- "A Sith sword is enhanced by submerging it in a trough of "blood spilled in anger." Grinding its edge with Svolten rhyolite will ensure it never dulls."
- ―Sorzus Syn
Sith swords, or Sith warblades and Sith daggers, were melee weapons used by the Sith in the days of the Sith Empire, from 6900 BBY to approximately 5000 BBY. Though similar to the bladed weapons utilized by the ancient Jedi, Sith swords were distinguished from Jedi katanas by their fundamental nature—both powered by and empowering the dark side of the Force.
Description[]
Sith swords were constructed through various metallurgical and arcane means, transmuting base metals into an alchemical alloy possessing an unusual affinity for dark side energies. The rare metallic compounds used in its construction could result in blades varying in weight from 3 kilograms up to 6.5 kilograms. It often requires great strength of body as well as in the Force to successfully wield the weapon and make it as dangerous as a lightsaber. In fact, the alchemical alterations allowed the Sith sword to block incoming lightsaber attacks, as well as deflect and redirect blaster bolts in much the same way a lightsaber did.[2]
A user skilled in the dark side could alter the weapon's molecular structure, making it stronger and sharper, and reverse its magnetic polarity, turning it into a high-temperature superconductor that could deflect blaster bolts and other particle weapons as if magnetically sealed. The rare ores used in its construction resisted lightsabers in much the same manner as cortosis and Phrik alloy, while its polished surface reflected laser beams and other coherent light weapons like a mirror. But perhaps most significantly, the weapon served as a focus for the dark energies of its wielder, amplifying their power and refining their control until they became a walking nexus of dark side power.
History[]
The origin of the first Sith sword ever constructed is unknown, however it predated the earliest lightsabers.[4] Developed by the ancient Sith, it was adopted by the Jen'jidai following their arrival on Korriban. The Sith's native martial traditions were absorbed, blending with the exiled Jedi's forms of lightsaber combat to create a powerful hybrid—much as the Dark Jedi would do with the Sith race as a whole upon seizing the mantles of Sith Lords.
Another pair of Sith swords was a legacy passed to King Ommin of Onderon from his family, which could possibly trace back to Freedon Nadd himself. The pair was later passed to Satal Keto and his cousin, Aleema.
Under Darth Revan and Darth Malak's rule, the Sith developed the Sith Tremor Sword, used by Dark Jedi and Sith troopers alike. Malak was also rumored to have in his possession a powerful Sith sword recovered from Korriban,[5] although he rarely used it in combat.
Interestingly, Sith Elite Warbots, a type of battle droid produced by the ancient Sith, were equipped with a Sith sword as their main weapon.[1]
In the New Sith Empire, the Dark Underlord wielded a pair of Sith swords.
Slaver Phylus Mon provided his Force-sensitive Wampa, Ku-Kak, with a Sith sword at some point before 22 BBY. Ku-Kak, a user of the dark side, used the sword as his weapon of choice.[6]
The statues on Dromund Kaas held swords resembling Sith swords.
The mutated Kowakian monkey-lizard and Dark Jedi, Picaroon C. Boodle became skilled at using a Sith dagger, which he used to stab his friend Gorc in the throat, earning Jerec's approval. After loosing his companion, Pic lunged at Katarn, stabbing at him with his Sith dagger.
Sith swords were last seen in 14 ABY when Tavion Axmis, possessed by the Force ghost of Marka Ragnos, unleashed the hidden sword inside the Scepter of Ragnos against Jaden Korr. The Sith sword glowed with dark side energy as Marka Ragnos battled Jaden Korr, ending with the defeat of Marka Ragnos and the destruction of the sword and the Scepter of Ragnos.[7] Any remaining examples of Sith swords in the greater Galaxy persist as mere historical curiosities—archaic relics of a dead civilization and their extinct culture.
Appearances[]
- Tales of the Jedi – The Golden Age of the Sith 2
- Tales of the Jedi – The Golden Age of the Sith 3
- Tales of the Jedi – The Golden Age of the Sith 5
- Tales of the Jedi – The Fall of the Sith Empire 3
- Tales of the Jedi – The Freedon Nadd Uprising 2 (First appearance)
- Tales of the Jedi – Dark Lords of the Sith 5
- Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
- Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
- Red Harvest (and audiobook)
- Star Wars: The Old Republic (First identified as Sith warblade)
- "A Mon Alone" – Living Force campaign
- "The Mask of Darth Nihilus" — The Unknown Regions
- Star Wars Galaxies: Jump to Lightspeed
- "Light and Dark" (Unlicensed)
- Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
Sources[]
- Tales of the Jedi Companion
- The Dark Side Sourcebook
- "Darth Malak" on Wizards.com (content now obsolete; backup link)
- The New Essential Guide to Weapons and Technology
- Combat Upgrade: New Weapons – Melee on the official Star Wars Galaxies website (content now obsolete; backup link)
- Star Wars Galaxies: The Total Experience: Prima Official Game Guide
- Friday Feature - Player Guide: the Art of Combat on the official Star Wars Galaxies website (content now obsolete; backup link)
- "Heritage of the Sith" — Star Wars Insider 88 (also reprinted in Star Wars: The Official Magazine 65)
- Evil Never Dies: The Sith Dynasties on Hyperspace (article) (content now obsolete; backup link)
- Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force
- Threats of the Galaxy
- Knights of the Old Republic Campaign Guide
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
- The Unknown Regions
- Book of Sith: Secrets from the Dark Side
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Threats of the Galaxy
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 The Dark Side Sourcebook
- ↑ Book of Sith: Secrets from the Dark Side
- ↑ The New Essential Guide to Weapons and Technology
- ↑ "Champions of the Force Preview 5" on Wizards.com (content now obsolete; backup link)
- ↑ "A Mon Alone" – Living Force campaign
- ↑ Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
External links[]
- Sith Sword on the SWG Wiki