Darth Malgus

"You assumed no force could challenge you. And now&hellip; finally, we have returned."

- Darth Malgus

Darth Malgus was a male Sith Lord of the Sith Empire by 3,653 BBY, during the Great Galactic War. He had been born Veradun, on the Sith capital world of Dromund Kaas. Malgus was a fierce warrior on the battlefield, and frequently called for changes to the Sith Empire's policies. He often utilized alien mercenaries from species widely believed to be deceitful, and eventually took an alien, the Twi'lek Eleena Daru, as his lover, treating her like a wife. After being promoted to Darth, Malgus led a surprise assault on the Core World of Alderaan; though initially successful, Malgus and his forces were defeated in a Republic counterattack.

Malgus led Sith forces in the Invasion of the Jedi Temple during the Sacking of Coruscant, a move by the Sith Empire to bring the Republic and their Jedi defenders to their knees and assert the dominance of the Sith in the galaxy. Malgus, accompanied by a strike force utilizing a captured Republic shuttle, succeeded in killing a substantial amount of Jedi defenders&mdash;including Ven Zallow, who became Malgus's most notable kill&mdash;before the Sith fleet arrived. By the end of the engagement, the Sith had destroyed the Jedi Temple, killed half of the members of the Jedi High Council, and disgraced the Jedi Order in the eyes of the Republic. Following the battle, Malgus led Sith forces into the Unknown Regions, claiming previously-unknown territories for the Empire.

Biography
The male Sith Lord Darth Malgus was born as Veradun on the Sith Empire's capital world, Dromund Kaas. He lived in the house of his adoptive father, and, on one occasion, Veradun killed a female Twi'lek servant as punishment for a minor offense primarily to prove to himself that he was capable of killing. His adoptive father, proud of the act Veradun had committed, sent him to the Sith Academy on the planet.

Though a fierce fighter, he stood out as an oddity among the Sith of his day, often employing mercenaries of various alien species thought by the Empire to be deceitful and disloyal. Malgus learned many languages as a result. He even took the Twi'lek Eleena Daru as his lover after rescuing her from slavery on the Outer Rim world of Geonosis, but rather than treat her like the slave she had been, he treated her more like a wife &mdash;though, at times, he still saw her as his servant. The two served together in various successful campaigns, including the Sacking of Coruscant. During his life, Malgus made multiple pilgrimages to the ancient Sith world of Korriban. It was on the first of these journeys that he had experienced a Force vision in which the galaxy burned, and he believed from then on that he would be responsible for the fall of the Galactic Republic, the galactic government.

Early campaigns
In 3,681 BBY, the Sith Empire, widely believed by the galaxy to have been destroyed over a thousand years earlier, emerged from hiding and launched a series of assaults against the Galactic Republic in what would come to be known as the Great Galactic War. During the war, and after attaining the title of "Darth," Malgus led Sith forces in a surprise attack on the Core World of Alderaan after the Republic Navy was drawn away in a successful feint. The planet easily fell to the Imperial forces, but a Republic guerrilla counterattack was launched as the Republic troopers of Havoc Squad emerged to engage the vastly superior numbers of the Sith. The invaders responded quickly to the threat; Malgus swatted away incoming fire with his lightsaber and killed some of the Republic Special Forces soldiers. A female Jedi then joined the fray, leading the remaining Republic troopers in beating back the Sith forces. She engaged Malgus in lightsaber combat, dueling him in the Alderaan forest and using her surroundings to her advantage.

When Malgus moved in for the kill, the Jedi used her hands to absorb the energy of his lightsaber, distracting him long enough for a Republic trooper to tackle him. The trooper detonated a grenade he held in his hand; the resulting explosion threw both combatants in opposite directions. The Jedi seized the moment to Force push Malgus into a stone wall, and followed by releasing a surge of energy that shattered the stone around Malgus. The remaining Republic forces prevailed, winning back Alderaan as the Republic fleet arrived in-system Malgus, near death, survived the encounter and was nursed back to health by Daru, but jaw wounds he received during the battle forced him to don a mask that covered his nose, mouth, and neck. The attack on Alderaan proved to be the first of many surprise attacks that Malgus led during the war.

