Sith

The Sith placed a strong emphasis on fundamental emotions such as rage and suffering, as they believed these emotions were the source of power from the dark side of the Force. The Code of the Sith stood in stark contrast to the Jedi Code, yet, like its counterpart, it dictated the actions and beliefs of the Sith. The Sith code placed great importance on passion and the rejection of tranquility.

The Sith often wore clothing designed to conceal their identities when operating in secret. Their use of the term "dark side" reflected their penchant for secrecy. The Sith held the belief that maintaining secrecy regarding their identities and knowledge made it easier to impose order. As Lona Aphra aptly put it, they preferred to remain "hidden—in the dark." The hex charm served as a traditional symbol of the Sith. Jedi Master Zallah Macri contended that, in theory, the Sith Order's ideals might have appeared "good" to a Jedi, but a closer examination of their actions and the finer details revealed their true nature. Indeed, many individuals who joined the Sith or affiliated dark side groups initially attempted to rationalize their actions before succumbing entirely to the dark side's influence.

The Doctrine of the Dyad originated from the concept of a Force dyad. A dyad represented a potent Force-bond that connected two Force-sensitives. This bond transcended their physical forms, uniting them into a single presence within the Force. Individuals within a dyad possessed unique abilities that were exclusive to their bond, making them unattainable to those without a dyadic connection, regardless of their personal strength or experience with the Force. Throughout the ages, the Sith relentlessly sought to create a dyad through sheer willpower, believing it held the key to unlocking the ultimate power of the dark side. The Sith Lord Darth Sidious viewed the dyad as a source of boundless power.

The Doctrine of the Dyad was inscribed on the walls of the Sith Citadel on Exegol long before Sidious's time, serving as a reminder to the Sith of the dyad's significance to their Order. The Doctrine of the Dyad also influenced the Sith Eternal, a cult of Sith devotees who predicted the dyad's return. Similar to the Sith Order, the Sith Eternal believed that the dyad was essential for realizing the dark side's full potential.

Even prior to the establishment of the Rule of Two, which stipulated that only two Sith—a Sith Master and a Sith apprentice—could exist concurrently, the Sith of old often found themselves governed by two specific Sith who would oversee their numerous brethren. However, the Rule of Two officially limited the Sith Order's numbers in response to the internal conflicts that had plagued it. Nevertheless, the rule ensured that the relationship between a Sith Master and their apprentice was not based on trust. In fact, both the master and the apprentice were constantly vigilant for any sign of weakness in the other, as a weak master deserved to be overthrown by their pupil, just as a weak pupil deserved to be replaced by a more worthy and powerful recruit. The Sith embraced this philosophy as a means of eliminating weakness and becoming stronger over time, as only an apprentice who had surpassed all previous Sith could rightfully take their master's place through honorable combat.

The Sith were permitted to train dark side agents known as Sith acolytes, provided that those acolytes were not trained as true Sith Lords. However, it was entirely possible for a Sith apprentice to violate the Rule of Two by training an acolyte as a genuine apprentice with the intention of enlisting their aid in overthrowing the Sith Master. The concept of the dyad influenced the philosophy of the Rule of Two, emphasizing the power of two Force-sensitives working in unison to enhance their collective power as an Order. As the successor to the Doctrine of the Dyad, the Rule of Two was regarded as a "pale imitation" of its predecessor by Darth Sidious.

The Sith, formed around 5000 BBY, were the ancient adversaries of the Jedi Order, sharing their name with a red-skinned species. Founded by a rogue Jedi during the Hundred-Year Darkness, the Sith sought greater knowledge and power through the study of the dark side of the Force. Eventually, this Jedi managed to assemble a Jedi splinter group with a significant following, all of whom embraced this new philosophy that embraced the dark side. This schism within the Jedi Order led to a civil war in which the Jedi and the newly established Sith Order, once allies in the Force, battled each other for supremacy. The war concluded with the Sith's defeat, forcing them to flee from known space. Unbeknownst to the Jedi, however, the Sith established a settlement on Korriban, a world of red sands later known as Moraband, where they secretly rebuilt and awaited another opportunity to strike.

As the Sith Order expanded, they constructed colossal temples and tombs on Korriban in a region known as the Valley of the Dark Lords. The Sith established empires by exploiting their slaves and waged wars against the Jedi for control of the galaxy. During these conflicts, they constructed massive superweapons powered by enormous kyber crystals. Eventually, a trade route in the Outer Rim became known as the Cloak of the Sith, a name reminiscent of the dark cloaks often worn by Sith Lords.

It is believed that the lightfoil was created by the early Sith. The Sith also forged an alliance with the Nightsisters of Dathomir at some point, but this "old alliance" eventually dissolved. Ultimately, the Nightsisters decided to remain loyal only to each other. Around 2500 BBY, the Sith allied with the Drengir, and they collaborated for a time until they betrayed the living plants around the same year. The Sith left the Drengir imprisoned on the Amaxine space station using the binding statues.

Exim Panshard was a Sith viceroy who governed a forgotten planet with a reign of terror, culminating in the creation of a mask that, fueled by the deaths of countless civilians, allowed him to cling to life.

Approximately five thousand years before the rise of the Galactic Empire, the Sith waged a war against the Jedi and the Old Republic. This occurred after many years of exile on the planet Moraband following the Hundred-Year Darkness. During this war, the Sith attacked the Republic capital, Coruscant. This enabled the Sith to construct a shrine on the planet, which became a place of immense dark side power. Eventually, the Jedi managed to drive the Sith away from Coruscant. The Jedi then erected their own temple over the Coruscant shrine in an attempt to contain and neutralize its power.

Around this time, the Jedi and Sith engaged in various battles and wars, including the Great Hyperspace War and the Great Sith Wars. The Massassi, a slave race controlled by the Sith, constructed the Great Temple on Yavin 4, allegedly under the direction of the Sith Lord Naga Sadow.

The Sith continued to expand their empire, erecting temples on multiple planets. One such temple was built on the world Malachor. Within this temple was a superweapon powered by a colossal kyber crystal. The Jedi eventually discovered the weapon and launched an assault on the temple. A fierce battle ensued between the Sith Empire and the invading Jedi Knights. During the battle, the temple was activated, petrifying all life on the planet. As a result, the planet was forbidden to the Jedi and became a legend for millennia to come.

