Sith sword

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, a blade far heavier than its 1.4 meter length would indicate. 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.

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.

The weapon's magnetic properties, combined with its attraction to the dark side of the Force, caused it to react unusually to discharges of Force lightning; The blade would attract and absorb the energy, storing it like an electric capacitor until the blade made contact with a substantial physical object, whereupon the amplified electrical energy was discharged— to an extremely devastating effect.

The origin of the first Sith sword ever constructed is unknown, however it predated the earliest lightsabers. 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.

Quite a few Sith Lords, including the Dark Lords Ajunta Pall, Marka Ragnos, Naga Sadow and Ludo Kressh used Sith swords rather than lightsabers—either for tradition, or because they preferred the more visceral feeling of sword cutting through flesh. After the fall of the Old Sith Empire, the majority of the Sith abandoned Sith swords in favor of the more effective lightsabers.

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, although he rarely used it in combat.

Ludo Kressh's War Sword was a double-bladed sword, and therefore very dangerous to wield. Some say it was cursed, corrupting the mind of one who would use it. It is possible that this sword was recovered by the Jedi Exile, during the events of the First Jedi Purge, sometime before the deaths of Darth Sion, Kreia and Darth Nihilus.

Interestingly, Sith Elite Warbots, a type of battle droid produced by the ancient Sith, were equipped with a Sith sword as their main weapon.

By the time of the Cold War between the Galactic Republic and Reconstituted Sith Empire, warblades, typically recovered from the Valley of the Dark Lords, were used by acolytes of the Korriban Academy, prior to them becoming an apprentice.

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.

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. 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.

• Tales of the Jedi Companion
• The Dark Side Sourcebook
• The New Essential Guide to Weapons and Technology
• Star Wars Galaxies: The Total Experience: Prima Official Game Guide
• "Heritage of the Sith" — Star Wars Insider 88
• Evil Never Dies: The Sith Dynasties on Hyperspace
• 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