Dark side of the Force

The dark side was an aspect of the Force, a metaphysical power that bound the galaxy together. It was selfishness and possession, interlocked with the fear of loss that gave rise to anger and hate and brought suffering to those on whom its power was unleashed and who embraced it alike.

The ancient Rakata, a species that dominated a large portion of the galaxy around 30,000 BBY, were the first known practitioners of the dark side. They used it to achieve remarkable engineering feats, such as the creation of the hyperdrive and the [Star Forge](/article/star_forge]. However, the Rakatan Infinite Empire eventually crumbled when the Rakatans lost their connection to the Force.

In 25,053 BBY, well after the Infinite Empire's decline, the Galactic Republic was emerging. Before this era, scholars, philosophers, priests, and warriors gathered on Tython to investigate an unusual energy permeating the galaxy. This group discovered Ashla, which became known as the light side of the Force. Eventually, some members, driven by hatred and greed, began to advocate for the use of Bogan, which later became known as the dark side. Initially, they established the Je'daii Order, the precursor to the Jedi Order, which promoted balance between both sides of the Force.

However, during a Rakatan invasion of Tython, the war's pressures compelled the Je'daii to abandon balance in favor of the dark side's power to defeat their enemies. After the Rakata were defeated, the main Je'daii group sought to restore balance. However, the Order fractured into two factions: the followers of Ashla, who believed their gifts were meant for knowledge, and the followers of Bogan, who believed their abilities justified their rule over the galaxy and sought personal power. This internal conflict led to the Force Wars, a decade-long civil war on Tython. The followers of Ashla emerged victorious, forming the Jedi Order and vowing to defend the light, while the followers of Bogan seemingly disappeared from history.

The dark side didn't pose a significant threat again until 24,500 BBY during the First Great Schism within the Jedi Order. Once more, the dark side's adherents, including the first known Dark Jedi Lettow General Xendor, were defeated by the Jedi. Xendor's followers, known as the Legions of Lettow, embraced passion and self-celebration, rejecting order and structure. In 7000 BBY, several Jedi embraced these teachings, triggering the Hundred-Year Darkness. Although the Dark Jedi were again defeated and exiled, this conflict led to the formation of a lasting dark side organization, as these Exiles were the forerunners of the Sith.

The dark side represented the selfish, fearful, and aggressive emotions present in all living beings. However, individuals often attempt to deny or escape this reality, perceiving the dark side as an external force, separate from themselves, that they can eliminate. This arrogance is easy to succumb to—even Grand Master Yoda, who trained for centuries to overcome his inner darkness, initially resisted acknowledging his own dark reflection. However, by denying this truth, he only strengthened the dark side. The dark side's trap is that whatever one gains through selfishness is never enough. The Sith destroyed themselves, victims of their own greed, leading to their defeat and near-annihilation during their wars with the Jedi.

The dark and light sides also differ in how they feel to those who are aware of them. The light side is sometimes described as a flowing river: calming, constant, with hidden strength. In contrast, the dark side is described as a roaring fire: obviously powerful, seductive, and potentially dangerous. Sith Lords Darth Revan and Darth Bane asserted that the dark side emphasizes individual passion and strength, while the light side represents the compassion and tranquility of all beings in the galaxy. They also claimed that the dark side is about change and evolution, while the light side is about maintaining the status quo.

Like the light side, the dark side was often treated as a semi-sentient entity with purposeful designs.

Some, notably Vergere, theorized that the dark side doesn't exist independently, but only as malevolent intent in the user, as most dark-side users already harbored negative intentions or succumbed to the allure of absolute power and domination. Darth Sidious also suggested that there is only one Force, beyond "positive and negative, black and white, good and evil." He argued that the Jedi see the Force as a power in itself, while the Sith see it as a means to power. Jedi Master Yoda vehemently opposed this theory. Additionally, Darth Plagueis believed that the light and dark sides had distinct energies and required different methods of drawing upon them.

The dark side was an element of all living beings. Individuals, whether Force-sensitive or not, could easily succumb to their fear, hate, anger, pride, greed, and passions. Despite their diverse backgrounds and circumstances, nearly all who turned to the dark side did so because they faced challenges and hardships. The transformations that led them to the dark side were clearly a result of their life experiences and their willingness or unwillingness to resist the emotional forces that drew them over the threshold of its allure and power. Among the most potent of these emotional forces—which lightsiders were always cautioned to resist and darksiders were always admonished to embrace—are fear and anger, which lead to hate, which, as Yoda warned, was the dark side.

Some fell to the darkness because of the fear of loss and in attempt to defy death such as Anakin Skywalker in his fight to discover a way to keep his wife from dying. Corruption often occurred following a personal tragedy, as Shaela Nuur, Kueller, Jaina Solo, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Anakin Skywalker experienced following the death of loved ones - though as Kenobi and Solo showed it was possible for a Force user to reject such temptation even when someone they cared about was killed. For many, like Darth Talon, Irek Ismaren, Darth Bane, Darth Nox, Vestara Khai, Starkiller, and Mara Jade, the dark side was the first side of the Force to which they were introduced and thus they were easily brought to its service. Some believed that it was a necessary evil in dire times, such as Darth Caedus and Darth Revan. In some cases, Jedi who had had limited control over the light side found their power and natural talent massively stronger in the dark side. Others fell because they saw the light side and the endless rules that the Jedi expected to maintain it as too much to follow, as well as too limiting to their influence on the galaxy. They saw the dark side and its tenets of free passion, action, and emotion as a much better alternative to a life as sterile servitude under the light, as was believed by Kyp Durron and Kueller. Some believed the dark side to be more generous than the light, as it provided power, strength, and determination. Many of the original Dark Jedi in the Great Schisms of the Jedi Order held this idea and believed it foolish of the Jedi to restrict themselves to an interpretation of the Force they deemed lesser. Individuals also turned because they felt that the dark side is more effective in order to achieve their goals than the patience and peaceful nature of the light. Among these believers were Exar Kun, Ulic Qel-Droma, Darth Karrid, Darth Vader and Yuthura Ban.

