Darth Gravid

"Their Order might have already been decimated had it not been for the setback Darth Gravid dealt the Sith."

- Darth Plagueis, to Darth Sidious regarding Darth Gravid's role in hindering the Grand Plan against the Jedi Order

Darth Gravid was a Human male who reigned as a Dark Lord of the Sith in the lineage of the Order of the Sith Lords. During his tenure as a Sith Lord, Gravid took a Twi'lek female as his apprentice, naming her Darth Gean. Over time, he was drawn to the light side of the Force and began to lose his sanity as a result of attempting to combine Jedi philosophy with his teachings. He became convinced that he had to sabotage the Sith teachings in order to preserve the Order. In 552 BBY, before Gravid was slain in his fortress on the planet Jaguada by Gean, he destroyed the majority of the Sith lore, setting the Sith Order back for centuries.

Biography
The Human male known as Darth Gravid ruled as a Dark Lord of the Sith before 552 BBY. Gravid was a Sith Lord in the Order of the Sith Lords, which Darth Bane initiated in 1,000 BBY. He owned a collection of Sith lore, and also possessed the knowledge of essence transfer, which enabled a Force-user to transfer one's consciousness into another body. Gravid eventually gained a Twi'lek female as his Sith apprentice, naming her Darth Gean. He and Gean constructed a fortress on the planet of Jaguada.

However, Gravid came to believe that absolute commitment to the dark side of the Force would be the Sith Order's undoing, and began to incorporate Jedi doctrine, such as altruism and empathy, into his teachings and practices. During this process, Gravid began to lose his sanity, and eventually came to the conclusion that the only way the Sith Order would be preserved is if the Sith teachings, artifacts, and holocrons were either destroyed or hidden. Gravid reasoned that once this was done, he would be able to guide the Sith into what he believed would be more successful path. At some point in 552 BBY, Gravid used the Force to raise barriers around his fortress, and began to destroy all the Sith artifacts, holocrons, and tomes that were in his possession.

Gravid was interrupted by his apprentice, Gean, who had penetrated the barriers around the fortress so that she could stop her Master from destroying the Sith's resources of knowledge. In the ensuing duel, Gravid managed to severely injure the Twi'lek by cleaving off one of her arms and shoulders, as well as the left side of her face and chest. Eventually, he was defeated and murdered by Gean, who slew him while she was unarmed. Although he was killed, the impact of Gravid's actions in destroying the majority of Sith lore would be felt by the Sith Order for generations, hindering the Grand Plan initiated by Darth Bane to eliminate the Jedi Order and topple the Galactic Republic.

Personality and traits
During his reign as Dark Lord, the Human male Darth Gravid began to believe that the Sith's absolute dedication to the dark side was a flaw, and attempted to introduce Jedi characteristics into his lifestyle and teachings. However, he began to lose his sanity as a result, and believed that it was necessary for the destruction of Sith lore so that he could mold the Order to his teachings.

Powers and abilities
Gravid was sensitive to the Force, and was powerful enough to ascend to the rank of Dark Lord of the Sith. He also possessed the knowledge of essence transfer, which gave the user the ability to transfer their consciousness into another host. During his confrontation with Darth Gean, Gravid managed to cleave his apprentice's left arm, shoulder, face, and torso off, severely crippling her before he was killed by the Twi'lek.

Behind the scenes
Darth Gravid was introduced in the novel Star Wars: Darth Plagueis, written by James Luceno. His character was created to explain some of the background of the Order of the Sith Lords.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Darth Plagueis