An ancient Sith Lord, known as Darth Tanis, was the mastermind behind the superweapon housed within the Sith Temple on the planet of Malachor. The Sith Eternal later honored Tanis by naming their 17th Legion after the Darth.
The superweapon located in the Sith Temple on the planet Malachor was constructed by the ancient Sith Lord Darth Tanis. Sith records dating back to 3966 BBY mention the kyber weaponry developed by Darth Tanis on Malachor. This Malachor superweapon, a lethal device, was centrally located within the Malachor Sith Temple, a battle station and battleground with the Jedi that ultimately resulted in the Great Scourge of Malachor, where all combatants were destroyed when the superweapon was activated, including a Sith witch from the Sith Empire.
A Sith holocron located on Malachor was required to activate Tanis' weapon. This holocron became the target of former Sith Maul, the Eighth Brother of the Inquisitorius, and the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Vader during the Imperial Era. The Sith holocron contained the Presence, a female entity that briefly tempted Jedi apprentice Ezra Bridger to embrace the dark side of the Force, before Jedi Knight Kanan Jarrus intervened and entrusted the holocron to Bendu.
Bridger and Jarrus later reclaimed the Sith artifact, with the former seeking a holocron fusion with Maul, both hoping to gain Force visions for their personal goals. The connection was disrupted during the event, leading to the holocron's destruction.
The Sith Eternal's army, under Darth Sidious, included the 17th Legion, named Tanis. Like other legions, its name honored an ancient Sith Lord, a detail known only to the Sith Eternal loyalists.
The reference book Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: The Visual Dictionary, published in 2019, first mentioned Darth Tanis. The book identifies Tanis as the creator of the ancient Malachor superweapon. The superweapon was initially featured in "Twilight of the Apprentice," the finale of season two of Star Wars Rebels, which was broadcast in 2016. "Twilight of the Apprentice" also introduced the Presence, the spirit of an ancient Sith Lady residing within a Sith holocron.
Dave Filoni, executive producer of Star Wars Rebels, shared insights into his vision of the Presence's backstory in a 2016 interview with IGN. He envisioned the Presence's voice as that of the ancient Sith Lord responsible for constructing the Malachor temple. Filoni expressed his fondness for the concept of an ancient and powerful woman, possessing a level of dominance previously unknown to the audience, who was in the process of creating the weapon when the Jedi Order launched an attack, resulting in everyone being turned to stone. Filoni added that he had a name for this character but was unable to reveal it at the time.
The 2018 Star Wars Roleplaying sourcebook Dawn of Rebellion further elaborated that a "Sith witch" commanded Sith forces during the Great Scourge of Malachor, leading to the petrification of all combatants. However, no official source has confirmed a direct connection between Darth Tanis, the Presence, and the Sith witch.
- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: The Visual Dictionary (First mentioned)
- The Star Wars Book
- " The Final Order and the Battle of Exegol " — Star Wars Encyclopedia