire, was a rich and powerful empire established by Dark Jedi banished from the Galactic Republic after their defeat at the Battle of Corbos during the Hundred-Year Darkness. The Jedi exiles fled to the remote world of Korriban. After conquering it, they interbred with the native Sith species through the art of Sith alchemy and began a long period of building and expansion. The Sith Empire developed in complete isolation for two thousand years before it eventually rediscovered the Republic.

Under the leadership of the Dark Lord of the Sith Naga Sadow, the Empire invaded Republic space during the Great Hyperspace War, but it was defeated. The Sith Empire was believed to have been destroyed by Republic forces during the Second Battle of Korriban. Yet a single Sith Lord Survived the destruction and rebuilt the Empire in the Unknown Regions. Though the Sith Empire was defeated, it served as an example to be followed by numerous Empires of later eras, with a legacy that extended across millennia.

Origin
"Once we were mighty Jedi of the Republic, brothers in the Force but the Great Schism between the Dark side and the Light turned Jedi against Jedi. Our ancestors were defeated, driven off, cast out! But we turned our exile into victory, here on the far side of the galaxy. In these unblemished worlds we found the Sith people treated us as Gods! After many centuries some of us have interbred with the Sith while others still bear true Jedi blood. Our Sith Empire is great, rich, and powerful. This is our Golden Age."

- Dark Lord of the Sith Marka Ragnos

The beginning of the Sith civilization began in disney world, George Lucas is the greatest! year 100,000 BBY where a race of red skinned beings evolved on the planet Korriban. They lived a barbaric yet strangely harmonious existence which was filled with constant warring between the various divided nations on their world. It was only the rise of King Adas did the Sith become unified under his iron rule and he was declared the Sith'ari; the ultimate being. It was he who first formed a Sith Empire in the year 28,000 BBY where his reign lasted for three centuries. This relative stability of this empire was first challenged in 27,700 BBY when the Sith were visited by the Rakata. These aliens of a distant empire attempted to lull the ancient Sith King into their confidence by providing him the knowledge to create Holocrons. However, their true motivation of conquest quickly became apparent. This led to King Adas bringing the full might of the Sith Empire to bear on the Rakata and he succeeded in driving them away from Korriban but at the cost of his life.

Using the remains of the enemy craft, the once primitive Sith were propelled into the space age and were armed with the power of the Dark side of the Force. Using these newly acquired traits from the Infinite Empire, the newly formed Sith Empire conquered other nearby worlds which became part of Sith Space with their capital being relocated from ancient Korriban to the neighboring world of Ziost. The reign of this empire was short lived, however, as it dissolved into civil war after the death of King Adas leaving his people regressing into a more primitive state. After Adas's death, a group of Sith priests of the Kissai caste interpreted it as a sign to reject the Dark Side dominated beliefs of their people. Labeled as heretics for their actions, these Sith were later banished and settled the planet Tund where they formed the Sorcerers of Tund. The planet Arkania also fell under the dominion of the Sith and in 7,000 BBY, they established a library known as Veeshas Tuwan on it.

Around the year 6,900 BBY, exiled fallen Jedi&mdash;fleeing from the Battle of Corbos, which concluded the Hundred-Year Darkness&mdash;landed on Korriban, a desolate world inhabited by the relatively primitive but unusually Force-sensitive Sith people. Using their training in the Force, the fallen Jedi amazed the Sith, and elevated themselves to god-like status on Korriban, becoming the rulers of the Sith people. Over the next two thousand years, interbreeding occurred between the Fallen Jedi and the Sith by means of Sith alchemy which led to the term "Sith" being used to identify not only the original inhabitants of Korriban, but also their fallen Jedi masters. Thus was the Sith Empire born, with nearby Ziost becoming the capital, while Korriban became a sacred mausoleum-world. One of the first Sith Lords of this new empire was Ajunta Pall.

Once the Exiles became Sith Lords, a group of overly ambitious of their number decided to retrace their steps back to the Republic by using a navicomputer from one of the ships that brought them to Sith Space. Despite the objections of Ajunta Pall, these Sith decided to embark on their quest back to the Republic and wage war against the Jedi. While the greater Sith were unaware of their fate, this expedition did succeed in their goal and fought against the Jedi Order. However, they were defeated and alerted the Jedi that the Exiles had claimed a world of their own. Despite this discovery, the Jedi were unable to determine where Sith Space was and thus were incapable of locating the growing Sith Empire.

The Golden Age of the Sith
"&hellip;Our Sith Empire is great, and rich, and powerful&hellip;this is our Golden Age."

- Marka Ragnos

In time, the Sith formed an immensely rich and powerful empire that was built upon the use of sorcery and the dark side which fueled their technology. At its height, the Old Sith Empire ruled over at least 120 worlds. Long before the race reached their Golden Age, the Sith Empire participated in a skirmish known as the Battle of Kalsunor where Silooths were first used in order to subjugate the planet Kalsunor which had long resisted the conquests of the Sith. After the world was defeated, the army of Silooth creatures were left behind on that world where they remained for years. Over the centuries that followed, the Dark Jedi Exiles were forgotten by the Galactic Republic even as all records of the Republic were lost to the Sith. This meant that the two civilizations thrived but in isolation leading to them being ignorant of the existence of one another. The Old Sith Empire was noted as being immensely rich and powerful; being built upon sorcery and possessing dark side fueled technology that was possibly adapted from the scattered ruins of the fallen Infinite Empire. To the galaxy outside their space, the Sith Empire was considered a fable used to by parents to tell their children before they went to sleep.