The Sith resurged in a particularly desperate conflict, which likely prompted the Jedi Order to adopt Form VII "Juyo." However, this aggressive lightsaber combat form led to the fall of several Jedi to the dark side. Following the conflict, the Jedi prohibited its study.

The Sith Lord Darth Momin, after assassinating his Master Darth Shaa, sought greater knowledge of the dark side. He concluded that his sole audience was the Force and yearned to be worthy of it. He constructed a superweapon using resources inherited from Shaa and the assistance of acolytes eager to aid him. Darth Momin's superweapon possessed the power to incinerate an entire city, but his true intention was different. He sought to channel the Force into the weapon's engine and freeze the terrified expressions of the people in time forever, creating an artwork depicting fear and pain dedicated to the dark side of the Force. When he attempted this, the Jedi intervened, and Momin's body was destroyed, but his mind remained within his mask, where he awaited his revival for ages.

In the meantime, however, the Sith suppressed knowledge of Momin and his ideas, believing him to be a heretic. The Sith refused to include information about Momin in their holocrons. The Jedi, too, omitted any mention of the Sith Lord in their holocrons and locked his mask away. Nonetheless, the Sith at some point utilized Momin's Fermata Cage to imprison a droid intelligence. The Fermata Cage was then concealed within a dark side hellscape known to Momin.

Once upon a time, the Sith established a tyrannical dominion over the galaxy. During this Sith era, a sect called the Ascendant thrived, endeavoring to replicate Force abilities through technological means. The Sith, however, considered the Ascendant heretical enemies, relentlessly hunted by their Darkseekers. Despite Miril, the Ascendant's leader, once eluding a Darkseeker team in the Floating Catacombs, the Sith eventually discovered the Ascendant's main temple on Bar'leth and launched an assault while the Ascendant was finalizing the Spark Eternal. As her fellow cult members fell, Miril sacrificed herself to conceal the Spark, preventing its capture by the Sith.

In a particular engagement, the Jedi and Sith clashed on the world of Takodana. Later, the pirate Maz Kanata erected her castle atop this fabled battlefield. The Jedi Master Tal Bota, a celebrated Jedi, frequently battled the Sith. His exploits inspired numerous holostories, one depicting him fighting a multitude of Sith warriors simultaneously.

The renowned Sith Darth Wrend engaged in combat against the Jedi. Presumed dead, Wrend resurfaced to continue his fight. At some point, the Jedi Radaki succumbed to the dark side, transforming into the Sith Darth Krall and emerging victorious in the Battle of Wasted Years. He also subdued the Nightmare Conjunction and wielded a lightsaber with a golden hilt.

During the period known as the Dark Age, the Jedi-Sith War erupted. Early in this conflict, the Sith assailed Coruscant, the Old Republic's capital. They successfully seized control of the planet and the Jedi Temple. The Liberation of Coruscant marked one of the final battles of the Jedi-Sith War, resulting in the Sith's expulsion from Coruscant.

Though the Sith once numbered in the thousands, they were ultimately vanquished on Ruusan, located in the Mid Rim Territories. Despite the Sith armada having greater numbers than the much smaller Ghostfinder fleet, they were defeated. The Sith's pursuit of power led to their downfall, as the dark side caused them to turn on each other. Within a year, the Jedi triumphed over the warring Sith, bringing the remnants of the dark order to its knees. However, Darth Bane, a lone Sith, survived. With his fellow Sith Lords destroyed, he restructured the order by establishing the Rule of Two, stipulating that only two Sith, a master and an apprentice, could exist at any one time to avoid infighting. To perpetuate Bane's philosophy, the apprentice was required to kill their master and take on their own apprentice, or the master could train a new apprentice to kill and replace the current one. Bane also initiated a revenge scheme against the Jedi known as the Grand Plan.

After being scarred by numerous wars, the Sith abandoned their traditional homeworld of Moraband. Eventually, Darth Bane was killed and interred in the Valley of the Dark Lords on its surface, but the Rule of Two persisted through his apprentice, Darth Zannah. Rumor had it that Zannah eliminated Bane on the Inner Rim planet of Ambria. The Jedi, believing they had destroyed Bane's rule and mistakenly thinking the Sith were extinct, entered a golden age known as the High Republic Era. Numerous Sith worlds, including Rhelg, Jaguada, and Ziost, were quarantined. Some worlds were so thoroughly cleansed of their Sith history that even the locals were unaware of their past. The Lerct Historical Institute forbade research into the Sith, deeming it arcane and occult, unsuitable for their work.

For a millennium, the Sith remained hidden, their survival unknown to the Jedi, continuing their revenge against the Jedi through Bane's Grand Plan. The Order managed to survive, with Sith teachings passed down through Bane's Rule of Two. During the High Republic Era, the Nameless emerged as a significant threat to Force-sensitive individuals. Former Jedi Azlin Rell—who fell to the dark side out of fear and lost his mind—decided to eradicate the entire species, believing it would be a gift to all Force-sensitives in the galaxy, including the Sith. While he clarified to the Jedi High Council that he was not their enemy as he was not a Sith, Rell ensured a city on Travyx Prime was destroyed, eliminating a potential lead to the Nameless homeworld, Planet X. He declared to Yoda that his actions were a gift to all Force users, including the Jedi and Sith, but Yoda did not interpret his words as proof of the Sith Order's return.

Near the end of the High Republic Era, a Dark Lord of the Sith named Darth Plagueis was active. Additionally, a human Jedi trained by Jedi Master Vernestra Rwoh turned to the dark side and left the Jedi Order, remaining out of Rwoh's reach. This individual, who claimed to have no name and was thus known as "the Stranger," became a Sith as Plagueis' apprentice.

The Stranger also operated publicly as the merchant Qimir. He concealed his identity and sought to overthrow the Jedi Order's ideals, hoping to wield his power as he wished. He based himself in an island cave on an unknown world, a location also known to Plagueis, where he could operate without the Jedi's knowledge.