Fear was most often the starting point in a slide to the dark side—for, like a plague, it could quickly and rampantly affect individuals, groups, entire populations of cities, and even planets; and like a stream that becomes a raging river, it led naturally to anger, chaos, and unbridled power, if left unabated. When fear was thus allowed to fester and go unchecked, it could take hold and create a concentration of dark side energy that bordered on being something that approached a vergence or nexus in the Force. Those who were Force-sensitive could, often with great facility, detect such concentrations. Others became vulnerable to it as a result of endured agony such as Darth Krayt, and Komari Vosa.

Certain individuals Darth Traya embraced it so she might be able to find a way to destroy the Force as a whole. She also believed that the contrast of the dark side was necessary for a lightsider to truly understand the Force.

The Jedi Order taught its members to reject the temptation of the dark side. In order to do this, the Jedi lived by an extensive set of rules called the Jedi Code. One of the most important tenets was the cease of attachment. Living beings tended to mistake attachment for love, whereas attachment was possession and as such, like everything of the dark side, had selfishness at its core. Since it was possession, it fed into the fear of loss, which was yet another face of greed. When attachment creeped onto love, it became pain just like Anakin Skywalker described it: love was haunted by the fear of loss and the fear of the pain that loss would bring about—thus, it was not love, but a prison, in which the loved and the lover were both prisoners. Attachment led to jealousy and it was always followed by fear, which led to hate. The Jedi were well aware of that the way of the Force, the way of the universe, was that everything passes, and for this they were not supposed to form attachments; holding on to a person or a thing beyond its time was the path of misery, putting once's selfish desire against the Force. Thus the Jedi had to let go of everything they were afraid to lose, to surrender attachment to persons and things that passed out of their lives. Anakin Skywalker's attachment to his wife and the fear of loss that flowed from it caused his fall to the Dark Side of the Force.

The dark side, akin to a potent, addictive drug, impacted both the mind and physical appearance of its users. As individuals delved deeper into the dark side of the Force, its destructive power took a toll on their bodies. Darth Bane explained that the physical degradation occurred because flesh and bone lacked the capacity to continuously channel the dark side's immense power. Revan also clarified that while the light side and Jedi teachings aimed to prevent physical changes through the Force, Sith had to accept the dark side's changes, or they would fail due to attempts at moderation.

Many darksiders experienced changes in their eye pigmentation, with their normal eye color shifting to luminous, sulfuric yellow, blood red, or dark orange, often with fiery red rims around the irises. Further transformations could turn the whites of their eyes black or reddish, as well as the skin around the eyes. The most severe transformations caused rapid aging, with the skin losing pigmentation, becoming pale and mottled, while veins became increasingly visible and hair lost its color. Eventually, the user's voice could also deepen and become raspier.

These effects typically progressed with time and continued immersion in the dark side, but didn't immediately alter one's appearance. For example, Darth Tyranus and Galen Marek didn't suffer any physical degeneration from the dark side, and their eyes only turned yellow during moments of anger. Luke Skywalker didn't experience these effects during his brief surge of anger that allowed him to disarm Darth Vader, nor did Kyle Katarn during his encounters with Jerec and later Desann. In contrast, Teneniel Djo instantly developed a burst blood vessel in her face after using the dark side to kill a Nightsister in the Battle of Dathomir, a common trait among Nightsisters. Different individuals experienced different symptoms: Darth Malak, for example, experienced a change in eye color and a slight pallor, but no other effects that couldn't be explained naturally (although he required a vocabulator after his jaw was severed). Only those who fully devoted themselves to the dark side, like Darth Sidious, underwent radical physical alterations. It should be noted that Sidious's most drastic physical alterations occurred during the lightsaber duel with Jedi Master Mace Windu; Windu using his own lightsaber to deflect Sidious' Force lightning caused the uncontrolled energy to radically alter Sidious' physical features. Darth Caedus had his eyes change hue, but after a year of using the dark side, nothing else had occurred.

Over time, the corruption could extend beyond cosmetic details and impair physical abilities. King Ommin of Onderon was a skilled Sith sorcerer for most of his life, and the dark side held him under its decaying influence until he eventually became incapable of movement and needed support from a cyborg exoskeleton in order to survive. Another extreme case of dark side corruption was Darth Zash, whose extensive study of the dark side led to immense physical degradation and eventually a fatal terminal condition. The worst case of this transformation would be Darth Nihilus, who was completely consumed by the dark side both mentally and physically. Eventually, he became an aberration of the dark side that existed only to consume life.

The dark side could have an even greater effect on the mind, as the user often stopped trusting people and become quick to anger. Following Anakin Skywalker's transformation into Darth Vader, he believed his wife was plotting to kill him with Obi-Wan Kenobi. His paranoia and anger led him to strangle her through the Force. Continued immersion in the dark side could even result in insanity, as in the case of Dark Jedi Boc Aseca, Alema Rar, and Joruus C'baoth. It should be noted however, that the individuals who went insane were all disturbed or traumatized even before their conversion, and the dark side simply exacerbated their conditions.