Though the Stygian Caldera that surrounded their territory confined them to Sith Space, it also meant that few travelers stumbled on their empire. However, on occasion, ships managed to brave through the Caldera and were captured by the Sith whereupon they became slaves to various ranking nobles in the empire. After generations, these slaves had slowly forgotten their origins and largely identified themselves as being Sith. It was through the entry of inhabitants from the Tapani sector that led to the influx of highly technical slaves that developed the Sith Empire's technological as well as medical base. Also, during this age, Sith Holocrons spoke of the legendary Muur Talisman which many desired to find and possess. While the Sith Empire had grown into a powerful force, they had now begun to a face a crisis as they had faced potential self annihilation. Having starved for centuries, the Sith sought to expand and conquer new lands to bring into their territories as well as enemies to subjugate.

This period in history saw the Golden Age of the Sith Empire and saw relative stability as well as power within it. At the time, the Dark Lord of the Sith was a particularly powerful and long lived individual called Marka Ragnos. Through his mastery of the Dark side as well as his fierce intelligence, he had risen through the ranks in order to attain the position of Dark Lord of the Sith. One of the many contenders to the position was Simus who dueled against Ragnos and was beheaded as a result. Despite this being the case, Sith magic was used by Simus to keep himself alive within a container and he continued to serve the Sith Empire as an adviser. During the rule of the new Dark Lord, Ragnos often placed his rivals against one another or manipulated them so they challenged him openly and in some cases had them assassinated. While many factions sought to expand beyond the confines of Sith Space, Ragnos did not allow this to be case as he well remembered that his ancestors were defeated by the Jedi Order. His memories of that time also meant that he knew how powerful the Jedi were and he was not confident that the Sith Empire was strong enough to challenge them at this point. After ruling for a century, his death caused a power vacuum within the leadership of the Empire which saw the conservative Ludo Kressh and the liberal Naga Sadow amass power in order to propel themselves onto the Sith throne.

At some point during the Golden Age, the Sith Lord Ieldis created a slaver organization known as the Crucible which was tasked with capturing refugees displaced from war in order for them to be used as a slave army that would fight for the Sith Empire.

Fall of the Empire
"I cannot fail like this! Conquest is the destiny of the Sith Empire!"

- Naga Sadow during the defeat of the Sith Empire at the Great Hyperspace War.

In circa 5,000 BBY, the isolation of the Sith was broken when two young hyperspace explorers called Gav and Jori Daragon stumbled upon Korriban by accident while they attempted to establish a hyperlane. After being captured and interrogated, the conclave of Sith Lords discovered the existence of the Galactic Republic which led to Ludo Kressh declaring the explorers spies as well as sentencing them to death. However, Naga Sadow disagreed and used this new discovery as part of a dream to extend the Empire's rule over vast new territories through conquest. Masterminding the capture of the two Daragons, Sadow declared that they had escaped and planted evidence that showed the Republic had rescued them. When Kressh discovered this subterfuge, he brought a fleet to Sadow's stronghold where Sadow convinced Jori Daragon that she should flee to warn the Galactic Republic. Using a beacon placed on her ship, he discovered the path to Republic space and unleashed his hidden fleets which devastated Kressh's forces whereupon they charted a course to new territories.

At some point during the conflict, the Sith Lord Naga Sadow dispatched some of his forces to locate Lignan crystals which were to be used in the creation of advanced lightsabers for use against the Republic and the Jedi. One of the ships dispatched was the Omen, however, it later crashed on the primitive world of Kesh where the crew at first attempted to return to space but later adapted to life on the planet amongst the native Keshiri. During the war, several Jedi were corrupted and joined the forces of the Sith Empire, one of which included the Kaleesh Saes Rrogon who commanded the Harbinger. In the closing stages of the conflict, the newly trained Sith Valik Kodank diverted resources for the construction of her own Sith Temple located in the Tascollan Nebula. She would later leave the Sith Empire with a sect consisting of her followers in order to continue their existence elsewhere. As the conflict continued, it was known that the Jedi used the planet Ossus as a staging ground for raids into Sith territory.

Thus began the Great Hyperspace War which saw an assault against the capital of Coruscant itself. While his initial attack was so ferocious that it overwhelmed the Republic Naval forces defending that world, it was only the accidental interruption of Sadow's battle meditation as well as reinforcements led by Empress Teta that broke the Sith offensive. Sadow fled with what few forces he had left but not before unleashing a Sith superweapon that caused a supernova at Primus Goluud. His act of betrayal against Gav Daragon also turned the young explorer against his master and he revealed to Empress Teta the hyperspace coordinates of the Sith Empire's territories. When Naga Sadow returned to Sith Space, he learned that Ludo Kressh had survived and confronted him over Korriban leading to a conflict between the two fleets. Kressh himself was killed when one of Sadow's battleships rammed into it at which point the fleets of the Republic arrived which attacked the weakened Sith forces. Sensing defeat and possible surrender being the only options available to them, acting Dark Lord of the Sith Shar Dakhan commanded his warriors to make suicidal attacks against the invading enemy fleets. This act led to heavy losses being sustained by the Republic and forced them into making a temporary retreat as a result. The Sith Empire was broken as a result with the remaining forces being used by Sadow to allow him to escape. He later fled to Yavin 4 in his single Derriphan-class battleship which was buried on the moon while the Dark Lords Massassi created Temples for their master. One of the Sith Lords to die during the conflict was Lord Garu who was the holder of King Adas's holocron and perished on the world of Ashas Ree thus leaving the ancient relic behind where it remained undiscovered for centuries. The Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic worked to destroy any remaining strongholds of the Sith which saw the end of their once glorious empire which was now defeated. After their defeat, a group of Sith retreated to the planet Thule that was home to a stealth regiment where they worked alongside special forces in order to build up once more and set themselves up as an advance force for an eventual return of the empire. However, no one came and the forces on Thule remained in the shadows for generations where they waited for their moment at getting their revenge.

