- "Exegol does not appear on any star chart. But legend describes it as the hidden world of the Sith."
- ―C-3PO
Exegol (also spelled Ixigul in ancient texts) was a dark desert planet located within the Unknown Regions that, according to legend, was the hidden redoubt world of the Sith. It was occupied by the Sith Lord Darth Sidious and the Sith Eternal by 35 ABY. It was also the birthplace of Supreme Leader Snoke, whom Sidious created to rule the First Order while concealing himself in the shadows. Exegol was used to hide the Final Order, which was a fleet amassed by Sidious and the Sith Eternal, from where they planned to deploy their Star Destroyers and establish a new Sith Empire. Exegol was the site of a battle during the war between the First Order and the Resistance, which saw the defeat of the Sith loyalists.
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Description[edit | edit source]

Kylo Ren approaches Exegol in his TIE whisper.
Exegol was a dark, barren, and rocky planet with desert flats. Its dry conditions, combined with the rubbing of dust particles in its atmosphere, created enormous static discharges that appeared as lightning strikes from the planet surface. The desolate world was covered with enormous fissures that reached deep into its crust. These were excavated by Sith loyalists who were attempting to reach a transportative vergence they believed to lie beneath the surface.
Exegol's nearby space was littered with the remains of megafauna, resulting in a cloud of red gas and stardust to form before the world, posing a navigation barrier.[4]
History[edit | edit source]
Early history[edit | edit source]
As mentioned by the Jedi writer Kli the Elder in the Rammahgon, Exegol (or Ixigul, as Kli wrote it) once had a fertile environment, until the Sith established their presence there and laid waste to the planet just as they did with Korriban, Ziost, and Asog.[2] Among the changes the Sith made was the creation of massive underground shipyard forges.[5]

According to legend, Darth Noctyss and Darth Sanguis both sought immortality on Exegol
Exegol was one of the oldest Sith bastions. Under the Sith, the Sith Citadel was built on Exegol for meetings and rituals to be conducted within, and Sith loyalists excavated the world's large and deep planetary fissures in hopes of reaching a transportive vergence believed to lie beneath the planet surface.[4]
According to legend, two Sith Lords, Darth Noctyss and Darth Sanguis, reached Exegol in their quest for immortality, which the former hoped to learn from the latter. Unknown to Noctyss, Sanguis had achieved immortality by transforming himself into a horrendous creature. Tricking Noctyss by not revealing himself as Darth Sanguis, Sanguis managed to be killed by Noctyss in a ritual to acquire immortality, leading Noctyss to conclude too late that Sanguis had tricked her into becoming a creature like him and freeing him from his miserable existence.[7]
Darth Sidious[edit | edit source]
By the era of the Galactic Empire, the last Sith Lords, Darth Sidious and Darth Vader, possessed the only two Sith wayfinders leading the way to Exegol. During his reign, Sidious created a base of power within Exegol, meant to become his permanent seat of power. Seeking ways of unlocking the secrets of immortality, his underlings began to experiment with cloning technology in a bid to extend his lifespan.[8] After Sidious' death at the Battle of Endor, the Sith Eternal cult chose Exegol as their base because it was completely hidden from even the most studious of galactic historians, some of whom knew about Korriban/Moraband and the other Sith worlds.[4] Sidious also proceeded to modernize the ancient shipyards, including making them highly automated.[5]

A battle between the Resistance and the Sith Eternal took place above Exegol.
The Sith loyalists then proceeded to construct the Final Order, a massive fleet of warships. This was comprised of hundreds of Xyston-class Star Destroyers, which were intended for the Sith's reconquest of the galaxy.[4] As threats of their return to the wider galaxy loomed, the Resistance mustered its forces and fought a desperate battle against the Sith.[1] Ultimately, with the help of the citizens' fleet, the Resistance was able to destroy the Sith Star Destroyers and kill Emperor Darth Sidious.[1]
Locations[edit | edit source]
Built on Exegol in ancient times, the Sith Citadel was one of the earliest bastions of the Sith.[4] Constructed on the surface of the planet, the citadel was both above ground and subterranean in design, with the former section being a large upside-down truncated pyramid-like structure built out of black stone. Below the surface there was a large hall with massive ancient statues[1] carved in the likenesses of ancient Sith Lords.[2] There was also an ampitheater that housed the Throne of the Sith. The citadel was destroyed during the Battle of Exegol[1] in 35 ABY.[9]
Behind the scenes[edit | edit source]
Exegol first appeared in the 2019 film Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker, the third installment of the Star Wars sequel trilogy.[1] In the feature-length documentary The Skywalker Legacy, art director Rick Carter mused that Exegol may have been the place where the Sith Order was born.[10] Canonically, the Sith originated from Moraband, per the Star Wars: The Clone Wars episode "Destiny."[11]
Appearances[edit | edit source]
- Star Wars: Starfighter Missions
- Darth Vader 8 (Indirect mention only)
- Darth Vader 9 (Mentioned only)
- Darth Vader 10
- Darth Vader 11
- The Rise of Kylo Ren 4
- "A Life Immortal"—Dark Legends (Appears in flashback(s))
- Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker (First appearance)
- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: Expanded Edition
- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: Expanded Edition audiobook
- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: A Junior Novel
- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: A Junior Novel audiobook
- The Rise of Skywalker Golden Book
- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Screen Comix
- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Studio Fun International
- The Rise of Skywalker Adaptation 1
Non-canon appearances[edit | edit source]
- Star Tours: The Adventures Continue
- William Shakespeare's The Merry Rise of Skywalker: Star Wars Part the Ninth
- LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
Sources[edit | edit source]
Notes and references[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: A Junior Novel
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Star Wars: Fascinating Facts
- ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: The Visual Dictionary
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Star Wars Complete Vehicles, New Edition
- ↑ Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: Expanded Edition
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "A Life Immortal"—Dark Legends
- ↑ The Star Wars Book
- ↑ Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: The Visual Dictionary dates the events of Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker to one year after the Starkiller Incident, which Star Wars: Galactic Atlas dates to 34 ABY. Therefore, the events of The Rise of Skywalker must take place in 35 ABY.
- ↑ The Skywalker Legacy
- ↑
Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "Destiny"