It was possible for these corrupting powers to be potent enough to affect those who were simply near a nexus of dark side energy. Colonel Tobin of Onderon, a man who had no known sensitivity to the Force, was so affected by the presence of Darth Nihilus and the Ravager that he fell into madness and exhibited the appearance of one who had immersed themselves in the dark side.

While the dark side could destroy a body, it was also capable of sustaining one. The hateful, passionate, determined energies of the dark side were so powerful that it could prevent death for a body that was far past the point of death for a normal being. King Adas of Korriban survived for almost three centuries. Darth Sion, who suffered grievously in the Great Sith War and the Jedi Civil War had the appearance of a walking corpse. His flesh was "cracked and scarred" and he had "several thousand fractures in his skeleton," according to a Republic medical officer. He survived through the power of hate, according to Darth Traya, and called upon the dark side to make him near-immortal. After Darth Maul was cut in half by Obi-Wan Kenobi on Naboo and fell down a reactor shaft, he should have died. However his rage and desire for revenge fueled the dark side to keep himself alive, to the point when he returned twelve years later. However this severe use of the dark side might have caused his descent into insanity. Darth Vader had his legs and arms amputated shortly before having his lungs seared as he was burned alive on Mustafar. His life was saved only after intervention by his master, Darth Sidious, and his dark side healing abilities. After his transformation into a cyborg, Vader called heavily upon the dark side to marginalize his wounds so he could again be self-sufficient.

For a rare few, however, the dark side was a path to true preservation of the body without any physical decay (besides possibly the change in eye color). Galactic Alliance Chief of State Darth Caedus was able to use the dark side to heal himself, and Darth Krayt restored his body to life and health when he learned how to control the Dark transfer of energy.

Many—especially those who had embraced the dark side—believed this to be a result of fear. Often those who held this belief looked down upon the Jedi and other lightsiders, criticizing them for cowardice and inaction. Many Sith and even a few Jedi mocked the Jedi Order for claiming to strive to understand the Force while refusing to study everything it had to offer. They claimed that the Jedi scrutinized a single layer of the Force, while they dug beneath layer after layer, understanding and evolving. Many Sith Lords have expressed this viewpoint. Darth Malgus claimed that the Jedi refused to accept that the Force encouraged conflict, allowing those who survive to understand it better. Darth Sidious claimed that the Sith embraced all aspects of the Force, not just "the dogmatic view of the Jedi." And Darth Nox stated that the thing that united the Sith was that they "did not repress their emotions, and they embraced everything that the Force allowed."

As the dark side was often associated with darkness, darksiders were portrayed to the galaxy as savage and evil. As the dark side was often associated with infamous historical figures, such as Exar Kun, Darth Revan, and Darth Sidious, it is unsurprising that many throughout the galaxy would harbor such animosity to its users. Many expletives were also associated with the dark side, including "By the Dark Side!," "Chaos take me!," "Holy Sith!," "Sith Blood/Spit!," and "Minions of Xendor!"

Certain individuals aligned with the dark side of the Force sometimes experienced a blue energy explosion upon their demise. This phenomenon was observed when Darth Sidious met his end in 4 ABY, after Anakin Skywalker, having returned to the light, cast him into the reactor core of Death Star II, the second Death Star. Similarly, Joruus C'baoth also erupted in a blue energy burst in 9 ABY after Mara Jade fatally wounded him with her lightsaber. Conversely, Darth Nihilus and the Dark Jedi Jerec met a different fate, dissolving into pure dark side energy, leaving no physical remains. The inconsistency in these deaths remains unexplained, particularly when compared to other dark side users like Darth Tyranus, who did not experience either of these fates.

Intriguingly, Shaak Ti, a Jedi Master with no connection to the dark side, met her end in a manner resembling the aforementioned explosions. She was killed by Galen Marek and subsequently thrown into a giant sarlacc pit. The reason behind this similarity remains unclear. One possible explanation is that the manner of death is related to the power of the Force-user, regardless of their alignment with a particular "side" of the Force.

Tolaris Shim, a Jedi Master, presented a thesis titled The Four Stages of the Dark Side, detailing her understanding of the complete descent into darkness. Drawing from the experiences surrounding Ulic Qel-Droma's fall, Master Shim extensively studied the histories of Jedi who succumbed to the dark side due to various personal motivations. Shortly after the conclusion of the Great Sith War, she presented her findings to the Jedi assembly. These findings then became the standard criteria used by Jedi Masters to identify potential corruption by the dark side.

Tolaris Shim posited that Jedi, being attuned to the Force and capable of manipulating it for various purposes, would inevitably encounter situations that tempted them towards selfish applications of their abilities. Actions such as rushing to aid friends, confronting obvious dangers impulsively, and resolving conflicts hastily were, according to Master Shim, actions that could lead to a descent down the dark path if the individual acted without proper contemplation.

Jedi Knights, such as the charismatic Exar Kun, who were less bound by traditional Jedi "honor," were particularly susceptible. Kun, captivated by Master Vodo-Siosk Baas's tales of the dark side, was easily allured by what he perceived as unrestricted power—power readily available for him to seize.

Master Shim believed that hasty and indecisive Jedi posed a significant threat to themselves. Furthermore, any Jedi who believed that the dark side offered a "shortcut" back to the light was deceiving themselves. Shim argued that Jedi should not be blinded by the notion of achieving what they perceive as right, regardless of the means. She also asserted that if one embraces the surrounding darkness as a source of power, the subsequent stage becomes irrelevant. Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker exemplified this conflict. In an attempt to save his wife from impending death, Skywalker believed he could harness the power of the dark side without succumbing to its corruption. By accepting the dark side as a means to achieve good, he became entirely consumed by it. Like Exar Kun and Ulic Qel-Droma before him, he fully yielded to the dark side's power, failing to realize, as Darth Vader, that his turn may have been necessary to bring balance to the Force.