Following the supposed destruction of the Sith Empire, the Jedi worked to destroy whatever remained of the Sith's legacy which included talismans, temples and holocrons. This was an attempt by the Jedi to prevent the dark knowledge of the Sith from being used by other Dark Siders or by students who could be influenced by those teachings. Among the many locations destroyed, the ancient Sith library on Arkania known as Veeshas Tuwan was destroyed by a group of Jedi Masters. Jedi Shadows worked to destroy any Dark Side artifacts created by the Sith such as amulets and talismans. While the ranks of the Jedi Shadows destroyed most of these tainted artifacts, items such as holocrons were, however, kept in the custody of the Jedi Order though many others were left in the burial vaults of the Sith Lords. Any surviving manuscripts and books were later taken to the Galactic Museum at Republic City where they were stored in the Sith Hall for visitors to see. Many of these artifacts were later taken by the secret Jedi cabal known as the Jedi Covenant. Despite their efforts, many great Sith weapons would be forgotten and lost for ages such as the dread Dark Reaper. Though the Empire was destroyed, one of its legacies remained such as the Crucible which continued to operate in the shadows for centuries where it abducted countless people and turned them into ruthless warriors. One of the few known artifacts that were kept by the Jedi Order included the Holocron of Naga Sadow which was kept in order to provide insight into the origins of the ancient Sith. Ultimately, the campaigns of the Jedi to bury the teachings of the Sith was partly successful with much of the Sith Empire's history being masked in shadows over the centuries that followed.

Legacy
"You thought that the corrupted remnants of the Republic, the machines spawned by technology that Revan led into battle were the Sith? You are wrong. The Sith is a belief. And its empire, the true Sith Empire, rules elsewhere. And Revan knew the true war is not against the Republic. It waits for us, beyond the Outer Rim. And he has gone to fight it, in his own way."

- Kreia, to the Jedi Exile

While the Sith Empire was broken following their defeat in the Great Hyperspace War, worlds such as Korriban became lasting monuments which provided traces of the ancient Sith Empire. A surviving Sith Lord's rebuilt Empire in the Unknown Regions, and the relics of the old Empire continued to shape the events of the galaxy for thousands of years. It was from that point onwards that the term Sith changed from being a name for the species to being a title given to those that practiced the Sith teachings.

During the Galactic Civil War, one of the many legacies of the original Sith Empire saw the rise of the Disciples of Ragnos who intended to bring about a return of their master until their plan was thwarted by Jaden Korr.

Decades after its creation, the Galactic Empire was destroyed, and it seemed that the legacy of the Sith Empire was gone with it. But in 9 ABY, the dark history of the planet Dromund Kaas came once more and in an effort to protect his fledgling New Jedi Order, Luke Skywalker worked with New Republic Intelligence to bury the knowledge of the dark world Dromund Kaas of the Sith Empire in order to ensure that its corruption would not bring further threats to the galaxy. However, unknown to many, a forgotten remnant of the Sith Empire had been left abandoned on the planet Kesh, which formed the Lost Tribe of Sith who sought to bring about the great splendours of their ancestors to the galaxy. Even further to the future, the dark shadow of the Sith still fell across the galaxy when the teachings of XoXaan, now a long-dead Sith spirit, were used by the fallen Jedi that became known as Darth Krayt, who used them to found the One Sith. He later succeeded in taking control of the Fel Empire and made himself the Emperor thus creating a new Sith Empire.

Exar Kun's Sith Empire
"I am here to warn you Jedi, you must not interfere with the work of the dark side. The Dark Lords of the Sith are destined to rise again. Nothing can prevent that.''" "You can't frighten us with useless prophecies. I thought Master Arca drove you away when he buried your bones on that barren moon." "Arca cannot interfere with the dead&hellip;nor can he help you, poor Jedi, to avoid your destiny." "What are you talking about?" "You&hellip;will be one of the great ones''."

- Freedon Nadd tells Ulic Qel-Droma of his destiny as a Sith Lord

Circa 4,350 BBY, the fallen Jedi Freedon Nadd discovered two artifacts that the Jedi Shadows had failed to destroy. The first was Adas's holocron and the second, the spirit of Naga Sadow himself which Nadd used to absorb himself in the teachings of the Sith. After communing with the long dead Sith Lord, Freedon Nadd destroyed Sadow's spirit and later used his newly acquired power to bring about the Freedon Nadd Uprising, whereupon he was defeated. However, like Sadow, Nadd's spirit remained on Onderon. Despite his defeat, Nadd's teachings would yet lead to a new Sith Empire. In 4,000 BBY, a young Jedi known as Exar Kun became curious about the teachings of the Sith and was thus lured to the Dark Side by the ghost of Freedon Nadd. His actions led to the Great Sith War, which tore the galaxy apart and instigated the fall of Ulic Qel-Droma. Kun recruited Qel-Droma as well as many Jedi into his Brotherhood of the Sith. Kun and Qel-Droma led their reborn Sith Empire and caused great destruction during their short reign of power. One of the many Sith inspired cults that formed after the conflict was the Krath, who had learned much of their power from Sith artifacts that survived the Great Hyperspace War. This group later allied with Exar Kun and Ulic Qel-Droma in the Great Sith War. It was the Krath who were responsible for uncovering the dreaded Sith weapon known as the Dark Reaper and used it during the conflict. The rule of this empire continued until Kun's defeat at Yavin 4 in 3,996 BBY.