Attack on Coruscant
"You were deceived. And now, your Republic shall fall."

- Darth Malgus to Ven Zallow

In 3,653 BBY, twenty-eight years after the war's beginning, the Sith forces contacted the Republic with their wish to negotiate an end to the conflict. While delegates from both sides met on Alderaan to form a peace agreement, the Sith moved in on Coruscant, the Republic's capital. In preparation for the Sith fleet's attack, a group of the strongest Sith warriors were sent in advance to destroy the planet's defense grid mainframe located within the Jedi Temple. Darth Malgus led this force. Although Malgus requested that he be the preliminary attack's sole leader, Darth Angral decided to assign a co-commander&mdash;Malgus's rival, Lord Adraas.

Malgus, accompanied by Eleena Daru, arrived on Coruscant and proceeded on foot to the Jedi Temple, passing through crowded plazas filled with Coruscanti citizens unaware of the impending attack. The two used the opportunity to discuss their views on both their life of battle and the Force, sharing a passionate kiss on the way. Before reaching the Jedi Temple, Malgus received a confirmation from the Mandalorian bounty hunter Shae Vizla that Coruscant's defensive grid had been disabled in preparation for the Sith assault. Arriving at the Temple, Malgus was halted by a squad of Temple security guards, but the Sith Lord wasted no time in killing them before they could deal with the threat. Vizla, observing the sight from a recess in the face of the Temple, took this as her cue, and infiltrated the Temple via a maintenance hatch as her colleagues strode in through the main entrance.

Malgus and the Twi'lek were confronted by Jedi Master Ven Zallow&mdash;whom Malgus regarded as his exact opposite&mdash;and a group of his allies, and while the adversaries remained motionless, a Republic shuttle crashed through the Temple's main entrance and came to a halt behind the Sith. The craft's hatch opened to reveal at least twenty-five Sith&mdash;led by Lord Adraas&mdash;who proceeded to ignite their lightsabers and join Malgus, Daru, and the bounty hunter in attacking the Jedi and their security forces.

In the midst of the action, Darth Malgus fought against his adversaries, Force gripping one Jedi and smashing him against debris while he unleashed Force lightning against another. Soon, he spotted Zallow&mdash;his primary target in the midst of the chaos&mdash;and moved to engage him, but he was momentarily distracted when Zallow injured Daru. Enraged, the Sith Lord continued his advance toward the Jedi Master, defeating any opponent that stood in his way. Malgus and Zallow locked sabers for a moment before the Sith kicked him away, and as the Jedi briefly struck two opponents, Malgus threw his lightsaber at Zallow, who barely avoided it as he leaped into the air. Malgus took the opportunity to Force push him through a pile of debris and, both retrieving his weapon and Force jumping toward the Jedi, drove his lightsaber into the ground where Zallow had been only a fraction of a second earlier&mdash;he had managed to quickly avoid the strike and was already back on his feet. The two then dueled before the Sith Lord managed to drive his lightsaber into his opponent's abdomen. As Zallow died, Malgus told him how the Jedi had been deceived&mdash;and now that the Sith had returned, the Republic would fall. Zallow became Malgus's most notable kill.

The Sacking of Coruscant had begun, and while Sith forces led by Darth Angral took control of the Senate Building and killed the Republic's Supreme Chancellor, the Sith armada had begun their bombardment of the capital on the command of Adraas, who had bypassed Malgus to issue the order. Within the Temple, Malgus basked in the destruction, congratulating the surviving Sith before tending to Daru. He had Adraas send for a medical team from the Imperial medical ship Steadfast before dismissing him for his insubordination in ordering the bombardment. Malgus watched from the Temple's ruined entrance as Imperial bombers brought destruction to the city-planet, taking the opportunity to contact Darth Angral aboard the Darkness and inform him of the battle.