Eventually, the Stranger sought a disciple to train, despite the Rule of Two, deciding to train a Sith acolyte, a position theoretically outside the rule. He discovered Mae-ho Aniseya, a human woman who had been part of a witch coven with her twin sister Verosha Aniseya until an incident involving the Jedi Order in 148 BBY. Keeping his Sith identity secret, Mae pledged herself to and began training with the individual she knew only as "the Master," seeking revenge on the four Jedi involved in the Brendok mission, including Jedi Master Sol, who had mistakenly killed her mother Aniseya and covered up his actions. Mae sought to please "the Master" but also feared him. Under his public persona, "Qimir" worked with Mae as a trader of rare goods and a fellow servant of the Master, with Mae unaware that he was her mentor. The Master, in the words of his Qimir persona, also "collected" people, which was "Qimir's" cover story.

Under the Master's guidance, Mae served as a Sith assassin and acolyte. He eventually demanded she kill a Jedi without a weapon as her final test. As he wished, Mae embarked on a quest to kill the four Jedi involved in her past, Masters Sol, Torbin, Indara, and Kelnacca, in 132 BBY. After Indara's death at her own hand with a knife and Torbin's suicide when confronted by Mae, Mae learned that her sister was alive, convincing her to abandon her life as the Master's servant during her mission to slay Kelnacca. Unbeknownst to Mae, the Master himself had arrived—as he was Qimir, whom she betrayed and left "trapped" in the woods—and killed Kelnacca. He then engaged a group of Jedi under Sol who had traveled to Kelnacca's shelter, killing all but Sol in the battle. The incident also saw the Stranger's mask removed, revealing to Mae that Qimir and her dark master were the same person. The Stranger further revealed himself as a Sith to Sol.

After Qimir's double identity was revealed and the Sith was swarmed by umbramoths, Mae knocked out her sister and switched places with her, returning to the Jedi transport with Sol. Meanwhile, the Stranger reclaimed his mask and cloak before finding the unconscious Osha, whom he took back to his base on the unknown world. Waking up in the Stranger's custody, Osha followed him as he went for a swim and claimed his lightsaber, unaware that he knew of her actions. Noticing her belief that killing an unarmed foe was dishonorable, the Stranger convinced her to let him live and revealed details of his past, attempting to tempt her into doubting the Jedi's ideals and embracing his own. All the while, Sol discovered that Mae had switched places with her sister and subdued her, leaving Khofar's orbit and promising to save Osha from Mae's master once they had a chance to talk.

As Sol departed, a Jedi investigation team under Master Vernestra Rwoh arrived on Khofar, discovering the aftermath of the battle with the Stranger. Unaware of who committed the massacre, Padawan Mog Adana suggested that Sol had fallen to the dark side. With all parties converging on Brendok once Sol returned to the world where his troubles began, as Sol activated his tracking beacon for the Jedi to follow him and Osha experienced a Force vision of his death on the planet, Sol and the Stranger began a final duel, after which Mae rejected anger and instead wanted Sol brought to justice for killing her mother and lying about it. However, the revelation that her master had killed her mother broke Osha, who Force-choked the Jedi Master—killing a Jedi without a weapon—and bled his lightsaber. Osha accepted the position as the Stranger's acolyte, while Mae allowed her memory of her sister to be wiped so she could be handed over to the Jedi. As the Jedi party under Rwoh arrived too late to catch the Stranger, Rwoh blamed the murders of Kelnecca, Indara, and Torbin on Sol. Having sensed her former disciple's presence, she met with Mae and requested her aid in finding the Stranger.

In 82 BBY, the Jedi Padawan Dooku, after encountering the Presagers of Hakotei cult, heard the voice of the Sith Lord Darth Skrye in a Force vision. Within the vision of a possible future, Skrye stated that the Sith were reborn and that the Cauldron was opening alongside the sound of a planet being torn in two and an explosion.

Ultimately, Darth Sidious, the Sith apprentice, betrayed his master Darth Plagueis by killing him in his sleep, thereby claiming the status of master as he furthered a plan to destroy the Jedi. Thus, generations after the Sith's fall, Sidious moved to deliver a fatal blow against the Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic. Orchestrating his public persona's rise to the Republic's Chancellorship and the creation of an army to purge the Jedi, Darth Sidious brought about the return of Sith rule over the galaxy, establishing the New Order with himself as Emperor.

The Sith were a distant memory until the final years of the Galactic Republic, when Darth Sidious and his apprentice, Darth Maul, revealed themselves to the Jedi. Although Maul desired to avenge his ancient Sith ancestors, he acknowledged that the Jedi Order was too powerful for the Sith to challenge directly, mainly due to the Jedi's superior numbers and the Galactic Republic's support for the Order. Sidious assured his apprentice that they would gradually undermine the Order's strength through careful planning.

Sidious operated in plain sight as the unassuming Senator Sheev Palpatine of Naboo. His dual identity allowed him to infiltrate and deceive the Galactic Senate and the inner circle of the Monarch of Naboo, Queen Padmé Amidala, whom he served as a close advisor. Sidious orchestrated the Invasion of Naboo by the Trade Federation as part of his plan to gain more political power at the expense of his people and homeworld. This allowed the Dark Lord to vie for the galaxy's highest office in his civilian persona and plant the seeds of the Sith's revenge.

During the Battle of Naboo, Maul killed Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn but was defeated and left for dead by Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi. Despite Maul's loss, Sidious discovered a potential apprentice in Anakin Skywalker, a child exceptionally strong with the Force. However, Skywalker had been discovered and recruited by the Jedi Order. Nevertheless, Sidious vowed to monitor Skywalker's career, intending to turn the Jedi Order's prophesied Chosen One to the dark side of the Force. Additionally, Sidious succeeded in his efforts as Palpatine to be elected as Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic.

After Maul's apparent death on Naboo, Darth Sidious approached the fallen Jedi Master Dooku, who had become the Count of Serenno, and offered him the opportunity to destroy the Jedi Order and reshape the Republic by becoming his new apprentice. Dooku accepted and was named Darth Tyranus, desiring both power and the elimination of the corruption plaguing the Republic. Tyranus also trained the fallen Dathomirian Jedi Asajj Ventress as his assassin and potential Sith apprentice while still apprenticed to Sidious.

For nearly a decade after accepting Sidious's offer, Tyranus helped his new master lay the groundwork for the Clone Wars. Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas secretly commissioned the creation of an army of clone troopers, having foreseen a future conflict through the Force. The Sith took control of Sifo-Dyas' project after arranging his assassination by the Pyke Syndicate. Tyranus personally recruited the bounty hunter Jango Fett to be the clone template for the Grand Army of the Republic, which the Sith intended for the Jedi to lead. An essential part of the Sith's plan was the behavioral modification biochip; every clone trooper was engineered with a biochip in their brain, ensuring their compliance with Order 66 when the time came to destroy the Jedi.

