Dark side of the Force/Legends

"The dark is generous and patient, and it always wins. But in the heart of its power is a weakness: one lone candle is enough to hold it back."

- Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith novelization

The dark side of the Force, called Bogan by the ancient forerunners of the Jedi, was the primary tool of the Sith Lords, and the surreal enemy of the Jedi Order. Unlike the light side of the Force, its power came from raw emotions, both negative and positive; the power coming from its strength or severity. Where the light side was associated with creation and life, the dark side was associated with death and destruction.

History
"How can a Jedi, trained in the ways of the light, fall victim to the dark side?"

- Ulic Qel-Droma



Throughout galactic history, the most infamous users of the dark side were the assorted and most powerful iterations of the Sith with a bevy of talents impossible for the Jedi to duplicate. The Jedi rejected the dark side and all it had to offer, as following it lead to destruction and chaos. The Sith, on the other hand, embraced the dark side selfishly, prioritizing themselves over the rest of the Galaxy and using their powers for evil and manipulative purposes to control and destroy.

Discovery of the dark side
"Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering!"

- Yoda

In 24,500 BBY, a group of Jedi split from the Jedi Order, calling themselves the Legions of Lettow. They were led by Xendor, a Kashi Mer Jedi Knight who was the first known Dark Jedi. His followers used Jar'kai in battle focusing on their emotions rather than meditation as the source of their immense power. This led to the conflict called the First Great Schism, which separated the Jedi from the Dark Jedi. These dark-siders who were banished from the Jedi Order would one day become known as the Sith.

Sith Empire
The Sith took their name from the Sith species that they had conquered and through their ruthlessness and hatred founded the Sith Empire. These new Sith ruled a large empire-even though they were cut off from the rest of the galaxy until the Great Hyperspace War. Their empire lasted through for many centuries only to fall during the Old Sith Wars, where they were all but destroyed. After the war subsided the Jedi believed the Sith to be extinct, but later it was learned that the Sith had only been debilitated and adopted a more secretive way of life.

The effects of the Sith Empire can be seen in and on the planet Korriban, which is filled with the energies from the dark side of the Force. Animals such as the terentateks, who were distorted from the powerful presence of the dark side, roamed the caverns and caves feeding on the force sensitives that came across them. There is also the Valley of the Dark Lords (a graveyard that reverberates with dark side energy) full of caverns and tombs which once possessed powerful Sith artifacts. There the Sith even appear as apparitions on occasion; Ajunta Pall inhabited his tomb as a ghost until he was set to peace by the relocation of a sword imbued with the dark side of the force.

Rule of Two
"Always two there should be, no more, no less. One to embody power, the other to crave it."

- Darth Bane

Darth Bane discovered a Sith holocron of Revan, a long dead Dark Lord and founder of a Sith Empire. From its contents he believed that the Force was finite and so established the rule of two, making two simultaneous Dark Lords of the Sith. He eliminated the practice of having vast numbers of Sith at the same time and concentrated the dark side of the Force within two individuals: a master and an apprentice. A millennium before the establishment of the Galactic Empire, the Sith disappeared from the knowledge of the galaxy until the Battle of Naboo, where the Sith apprentice Darth Maul killed Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn. It was because of this rule that Darth Maul's master, Darth Sidious, was able to worm his way into a position of great influence and power, thereby ultimately overthrowing the Republic to create the Galactic Empire.

Nature of the dark side
"Beware of anger, fear, aggression. The dark side are they. Easily they flow, quick to join you in a fight. Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny. Consume you it will."

- Yoda





The dark side of the Force was aligned with passionate emotions such as fear, hatred, greed, desire, and anger. This sometimes led to the belief that the light side was passive, as it favored contemplation and careful action, for the dark side was known to act quickly and sometimes recklessly upon emotions and impulses.

The dark side was also used mainly for selfish purposes, although many dark-siders saw the need to justify their actions (at least to themselves). This need to justify themselves is what led most dark-siders to their eventual fate. One of the most notable was Anakin Skywalker, who joined the dark side to save his wife, at the expense of the Jedi Order.

It has been theorized by some that there is no such thing as the dark side, only malevolent intent in the user since most dark side users already had negative intentions in their being or fell victim to the temptations of absolute power and domination. The Jedi Master Yoda was perhaps the most fervent Jedi opponent of this philosophy, while Luke Skywalker comparatively came to view the merits of the Potentium Theory in the years following the Yuuzhan Vong War.

The Code of the Sith

 * 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 free me.
 * —The Sith Code

The meaning behind the words to the code of the Sith are, for the most part, obvious. They state that through harnessing strong emotions, the Sith can gain power with the Force. This power grants them even more tangible power, like dominance and secular wealth. With the freedom of controlling their emotions, power with the Force and secular power combined, they can finally aspire to fulfill their ultimate goal: "Through victory my chains are broken | The Force shall free me" referring to the image of the Sith'ari, which is free of all restriction - a being who has achieved perfect strength, perfect power and a perfect destiny.

Fear of the dark side
"You have allowed this Dark Lord to twist your mind until now...until now, you have become the very thing you swore to destroy." "Don't lecture me, Obi-Wan. I see through the lies of the Jedi. I do not fear the dark side as you do. I have brought peace, freedom, justice and security to my new Empire!"

- Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader

The Jedi Order so disagreed with the dark side of the Force that anything that could be related to it was to be abolished. After the Ruusan Reformation, many limitations were placed on the Order. Jedi were forbidden to have romantic attachments, know their families, or even to act upon their anger. These limits were not without reason; it was breaking these codes that caused Anakin Skywalker to fall to the dark side. But the lengths they went to in order to eliminate these feelings could be considered extreme by some who viewed it from outside their teachings. When Luke Skywalker established the New Jedi Order, he disbanded many of the limitations of the code, including the rules against marriage and age limits. More importantly he allowed the new Jedi, especially the young Padawans, to still know and interact with their families. This in a way signified a return to the older Jedi teachings from before the Reformation, when Jedi were allowed to draw upon their positive emotions in fighting the dark side.

Corruption of the dark side
"The dark side clouds everything. Impossible to see, the future is."

- Yoda



The path of the dark side is mentally and sometimes physically corruptive. As use of the dark side of the Force leads to deeper immersion in it, this malevolent power takes its toll on the body of a dark side practitioner. A well known characteristic are that eye pigments become a sulfurous, hideous yellow color. In extreme cases, the taint will mottle and disfigure the flesh into a corpse-gray color, as seen with Darth Sidious. In time, the corruption can go beyond mere cosmetic details and directly impair physical abilities. Excessive use of dark side powers can even result in death. King Ommin of Onderon is a good example of this; he was an initiate in the ways of the dark side for most of his life thereby subjected himself to its decaying influence until he eventually became incapable of movement and needed support from a cyborg exoskeleton in order to survive.

Sith philosophy saw no need to rationalize or apologize for the destruction and conflict to which it led; they believed that using the dark side gave them enough power to take that which they believed was rightfully theirs. Most Sith, such as Uthar Wynn and his apprentice Yuthura Ban, believed that they could even control the dark side, but in the end the dark side ended up controlling them. Luke Skywalker joined Palpatine's clone in 10 ABY to better understand the nature of the dark side, but unlike many of the Jedi before him who had attempted the same task, he made a full recovery.

The allure of the dark side
The Sith would call it enlightenment, but no records show exactly how a conversion to the dark side transpired. The dark side was extremely addictive, and almost impossible to renounce. Every time a person in tune with the Force called on the dark side, they became more and more addicted to the power it brought them. The dark side's corruptive influences could take control in moments. Along with physical corruption, the minds of many dark-siders cared only for galactic domination through power, and the doing of evil deeds for power's own sake.

However, some dark side practitioners did not show all of these symptoms. Darth Revan and Darth Traya for example, did not seem controlled by the dark side of the Force. Whatever changes these two had undergone were clear results of the lives they had lead and the experiences they had survived.

Often times it would be Jedi who fell to the corruption of the dark side of the Force. Exar Kun, Darth Revan, Darth Malak, Anakin Skywalker, Jacen Solo, and Atris were all corrupted by the dark side of the Force despite, or perhaps because of, their training as Jedi Knights. The catalyst for some of these changes was the discovery of a Sith holocron, an item that held all of the secrets of a Sith.

Sith Alchemy
Other examples of the corruption of the dark side are the Massassi who were mutated using Sith Alchemy. This also explains the mutations of Gorc and Pic, and the rebirth of Darth Maul by a group of Dark Jedi. However, these are extreme and rare examples of the use of the dark side to alter objects. Most common was the use of the dark side to alter and imbue weapons with the Force, making them stronger or easier to wield. Weapons imbued with power from Sith Alchemy could even withstand lightsaber blows.

Similarity to the Jedi
"Good is a point of view, Anakin. The Sith and the Jedi are similar in almost every way."

- Palpatine to Anakin Skywalker

The Sith were, in some ways, a reflection of the Jedi. The Master-Padawan relationship of the Jedi, for instance, was altered under the Sith, so both the apprentice and the Master would plot against each other with many of these apprenticeships ending with one killing the other. The Galactic Empire was no exception: If there were no enemies (mainly Jedi) for Sith Lords or Dark Jedi to face, the practitioners of the dark side frequently destroyed one another, and many organizations founded by the Sith would consume themselves through internal struggles for power. This was especially true during periods when the dark side was predominant, however Sith and other dark-siders could also display great patience and cunning in carrying their plans toward fruition.

Some Sith did not even use lightsabers, mocking the Jedi, as they believed that they had grown past the need for such weapons by using the full power of the dark side. Emperor Palpatine found his Sith lightning was all he needed to overwhelm opponents as powerful as Yoda. The Sith's own code which started with the phrase "peace is a lie, there is only passion" was a clear manipulation of the Jedi code's "There is no emotion, there is peace".

Sith holocrons were another mirror of the Jedi, which were twisted from a tool of teaching to an item of corruption. The Sith holocrons taught many things opposite of the Jedi, such as using emotion and questing for power, which were immensely different from the Jedi teachings.