Revan and Malak's Sith Empire
"Three years ago, Revan and Malak returned at the head of a massive invasion fleet. Revan had assumed the title of Sith Lord; the hero had become a conqueror."

- Dorak

In 3,976 BBY the Mandalorian Wars engulfed the galaxy, threatening the destruction of the Galactic Republic. The Jedi High Council abstained from participating in the war, sensing danger, but not all Jedi followed their example. A Jedi known as the Revanchist recruited like-minded members of the order and led the Republic to victory over the Mandalorians, ending the war in 3,960 BBY. Some time during or near after the war ended, Revan visited the Trayus Academy on the Sith world of Malachor V. There, he discovered evidence that an ancient Sith faction survived the violence of the Great Hyperspace War and existed in the Unknown Regions. Revan pursued these rumors and came into contact with the Sith Emperor, a surviving Sith Lord who turned him to the dark side. Revan was sent back to the Republic to prepare it for the invasion of the Exiled Sith, but instead Revan and his apprentice, Malak, acted for their own gain. Secretly, the pair searched for ancient Star Maps that led them to the Star Forge, a treasure of the forgotten Rakatan Infinite Empire. Using the Star Forge, Revan raised his own Sith Empire and invaded the Galactic Republic.

As the Sith's conquest continued unchecked, worlds began to secede to the Sith invasion fleet voluntarily, either out of fear or because they believed that the corrupt and ineffectual Republic was finally about to fall. However, the Republic armadas were saved from certain destruction by the talents of a young Jedi Padawan named Bastila Shan. During a long string of Republic losses, her skills in battle meditation staved off utter defeat, and when the Sith were on the brink of victory, Bastila led a Jedi strike team to invade Revan's flagship. Ever ambitious, Malak fired upon his master's vessel, hoping to destroy his enemies and usurp control of the Sith Empire with one swift stroke, but all did not go as he had planned. The ship was destroyed, but the Jedi were able to escape with a critically injured Revan. The Jedi Council repaired Revan's broken mind, implanting him with the personality of a loyal soldier of the Republic. As he fought the Sith Empire alongside Bastila, he regained memories of being the Sith Lord Revan, but stayed loyal to the Republic and to the light side of the Force. He led the assault on the Star Forge during the Battle of Rakata Prime and killed his former pupil. The Star Forge plunged into Rakata's sun and was destroyed, effectively destroying the Sith Empire of Revan and Malak as well.

The Sith Triumvirate's Sith Empire
"To be united by hatred is a... fragile alliance at best."

- Darth Traya

The Sith Triumvirate was a loose alliance of what remained of Darth Revan's Sith. It was solidified sometime after the Battle of Rakata Prime around the Trayus Academy on Malachor V. This organization was made up of several, if not hundreds, of Sith apprentices, Sith Masters, and, most importantly, Sith Assassins, and fell under the leadership of three powerful Sith Lords, Darth Traya, Darth Nihilus, and Darth Sion, co-rulers of a new Sith Empire. From Malachor V, they subtly intervened with galactic affairs, using Darth Traya's idea of echoes in the Force, and corrupting Jedi to the dark side. Sion quickly grew impatient of waiting to fight the Jedi and the Republic, while Nihilus grew hungry and needed Force sustenance. The two conspired against Darth Traya and attacked when she was vulnerable. The two Lords used an unknown Force technique to sever her connection to the Force, leaving her cast out by both Jedi and Sith. Abandoning her Sith name and title and traveling as Kreia, the fallen Sith Lord directed her anger towards the Force itself, viewing it as a malevolent intelligent being. She directed her manipulations toward the Jedi Exile, who had cut herself off from the Force following the events of the Mandalorian Wars, and in whom Kreia saw a means to destroy the Force itself. Sion and Nihilus went their separate ways, Sion carrying out a purge of the Jedi Order and Nihilus consuming entire civilizations in his hunger. They then turned on each other, each controlling a nearly equal section of their Sith Empire. Thus began the Sith Civil War.

Under Kreia's direction, the Jedi Exile retrained herself as a Jedi and fought the Sith Empire of Sion and Nihilus, eventually destroying them both. Kreia revealed her true intentions, killing the survivors of the Jedi High Council and luring the Jedi Exile to the Trayus Academy on Malachor V. There, Kreia&mdash;once again in the guise of Darth Traya, Sith Lord of betrayal&mdash;fought the Exile with the intention of using the retrained Jedi's unique connection to the Force in order to destroy the Force entirely. The Jedi Exile defeated Traya and Malachor V was destroyed by Bao Dur's Mass Shadow Generator in 3,951 BBY, ending her Sith Empire once and for all.

The Sith Emperor's Sith Empire
"Our time has come. For three hundred years, we prepared. We grew stronger. While you rested in your cradle of power, believing your people were safe and protected. You were trusted to lead the Republic but you were deceived, as our powers of the Dark Side have blinded you. You assumed no force could challenge you and now&hellip; finally, we have returned."

