Wookieepedia:Featured article queue/Week 35, 2007/0

The Dark Side Elite, also known as the Dark Side Warriors and unofficially as the Emperor's Dark Jedi, was a body of seven Dark Jedi established by Palpatine during his return in several clone bodies. The elite group was hand selected by Palpatine to lead Operation Shadow Hand in the Galactic Empire's quest to retake the Galaxy. Palpatine made sure that the group always contained seven warriors, and if one of their number was lost, he made sure to immediately appoint replacements. When a Dark Side Adept was selected into the brotherhood, they went through an initiation of sorts in which the adept was empowered with the dark side by Palpatine himself. As the war accelerated, the Dark Side Elite began to take a more personal role in the war and were tasked with hunting down Luke Skywalker to prevent his interference in the Emperor's plans.

However, the Emperor's Dark Jedi were unable to match Skywalker's power, and with the help of other Jedi that Skywalker had found on his journeys, along with his sister Leia Organa Solo, the Elite were withered down to a paltry few. In fact, one of their number, Kam Solusar, defected to Skywalker's side, and began to use their powers against them. With a high amount of failures on their record, the Elite holed themselves up in their headquarters at Bast Castle on Vjun. It was there that Skywalker and his Jedi besieged them, taking the fight to the enemy. The entire dark brotherhood was slain in the encounter with the exception of their leader Xecr Nist who died in prison shortly afterward.