Darth Tyranus, as Dooku, dramatically reentered the public eye, commandeering a Galactic Republic Holonet station in the Raxus system and delivering a passionate speech lambasting the Republic's corruption and shortcomings. He then began to rally rebellious star systems to his cause and secretly allied himself with powerful commercial entities, leading to the formation of the Confederacy of Independent Systems.

War erupted as the Confederacy's droid armies and the newly-formed Grand Army of the Republic fought over the desert landscape of Geonosis after the extent of Tyranus' secret alliance with the Trade Federation, the Techno Union, the InterGalactic Banking Clan, the Corporate Alliance, and the Commerce Guild was revealed. Although the Republic achieved a victory, Tyranus and the rest of the Separatist leadership escaped the planet.

In preparation for the upcoming galactic conflict and its aftermath, Tyranus traveled to Coruscant's industrial district, the Works, after the First Battle of Geonosis, where he met with Sidious and delivered the "good news" of the war's beginning, as well as presenting him with the plans for the DS-1 Death Star Mobile Battle Station.

Following the battle on Geonosis, the Jedi transitioned from peacekeepers to generals and commanders, ranks previously denied due to the Jedi Code. During the war, Dooku was briefly captured by the Ohnaka Gang. With most civilians in the galaxy unaware of what a "Sith" was, pirate leader Hondo Ohnaka believed Dooku was simply a rogue Jedi who had broken away from the Republic. Upon hearing Dooku declare himself a Sith Lord, Ohnaka remained unconcerned, focusing on the large bounty he would receive by ransoming the Separatist leader to the Republic. However, Dooku ultimately escaped when Ohnaka was distracted by Kenobi and Skywalker, who were also captured for ransom. Dooku decided not to tell his master the details of the incident, considering it an embarrassment.

During her assignments for the Sith, Ventress frequently battled Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Ahsoka Tano in lightsaber duels. Despite her loyalty, her Master ultimately betrayed her under Darth Sidious' orders. Soon after, Dooku journeyed to Dathomir to confer with the Nightsisters, hoping to find a replacement apprentice. Ultimately, Dooku and the Nightsisters settled on a young Zabrak named Savage Opress, the brother of Darth Maul, who had long been presumed dead. However, Asajj Ventress, seeking retribution for Dooku's treachery, manipulated Opress to achieve her objectives. Caught between two demanding masters, Opress eventually rebelled against both Dooku and Ventress.

Opress, upon returning to the Nightsisters, discovered that his brother, Maul, had not perished as previously thought. Maul had survived his injuries on Naboo due to his intense reliance on the dark side and was residing in the junkyards of Lotho Minor. However, the traumatic events had driven Maul to madness. He only remembered a single word: "Kenobi." Guided by an Anacondan named Morley, Opress managed to bring Maul back to the Nightsisters for healing. After being fully restored by the Nightsisters' magic and receiving new robotic legs, Maul initiated a quest to find Obi-Wan Kenobi, the man who had nearly ended his life.

Maul's vengeful plot culminated in his control over Mandalore and the demise of Satine Kryze. However, Darth Sidious, sensing the actions of his former apprentice and his potential as a rival, traveled to Mandalore to bring an end to it. He eliminated Opress and imprisoned Maul in an ancient mountaintop prison called the Spire, as part of an intricate Sith strategy to resolve a long-standing and deadly conflict with the Nightsisters.

Later in the war, Yoda visited Moraband, the Sith's original homeworld. The Jedi Master encountered an illusionary apparition of Darth Bane, an ancient Sith Lord buried on the desolate planet, and engaged Sidious in a spiritual battle resulting from an ancient, arcane Sith ritual. Through this ordeal, Yoda gained a new understanding of the Force that the Sith had not anticipated.

After the Clone Wars had raged for three years, Darth Sidious's elaborate plan was nearing completion. He sacrificed Count Dooku, betraying him to a violent death at the hands of Anakin Skywalker, in order to manipulate the young Jedi. As Palpatine, he shared with Anakin a Sith legend concerning Darth Plagueis the Wise. Plagueis, through the dark side, had acquired the ability to prevent death, only to be killed in his sleep by his own apprentice. This tale captivated Anakin, who desperately sought to learn this power to save his wife, Padmé Amidala.

Eventually, Palpatine revealed his true identity as Sidious and converted Anakin to the dark side. Jedi Master Mace Windu attempted to arrest the Dark Lord, but was killed after Anakin betrayed Mace and the Jedi Order. Following this, Anakin pledged his allegiance to his new Sith Master, Sidious, and became Darth Vader.

With Windu's failed attempt to arrest him and a new Sith apprentice at his side, Sidious recognized this as the ideal moment to destroy the Jedi Order. He commanded Vader to lead the 501st Legion's attack on the Jedi Temple, and then proceed to the Mustafar system to eliminate the Separatist Council. While Vader was attacking the temple, Sidious initiated Order 66, which activated the clones' biochips, brainwashing them into murdering the Jedi. Thousands of Jedi across the galaxy were betrayed and killed by their clone troopers. Before Vader's arrival on Mustafar to execute the Separatist Council, Sidious deceived the council into believing that Vader would protect them. After Vader slaughtered the Separatists, Vader followed Sidious's third order by deactivating the droid army, effectively ending the Clone Wars. In the political sphere, he used the powers granted to him as a result of the Clone Wars to reorganize the Republic, transforming the Galactic Republic into the Galactic Empire to restore the Sith Empire and declaring himself Emperor. Once again, the Sith controlled the galaxy, unbeknownst to nearly all but the few surviving Jedi.

After the Republic's restructuring and the Great Jedi Purge, Darth Sidious and Vader jointly ruled the First Galactic Empire for over two decades, until the Battle of Endor. The two Sith Lords established a group of Dark Side users known as the Inquisitorius. The Inquisitors' mission was to hunt down survivors of the Jedi Purge and prevent Force-sensitive children from becoming Jedi. The leading Inquisitor was a Pau'an Grand Inquisitor, who had previously been a Jedi Sentinel and Knight. Vader trained the Inquisitors, who wielded double-bladed spinning lightsabers.