Master Shim theorized that once a Jedi embraced the dark path, the justification of means by the ends became irrelevant. Instances such as attempting to infiltrate and destroy the Sith or striving to save loved ones from death have led many Jedi to rationalize their actions based on desired outcomes. At this juncture, their fall to the dark side is nearly irreversible.

Occasionally, Jedi who stray from the light realize the gravity of their decisions. According to Master Shim, these individuals are not beyond redemption. Jedi Master Atris, who succumbed to the dark side influence of Sith holocrons in her possession, was restored to the light after a confrontation with the Jedi Exile. Some Jedi, like Exar Kun, found the dark side's power intoxicating and fully surrendered themselves to it. Master Shim viewed these individuals not as orthodox Jedi, but as twisted perversions of their former selves. It then becomes the Jedi's responsibility to either reintegrate the dissenter or eliminate them.

Tolaris Shim believed that a Jedi only slightly tainted by the dark side could atone for their actions through meditation, reflection, and absolution. However, she considered a Dark Jedi beyond atonement, making them only eligible for redemption. According to Master Shim, a redeemed Jedi is one who performs a selfless act of heroism without relying on the dark side to achieve results. Such acts include saving another's life through selfless action (like Darth Vader saving his son from death by destroying Emperor Palpatine) or helping to correct a wrong they helped create (like Ulic Qel-Droma assisting in the defeat of Exar Kun). While this occurs occasionally, many Dark Jedi are beyond redemption, some outright rejecting a return to the light. Master Shim noted that a Dark Jedi unwilling to relinquish their powers cannot be saved.

While contemplating Master Shim's thesis, Tionne Solusar wondered how Tolaris would perceive certain Jedi of more recent times, those who were corrupted, restored, and deemed redeemed by their peers. Tionne presented accounts of the dark side journeys of Anakin Skywalker, Luke Skywalker, and Kyp Durron, but Tolaris' interactive holorecording rendered the same judgment on all three: that any Jedi who kills innocents while under the influence of the dark side cannot be redeemed. However, such ideals were objectively disproven by individuals like Anakin Skywalker, who ultimately rejected the dark side and embraced the light, becoming light side ghosts upon their death.

The dark side manifested in diverse ways, even in the absence of life, which was supposedly the Force's origin. Locations with strong dark side presence were often called dark side nexuses, arising from various occurrences. These locations were so powerful that they could saturate nearby objects with a dark side aura.

The Valley of the Dark Lords on Korriban became a dark side nexus due to the long-term presence of the Sith and their lingering spirits. The tombs within the Valley were especially saturated with dark side energy, imbuing relics with a permanent dark side aura. Within these tombs, as well as Freedon Nadd's tomb on Dxun, the dark side was known to coalesce into visible pools of energy, tempting passersby to immerse themselves in the dark energies, drawing them closer to the dark side.

Other dark side nexuses include the planet Vjun, a consequence of widespread insanity that gripped the planet in 29 BBY. Research into Midi-chlorian manipulation led to madness, causing the populace of Vjun to slaughter each other, tainting the planet. Byss became a dark side nexus due to the presence of Darth Sidious' clones and his alchemical experiments. Jedi Master Yoda used the Dark Side Cave on Dagobah to test Luke Skywalker, as the dark energies produced visions of potential dark futures.

The dark side could also center around people and objects. The Sith Lord Darth Sidious was so powerful in the dark side that a nexus of darkness followed him. Darth Vader also exuded a similar aura. Indeed, this was true for many Dark Lords, such as Darth Malak, whose dark energy was felt by Bastila Shan as he approached the Leviathan. Sith artifacts, such as Sith holocrons and the Scepter of Ragnos, also carried potent dark power.

A wound in the Force resulted from a massive and sudden loss of life. As the Force originates from life, it becomes traumatized and wounded, affecting the places and people involved. The wound never heals, constantly craving life to fill the void. Such wounds could severely harm any life they contacted, corrupting or devouring it. Proximity to these wounds often caused a rapid fall to the dark side or worse. Well-known Force wounds included Malachor V, the Jedi Exile, and Darth Nihilus.

Malachor V was once an agricultural world belonging to the old Sith Empire. During the Mandalorian Wars, Jedi General Revan amassed his fleet of Republic warships over the planet, a taboo world for the Mandalorians. Unable to resist battle, the Mandalorian fleet attacked fiercely. However, the Jedi General in charge of the Mass Shadow Generator, a superweapon designed by Bao-Dur, ordered its activation, crushing both fleets in the planet's gravitational forces and sending thousands of vessels crashing onto its surface. The world's crust shattered, leaving a dead planetoid surrounded by wreckage in space.

The same Jedi General, unable to bear experiencing thousands of deaths through the Force—deaths she caused—shut herself off from the Force, creating a wound within herself. When later standing trial before the Jedi Council, the Masters commented on her emptiness in the Force, as if staring into its death.

Darth Nihilus, another product of Malachor, became such a powerful wound that the dark side completely consumed his mind and body. He roamed the galaxy, hunting Jedi and other Force-sensitives to feed on. He wiped all life off the planet of Katarr and drained life from anyone near him. His constant pursuit of Force-sensitives earned him the title "Lord of Hunger."

Force wounds like Malachor V could also break the will of Jedi, corrupting them and turning them to the dark side. Revan's widespread use of this technique was a primary reason for his rapid accumulation of a vast army of dark siders, virtually all former Jedi he had corrupted.