When the medical team arrived, Malgus ordered them to care for the wounded, Daru included. Despite the her initial protests about leaving Malgus's side, the Twi'lek went with the medics to the Steadfast in orbit when the Sith Lord informed her that he would travel to the medical ship once he was finished on Coruscant. Adraas approached Malgus and questioned him on the fate of the Jedi's bodies; as they had fought honorably, at least in Malgus's opinion, he decided to make the Temple their final resting place, using the remaining explosives in the drop ship to destroy the structure. As the remaining Sith joined Malgus twenty meters away from the Temple, he took in all the building's features before activating the detonator. The ancient symbol of the Jedi Order fell in on itself, spewing debris in every direction. Malgus and the others created a wall of Force energy that shielded them from the destruction, allowing them to watch the entire process in safety as they cheered.

Following the signing of the Treaty of Coruscant, which officially ended the war, Malgus distanced himself from the power games being played by various Sith vying for a seat on the Empire's governing Dark Council. Instead, Malgus led Sith forces into the Unknown Regions, expanding the Empire's control into the largely-unexplored territories.

Personality and traits
Darth Malgus was a fierce warrior who often utilized alien mercenaries, long thought unreliable by the Sith. He even took a female alien as his lover, treating her not as a slave but as a wife. Because of his interactions with many species, Malgus learned many alien languages. He saw the Force as a source of conflict that only Sith could fully understand; the Jedi, in his opinion, could only grasp certain aspects of its nature. Despite this, he considered some honorable. A confident being, Malgus boldly entered the Jedi Temple and confronted a group of Jedi with only his wife for backup. When the captured shuttle crashed through the Temple's main entrance and skidded along the walkway, Malgus held his position while the majority of Jedi around him prepared to flee if necessary. When Zallow remained stationary, Malgus acknowledged his lack of fear with a nod of respect. During his duel with Zallow, he tapped into the dark side of the Force, using it to fuel his body for combat. Malgus took joy in killing Republic soldiers, especially after one injured him during the Battle of Alderaan. When faced with a desire to slay someone, he was prepared to kill his own allies if no enemies remained just to satisfy his rage.

Malgus was often a voice of opposition regarding issues of policy, continually calling for reform, which led many Sith to despise him. However, Malgus lacked any power base and therefore followed orders. Following the Treaty of Coruscant, he walked away from the backstabbing politics of the top-ranking Sith desiring seats on the Dark Council, instead preferring to lead military expeditions into the unexplored territory of the Unknown Regions.

Powers and abilities
Darth Malgus utilized many Force powers during the attack on the Jedi Temple, including saber throw, Force push, Force jump, and Force lightning. He was also proficient in the handling of a lightsaber, using this skill during combat in the Temple to gain the upper hand in his duel with Zallow and, ultimately, to impale him. When in battle, Malgus used his emotions&mdash;and the pain of others&mdash;to fuel his power.

Behind the scenes
Darth Malgus first appeared as an unidentified Sith in the Deceived trailer to the upcoming video game, Star Wars: The Old Republic. In the trailer, Malgus&mdash;voiced by Jamie Glover &mdash;serves as narrator, though the character does have at least one line of dialogue, when he kills his Jedi opponent. Malgus was first identified in an entry on The Old Republic website's Holonet databank which features Aurebesh phrases such as "Friend to Mandalore," "Yablari, Trandosha, Kalee," and "First Contact." Malgus made an appearance in the Hope trailer, and will be featured as a major character in the novel Star Wars: The Old Republic: Deceived, to be released on March 22, 2011.

Appearances

 * Hope
 * Deceived
 * Star Wars: The Old Republic: Deceived
 * Star Wars: The Old Republic

Notes and references
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