During the Imperial Era, Vader undertook a mission to Mustafar. Accompanying him were the Chief Imperial Architect Colonel Alva Brenne, her assistant Lieutenant Roggo, and the mask once belonging to Momin. Sidious had assured Vader that Momin's mask would guide him during his studies there. While on the planet, Vader meditated in the Sith cave. It was then that Momin's mask possessed Roggo, and Momin used his body to design a structure. When Brenne discovered this, she was shot dead, alerting Vader to the situation. Vader killed Roggo and removed the mask from his body.

Vader took the mask to the cave and used the Force to reach into it. Momin revealed himself to Vader and recounted his story before attempting to possess him as well. Vader resisted but eventually allowed the mask to control a Mustafarian, providing Momin with a body once more. The two discussed the structure Momin had designed, and Momin claimed it could tune the dark side energies on Mustafar, opening a gateway to resurrect Padmé Amidala. Vader subsequently agreed to let Momin build Fortress Vader.

In reality, Momin intended to use the energies to resurrect his own body. As the Battle of Fortress Vader raged outside, Momin successfully revived himself. During his duel with Vader, Momin insulted the current state of the Sith as "Jedi-obsessed weaklings," stating that it saddened him and that it disgusted the dark side itself. Vader ultimately prevailed over the ancient Sith and killed Momin again. Nevertheless, his mask survived and was returned to Sidious by Vader, who had tried and failed to use the portal to resurrect Amidala. Because of its failure, he destroyed the gateway. Regardless, the incident had resulted in Vader fully committing himself to the dark side.

Five years after the Clone Wars' conclusion, the Free Ryloth Movement, led by Cham Syndulla, launched a large-scale operation to assassinate the Emperor and Vader. Cham sought to eliminate the two Sith Lords to bring about the Empire's downfall. However, Sidious had foreseen Cham's plan, and the two Sith evaded Cham's assassination attempts. This operation dealt a significant blow to the Free Ryloth rebels, forcing them further underground, and led to the exposure of Colonel Belkor Dray as a traitor. Despite Sidious's hopes, he failed to extinguish the sparks of the growing rebellion.

Among those who opposed Palpatine's rule was Luthen Rael, who maintained the facade of an innocent artifact collector and dealer while secretly establishing a rebel network. Rael's collection included a Sith holocron, kept in the back of his Galactic Antiquities and Objects of Interest store, and several pieces of Sith armor. After the Lothal insurgency began about four years before the Battle of Yavin, Sidious dispatched Vader to hunt down the Spectres, who were part of the growing rebellion. Vader lured the Spectres into a trap on Lothal to locate the Phoenix Cell. Vader led an attack on the Phoenix fleet, destroying the rebel flagship Phoenix Home, but failed to crush the rebellion. During the battle, Vader discovered that his former apprentice Ahsoka Tano was still alive. Under Sidious's orders, he sent more Inquisitors to hunt down the Jedi Purge survivor Kanan Jarrus and his apprentice Ezra Bridger.

A year later, Vader visited the Lothal Jedi Temple, where the Fifth Brother and the Seventh Sister had tried to capture Bridger, Jarrus, and Tano. Vader remarked that the Emperor would be pleased with their discovery. When the Fifth Brother noted the growing power of the Jedi, Vader replied that it would be their downfall. The Sith Lords later became interested in the Sith temple on Malachor, rumored to house a weapon capable of destroying all life. Vader sent another Inquisitor, the Eighth Brother, to hunt down a "shadow" and retrieve a Sith holocron.

Bridger, Jarrus, and Tano encountered Maul, a former Sith apprentice—the "shadow" that Vader had sent the Eighth Brother to hunt—in the Malachor Sith Temple. Maul had been stranded on Malachor for several years and had discovered a secret within the Sith temple that could destroy the Sith. However, he lacked the strength to do it alone. Maul befriended Ezra, and the two Force-wielders succeeded in obtaining the Sith holocron. Maul later helped the Jedi fend off several Inquisitors. Despite Jarrus and Tano's distrust, Maul convinced them to help him by hinting at the opportunity to destroy the Sith once and for all.

Maul persuaded Ezra to place the Sith holocron in the obelisk at the top of the temple complex. He then helped Jarrus and Tano kill the Inquisitors before betraying them. Eventually, Maul blinded Jarrus. Despite this, the Jedi Knight defeated Maul in combat and pushed him off the edge of the temple. Meanwhile, Ezra discovered that the Sith holocron was the key to reactivating the Sith temple, a powerful superweapon capable of destroying life. Shortly thereafter, Darth Vader arrived to claim the temple's power for the Sith. Darth Vader fought with Ahsoka while Jarrus and Bridger removed the holocron, triggering the temple's implosion. Bridger and Jarrus escaped the temple, but Vader and Tano were trapped inside as the Temple began to collapse. Vader and Tano survived and separated.

Later, Bridger fell under the influence of the Sith Holocron, which was inhabited by an entity called Presence. Under the holocron's guidance, Ezra learned more aggressive combat techniques, including forcing an AT-DP walker driver to attack his comrades and drive his machine off a bridge. Bridger's use of the Sith Holocron strained his relationship with his master Jarrus, who confiscated it. Jarrus later met a powerful Force-wielder called the Bendu, who represented a middle ground between the light and dark sides. He advised Jarrus that an object could be used for both good and evil and that only the person had the power to change it. Jarrus left the Sith holocron in the Bendu's care.

Maul, who was revealed to have survived the events on Malachor, later captured Jarrus and Bridger's rebel friends and used them as hostages to force the two Jedi to bring him the Sith holocron and Kanan's Jedi holocron. Jarrus and Bridger recovered the Sith holocron from the Bendu, who warned them that Maul planned to combine the power of the holocrons to gain clarity of vision. After meeting with Maul, Bridger and the former Sith combined the two holocrons. Bridger sought to find a way to destroy the Sith, while Maul was looking for hope. The holocrons projected a vision of twin suns, an old enemy of Maul, and offered to show Bridger the "key" to destroying the Sith. However, Jarrus convinced his apprentice to look away, and the two holocrons separated. Maul seized the opportunity to escape into space.

Using fragments of Bridger's memories, Maul tracked the rebels to their base on Atollon. Employing the dark side of the Force, Maul appeared in Bridger's visions. Maul convinced Bridger to follow him to Dathomir by offering to keep Chopper Base a secret. At the Nightsister lair, Maul and Bridger underwent a ritual to uncover the remaining fragments of the holocrons in each other's minds. After drinking a magic potion, Maul learned that Master Kenobi was still living on the planet with twin suns, while Bridger learned that Kenobi held the key to destroying the Sith. The two were then attacked by the spirits of the Nightsisters, who demanded payment in flesh and blood for their services. Jarrus and the Mandalorian weapons expert Sabine Wren arrived to confront Maul but were possessed by the spirits. Bridger and Maul managed to flee outside the lair. When Maul offered Bridger a place as his apprentice, the young Jedi refused to abandon his friends. After exorcising Jarrus and Wren, the three resolved to find the planet with twin suns and reach Kenobi before Maul could kill him.

During the years leading up to the Battle of Yavin, the Empire was challenged by a growing rebellion, which became the Alliance to Restore the Republic. In secret, the Emperor commissioned the construction of the Death Star, a massive superweapon capable of destroying entire worlds. After rebel forces stole the Death Star plans, Vader led a secret mission to Tatooine that resulted in the capture of Princess Leia Organa, the adopted daughter of Bail Organa and one of Anakin Skywalker's children. Shortly afterward, the Emperor dissolved the Imperial Senate and ordered Alderaan's destruction.

Lord Vader and Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin oversaw Alderaan's destruction in Princess Leia's presence. Before they could execute Leia, she was rescued by a group of travelers including Anakin's son Luke Skywalker, the smugglers Han Solo and Chewbacca, the droids C-3PO and R2-D2, and the Jedi Master Kenobi. While the other rebels escaped aboard the Millennium Falcon, Kenobi sacrificed his life to delay Vader. Leia and her rescuers retreated to the rebel base on Yavin 4. The Death Star traveled to Yavin base to destroy the Rebel Alliance once and for all, but this plan was thwarted by a rebel starfighter force. During the Battle of Yavin, Vader sensed the Force was strong in the rebel pilot Skywalker, who fired the missile that destroyed the Death Star; Vader, however, survived the destruction.

Three years after the events on Yavin and following the Battle of Hoth, the Emperor revealed that Luke was one of Anakin Skywalker's offspring, a fact Vader already knew. Vader believed that Luke would be a powerful ally if he could be turned. The Emperor tasked Vader with persuading Luke to join them or destroying him if he refused. During this time, Luke had traveled to Dagobah, where he was being trained by Yoda, a Jedi Master who had once led the Jedi Order. Vader managed to capture Leia, Han, C-3PO, and Chewbacca in Cloud City on Bespin. Sensing the danger his friends were in, Luke abandoned his training and traveled to Cloud City, where Vader awaited him. During their confrontation, Vader severed Luke's right hand and revealed that he was Luke's father. Despite the shock and pain, Luke refused to join Vader, threw himself down a vane, and escaped.

In secret, the Emperor oversaw the construction of a second Death Star above the forest moon of Endor. In an attempt to destroy the rebellion once and for all, the Emperor arranged for information about the second Death Star to be leaked to Bothan spies. Using this information, the Rebel Alliance prepared to attack the second Death Star. Before the Battle of Endor, Vader traveled to the second Death Star to warn Moff Tiaan Jerjerrod to expedite construction. Shortly afterward, Sidious traveled to the battle station to oversee the final construction phases.

Luke confronted Yoda and the Force spirit of Kenobi about Vader's claims on Bespin, and accepted that the Sith Lord was, in fact, his father, Anakin Skywalker, after his mentors confirmed it. Luke accompanied the Rebels to Endor, intending to confront Vader, believing he could help the former Jedi return to the light side. The Emperor, likewise, sought to turn Luke to the dark side to replace Vader as his apprentice. On the second Death Star, Luke confronted Sidious, who wanted to provoke Luke's anger by having the Imperial Navy engage the Rebel fleet, thus endangering his friends' lives.

Luke and Vader clashed in a lightsaber duel, while the Emperor, perched on his throne, watched intently, urging the Jedi apprentice to embrace the dark side. After Vader revealed the existence of his sister and threatened her conversion to the dark side, Luke succumbed to his rage. Witnessing Luke's unleashed power as he triumphed over Vader, Sidious betrayed Vader, commanding Luke to assume Vader's place at his side. Luke, however, resolutely refused. Recognizing Luke's unwavering commitment to the Jedi path, Sidious attempted to end his life by torturing him with Force lightning. Yet, Vader, torn between his allegiance to his master, his former Jedi ties, and his son, ultimately hurled the Emperor into a reactor shaft, resulting in his death and restoring balance to the Force. Fatally wounded by the Emperor's Force lightning, Darth Vader passed away, but his selfless act enabled him to become a Force spirit, "reborn" as his former self, Anakin Skywalker. Consequently, the Sith Order and their oppressive rule ceased to exist, fulfilling the ancient prophecy of their demise.

Although the Sith Order met its end during the Battle of Endor, it represented only one of numerous Force-worshiping religions throughout the galaxy's history. The Sith's enduring legacy as adversaries of the Jedi and, at times, rulers of the galaxy, continued to resonate in the years following their extinction. The void left by the Sith's downfall at Endor attracted those seeking to fill it, such as the Knights of Ren. Therefore, while the ancient prophecy concerning the Sith's destruction materialized, it did not foresee the eradication of darkness, for as long as light existed, shadow would inevitably follow.

In the immediate aftermath of Darth Sidious and Darth Vader's deaths, many individuals and groups remained devoted to their ideology. Yupe Tashu, a former advisor to Sidious, admired the Sith's interrogation techniques, teachings, and cunning. He advocated for the remaining Imperial Military to retreat "beyond the veil of stars," to the Unknown Regions, in pursuit of the dark side's source that Sidious had sensed. The Acolytes of the Beyond, who revered the Sith, gathered Sith artifacts, including what they believed to be Darth Vader's lightsaber, with the intention of destroying them, believing this would return the relics to their deceased owners. The Acolytes eventually disbanded, but one of their members, Kiza, fell under the influence of Viceroy Exim Panshard's mask and the promises made by the dead Sith if she could deliver him to Exegol.

Around 9 ABY, a Force-sensitive human named Rieve participated in the Hunters of the Outer Rim tournament, adopting the stage persona of a Sith Lord. In this role, she wielded a red lightsaber and possessed a customized suit of Sith armor. While their relationship grew in private, they maintained a fierce rivalry on stage with J-3DI, a droid programmed to believe it was a Jedi.

Their rivalry became the subject of the first edition of Arena News, which refreshed fans on the concept of the Sith. After challenging J-3DI to a battle and abruptly ending an interview with Arena announcer Boz Vega, who declared Rieve a Sith Master to the fans, Rieve emerged victorious in the "epic battle" against J-3DI, which Arena News claimed brought glory to the Sith. Arena News included a reference to the Rule of Two in their report on Rieve's victory, despite admitting their ignorance of its meaning. Rieve sought to learn more about the Sith, but found limited information in the records she consulted. However, she discovered Maul and a reference to his brother Savage Oppress in Sith-related documents.

Despite his demise at Endor, Darth Sidious managed to defy death by utilizing the dark side of the Force to transfer his essence from his falling body into a cloned body far from Endor, thus returning to life. Sidious established himself on the hidden Sith world of Exegol in the Unknown Regions, accompanied by a cult of followers known as the Sith Eternal. However, the cloned body proved unable to contain Sidious's immense power, leading to its physical deterioration and necessitating its connection to cybernetic components, such as an Ommin harness, for sustenance and mobility. On Exegol, the Sith Eternal oversaw the construction of the largest fleet ever witnessed in the galaxy, the Final Order, with the aim of establishing a resurrected Sith Empire. Simultaneously, due to a secret Contingency plan orchestrated by Sidious, former Imperial officers, nobles, and technologists escaped into the Unknown Regions, where they formed the First Order.

The Sith Eternal engineered artificial clone humanoid aliens, one of whom, Snoke, rose to become the Supreme Leader of the First Order, although the First Order remained unaware of Snoke's true origins, the existence of the Sith Eternal, and the apparent survival of their former Emperor. In 21 ABY, Skywalker sensed a growing darkness in the Force and embarked on a quest for Exegol after learning from his father's Force ghost that it was the planet at the center of his visions. Concurrently, Kiza and the spirit of Panshard continued their own search for Exegol, while the Sith assassin Ochi pursued Rey on the orders of the Sith Eternal and Sidious. Following Kiza's death and the destruction of Panshard's mask, which permanently eliminated the Sith viceroy, Skywalker believed the disturbance had ended. However, his friend Landonis Balthazar Calrissian chose to remain on the planet Pasaana in search of Ochi, who had perished in the Forbidden Valley, any trace of his daughter Kadara Calrissian, who had been abducted by the First Order, and any sign of Rey. While neither he nor Skywalker knew her name, they were aware that Ochi had been hunting her for unknown reasons.

The birth of Ben Solo presented Darth Sidious with another opportunity to corrupt a member of the Skywalker family to the dark side of the Force. As Darth Vader's grandson, Solo possessed a potent connection to the Force. Consequently, Sidious planned to turn Solo to the dark side through Snoke, whom he employed as a proxy. Eventually, Snoke succeeded in turning Solo to the dark side. Solo's descent was triggered by various events, including his belief that his uncle Luke Skywalker had attempted to kill him, a mysterious storm that he summoned and destroyed the Jedi training temple, and when "Ren" murdered his friend Tai. Solo succumbed to darkness, killing Ren, adopting the name Kylo Ren, and becoming the new master of the Knights of Ren, a group of dark side users. Although Snoke was not a Sith, he wielded considerable power in the Force. Snoke took Ren as his apprentice and instructed him in the ways of the dark side, but Sidious considered himself Ren's true master. Meanwhile, Skywalker entered a self-imposed exile, his whereabouts unknown to the galaxy.

Kylo Ren vowed to complete what his grandfather Darth Vader had initiated, although Supreme Leader Snoke disparaged Vader's sentimentality, which he believed had led to the Empire's downfall. Ultimately, Ren aspired to develop an immunity to the light and succeed where Vader had failed. Luke Skywalker, Ren's former master and the last Jedi, once blamed the Jedi Order for Darth Sidious's rise to power. Unbeknownst to Ren, his training in the dark side was overseen by Sidious. The Dark Lord regarded Ren as a worthy apprentice and Vader's heir. Although he did not consider Ren a true Sith, Sidious acknowledged Ren's considerable power in the dark side nonetheless. Ren was a warlord and champion of the First Order during the First Order-Resistance War, a galactic conflict that erupted between the First Order and the Resistance following the destruction of the New Republic in 34 ABY. During the First Order's initial invasion of the known galaxy from the Unknown Regions, Ren discovered that he shared a potent Force-bond with Rey, a Force-sensitive scavenger from Jakku, whom Luke Skywalker was training in the ways of the Jedi.

Their connection led Rey to believe that Ben Solo could be redeemed from the dark side; although they succeeded in destroying Snoke and his Praetorian Guards during the Battle of Oetchi, Kylo Ren not only remained committed to the dark side, but also usurped his master's title as Supreme Leader of the First Order. Ren denounced the legacies of both Jedi and Sith. He implored Rey to rule the galaxy alongside him as leaders of a new order, but she rejected his offer, leaving Ren to govern the First Order alone. Ren sought to annihilate his enemies during the Battle of Crait, having vowed to destroy the past and all forms of defiance to his rule, but through Luke Skywalker's sacrifice, Rey and the Resistance escaped from Ren's forces.

Kylo Ren was not a Sith, yet his training in the dark side drew upon Sith teachings and practices, such as the Sith trial of ascendancy, which Ren completed by murdering his father, Han Solo, in an act of patricide. Furthermore, Ren's killing of Snoke was an act worthy of the Rule of Two. However, even Snoke's death failed to resolve the conflict within Ren, who was a product of both Jedi and Sith teachings. Despite his efforts, he struggled to resist the pull to the light, which prevented him from fully succumbing to the dark side. Ren looked to the memory of his grandfather, Darth Vader, as a source of inspiration for his own journey to the dark side, yet he remained fearful of never becoming as powerful as Vader. However, by the time of his ascension as Supreme Leader, Ren was no longer certain that he wanted to follow in Vader's footsteps. In turning to the dark side, Ren had abandoned all that he once cherished in exchange for an isolated existence—devoid of love and friendship—that he spent with a master he hated and followers he did not trust.

The absolute power that came with his new position as Supreme Leader did not bring Ren a sense of fulfillment either. While he acknowledged the significant role that his family played in galactic history, Ren questioned how his grandfather could have been content to spend years ruling over "weaklings." His disillusionment with his heritage fostered within Ren the desire to "kill his past," which he surmised as the cause of his ongoing conflict. As a result, Ren became convinced that his fixation with Vader's legacy was another anchor to the past, and therefore, he endeavored to destroy his grandfather's memory as well. But upon meeting Vaneé in Fortress Vader on Mustafar, Ren became tempted by the prospect of learning how his grandfather channeled the pain of his past into power with the dark side. Vaneé mocked Ren's rejection of his legacy, but having spent a lifetime in service to the Dark Lord of the Sith, he offered to serve the grandson and heir of his late master.

In the year that followed, Supreme Leader Kylo Ren located Exegol, where he discovered Sidious, the Sith Eternal, and their fleet, the Final Order, which Sidious intended to unleash upon the galaxy to establish a new Sith Empire. Sidious further revealed to Ren that Rey was his granddaughter, the daughter of his son and his son's wife, both of whom Sidious had killed. Sidious offered Ren the Sith fleet and a new Sith Empire in exchange for killing Rey. Ren later informed the First Order Supreme Council of the existence of the Sith fleet. Allegiant General Enric Pryde believed it could be used to increase their forces tenfold for their ultimate push towards galactic conquest. After Ren abandoned the First Order, General Pryde, a veteran of the Old Empire, was given command of the Sith fleet for swearing fealty to Sidious.

Rey arrived on Exegol to confront her grandfather in his throne room before an amphitheater of his followers, who chanted as Sidious spoke. Sidious told Rey he never planned to kill her, having manipulated Ren, but instead wanted her to take his place on the Sith throne. Sidious pressured her to sacrifice him, planning to use an esoteric power to transfer his spirit into her body. During his temptation, Sidious showed Rey the unveiling Battle of Exegol, which erupted as a result of Rey sending the coordinates to Exegol to her friends in the Resistance. Although the Resistance was initially outnumbered by the Sith Eternal forces, they were reinforced by a Citizens' Fleet.

A redeemed Ben Solo arrived on Exegol, where he defeated the Knights of Ren and joined Rey, standing side-by-side against the Dark Lord of the Sith. Sidious angrily seized the two using the Force and inadvertently drew some of their life force, which caused his body to begin healing; realizing that their connection was a dyad in the Force, Sidious siphoned the life force of their bond to rejuvenate his body. Out of pure spite for the Skywalker bloodline, Sidious disposed of Solo into a nearby abyss. Sidious ascended the throne of the Sith and unleashed Force lightning to attack the Resistance and citizens' fleet.

Rey, empowered by the spirits of past Jedi, rose to the challenge. Sidious proceeded to direct his lightning towards her, intent on killing her, but Rey defended herself with Anakin and Leia's lightsabers, deflecting the lightning back at Sidious, who disintegrated, destroying the Sith and unleashing an explosion that caused the entire amphitheater to crumble. Rey died, but Solo survived and climbed out of the pit, where he found Rey lifeless on the ground. Crawling to her, Solo gave his life force to resurrect her, and died shortly thereafter. Rey ultimately rejected her dark ancestry; she adopted the Skywalker surname to honor the extinct Skywalker family and remained a Jedi, permanently preventing the return of the Sith.

With the Sith gone, the First Order faced a series of attacks as people rose up across the galaxy, inspired by the victory of the Resistance and the citizens' fleet at Exegol.

The Sith initially emerged as the primary antagonists in George Lucas' Original trilogy and the Prequel trilogy. In the 1975 second draft for A New Hope, the Sith were introduced as the "Black Knights of the Sith", a mercenary warrior group who used the "Bogan", the evil, dark side of the "Force of Others". According to the story, the Sith were once pirates, taught to the way of the evil side by a fallen "Padawan-Jedi" called Darklighter. "Sith" is used in the 1976 novelization of Star Wars as part of a title for the key villain Darth Vader, the "Dark Lord of the Sith," a term omitted from the original film. The Phantom Menace, which premiered in 1999, marked the first film to use the term explicitly and established fundamental concepts, including the Rule of Two. Moreover, the origins and history of the Sith were explored in various non-canon Star Wars Legends works, including the 1991 Dark Horse Comics Star Wars: Dark Empire story arc, the mid-1990s Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi comics, the 2003 BioWare game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and its sequels, Drew Karpyshyn's Darth Bane Trilogy, the futuristic Star Wars: Legacy comic series, and John Jackson Miller's Lost Tribe of the Sith novellas. More recently, the canon television series Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels have delved into the origins and history of the Sith.

Sam Witwer, who has provided the voices for Maul and Sidious in animation, expressed his belief that the Sith do not believe in life after death, which explains their extreme measures to survive. In contrast, the Jedi willingly sacrifice themselves, believing that their deaths can inspire others. "You have Darth Vader, who lives a terrible life, he lives a pathetic, tortured existence but it's still preferable to having nothing, which is how he views death. The same thing with Darth Sidious, you look at him in Return of the Jedi. He's over 100 years old and is a bent, old man. But that's better than the alternative, which is nothing." A planned appearance by the Force spirits of Darth Bane and Revan in "Ghosts of Mortis" was removed at the last minute by George Lucas because the Sith returning after death conflicted with his views on the Force. As demonstrated in later episodes, transcending death as a Force spirit could only be achieved through the light side. Nevertheless, members of the Sith sought to escape death through other means, including Darth Sidious himself in both canon and in the Expanded Universe.

According to Shadow of the Sith author Adam Christopher, the Sith were not always an organized faction; during that time, the title "Darth" did not exist. Christopher believes that the Sith Lord Exim Panshard originated from this era. In the non-Canon animated television series LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures, the primary antagonist Naare is identified as a Sith agent of Darth Sidious and Darth Vader. The non-canon comic Visions – Peach Momoko 1 features the Ankok, a cult dedicated to a deceased Sith Lord.