Dark Lord prophecy

The return of the Dark Lords of the Sith was predicted in a prophecy dating back to the time of the Great Hyperspace War. Naga Sadow, the former Dark Lord of the Sith, learned of the prophecy after he escaped to the moon of Yavin 4 after being defeated in the second battle of Korriban in 5000 BBY. Because Sadow feared the Dark Lords of the Sith's return, he created a powerful Sithspawn creature, a Sith wyrm, to guard against them. This prophecy became part of the Massassi tribe's legends, who were descended from Sadow's followers on Yavin 4.

During the Freedon Nadd Uprising's Second Battle of Onderon, Jedi Master Arca Jeth and a squad of Jedi Knights vanquished King Ommin of Onderon. Freedon Nadd, a long-dead Dark Lord of the Sith, manifested as a spirit at Ommin's side and ended Ommin's life, reminding him that these Jedi did not belong to the dark side of the Force. Nadd quickly corrected himself, though, and appeared to Ulic Qel-Droma, a Jedi Knight, claiming that perhaps a couple of the Jedi might belong to the dark side. Jeth emerged, freed by Ommin's death, and declared victory for the Jedi; however, Nadd replied as he vanished that the Jedi had actually lost, which confused Qel-Droma. With the Freedon Nadd Uprising over, Qel-Droma and other Jedi went to the long-awaited entombment of Amanoa and Nadd's recovered remains on the moon Dxun. Qel-Droma inquired of Jeth about the meaning of Nadd's remark, to which he replied that Nadd was referring to the ancient prophecy that foretold the return of the Dark Lords of the Sith. Qel-Droma questioned whether these prophecies were accurate, to which Jeth responded that the future was always changing. He declared to Nomi Sunrider and Ulic Qel-Droma that the future was in the hands of the Jedi. Nadd appeared to Qel-Droma after the Freedon Nadd Uprising, warning him not to meddle with the dark side's activities and proclaiming that the Sith would rise once more. Nadd informed the Jedi that he would be one of the "great ones" when Qel-Droma challenged Nadd on his claims. Odan-Urr recited the prophecy to his fellow Jedi during the Conclave at Deneba.

Exar Kun, a Jedi Knight, explored the Tomb of Freedon Nadd in 3997 BBY. Nadd's spirit confronted him, telling Kun that a great future awaited him on the dark side, but Kun rejected the ghost's prediction. Kun traveled to the moon of Yavin 4 that same year and was defeated by the Massassi guards. The Massassi temple priest Zythmnr believed Kun was the one they had been waiting for, so he ordered that the former Jedi be taken to the Temple of Fire and summoned an ancient Sith wyrm to put his power to the test. Kun heard Nadd's call as he struggled in the beast's grasp, urging him to use the dark side and revealing to him that Sadow feared the prophecy of the Dark Lords and created the wyrm to destroy Kun. Kun suddenly discovered that he could speak the Sith tongue, so he took Zythmnr's Sith amulet and defeated the monster, winning the allegiance of Zythmnr and the other Massassi. Kun had a Force vision of his destiny as the great and powerful Dark Lord of the Sith spoken of in the Massassi legends as a result of the amulet. Kun, empowered by the vision, turned on Nadd's spirit and annihilated it with a single burst of anger.

Kun encountered Ulic Qel-Droma on Empress Teta. Qel-Droma, a Jedi Knight, had lost his Master in a Krath attack and had infiltrated the group to exact revenge. Qel-Droma had also been seduced by the dark side, and while the two briefly dueled, their battle came to an end as the Sith amulets they were wearing began to interact. The energies produced an image of the ancient Sith Empire and their Dark Lords, a message that had been carried in the two talismans for centuries. The spirit of Marka Ragnos, a long-dead Dark Lord, finally appeared and declared Kun the new Dark Lord of the Sith, completing his initiation into the dark side. Ragnos burned a mark of a Dark Lord into the center of Kun's forehead with a single touch, and Qel-Droma received that of a Shadow Hand, whom Ragnos said would become Kun's first and most important apprentice. They clasped hands eagerly, bound by destiny and united by prophecy, as Kun declared that the Sith had risen again and that they would bring down the galaxy together.

The prophecy was first mentioned, though indirectly, in the first issue of the comic book series Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi – The Freedon Nadd Uprising, which was written by Tom Veitch, illustrated by Tony Akins, and released by Dark Horse Comics on August 2, 1994. The Tales of the Jedi audio drama, written by John Whitman and based on Veitch's script, was the first to identify it.

While Tales of the Jedi audio drama, Tales of the Jedi – The Freedon Nadd Uprising 2, and Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith audio drama establish that the prophecy foretold the return of the Dark Lords of the Sith, the Dark Lords of the Sith [sic] comic story arc clarifies that Exar Kun is the only Dark Lord of the Sith.