A common debate between Jedi and their dark counterparts centered on the strength inherent in the dark side. Darksiders often claimed that the intense, darker emotions fueling their power gave them an advantage over other Force users. The Jedi and other light-side adherents often argued that the dark side was a shortcut to power, but also to suffering and destruction. It is true that many darksiders, like Darth Caedus, noticeably advanced in their command of the Force after their conversion. Many were capable of incredible feats of destruction, such as causing stars to go supernova, the Devastation of Katarr, and Force storms, powers that seemed incomprehensible for a single being to wield. The Sith often claimed that the Jedi were weak and foolish for not tapping into the dark side, which they considered the stronger side of the Force. While the dark side sometimes provided a more visual display of power, such as Force Storms, the Jedi were capable of the same amount of power but could not always apply it in such terrible, destructive ways. However, these powers came at a cost. Abilities like Force storm and the unique variant of Force drain employed by Darth Nihilus required extraordinary immersion in the dark side, and practitioners of such dark powers almost invariably suffered terrible physical degradation. Darth Sidious, for example, aged poorly as the dark side consumed him from within. When Sidious returned from death at Anakin Skywalker's hands, his dark side power was so potent that the cloned bodies he inhabited were quickly consumed by the simple act of housing Sidious's spirit. His incredible power, combined with the clones' unsuitability for housing his essence, meant he had to transfer his spirit into fresh clones frequently. Darth Nihilus presented perhaps the most extreme example of this issue. As his power grew, he became so consumed by the dark side that his physical form was eventually destroyed, forcing him to encase his spirit in his armor.

Conversely, while the dark side could provide its practitioners with destructive capabilities beyond that of light side practitioners, it fell short of the light side when it came to biologically sustainable healing. While the dark side could be used to improve one's vitality and repair one's body as the light side could, the results of utilizing the dark side in such a manner were almost always temporary, with such notable outliers as Dark Transfer and Caedus's healing, as well as healing trances that any Force user might employ. Nearly all dark side-based healing powers worked only so long as the practitioner actively channeled the dark side, and whatever malady the power was meant to treat often returned in full force the moment they ceased to do so. Darth Bane's and Darth Vader's use of dark side healing abilities present a few good examples. In Bane's case, while he was at one point able to hold off the effects of a deadly poison by strengthening himself through the pain and suffering of others, he still required the assistance of the healer Caleb to actually cure himself. Vader was capable of using the dark side to heal the necrotic and useless tissue of his lungs to the point where he could operate in standard atmospheric conditions, but he had to maintain intense concentration on the dark side to do so. If his hate abated or his concentration slipped, his lungs returned to their injured state. The case of Darth Sion presents the most extreme usage of this power, with both its greatest strengths and weaknesses showcased perfectly. Sion was capable of using the dark side to hold his broken, clinically dead body together by feeding off the extreme pain that such an existence constantly caused him. This pain fueled his rage, and as such his strength in the dark side, which permitted him to hold his body together through increasingly violent traumas. If near to a dark side nexus like Malachor V, he became essentially unstoppable. However, the instant he was convinced to let go of his hate and anger by Meetra Surik, his body gave out and he died. The light side, on the other hand, could provide accelerated healing in a permanent, biologically sustainable fashion. However, there are a few dark side practitioners who have demonstrated the ability to heal themselves in a more permanent fashion. Count Dooku, for instance, was able to purge his body of a deadly biological weapon during a negotiation with Jango Fett after the latter attempted to use it to extort him. Darth Plagueis was able to use his midichlorian manipulation technique to permanently regenerate nearly all of the wounds he sustained at the hands of Maladian assassins, even decades after the incident. However, Plagueis was the only known user of this ability, which did not use the energies of the dark side to directly heal the subject in any case. Additionally, it is not known whether Dooku utilized the dark side specifically to heal himself, or if he drew on his Jedi knowledge to do so.

Jedi Master Yoda also noted that the dark side quickly aided a Force-user in combat, often to great effect. Asajj Ventress, a young Dark Jedi, fended off three Jedi, killed one, and pulled another to the dark side during the Deception on Ruul. During her rescue of Viceroy Nute Gunray from Republic custody, Ventress killed numerous clone troopers, crippled the Tranquility, and escaped both Luminara Unduli and Ahsoka Tano. Darth Sidious called upon the dark side and quickly slew three Jedi Council members and persuaded Anakin Skywalker to assist him in killing the fourth. Skywalker himself, as Darth Vader, killed many Jedi single-handedly during Operation: Knightfall and the subsequent Great Jedi Purge. Luke Skywalker used the dark side's power to defeat Darth Vader during their final duel, drawing on his rage to bolster his combat effectiveness for a short time. Jacen Solo, after his transformation into Darth Caedus, essentially stalemated Grand Master Luke Skywalker during a lightsaber duel, despite Skywalker's overwhelming Force power. The combat prowess exhibited by these individuals may have resulted from a lack of moral restrictions darksiders placed on themselves. When in battle, the dark side itself lent to their ferocity and determination.