- Sith Lord Darth Malgus during the Sacking of Coruscant

In the aftermath of the Great Hyperspace War of 5,000 BBY, survivors of the original Sith Empire established a new Sith Empire in the galaxy's Unknown Regions. This Empire, also known as the "True Sith" sect, was led by the mysterious Sith Emperor, a surviving Sith Lord of the old Sith Empire. The refugees wandered aimlessly through space in search of a new home. Twenty years after their departure from the original Empire's territory, the Sith discovered the forgotten world of Dromund Kaas and settled it to begin the process of rebuilding. It was this Sith Empire which offered the Mandalorian Neo-Crusaders their new crusade against their common foe resulting to the Mandalorian Wars.

During the war, Revan discovered and was turned by before invading the Republic at the head of his own Sith Empire. Around three hundred years after Revan's Jedi Civil War, the Sith Empire&mdash;still under the command of the original Sith Emperor, his life extended through Sith magics&mdash;invaded the Republic, sparking the Great Galactic War. In 3,653 BBY, the Treaty of Coruscant ended the Great Galactic War, giving way to the Cold War, the galaxy divided between the Sith Empire and the Galactic Republic. The Republic eventually reestablished itself as the dominant governing force in the galaxy.

Darth Ruin's New Sith Empire
"There is no passion... there is solely obsession. There is no knowledge. There is solely conviction. There is no purpose. There is solely will. There is nothing... Only me."

- The creed of ruin

Following the end of the Great Galactic War, the teachings of the Sith Order persevered. Circa 2,000 BBY, during the Republic Dark Age, an Umbaran known as Phanius reinvented himself as Darth Ruin, abandoning the ranks of the Jedi Order to form the New Sith Empire which centered around the planet Roon. This was known as the Fourth Great Schism of the Jedi Order. This empire warred with the Galactic Republic for a thousand years in what became known as the New Sith Wars. Around 1,006 BBY, toward the end of this conflict, infighting among the Sith allowed a group known as the Brotherhood of Darkness, led by Lord Kaan, to seize power of the Empire. Kann's brotherhood was defeated in 1,000 BBY by a combination of the strength of Jedi Lord Hoth's Army of Light and the manipulations of Darth Bane, who tricked the Brotherhood into using a suicidal Force technique known as the Thought Bomb. After the final destruction of the New Sith Empire, the Sith and their order were believed to had been extinct. However, Darth Bane had in fact reformed the Sith Order under the Rule of Two, thus transforming the Sith from a large empire into a covert organization of only one master and one apprentice.

After the Galactic Civil War, one of the legacies of the New Sith Empire, the Valley of the Jedi on Ruusan, was sought by Inquisitorius Jerec of the Galactic Empire, who formed a band of seven Dark Jedi to seek out the Valley. He was able to find the legendary well of energy, and reached incredible heights of power by basking in its aura. However, for all his power, he was defeated in combat by Kyle Katarn, a novice Jedi who fulfilled an ancient prophecy, regarding freeing the Valley's trapped Jedi and Sith spirits. When Katarn offered him his fallen lightsaber in a final act of mercy, Jerec made one last attack and was struck down in the heart of the Valley.

Darth Sidious' Galactic Empire
"We are an Empire ruled by the majority! An Empire ruled by a new Constitution! An Empire of laws, not of politicians! An Empire devoted to the preservation of a just society. Of a safe and secure society! We are an Empire that will stand for ten thousand years!"

- Palpatine

The Galactic Empire can be said to have begun with the scheming aspiration of Senator Palpatine of Naboo, whose alter ego was the Sith Lord Darth Sidious. Using the Trade Federation as a pawn to blockade Naboo in 32 BBY, he used manipulation of the crisis, as well as of Queen Padmé Amidala, to instigate a Vote of No Confidence in Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum, and ultimately to become Chancellor himself. When his apprentice, Darth Maul, was killed by Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi on Naboo, Sidious took on the former Jedi Count Dooku as his new apprentice. Count Dooku then joined with the Trade Federation under Viceroy Nute Gunray and others to form the Confederacy of Independent Systems. This group, known as the Separatists, ignited a war with the Galactic Republic known as the Clone Wars. It was named after the clone troopers used by the Republic. Manipulating the war from behind the scenes, Palpatine arranged for extraordinary powers to be granted to the office of Supreme Chancellor, and for the deaths of many Jedi throughout the war. However, Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker discovered that Palpatine was a Sith Lord and, after informing Jedi Master Mace Windu of his discovery, a Jedi task force, led by Windu himself, attempted to arrest him. After a brief duel, Palpatine appeared to be defeated. Skywalker arrived and demanded Windu not kill the Sith Lord. Deeply troubled, Skywalker nonetheless helped Palpatine kill Windu, and thus became the Emperor's new apprentice, Darth Vader. Palpatine then proceeded to carry out the Great Jedi Purge, which eliminated almost all of the thousands of Jedi, and had Vader eliminate Nute Gunray and the other Separatist leaders on the fiery world of Mustafar, thus bringing an end to the Clone Wars. Secure in his power and position, Palpatine used the so-called Jedi rebellion to issue the Declaration of a New Order and declared himself Emperor in 19 BBY.

