Death/Legends

"Death is a natural part of life. Rejoice for those around you who transform into the Force."

- Yoda

Death was the cessation of life functions in a biological organism, permanently rendering it unresponsive to any external factors. The term "death" was also sometimes applied to droids damaged beyond repair. Sentient individuals (and perhaps all living beings), were known to enter a different plane of existence.

Causes of death
"It seems, in your anger, you killed her."

- Emperor Palpatine, lying to Darth Vader about his wife's death

In most cases, death was caused by the major body parts within an organism simply "breaking down" from age and/or constant use. However, it could also be caused by irreparable damage to the major organs, such as them being ruptured, sliced, blasted, or similarly damaged. Death could also be caused by the loss of bodily fluids, such as blood, as they are required to ferry certain nutrients required for life to continue. In most cases this was oxygen, however a number of species breathed alternate substances ranging from methane to cyanogen. Suffocation could also bring about death, as it cut off the source of the required gas. If an organism entered an extremely hot or reactive area, their body could easily burn up and disintegrate, causing instant death.

Another cause was from cancers and infections, which occurred when dangerous bacteria and microbes took up residence in the host body, killing the flesh in that area, causing necrosis, and providing stable residence for more bacteria. Death was either caused by the bacteria getting into the bloodstream and causing necrosis in vital areas of the body, or the necrosis could simply spread and grow, literally squishing the vital organs until they ceased to function.

Finally, death could be brought by the complete annihilation of the body by forces such as experienced by a being inside an exploding starship or on a planet hit by a superlaser blast.

Death and culture
"Twilight is upon me, and soon night must fall. That is the way of things... the way of the Force."

- Yoda

Tending to the dead constituted a significant part of culture. In many cultures, the bodies of the dead were buried either under the ground or in tombs, or burned to ashes during a funeral ceremony, attended by friends, relatives, and others who wanted to show their respect for the deceased and mourn their loss. The Jedi Order was known to cremate the bodies of their dead upon funeral pyres.

The attendance of funerals varied depending on the social status and notoriety of the dead individual. In 22 BBY, the funeral of Shmi Skywalker Lars, a former slave and later a moisture farmer's wife on Tatooine, was attended by a handful of friends and relatives: her premarital son Anakin Skywalker, her later husband Cliegg Lars, his son from a previous marriage Owen Lars, as well as Beru Whitesun, Padmé Amidala, and the droids R2-D2 and C-3PO. On the other hand, when Padmé Amidala, former Queen and Senator of Naboo, died in 19 BBY, her funeral was attended by an enormous procession of mourners, including Queen Apailana of Naboo, Boss Rugor Nass of the Gungans, and Representative Jar Jar Binks, her successor as Senator of Naboo; furthermore, the day of Amidala's death was deemed a national day of mourning in the Galactic Empire by Emperor Palpatine, himself a Naboo native.

The Alliance to Restore the Republic honored their deceased officers with a space burial, where the coffin was released from a cruiser into the vacuum of space. These funerals were usually attended by many other Alliance personnel who served with the deceased.

Some cultures, such as the ancient Sith of Korriban, had a tradition to honor their deceased leaders by putting them to rest in spacious, well-decorated tombs or crypts, along with objects that were dear to them when they were alive, or could potentially aid them in afterlife. The Valley of the Dark Lords was an expansive collection of tombs belonging to numerous Sith Lords.

In Yuuzhan Vong society, death was accepted. They believed the manner in which you died was the most important. Those who died an honorable death in battle would bring pride to their Domain, but those beings who died shamefully would bring dishonor.

In Mandalorian culture, burials for the dead were uncommon, due to the inability for nomads to sustain cemeteries and the impracticality of bringing bodies with them on the move. However, the Mand'alor, leader of the Mandalorian clans, would be given a proper marked burial as a sign of respect, unless they chose otherwise. Mass graves and cremation were common when a body could be recovered, with the ashes later scattered, and one of the fallen's possessions—often their armor—kept in memorial; if a full set of armor couldn't be recovered, it was commonplace to retrieve smaller parts such as helmets, gloves, or plates instead. It was also Mandalorian custom to recite the names of loved ones and friends who have passed each night before sleep as a means of keeping their memory alive.

Death and the Force
"There is no death; there is the Force."

- The Jedi Code

While all beings possessed, to some degree, a natural fear of death, as an undesirable and inevitable yet permanent condition, the Jedi, guided by the Jedi Code, learned to view death not as a tragedy, but merely as a part of the life cycle. The Jedi, viewing themselves as servants of the Force, were always ready to sacrifice their lives if necessary.

Some Force users were able to survive in spirit form after their physical body died and interact with living beings, as well as other dead Force-sensitives. This phenomenon mostly manifested itself in the form of Force ghosts, something which applied even to the Sith, like Marka Ragnos and Ajunta Pall whose spiritual forms lingered in the physical world for millennia.

Several Sith Lords attempted to "cheat death" in their own ways: Darth Andeddu, as a spirit, used the Force to retain control over his physically dead and decaying body. Darth Plagueis, according to a Sith legend, discovered a way to influence the midi-chlorians to keep others from dying. His apprentice, Palpatine, also known as Darth Sidious, used a supply of clone bodies, so he could possess a new body after the previous one died. Other Sith have done the same, including Darth Sion, whose decaying body was held together by the dark side and his own hatred, Darth Nihilus, who transferred his consciousness to his armor, and Exar Kun, whose spirit was imprisoned in the Massassi Temple on Yavin 4. Darth Maul was also resurrected by unknown means after his death on Naboo. Karness Muur tried to cheat death by putting his spirit into a talisman, until it was destroyed by Cade Skywalker.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
 * Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
 * Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
 * Star Wars: The Clone Wars (TV series)
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
 * Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
 * Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
 * Dark Empire 2: Devastator of Worlds
 * Star Wars: Legacy 5: Broken, Part 4