In 3998 BBY, the Museum of Dark Side Antiquities on Coruscant organized a presentation for display to the public entitled The Dark Lords of the Sith. Located within the Museum's Sith Hall, the exhibit was dedicated exclusively to the history of the ancient Sith Empire and its rulers, the Dark Lords of the eponymous Sith species.
In the same year of its inception, The Dark Lords of the Sith exhibit was patronized by Aleema and Satal Keto, two socialite cousins native to the Empress Teta system. Despite the insignificance of the exhibit's artifacts as purported by the museum curator, the Ketos' interest in dark side–oriented objects led them to steal an ancient Sith spellbook from a display. With the knowledge they gained from its contents, Aleema and Satal became influential in the resurgence of the actual Dark Lords of the Sith, for whom the museum exhibit was named.
Patrons admiring a Sith artifact display.
Within the Museum of Dark Side Antiquities on the Republic capital world of Coruscant was an exhibit titled The Dark Lords of the Sith. The presentation was in a cordoned-off section of the Museum's Sith Hall, which was more than forty levels below Coruscant's cityscape. While the entirety of the exposition was dedicated to the ancient Sith Empire and the namesake species, a particular area concerned the history of its rulers: the infamous Dark Lords of the Sith. The presentation featured many tables and display cases replete with weapons, books, and various other types of artifacts that once belonged to the Dark Lords. Several of the heirlooms radiated with the power of the dark side of the Force, and Force-sensitive beings within close proximity to them were able to sense their potency. Earthenware sculptures lined the exhibit's walls and adorned the halls, and included informational placards that gave insight into the forgotten splendor of the Dark Lords of the Sith. A separate room temporarily housed piles of old books and Sith amulets that were waiting to be placed in their respective locations. The museum curator intended to further augment the exhibit with special lighting effects and holographic projections that told stories of the Sith's fabled Golden Age.
In 3998 BBY, the curator of the Museum of Dark Side Antiquities on Coruscant was nearing the completion of an exhibit in the Museum's Sith Hall titled The Dark Lords of the Sith. It was during the final stages of construction that Satal and Aleema Keto, socialite cousins from the Empress Teta star system, arrived on Coruscant, hoping to satisfy their curiosity for dark side objects. Their search led them to the Galactic Museum, where they were directed toward the Sith Hall and its collection of dark side artifacts. Pretending to be innocent tourists, the Ketos met with the curator and requested access to the exhibit. The curator at first denied them, stating that the presentation was still in its production stages. When the Ketos asked the curator again for permission to view the artifacts despite its incompleteness, he again refused them, this time citing explicit instructions from the Jedi Order to restrict access to anyone until the Jedi themselves were able to implement an adequate security detail to police the exhibit.
The Dark Lords of the Sith exhibit debuted in 3998 BBY.
While the dark side nature of the collected materials concerned the Jedi, the museum's curator was skeptical about the power each item possessed; he believed that they were nothing more than worthless antiquities and mused that it was highly improbable that anyone could use any of them to conquer the galaxy. When Aleema asked a final time to just be allowed to glance at the items, the curator relented. He led both her and Satal into an adjacent room with more tables and display cases, as well as piles of ancient texts and talismans. The Ketos were fascinated by the exhibit's contents, but the curator dismissed the artifacts as insignificant; he had yet to complete the presentation with the holographic and special effect lighting that he was sure would become the exhibit's main attraction. Aleema then asked the curator the extent of his own dark side knowledge, to which he confessed was nonexistent. He instead deferred to a datapad that gave a brief overview of the origins of the Dark Lords of the Sith and the long-forgotten civilization over which they ruled. The trio was interrupted at that moment by a comlink message for the curator, who excused himself while allowing the Ketos to peruse the exhibit unaccompanied.
Instantly the two Force-sensitive youths were buffeted by the dark side power they felt resonating from the exhibit's collection of artifacts, something they guessed no one else was aware of. Recognizing the significance of their find, Aleema pressed Satal to steal something. He obliged, taking advantage of the curator's preoccupation to pilfer a Sith spellbook from a table. The Ketos then quickly departed the museum with their new prize, leaving the curator, who returned to the room shortly afterward, wondering where the pair of inquisitive visitors had disappeared to. The spellbook that was stolen from The Dark Lords of the Sith exhibit by Satal and Aleema began their initiation into the ways of the dark side. With it, they subsequently learned to harness ancient Sith magic, and eventually became powerful sorcerers who joined forces with several other agents of the Sith to incite the Great Sith War against the Galactic Republic. Thus, contrary to the belief of the museum curator, an item from The Dark Lords of the Sith exhibit was a major contribution to the return of the Sith and their campaign to conquer the galaxy.
The Dark Lords of the Sith exhibit first appeared in the first issue of the Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi story arc, Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi — The Freedon Nadd Uprising, written by authors Tom Veitch and Kevin J. Anderson. In the comic book, the exhibit is not named and appears only as a wing of Coruscant's Galactic Museum. John Whitman's audio adaptation of Tales of the Jedi first identifies the section of the museum in which the Ketos are seen browsing as "The Dark Lords of the Sith" exhibit.
In the audio drama, Satal and Aleema Keto locate the Museum of Dark Side Antiquities and are met by its curator, who then guides them to the exhibit where they later steal the spellbook. In the comic version, however, the Ketos locate the museum, which is simply called the Galactic Museum, after browsing a tourist guide. The exhibit is never named, and they never interact with the museum's curator, but instead explore the museum's Sith Hall for themselves.
- The Illustrated Star Wars Universe
- Tales of the Jedi Companion
- The Essential Chronology