The Galactic Empire flourished under Palpatine's rule until the Alliance to Restore the Republic, also known as the Rebel Alliance, became a serious threat following the Corellian Treaty and the issuance of the Declaration of Rebellion in 2 BBY. The Rebel Alliance engaged in guerrilla warfare against the Empire, and scored a major victory against the Galactic Empire at the Battle of Yavin, where hero, Jedi apprentice of Kenobi, and son of Vader, Luke Skywalker destroyed the first Death Star. Skywalker continued to fight the Galactic Empire, and continued his training under Jedi Master Yoda. Four years later, the Rebel Alliance destroyed the second Death Star at the Battle of Endor, resulting in the deaths of Palpatine and Vader, the end of the Rule of Two, and the fracturing of the Galactic Empire into what became known as the Imperial Remnant. The Rebel Alliance reestablished itself as the New Republic.

The remnant of the Galactic Empire and Palpatine's Sith threatened the galaxy in the following decades in various resurgent forms, such as the Imperial Warlords who engaged in inter-imperial war even as they opposed the New Republic, a reunited Empire led by a possessed clone of Palpatine, the military campaigns of Grand Admiral Thrawn, and the machinations of Palpatine's former Sith Acolytes, such as the Emperor's Hands and other Dark Side Adepts or the Second Imperium. The Republic, now called the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances, almost returned to the practices of Palpatine's Empire during the Second Galactic Civil War with the Confederation under the guidance of Darth Caedus, the apprentice of Lumiya, the Dark Lady of the Sith. The Imperial Remnant would eventually unify with the Republic under the banner of the Galactic Alliance, and Jagged Fel would become Emperor of the Empire, establishing the Fel Empire. The Fel Empire turned away from the teachings of the Sith, and actively opposed Darth Krayt's One Sith after the Sith-Imperial War in 127 ABY.

Darth Krayt's Galactic Empire
"Roan Fel never really embraced the war or the idea of a unified galaxy. He went along with it as a political necessity. That's not what the Empire&mdash;what the galaxy&mdash;needs. The galaxy writhes in chaos and disorder. It requires a man of vision. I am that man of vision. I am the new Emperor."

- Darth Krayt

Darth Krayt's Galactic Empire was the government that formed out of the Fel Empire in 130 ABY, when Darth Krayt, Dark Lord of the Sith, made a coup against Emperor Roan Fel. When the Moff Council invoked the Treaty of Anaxes against the will of Emperor Roan Fel, and in 127 ABY, the Sith-Imperial War broke out, and the One Sith allied with the Empire. The war resulted in the fall of the Alliance and the reestablishment of the Empire as the primary galactic government. The territories and bureaucracy of the Alliance were absorbed into the Empire, but the Galactic Alliance Core Forces refused to surrender, and continued to fight the resurgent Empire. Shortly after the fall of the Alliance, the Emperor called upon the entire New Jedi Order to surrender and subject their will to the Empire, in which some of them did, becoming Imperial Knights, while the others remained to the will of the Force and retreated to Ossus. After the Alliance defeat and the Massacre at Ossus, the Sith under the command of Darth Krayt turned against Emperor Fel. He launched a daring coup, marching with his cohorts straight into Fel's audience chamber himself, and killing the man who sat on the throne. Fel eluded the Sith forces for seven years, then resurfaced on Bastion, seizing control of the military forces there and inciting the Second Imperial Civil War.

Government and Politics
"They must be precursors to an invasion&hellip;we should kill them at once!" "No&mdash;not until we interrogate them. They may be alien spies&hellip;or they may be the key to ripe new fields for the Sith Lords to conquer."

- Ludo Kressh and Naga Sadow discuss the Daragons

The leader of the Sith Empire held the title and position of Dark Lord of the Sith and was typically given to the individual by their deceased predecessor who manifested as a Dark Side Spirit after being interned within their tomb. Beneath them sat the Sith Council a body of advisors to the reigning Dark Lord of the Sith. It consisted of ten members made up of Sith Lords within the empire. Each Lord on the Council personally ruled over a dozen worlds. This Council convened in a great citadel on Ziost. In this ancient age, the Lords of the Sith Empire were the undisputed masters of the worlds that fell under their control.

Society and culture
"Evil began in a time before recorded history, when magicians made themselves into kings&hellip; and gods&hellip; using the power of the darkside of the Force. The weak minded have ever been ready to obey one who wields great power. Those who learnt the power of the darkside were quick to exploit this weakness -- to make war. Again and again, the darkside has surged forth, like a storm&hellip; devouring whole worlds and entire star systems. Those who mastered dark power became the dark power. They unleashed destruction, for no other reason than selfish gain. They despoiled nations&hellip; destroyed whole civilizations. Some of them, I am ashamed to say, were Jedi."

- Jedi Master Ood Bnar.

Culturally, the Sith Empire was very different from that of the Republic, being much more ecumenically-driven than its counterpart. The Sith Empire was hierarchical, utilizing both a rigid caste system and a stratified rank structure to put its subjects in their proper place. Due to how long Sith society has separated the Sith into castes (across approximately 100,000 years), each caste was sometimes referred to as a sub-species of Sith. The Kissai were the priest caste of the Sith who also served as spiritual leaders that indoctrinated others into Sith teachings. This was most likely where the mages and other practitioners of their ancient and mysterious magic were placed. In contrast, the Massassi were the warrior caste of the Sith. They were unswervingly obedient to the Dark Lord of the Sith; they were also loyal to the individual Sith Lord they served, though this loyalty was secondary to their loyalty to the Dark Lord. The Sith Engineer Caste built and maintained Sith technology, including droids and starships. Sith slaves were the lowliest caste of the Sith. They worshiped the Sith Lords as gods, and were often used as sacrifices. The Sith Lords used them for slave labor and menial tasks, such as grooming their feet. When a Sith Lord died, his slaves were buried alive with his body in his tomb on Korriban.

