Code of the Sith/Legends

"I am not a man of words. But I respect the power of words, for that is what transformed me. The words of the Sith Code."

- Bane, Dark Lord of the Sith

The Code of the Sith was the mantra that reinforced the core beliefs of the Sith Order.

The Sith Code

 * Peace is a lie, there is only passion.
 * Through passion, I gain strength.
 * Through strength, I gain power.
 * Through power, I gain victory.
 * Through victory, my chains are broken.
 * The Force shall set me free.
 * &mdash;The Sith Code [src]

Analysis of the Sith Code
"The tenets of the Sith are more than just words to be memorized. Learn them, understand them. They will lead you to the true power of the Force; the power of the dark side."

- Qordis

Some have speculated that the Code of the Sith was created in direct contrast with the Jedi Code, to illustrate the fundamental philosophical differences between the orders. This could certainly account for the first line of the Sith Code discounting the Jedi's proclamation of peace, as well as the similar structure of the two Codes.

The Sith saw themselves as seekers, challengers of old and stagnant ways, in touch with the laws of nature and the universe. They saw the Jedi as denying their natures and afraid of the truth around them. Yuthura Ban gave examples of the tuk'ata and sarkath hunting prey, feeding on weaker creatures. Passions were what kept all creatures - from the most rudimentary to the most evolved sentient - alive. Yuthura Ban explained this to the amnesiac Revan, "To think us creatures beyond the need of simple passions is a delusion." They believed that mastery of their passions gave them strength the Jedi lacked.

The Sith did not believe that victory by any means was desirable, but believed that unless victory proved your superiority, it was an illusion and temporary. Though there might be different types of victories&mdash;peaceful victory, victory by sacrifice, even a truce&mdash;Sith dogma taught that unless the victory was achieved by demonstrating that one's power was superior it was not true victory. The stronger a Sith became in the Force, the more power he could achieve, but he always had to fight for that power.

The true meaning of the line "&hellip;my chains are broken" was a subject of argument among many Sith. The chains represented a being's restrictions; not just a Sith but any being in the universe. The restrictions could be those placed upon a being by someone else, or restrictions that one placed upon oneself. The ultimate goal of any Sith was to free himself from such restrictions, but not (as many failed Sith pupils believed) in the simplistic meaning of just being able to do whatever he wanted. The Sith desired to free themselves in order to reach perfection and fulfill their potential. They wanted perfect strength, perfect power, and perfect destiny, which, in turn, allowed one to do whatever they wanted for the most part. The person who had these abilities was known as the Sith'ari.

The Sith'ari was supposed to destroy the Sith and then make them stronger than ever. This caused many Sith to treat perfection as a goal to work towards rather than a strict state of being, and in that way they were very like the Jedi.

Behind the scenes
Knights of the Old Republic and Darth Bane: Path of Destruction give the Sith code slightly different wording. Path of Destruction says "...The Force shall free me," whereas Knights of the Old Republic says "The Force shall set me free."

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
 * Darth Bane: Path of Destruction
 * Darth Bane: Rule of Two
 * Darth Bane: Dynasty of Evil
 * Betrayal
 * Star Wars Legacy 5: Broken, Part 4
 * Star Wars Legacy 40: Tatooine, Part 4