Dark side marauder was a term used to describe warriors who channeled the power of the Force to satisfy their violent desires, consequently driving them down the path of the dark side. These individuals supplemented their battle prowess through a typically, but not exclusively, self-trained affinity with the Force, forging a dark amalgamation of a soldier and a Jedi Guardian. Since the era of the Old Republic, dark side marauders arose from a wide variety of backgrounds. The majority pursued their bloody activities independently, though some were known to operate within major galactic factions, particularly the Sith Order and the Galactic Empire. Their chosen armaments were equally diverse, including vibroweapons, blasters, lightsabers, or simply the raw destructive potential of the dark side.
The term dark side marauder applied to Force-sensitive beings who—due to their violent lifestyles, personalities or instincts—succumbed to the dark side while using the Force to supplement their martial prowess. These warriors combined the optimal traits of a soldier and the combat-focused Guardians of the Jedi Order—without the strict disciplines and codes of the latter, they went on to become living weapons and extensions of the dark side as a result. Due to their typically bloodthirsty nature, dark side marauders often sought out activities allowing them to unleash their powers against other beings. To this end, many of these individuals undertook mercenary-like professions, with some becoming professional soldiers, bodyguards, enforcers or gladiators. Others simply acted as street thugs or adventurers.
Lacking a traditional set of customs, dark side marauders utilized a wide variety of combat techniques and armaments, including primitive melee weapons, blaster pistols, blaster rifles, vibroweapons, and even lightsabers—particularly the double-bladed variant. A mere fraction possessed formal training in the ways of the Force, sometimes at the hands of a sadistic taskmaster, or alternatively from an exclusive Force-using organization. Some fell to the dark side through unintentional means, particularly from the trauma induced by their experiences in war or a committed crime. The majority developed their abilities at first hand while pursuing their lives of bloody conflict, often driven by the intoxicating influence of the dark side. As they gained more experience, marauders were known to eschew conventional weapons in favor of the dark side's pure destructive potential.
A dark side marauder wielding a lightsaber.
Since the days of the Old Republic, dark side marauders tended to operate independently rather than banding together, making them a somewhat uncommon sight throughout the galaxy. A portion of these individuals rose to prominence as warlords, establishing personal kingdoms and strongholds during their violent conquests. In the time of the Old Sith Wars, a contingent of Massassi warriors—a sub-sect of the Sith species—were enslaved and alchemically mutated by a Sith Lord known as Exar Kun, placing them under the brand of a dark side marauder.
A number of dark side marauders achieved infamy during the New Sith Wars, particularly Belia Darzu, a leading figure of the resurgent Sith faction. Additionally, by the time of the Ruusan campaign, a powerful Sith Warrior known as Kaox Krul battled against the Jedi as a servant of the Brotherhood of Darkness. The dark side marauders maintained a consistent presence in the subsequent waning years of the Galactic Republic. Their violent exploits frequently provoked the intervention of the Jedi, resulting in the swift annihilation of the marauders' domains. Another marauder who followed the Sith teachings included Darth Maul, a Sith Lord who—under the apprenticeship of Darth Sidious—was forged into a ruthless living weapon. At least one marauder emerged from the ranks of the Jedi Order, most notably the failed Padawan Xanatos.
With the eventual fall of the Republic and the Jedi, several dark side marauders operated within the newly-established Galactic Empire. Months after the beginning of the Jedi Purge, a sadistic Force Adept called Del Korrot worked as a Jedi hunter on behalf of Emperor Palpatine himself. Another individual named Azrakel was initially a subject of Palpatine's dark side experiments, though he was later mentored into a hate-filled minion of Supreme Prophet Kadann. Two additional marauders, Gorc and Pic, were alchemically mutated by the Imperial scientist known as Cronal, forging a symbiotic bond between the pair. By the end of the Jedi Purge, a powerful darksider called Arden Lyn—who once lived during the First Great Schism—awoke from a multi-millennia-long slumber, eventually entering the service of Palpatine as an Emperor's Hand.
During the Galactic Civil War, servants of Emperor Palpatine were known to seek out independent dark side marauders, aiming to either recruit these warriors or eliminate them as threats to the Imperial cause. In particular, the Force-attuned mercenary named Sedriss ultimately became one of Palpatine's Dark Side Adepts. The marauders experienced a period of resurgence after the Empire's downfall, an event which led to the rise of the New Republic, the emergence of the New Jedi, and the cataclysmic invasion of the Yuuzhan Vong. This tumultuous era gave the marauders an opportunity to expand their activities unchecked and unopposed, sparking a new golden age for their kind.
The Dark Side Enforcer figurine card, resembling the original dark side marauder.
The dark side marauder (alternatively stylized as Dark Side Marauder) is a prestige character class from the Wizards of the Coast edition of the Star Wars Roleplaying Game. Details regarding the mechanics of the class, as well as some in-universe backstory, were provided in The Dark Side Sourcebook, a roleplaying supplement published in 2001. The Star Wars Miniatures set named Champions of the Force contains a figurine—labeled the "Dark Side Enforcer"—resembling the original dark side marauder depicted in The Dark Side Sourcebook.
- "The Emperor's Pawns" — Star Wars Gamer 5
- The Dark Side Sourcebook
- "Welcome to the Jungle" — Star Wars Gamer 6
- Star Wars Roleplaying Game Saga Edition Core Rulebook
- The Essential Atlas
- The Jedi Path: A Manual for Students of the Force