When Adas unified the Sith nations, he took the title of "Sith'ari" which, when translated, meant "Sith Overlord" in Basic. They were the leaders of the Sith. Each Sith Lord has his own slaves and his own army of Massassi while the Sith'ari ruled over all the Sith Lords also. Following the death of Adas, many claimed the title of Sith'ari and fought each other in constant civil wars, each ruling only a fief. Following 6,900 BBY, the current Sith'ari was killed and the Sith interbred with the Jen'jidai, resulting in a mix of Ancient Sith and baseline Human species traits, resulting in many losing the low-light vision which most Ancient Sith possessed. Following the fall of the Sith Empire in 5,000 BBY, the word "Sith'ari" took on the approximate meaning "Chosen One" with later Sith, referring to an unidentified individual who would fulfill a particular Sith prophecy, this prophecy was later fulfilled by Darth Bane.

The term "Jen'ari" was the title translated "Dark Lord of the Sith" in Basic. Jen'ari were the greatest and most powerful of the Sith Lords who took the place of the Sith'ari in the Sith hierarchy. There was only one Jen'ari at a time, who was the head of the Sith council, and ruler of the Sith Empire. The original Jen'ari were Jen'jidai; later Jen'ari were Sith Lords who assumed the title after the death of the previous Jen'ari, defeating any rival claimant to the title in combat (often resulting in death, or at least disfigurement). From 6,900 BBY to 5,000 BBY, the Sith Lords collectively ruled the Empire through a governing body known as the Sith council, which the Jen'ari ruled over and commanded; each member of the Council had a personal fleet. Many Jen'ari had partial Jen'jidai ancestry, which was, in some, considered more desirable. After the fall of the Sith Empire, the title "Dark Lord of the Sith" was used by both the leader of the Sith Order (such as Exar Kun or Revan) and his apprentice (such as Ulic Qel-Droma or Malak), although it is uncertain if the title "Jen'ari" remained in use in any capacity, or was abandoned for the title "Darth".

Before the formation of the empire, the Sith were engaged in constant warfare with one another though this was seen as an acceptable practice as they believed it to be a fundamental aspect of their existence. This meant that they lived both a barbaric yet strangely harmonious existence on their homeworld. The early Sith often engaged in sentient sacrifices which they made to their deities. Their constant warring led to a dwindling of the population on their original homeworld of Korriban as well as cultivated an intensely xenophobic society. After the arrival of the Exiles, only those that were Force sensitive had the capacity to reach the upper echlons of the Sith Empire. Those that were blind to the Force were considered useless; fit for only common labor purposes or simple bureacratic work. Amongst the elite, power was craved due to the intense feelings of greed perpetrated by the Dark side which also meant that these individuals were also ambitious as well as paranoid. This society encouraged the survival of the fittest with only the most ruthless and powerful rising to positions of power as well as surviving.

This empire ultimately thrived on slavery as well as exploitation and oppression of the masses. In addition, they lived in constant belief that they would face external threats to their dominion and thus had a belief in expansion or dying. Some believed that this was a necessity for the Sith as they hungered for new lands and riches to bring under their control. This allowed for Naga Sadow to lead his forces during the Great Hyperspace War though despite this being the case, there were other traditional and more conservative factions that believed in remaining within their territory in order to preserve their ways.

During the time of the first Sith Empire, there were many instances of travelers stumbling into Sith space where they became slaves to one of the many members of the nobility. Over the years of enslavement, these aliens and outsiders continued to live for generations whereupon they forgot their origins thus turning them into true subjects of the Sith. Some Sith Lords even found value in the descendants of these foreigners such as those of the Tapani worlds due to their skills in science. Natural born Sith tended to focus on sorcery while the Tapani's excellence in the fields of science meant that they became valued members of the empire and developed the industrial as well as medical infrastructure for several Sith Lords. Through such means as those presented by the Tapani, the Sith developed new lightsaber construction techniques that more advanced than those produced by either Sith or Jedi. However, the intense rivalry and fierce competitive nature of Sith society meant that ranking Sith Lords never shared these new developments or weapons. Among the Sith, about glorification of self and the subjugation of others was a constant aspect within their society.

One of the greatest secrets of the ancient Sith was their devotion to the arts of Sith sorcery. As such, those individuals that practiced this art took on the title of Sith mages who held great mystical power that allowed them to cause stars to go supernova. The original Sith were also quite skilled in the art of Sith alchemy though it was the Dark Jedi Exiles who later became Sith Lords that perfected the ability. Originally, the species was noted a united people who instead preferred to stay within different and divided tribes. These were led by one or more sorcerors who were in charge with the groups protection. This remained the case until the arrival of the Exiles who took interest in the species techniques in drawing on the power of the Dark Side of the Force which they used to accomplish their sorcery. This practice was used by pure blood Sith who often dwelled in Library-temples where they sat in meditation as well as recorded their experiences as well as experiments. They also created many tools designed to enhance or project their power which was commonly seen in Sith talismans. These Dark side empowered constructs were capable of a wide range of feats from being simple concentration tools to being a trap that turned other Force users to the Dark side when being used or defensive tools that absorbed weapon fire and even being used for healing. They also created special chambers and sanctuaries that amplified the power of the Force which were either used as Meditation chamber or Focusing chambers. One of the greater feats was the capacity to create sentient vessels such as Meditation Spheres that were capable of enhancing the power of a Sith sorcerer.