One apparent weakness of the dark side, potentially giving the Jedi an advantage, was the inescapable strife associated with it. The Sith Lords could never ultimately destroy their foes because they were bound to turn upon each other, constantly striving for more power at the expense of others, and seeking to dominate everything around them. This flaw became particularly pronounced without a reigning Dark Lord to keep the lesser ones in check. The Rule of Two, introduced by Darth Bane, drastically limited the number of true Sith to turn this weakness into a strength. However, this too caused problems due to two overlooked possibilities:

First, Bane never accounted for a failed apprentice's training consuming most of the master's lifespan, precluding the training of a new pupil. Bane himself scrambled to attain immortality and buy more time to train another apprentice when he believed Darth Zannah to be a failure. In this case, Bane's fears were unfounded, as she successfully killed him shortly thereafter, though it did highlight this primary problem with the Rule of Two. As demonstrated by Darth Tenebrous, a Sith Master of Bane's Order could circumvent this problem by concurrently training two apprentices in secret, though this was rarely done. Secondly, the possibility of one of the two Sith Lords converting to the light side and killing the other was never considered. This was seen in the life of Darth Gravid, who turned to the light side and destroyed several Sith artifacts and treasures before his apprentice killed him. This particular problem also brought an end to the original incarnation of the Order of the Sith Lords when Darth Vader renounced the dark side and killed his Master, Darth Sidious. An additional flaw with the Rule of Two was that Bane created it in the hopes that each Sith Master would be forced to kill their master to claim the title. Bane hoped this would ensure that each generation of Sith was stronger then the last. However the rule was flawed in that many Sith apprentices killed their master's through trickery or ambush, rather than a direct challenge. Also unlike previous Dark Lords, who fought hundreds of potential rivals for their power. The Rule of Two made it so that each Dark Lord claimed the title simply because they were the only candidate. For these reasons, the Rule of Two was abolished by the One Sith.

Another fatal weakness repeatedly illustrated in the dark side is a lack of focus stemming from reliance on emotions like pride, anger, and fear, which heighten powers but also cloud judgment. This issue often leads to darksiders being brought low by their hubris, even in situations where victory would otherwise seem assured. For example, Obi-Wan Kenobi defeated both Darth Maul and Darth Vader, despite being the less viable combatant in both situations. Darth Malak was similarly defeated by Revan during their final duel despite drawing on the Star Forge's massive dark power (though Revan may have simply been more powerful than Malak even when taking the Star Forge's energies into account). Count Dooku felt threatened by Anakin Skywalker and allowed his pride to blind him to Skywalker's true power, leading to Dooku's demise. As such, it would seem that the dark side may offer it's adherents a more tangible sort of power: one that is direct and physical, while the light side provides a more subtle kind of power, that of focus and understanding. To their detriment, the power of the light side is one which darksiders often fail to understand and tend to underestimate.

However, this weakness was not absolute, and it was indeed possible to wield the dark side without succumbing to one's own pride or rage. In a manuscript entitled The Book of Anger, Darth Sidious stated that while he believed that anger was the most potent catalyst for drawing on the destructive energies of the dark side, he realized that it could impair one's judgment. As such, he cautioned that keeping one's anger under control was vital to mastering the dark side, emphasizing that a strong will and high levels of intelligence were needed to exercise this control. In keeping with this sort of philosophy, advanced practitioners of the dark side could, even in the heat of combat, keep their emotions in check as their Jedi counterparts could. Darth Vader was a prime example of a darksider with this capability.

It also should be noted that the training methods of darksiders were often brutal, as exemplified by the Sith. One common result of this tendency was that the weaker darksiders often died before ever getting the chance to fight a Jedi, which may help to explain their high success rate against Jedi–more weak Jedi survived their training to fight the strongest of the Sith. Despite this disparity, the followers of the light proved victorious in the majority of large scale conflicts with dark side adherents. This trend was due almost exclusively due to the infighting that inevitably occurred between the various darksiders during said conflicts. However the Jedi were not always victorious in their war against the Sith. A number of times the Jedi Order has been defeated in galactic conflict, such as the Great Galactic War against the reconstituted Sith Empire. Also the Jedi Order and the Republic has been brought to the brink of destruction on at least three occasions, such as the Jedi Civil War aftermath, the Jedi Purge of Palpatine and later of Darth Krayt.

Those who embraced the dark side discovered that certain Force abilities were easier to command, particularly specific Force powers. While Jedi of the light side could potentially access dark-side abilities (and some dark-side users could tap into light-side powers), most chose not to, as dark-side abilities tended to be aggressive, destructive, or insidiously manipulative. Luke Skywalker, in a rare instance for a Jedi, employed Force Choke at Jabba's Palace, a technique usually avoided by Jedi, unless unarmed as Ahsoka Tano was when she used this attack. Furthermore, both Luke and Kyle Katarn were known to utilize Force lightning, a signature ability of the dark side. The following powers are commonly linked to the dark side of the Force:

• Consume Essence
• Deadly Sight
• Enhance Force Sensitivity
• Force corrupt
• Force lightning
• Force choke
• Force crush
• Force drain
• Force Destruction
• Force phantom
• Force net
• Force shadow
• Force Slow
• Force insanity
• Force scream
• Force rage
• Thought bomb
• Memory Walk
• Darkshear
• Transfer essence
• Midi-chlorian manipulation
• Sith Emperor's ritual

The Sith, a cult dedicated to the dark side and the accumulation of power through it, possessed exclusive knowledge of many dark-side powers. Their ancient and notorious Sith alchemy practices enabled the creation of monstrous beings and other horrors, while Sith magic primarily involved mental manipulation and the physical embodiment of the dark side.

