Sith

"Once more the Sith will rule the galaxy, and we shall have peace."

- Palpatine

The Sith were an order of Force users who utilized the dark side in an effort to gain power over the galaxy. They were the ancient enemy of the Jedi Order, from which the Sith were formed thousands of years prior to the Clone Wars; the first Sith was a rogue Jedi who believed in learning the ways of the dark side. This quest to gain dark side knowledge was ultimately the undoing of the Sith, as the dark side made them lust for power and turn against one another. With their numbers reduced, the Sith were all but defeated by the Jedi.

Darth Bane survived, however, and created the Rule of Two, mandating that only two Sith&mdash;a master and an apprentice&mdash;could exist at any given time, lest they fall prey to in-fighting. The Sith continued for a thousand years in secret, their survival unknown to the Jedi, as they plotted their revenge against the Jedi Order. It was ultimately Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, secretly the Sith Lord Darth Sidious, who fulfilled these plans, using the powers given to him as a result of the Clone Wars to transform the Galactic Republic into the Galactic Empire and all but destroy the Jedi.

Sidious and his apprentice, Darth Vader, ruled the galaxy for over twenty years, until the Battle of Endor. During the battle, Vader was redeemed by his son, Luke Skywalker, and killed Sidious. As a result, Vader&mdash;once again Anakin Skywalker, the Chosen One of Jedi prophecy&mdash;also perished, thereby destroying the Sith and bringing balance to the Force.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
 * Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
 * Star Wars: The Clone Wars film
 * Star Wars: The Clone Wars TV series
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
 * Lords of the Sith
 * Tarkin
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
 * Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
 * Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi