Darth Baras

"Restrain yourself, Jedi. We came here to discuss peace."

- Darth Baras, to Satele Shan

Darth Baras was a Sith Lord of the resurgent Sith Empire during the Great Galactic War waged between the Empire and the Galactic Republic as well as the brother of Darth Ekkage. He served the Empire as ambassador to Alderaan during the peace talks at the close of the war. He was instrumental in the Treaty of Coruscant and later returned to Korriban to report his success on Alderaan to the Sith Emperor's Dark Council.

As the Cold War began to progress, Baras and his bitter rival, Darth Angral, attempted to bring a most promising Jedi Knight, future Grand Master Satele Shan, to the dark side of the Force on Dantooine, but failed. Nevertheless, it brought out Baras' strategy of breaking Jedi who were unwilling to live with the Treaty of Coruscant.

Overtime, Baras planned on becoming the Voice of the Emperor. To do this, he selected and manipulated an apprentice of his own to eliminate all that opposed him. However, this ambition became his undoing.

Early life
Darth Baras was trained in the ways of the Force by Darth Vengean, a member of the Dark Council. In time, he and his sister, Darth Ekkage, rose as high ranking members of the Sith Empire.

Sacking of Coruscant
"...never again will I stay my hand when the destruction of the Republic and the Jedi is within my reach.''" "''Never again will that be necessary. I assure you."

- Darths Angral and Baras



Baras was one of the individuals who represented the Sith Empire in peace talks with the Galactic Republic on Alderaan. After the beginning of the Sacking of Coruscant, he was greeted by the Jedi Knight Satele Shan who engaged him in combat. During the duel, Baras explained that the Jedi would be forced to accept peace quickly on the Sith's terms. Shan would stand down from the duel upon the request of her former master Dar'Nala.

After the treaty was signed, Baras returned to Korriban and met with the rest of the Dark Council in the academy. The Council congratulated him on the success of the negotiations, saying they were thinking of giving him more power. Baras said he had everything he wanted, and would have to decline any offer for more power.

Later, he was attacked by Darth Angral, who had led the attack on Coruscant. Angral said if Baras had held the negotiations out longer, he could have killed all the Jedi on the planet. Baras countered by saying he was attacked because of Angral's murder of the Supreme Chancellor, and that he had simply followed the Emperor's orders. Angral said that next time he had the chance to destroy the Jedi and Republic he would not hesitate. In response, Baras simply stated that such hesitation would never again be necessary.

After the Treaty
Baras later learned that Master Dar'nala was behind a Sith attack on the Envoy, and Baras decided to use this to his own advantage: Baras believed that Shan was Darth Revan's descendant, and wanted the scion of such a powerful Dark Lord with the Sith.

While Baras was still on Korriban, a Wookiee bounty hunter named Dalborra had arrived for payment after assisting Captain Sivill. During this time, a Sith shuttle blew up. Baras came to investigate, and a soldier reported that Angral said Republic spies were responsible and that the Republic was already going back on the treaty. Baras was suspicious of Angral's behavior.

An unknown assailant attempted to assassinate Baras, but he beat the attack off and suspected Angral was behind it and informed the Dark Council that Angral was behind the disruption of the treaty. Angral, meanwhile, had learned that Baras, not the Republic, was the one who was disrupting the treaty and intended to confront him about it. When Baras was confronted by Angral, he tried to persuade Angral over to his side.

Baras and Angral later went to Crystal Cave of Dantooine, where they were attacked by Dar'nala and a number of her supporters, Fortris Gall and Harron Tavus. When Shan showed up, Baras put his plan into action: he revealed to Shan that her Master was the true mastermind behind the attacks aimed to disrupt the treaty. Calling the Jedi hateful, hypocrites and traitors to their own beliefs, he called on Shan to join the Sith in order to protect peace.

Shan, however, refused to submit to the dark side as her master had. The battle ended with Dar'Nala's death at the hands of Dalborra after her madness was revealed to her allies. Baras allowed Shan and her friends to leave, but told them they could not hope to defeat the Sith.

Voice of the Emperor
In his last days, Baras went to Korriban to seek out an apprentice. He then sensed a disturbance in the Force, as a terentatek was slayed in the tomb of Marka Ragnos. This was the work of an aspiring Sith Warrior, brought to Korriban by Overseer Tremel. Requesting the presence of the acolyte, Baras determined that the Warrior knew nothing of the Sith Code. Thus, he sent the Warrior to kill Tremel and later to collect tablets from the tomb of Tulak Hord, pitting the acolyte against a rival named Vemrin. For the last trial, Baras sent the acolyte to collect an ancient lightsaber from the tomb of Naga Sadow with the assistance of a Twi'lek pirate named Vette, while Venrin was to head to his quarters for instructions. However, Venrin disobeyed and tried to ambush the Warrior in the tomb, only to be defeated and killed. With the strongest of the group remaining, Baras chose the Warrior as his apprentice.

Upon reuniting with his apprentice on Dromund Kaas, he had the Warrior retrieve a carbonite-frozen Republic SIS agent who had information that could compromise his network of spies. While his apprentice was dispatched for other tasks, Baras found himself frustrated at trying to break the Republic agent, as some unknown power shielded his mind. Thus, he sent his apprentice into the Dark Temple to retrieve a device called the Ravager, designed by the Emperor to break even the strongest mind. Though he didn't expect his apprentice to survive, he was proven wrong. With the Ravager in hand, Baras was finally able to break the agent, who confessed that his nemesis Nomen Karr, had found a new Padawan, who could see the true nature of any being. Already, she had compromised his agents on Balmorra and Nar Shaddaa. But before he could tell Baras the identity of the Padawan, the Ravager had already liquefied his mind. With his network at risk, Baras deployed his apprentice to neutralizing his agents before going after the Padawan's, known as Jaesa Willsaam, Master Yonlach on Tatooine and her parents on Alderaan. Eventually, things came at a head as Karr called out to Baras, challenging him to a duel to the death. Baras had no interest in meeting his foe's call, having long outgrown their little dispute. Instead he sent his apprentice, who defeated Karr and seduced Jaesa to the dark side, something that took even Baras by surprise. As a reward for this action, he bestowed upon the apprentice the title of Sith Lord.

Later on, he had enlisted Draahg, the apprentice of Baras' former master, Vengean, for the latter's demise. With the help of Draagh, Baras' apprentice killed Vengean, leaving Baras to take a seat on the Dark Council, which he had previously declined years ago.

Baras soon made his grab for power in the Empire. Since the Emperor had withdrawn himself from the greater galaxy and only relayed decrees from his Voice, a representative who had given up his body to serve as his mouthpiece, Baras had the Voss Voice imprisoned on his homeworld in the lair of Sel-Makor, where no Voss could escape, so he could pose as the Voice. By pretending to be the Voice, the Dark Council would then take his every word for granted, allowing Baras to control the Empire. Though some Dark Councillors were willing to believe, others would see an advantage in supporting him. Those who oppose Baras were secretly blackmailed.

However, Baras began to fear his apprentice succeeding him. With Draahg, he arranged an assassination attempt on Quesh, which was thwarted by the timely intervention of Servant One and Servant Two, the Emperor's Hands. His attempts to strengthen his position were thwarted by the apprentice. First his sister Ekkage's rescue was thwarted by an alliance between his apprentice and Jedi Master Timmns. Then, the true Voice was freed on Voss. Yet Baras managed to salvage Draahg on Hoth and rebuilt him into a cyborg to finally end his former apprentice.

As soon as his former apprentice arrived on Corellia to protect Darth Vowrawn, the only Dark Councilor to openly oppose Baras' claim as the Voice, Baras contacted his former pupil. He attempted to convince his apprentice that the Hand wass deceiving them. He offered to forget their previous disputes if his apprentice would walk away. The Warrior refused his terms and managed to protect Vowrawn against Baras' assassins, before going after a Force ghost, simply known as the Entity, whom Baras imprisoned and stole her visions of the future, the very foundation of which his power base was built on. Though Draagh attempted to stop Vowrawn and the Warrior, he failed and the Entity was set free.

Downfall
"I call upon the Dark Council to kill this fool! Now! The Emperor commands it! Darth Marr, strike on the Emperor's behalf! Or suffer his disfavor!" "I believe I'll take my chances." "Ravage, has your sense left you as well? Defend me! Defend the Voice!" "I will not stand in the path of the Emperor's Wrath." "You think you've won? You think you can silence the Emperor's true Voice? Deliver the death blow, then. From beyond the darkness, I shall strike at you! Someday, vengeance shall soon be mine!"

- Darth Baras and the Dark Council members

When Baras was ready to make his announcement before the Dark Council as the Emperor's Voice official, his former apprentice arrived, announcing themselves as the Emperor's Wrath. Baras tried calling on the Dark Council to assist him in destroying his former apprentice. However, as it was uncertain who truly spoke for the Emperor, the Dark Council declared that they must duel to see whomever lives speaks truth. Baras attempted to crush his former apprentice, but only ended up exhausted. In desperation, Baras tried calling on the Council members to defend him but found no support. His apprentice then either imprisoned him, banished him, or executed him in front of the Dark Council.

Personality and traits
"With all due respect, my ambitions go no further than my current role."

- Darth Baras

Darth Baras was very sure of himself, as well as very confident in his knowledge of how the Jedi and the Galactic Republic would respond to the Sith Empire's demands after the sacking of Coruscant. He knew the Jedi and the Republic would have to accept the demands laid out by the Sith once they held Coruscant captive and at their mercy.

Unlike other Sith, Baras appeared to be particularly unambitious, as well as more rational than his fellow Sith Lord Angral. In fact, when Shan apologized to him following their duel, she sensed even more peace in him than in Dar'nala. He made a point of supporting those who found themselves disadvantaged within the Empire such as Malavai Quinn and Vemrin.

Baras was, however, just as manipulative as his fellow Sith, shown when he tried to sway Shan over to the dark side and used Dar'Nala's own machinations to try to do so. Though he was skilled in allowing his minions to believe themselves valued by the Sith Lord he ultimately had no problem with abandoning them the moment it became convienient. He protested loyalty to his master, but like all Sith drove to destroy him to advance his own ambitions. Indeed his ultimate ambition was shown by his attempt to seek full control of the Empire and include the Emperor himself in his manipulations, something not even the most powerful of Sith lords would contemplate.

Powers and abilities
Baras was skilled in lightsaber combat, being able to hold his own against opponents such as Jedi Satele Shan and Sith Lord Angral. He also demonstrated skill in Force lightning which he used to force Darth Angral into standing down. Judging by his masking of his dark side nature from Satele Shan he was either genuinely capable of drawing power from the light side, or extremely adapt at masking his own emotions.

He prided himself on his skill at interrogations and torture, showing considerable shock and anger when a republic operative refused to submit to him.

He eventually became well known as one of the best spymasters in the Empire, perhaps second only to Darth Jadus. Maintaining an extensive web of operatives across Republic space, this included many high level Republic officers. He was also a savvy strategist, identifying the officers who commanded great influence from the shadows and sending pinpoint strikes to cripple Republic operations.

Lightsaber
Baras used a uniquely designed lightsaber. There were three pointed spikes protruding from the top of the hilt surrounding the emitter matrix. This design could be seen on other lightsabers however, such as those of Dark Lord of the Sith Exar Kun, and both Ulic and Cay Qel-Droma. More unique was the lower half of the hilt which appeared to be made from the tooth of a rancor or claw of some other large creature. It had a slightly curved hilt, though this was likely due to shape of the fang or bone comprising half the handle.

Behind the scenes
In Star Wars: The Old Republic Darth Baras was voiced by Jim McCance.

Like many of the other characters featured in the prequel comics his appearance differs significantly in the game, gaining a great deal of weight and taking to wearing a mask.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: The Old Republic: Deceived
 * Star Wars: The Old Republic, Threat of Peace
 * Star Wars: The Old Republic