Monsters and other terrifying creatures that plagued the galaxy for millennia originated from Sith Alchemy. Pioneered by some of the earliest Dark Jedi who departed from the Jedi Order, including XoXaan, Karness Muur, and Ajunta Pall, Sith Alchemy led to the creation of entities like the Behemoth from the World Below, Leviathan monsters, battle hydras, rakghouls, and Sith war behemoths. This age-old knowledge was later employed to engineer the Technobeast, the very monsters that brought Belia Darzu to fame and defined the Sictis Wars. Exar Kun also demonstrated mastery of this power, utilizing it to transform the remaining Massassi warriors on Yavin 4 and give rise to the terentatek. Millennia later, Darth Plagueis achieved mastery over this ability, enabling him to create life. His apprentice, Darth Sidious, also possessed immense skill in Sith Alchemy, creating the Chrysalide and authoring The Creation of Monsters, the third manuscript within the Dark Side Compendium.

Sith Magic was used throughout history to control and frighten enemies. Unlike standard Force powers, Sith Magic necessitated incantations, rituals, or specific hand movements, with individual powers referred to as "spells." These spells were often used to generate illusions, serving to confuse or assault adversaries. Aleema Keto displayed exceptional proficiency in this domain, employing it to conjure an entire herd of space grazers to assail a Republic fleet at Koros Major. Zannah also practiced Sith Magic, frequently summoning her victims' deepest fears to torment them. The use of amulets and talismans to amplify the caster's power was also a component of Sith magic. Sith magic may have played a role in the creation of the Muur Talisman, which housed Karness Muur's spirit for countless years. Furthermore, this magic facilitated the summoning of ancient dark-side spirits, such as the ghost of Freedon Nadd.

The oldest dark side cult, the Dark Jedi were seen by the orthodox Jedi of their time as dangerous heretics for yielding to the dark side of the Force. However, the earliest Dark Jedi left the Order not because they wanted power, but because they felt the Jedi Code restricted them too much. The first of these people formed the Legions of Lettow, led by former Jedi Xendor. The Jedi Order destroyed the Legions 500 years after the Republic was formed. The Dark Jedi reappeared millennia later to fight the Order in the Hundred-Year Darkness, this time using alchemic knowledge. The conflict lasted a century, and the last of them were exiled from the Holy Order. A second resurgence happened when a group of Dark Jedi tried to take control of an ancient superweapon called the Cosmic Turbine. The Vultar system was destroyed in the incident. During the Jedi Civil War, Dark Jedi joined Revan's empire as Sith trainees. Dark Jedi continued to be a problem in the galaxy after Ruusan, with some trying to claim they were Sith, even though they were just pretending to seek more power. The real Sith revealed themselves hundreds of years later, but the pretenders kept making their claims. A group of Dark Jedi, known as the Dark Acolytes, served the Order of the Sith Lords during the Clone Wars to oppose the Jedi Order. The Dark Side Adepts, a group of Dark Jedi, served the same Sith Order as the Jedi's replacement during the Galactic Empire. Dark Jedi later served Lumiya's Sith when Lord Caedus took over the Galactic Alliance. During the Galactic Empire, a group of Darksiders from Byss, who were loyal to the Empire, planned to add them to the ranks of their Guard.

The Sith, the most notorious dark side cult, were a group of Force-sensitive individuals focused on destroying the Jedi and ruling the galaxy. Originally a species from the planet Korriban, the cult was formed by the Dark Jedi survivors of the Hundred-Year Darkness. After being exiled from known space, these Dark Jedi landed on the uncharted world and were worshiped by the Sith species for their powers and "magic." They were named the Lords of the Sith and created an expanding Empire. The Empire eventually fell, but the Sith religion lived on, taking many forms over the years. These included the Sith Triumvirate, the Order of the Sith Lords, and the One Sith.

The Sith were also considered the masters of the dark side and the peak of dark-side power. They perfected the art of dark-side mutations, allowing them to use Sith alchemy and other Sith magic. The Dark Lord of the Sith, the cult's leader, was seen as the embodiment of the dark side, and all the dark side's power flowed from them.

Because of their great influence, the Sith religion inspired many cults that were not officially part of the Sith Order and were not made up of actual Sith. Instead, they were founded and made up of Sith followers and other Force-sensitive individuals dedicated to continuing the teachings and memory of the Sith. These cults included the Naddists, the Disciples of Ragnos, Revanites, and the Krath, all of whom wanted to destroy the Jedi and have the Sith rise to ultimate power over the entire galaxy.

The Infinite Empire, established by the Rakata of Lehon, stands as the earliest documented galactic governing body. The Rakata achieved interstellar travel across the galaxy following their groundbreaking hyperdrive invention, harnessing the Force's inherent power. Venturing into the cosmos, they encountered numerous less advanced species, perceiving this as an opportunity for dominance instead of fostering galactic cooperation. The Rakata subjugated countless planets, enslaving their indigenous populations, including the Duros, Kumumgah, Selkath, Wookiees, and Humans. Their influence and reach seemed boundless, with their temples scattered across planets like Honoghr, extending even into the era of the Clone Wars. They imparted knowledge to the Sith King Adas for creating holocrons and attempted to seize control of the planet Korriban, challenging his authority. Despite being driven off-world, the ensuing conflict led to Adas's demise, a figure previously deemed invincible. Furthermore, the Rakata significantly impacted the galaxy's natural history, causing the proliferation of Wroshyr Trees and other extensive flora on Kashyyyk, as well as the emergence of the Tusken Raiders and Jawas on Tatooine. Their violent response to the Kumumgah rebellion triggered species divergence and the transformation of Tatooine into a desert wasteland.

At the height of their power, the Rakata engineered the Star Forge, a colossal space station-factory fueled by the dark side, churning out vast fleets of warships and war droids. However, the Star Forge's influence corrupted its creators, leading to the Empire's fragmentation amid widespread slave uprisings and a plague selectively targeting the Rakata. Eventually, the plague diminished their Force sensitivity, causing the Infinite Empire to collapse. Retreating to their homeworld, they left behind their relics throughout the galaxy, awaiting discovery by a future conqueror.