Military
The navy of the Sith Empire included starships of many different types. These included frigates, such as the Derriphan-class battleship, smaller attack craft such as the Blade starfighter, Sith drop ship, Sith escort gunship, and Sith starfighter, as well as non-combat craft such as the Sith personnel carrier, and the Sith shuttle. The Sith also crafted semi-sentient spaceships called Sith Meditation Spheres that were capable of independent action, even the training of apprentices.

The Sith Empire's ground forces largely consisted of Massassi warriors that served as shock troopers and brutal weapons of terror on the battlefield that were led by ranking Sith Lords. Massassi warriors, armed with Sith swords such as the lanvarok or war swords, often served as foot soldiers in the campaigns of the Sith and also piloted the great warships of the empire. In battle, they fought with a single minded fury and selflessly hurled themselves in combat against their foes. Early in their history, the Sith Empire came to realize the potential in the use of automated droids to enhance the combat performances of their military. Droids such as elite warbots, slayer droids, and sentries were often treated with alchemy in order to improve their construction materials and add to their combat capabilities. As such, several different forms of droids were manufactured which ranged from simple security droids to elite warbots to fully fledged war droids.

In addition, they also made use of many different forms of creatures&mdash;such as Chrysalide, Sith war behemoths, Sith warbirds, Sith war rhinos, Sith war mountaineers, Sith war worms, and Silooth&mdash;that augmented the fighting power of their legions. These domesticated creatures were often used as mounts for heavy weaponry and artillery. These beasts were often treated with Sith alchemy and were part of centuries long breeding programs that were designed to create easily trained animals that responded to certain commands. To enforce control over these creatures, the Sith often used standard command coding in order to manage these animals in combat engagements. This combined with generations of breeding meant that anyone trained in animal handling skills were capable of controlling certain Sith war beasts. When ready for war, these creatures often accompanied the Sith army where they were outfitted with gun turrets as well as other weaponry to add to their terrifying potential on the battlefield.

Astrography
"You wish to know about the worlds of the Sith Empire? There were many, well over one hundred that were habitable, and the Sith controlled the riches of a thousand species."

- Seviss Vaa of the Brotherhood of Darkness.

The portion of the galaxy that the Sith Empire ruled was known as Sith Space in a region of space surrounded by the Stygian Caldera. It contained at least 120 inhabited worlds, including some early Sith colonies outside of Sith Space, such as Arba, Malachor V, Tund, and Arkania. Worlds of special note in Sith Space were the capital planet of Ziost and the graveyard planet of Korriban, which was placed along the Daragon Trail route to the Deep Core.

Along the Kamat Krote route were the planets of Bosthirda, Dromund Kaas, and Jaguada. Jaguada was also included in the Kamat Aegit route along with Begeren, Kalsunor, Ashas Ree, and Khar Delba. Nicht Ka was along the Nache Bhelfia route that connected Korriban to Ziost, and the Zorfee Trete route connected Ch'hodos to Ashas Ree. The Descri Wris route connected Korriz, Athiss, Svolten, Bhargebba, and Nfolgai. Krayiss and Rhelg were on the far side of the Nache Bhelfia route across from Nicht Ka. Thule, Iliabath and Corbos were outside the Stygian Caldera.

When the Sith Empire fell, refugees fled back to the worlds of Ambria, Kesh, Thule, Tund, Vjun, Yavin 4, and into the Unknown Regions.

Behind the scenes
The existence of the "True Sith" has caused some confusion with their placement in the canonical timeline of galactic chronology. When Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords was first released, the establishment of the Old Sith Empire was believed to have taken place circa 25,000 BBY. Additionally, the beginning of the "True Sith"'s existence was fixed as being approximately "tens of thousands of years" in the past. In 2005, however, the establishment of the Old Sith Empire was retconned to have happened around 6,900 BBY, which presented a new divide in the historical placement of the two groups, and indeed in the very nature of the Sith themselves.

It has since been mentioned by VIPs on developer Obsidian Entertainment's message boards that the company in fact did not use the "25,000 BBY" date as a basis for their development of the "True Sith;" the order was conceived as an entirely separate geographic group from the later Sith Order of Marka Ragnos and its like.

Later, it was discovered that, after the Sith King Adas died while driving the Rakata from Korriban in 27,700 BBY, the Sith species possessed the technology to relocate themselves to nearby planets, creating the region known as Sith Space and the earliest Sith Empire.

Sith war mountaineers and Sith warbirds may be different artistic interpretations of the same creature; this seems plausible given the very different artistic interpretations of Sith war behemoths. Sith war worms may be simply Force illusions rather than actual animals.

Appearances

 * Tales of the Jedi: The Golden Age of the Sith
 * Lost Tribe of the Sith: Precipice
 * Lost Tribe of the Sith: Paragon
 * Tales of the Jedi: The Fall of the Sith Empire
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
 * Timeline 1: Treaty of Coruscant
 * Timeline 2: The Mandalorian Blockade is Broken
 * Timeline 6: Onslaught of the Sith Empire
 * Timeline 11: Rebirth of the Sith Empire
 * The Old Republic: Smuggler's Vanguard
 * Star Wars: The Old Republic
 * Star Wars: The Old Republic: Fatal Alliance
 * Darth Bane: Rule of Two
 * Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader
 * Omen
 * Abyss
 * Star Wars: Legacy 30: Vector, Part 11

Notes and references
Sith-Imperium Imperium Sithów