These differences did not stop many ordinary citizens of the Republic from viewing the Jedi and the Sith in much the same way because of the similarities. Many Jedi were viewed as arrogant from their standoffish demeanor, manipulative with their power, and the practice of "stealing" children from their parents sometimes led to resentment. In the same view many Sith were viewed as dedicated to a cause and seemed extremely loyal to their masters. To large quarters of the galactic population, there appeared to be little difference between dark and light, and they grew distrustful of the Force as a whole.

Sith holocrons


Main Article: Sith holocron

"The dark side offers power for power's sake. You must crave it. Covet it.  You must seek power above all else, with no reservation or hesitation."

- Darth Revan's Sith holocron

A Sith holocron was a pyramidal tetrahedron which held all of the knowledge of the Sith. It could contain star maps, information about artifacts, history, but most importantly it contained the teachings of the dark side. The holocron could only be opened by a Force adept who wished to use it. The mere opening of the devices sent tremors through the Force. Unlike Jedi holocrons, the Sith counterparts of it did not limit accessible information, and even the most ill-prepared acolyte could find the darkest knowledge in it. Exar Kun and Darth Bane both were able to threaten the galaxy with the information gained from the holocrons, and other Jedi such as Atris were turned by them. The holocrons whispered Sith chanting, and were imbued with so much darkness that they corrupted individuals just by their proximity.

The Potentium
According to the Potentium viewpoint, there are no dark or light sides of the Force. Instead, the Force is a single entity, and the light or darkness comes from the intentions of the person calling upon it. From this viewpoint, Force powers or actions that would normally be considered dark can be justified or rationalized. Fearing that this would lead Jedi down the path of the dark side, Yoda expelled the Potentium from the Jedi Order. Similarly, many Gray Jedi do not believe in the dark side, which has been known to lead them to become Dark Jedi or even Sith themselves. Luke Skywalker, Grand Master of the New Jedi Order, adopted this philosophy after his nephew Jacen Solo informed him of his teachings of Vergere during the Yuuzhan Vong Invasion; however, after being concerned of his and other Jedi actions, Skywalker abandoned this as the official viewpoint of the Jedi order during the Swarm War.

Strength of the dark side
"You don't know the power of the dark side. I must obey my Master."

- Darth Vader to Luke Skywalker

Dark Jedi and Sith were capable of furthering their abilities more quickly than Jedi, and there came a belief that the dark side was more powerful than the light. It is only easier to use, but the lure of power convinced many (like Anakin Skywalker) to succumb to it. Jedi who were able to properly use the light side of the Force were just as powerful as their Sith counterparts, but the Sith believed that they were more powerful than the Jedi were from their faster advancement in the Force.

Dark side powers
"The dark side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural." "Is it possible to learn this power?" "Not from a Jedi."

- Palpatine and Anakin Skywalker

Those who wielded the dark side found many abilities of the Force were now easier to use, with other powers available to the Dark Jedi. Although not all of these powers were solely available to those immersed in darkness, Force Choke was used by Luke Skywalker at Jabba's Palace. However, most dark side abilities were aggressive, destructive, or unnatural by nature. Force powers commonly associated with the dark side of the Force are:


 * Drain Life
 * Death Field
 * Deadly Sight
 * Destruction Orb
 * Electromagnetic torpedo
 * Force Lightning
 * Force Spark
 * Force Storm
 * Force Wound
 * Force Choke
 * Force Grip
 * Force Crush (a.k.a. Force Kill)
 * Force Slow
 * Force Wave
 * Force Affliction
 * Force Plague
 * Force Fear
 * Force Horror
 * Force Insanity
 * Force Scream
 * Force Rage
 * Mechu-deru
 * Quey'tek
 * Thought Bomb
 * Torture by chagrin
 * Spear of midnight black
 * Midichlorian Manipulation (Darth Plagueis only known Sith being capable of it)

But not all powers of the dark side seem evil; Darth Plagueis was able to create and preserve life, Vader used his rage to heal his wounds, something that Darth Sion had done to a much greater extent.

Dark side practitioners
"A Sith believes he commands the Force, but it is the dark side that commands him."

- Jolee Bindo

Some notable orders of the dark side include (see also History of the Sith for more):


 * Sith
 * Disciples of Ragnos
 * Dark Jedi
 * Dark Side Adept
 * Inquisitorius
 * Krath
 * Prophet of the Dark Side
 * Bando Gora
 * Nightsisters
 * Reborn
 * New Reborn

Behind the scenes

 * In many ways, the dark side is the main villain of Star Wars.


 * Bogan was the name given to the dark side of the Force in early drafts of A New Hope and was established as canon in the Expanded Universe by the The New Essential Chronology.


 * The Potentium view of the Force explains it as a single entity: The traditional "light side" is simply the Force, and the "dark side" is only a perversion of the Force.


 * The Sith philosophy has much in common with the real-life Existentialism.

Appearances

 * All works in which dark side users appear.