The Prophets of the Dark Side served as both leaders and clergy within the Dark Force religion, a movement established by the renegade Sith Lord Darth Millennial on Dromund Kaas. Stationed at the Dark Force Temple on Dromund Kaas, the Prophets delved deeply into the dark side of the Force, seeking to foresee future occurrences. Palpatine discovered the group prior to the Clone Wars and brought them under his control, integrating them into his future Empire. The Sith Lord appointed Kadann as Supreme Prophet, designating his new adherents as the Emperor's Mages. Following the Galactic Empire's ascent, the group gained significant influence, acting as close advisors to Palpatine.

However, the Prophets experienced internal divisions due to their proximity to Palpatine, with some maintaining loyalty to him and the Empire while others aligned with Kadann on Bosthirda. This schism arose after Palpatine dismissed Kadann's visions of the Battle of Endor, leading the Emperor, along with Imperial Intelligence and several dissenting Prophets, to establish the Church of the Dark Side as a propaganda religion in direct opposition. After Palpatine's death at Endor, Lumiya, a former Emperor's Hand, assumed the mantle of Dark Lady of the Sith. In collaboration with her apprentice, Carnor Jax, she sought to eliminate the remaining Prophets, dispatching Azrakel to massacre them on Bosthirda.

The Bando Gora were a cult of dark-side devotees who spread terror throughout the Outer Rim Territories around the time of the Battle of Naboo. They eventually launched an assault on the planet Baltizaar, nearing victory when the Republic requested assistance from the Jedi. A task force promptly arrived on the planet, but the Jedi mission ultimately failed.

During the conflict, two Jedi were killed, and the Bando Gora managed to capture three Jedi as prisoners of war. Among the hostages was Komari Vosa, the Padawan of Jedi Master Dooku, who had recently been denied knighthood. Already leaning towards the dark side after her rejection, Vosa succumbed to it during her torture in captivity. She managed to free herself, killing her captors and fellow Jedi captives, and seized control of the Bando Gora. Establishing her headquarters on the graveyard moon of Kohlma, Vosa initiated a plan for galactic domination. She intended to use death sticks, one of the galaxy's most popular narcotics, to brainwash beings into devotion to the cult. Unfortunately for Vosa, the Bando Gora attracted the attention of Darth Sidious, who viewed the cult as a threat to his plan for galactic domination. His apprentice, Darth Tyranus, the new identity of Vosa's former master, placed a bounty on her head. The bounty hunter Jango Fett successfully defeated Vosa and destroyed the Bando Gora, thus proving himself worthy to be the Prime clone of the Grand Army of the Republic.

The Witches of Dathomir were Force-sensitive women who organized themselves into clans on the planet Dathomir. Although there were various clans with differing rules and laws, all of them prohibited the use of the dark side. Those who embraced the dark side of the Force were banished from their clans, exiled into the wilds of Dathomir. During the decline of the Old Republic, two exiles, Gethzerion and Baritha, began to gather other outcasts to form a new clan of Witches dedicated to the dark side. This new clan would become known as the Nightsisters, a feared group of female warriors and sorceresses.

Nightsisters were rare in the galaxy, as it was unlikely for any to secure passage off Dathomir; however, it was not unheard of. Mighella served Black Sun Vigo Alexi Garyn as a bodyguard, Charal managed to reach Endor, and several sisters allied themselves with the CIS during the Clone Wars. During the Empire's reign, Gethzerion allied herself with Palpatine, hoping to gain transport off Dathomir. Palpatine, fearing her power, refused to allow her or any other Nightsisters to escape the planet, and thus began imprisoning the witches and quarantining the planet. Although many escaped their prisons, none were able to leave the planet due to the blockade. Gethzerion later attempted to broker a deal with Imperial Warlord Zsinj, but he betrayed her, leading to the clan's destruction.

However, this was not the end of the Nightsisters, as Tamith Kai would recreate the group around 23 ABY. Many of these Sisters joined the Shadow Academy, while one became a Sith.

The Sorcerers of Tund were a group of Force-sensitive individuals on the planet Tund who descended from Sith mages banished there. The mages believed that all sentient beings were Force-sensitive, as the only other species they had encountered were the Rakata of the Infinite Empire. The Sorcerers rarely left Tund and were recognized by their all-concealing attire. They referred to the Force as the "Unity," and despite having contact with the Jedi, they refused to join their order. Their explorations of the Force were known to drive them to madness, but their mastery of Force "magic" was undeniable, as demonstrated by their ability to create intricate illusions and shapeshift.

Eventually, the sorcerers came under the leadership of Karnak Tetsu, who unleashed a reign of terror following the Great Sith War. After this, the Jedi took it upon themselves to ensure that the sorcerers did not succumb to darkness, but they were forced to abandon their watch during the Republic's decline. Rokur Gepta managed to join the group, learn their secrets, and then destroy them, becoming the last of the Sorcerers.

In the second and third drafts of the script for A New Hope, the dark side of the Force was called Bogan. The New Essential Chronology established it as a canon name for the dark side used by the early Jedi in the Expanded Universe. It was also mentioned in Darth Bane: Rule of Two that the early Jedi referred to the dark side as "Boga."

With the release of Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi 0, it is now known that the name Bogan originated in-universe with the Tythans, who named one of the two moons orbiting Tython "Bogan".

Proponents of the Unifying Force theory argue that neither a dark side nor a light side exists within the Force.

The Dark. (From the audio adaptation of the Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith novel)