The Prophets of the Dark Side, alternatively known as the Emperor's Secret Order, represented an old dark-side cult. This group originated on the planet Dromund Kaas, situated within the Dromund system of the Outer Rim. Notably, Dromund Kaas once functioned as the capital for the revived Sith Empire. The organization was established by Darth Millennial, a dissenting Dark Lord of the Sith, effectively making them a derivative faction of the Order of the Sith Lords.
These Prophets underwent training in the dark side of the Force, harnessing its capabilities to explore potential future outcomes of events. During the Galactic Empire's reign, they operated under the leadership of Kadann, who held the title of Supreme Prophet. Recognizable by their black beards and radiant black robes, the Prophets amassed significant influence within the Empire's remnants following Palpatine's demise. A notable claim attributed to them was the precise prediction of the destruction of both Death Stars by the Rebel Alliance. To safeguard their authority, the Prophets were willing to employ any means necessary to ensure their predictions materialized.
Upon integration into the Emperor's Secret Order, the term became synonymous with Emperor's Mage, a designation reserved for a true Prophet of the Dark Side recruited by Palpatine. It's crucial to differentiate these genuine Prophets from the Church of the Dark Side, a collective of imitators known as false Prophets.
Darth Millennial, a Sith defector who opposed Darth Bane's Rule of Two, initiated the Dark Force religion on Dromund Kaas. The Prophets of the Dark Side established their residence in the tallest tower of the Dark Force Temple, an ancient Sith sanctuary situated in a marsh on Dromund Kaas, a site of conflict during the Light and Darkness War. This tower served as a focal point for the dark side of the Force. Around 100 BBY, a group of Prophets colonized the nearby moon of Kalakar Six, where they would later briefly resurrect Darth Maul in 0 BBY.
Years later, Palpatine uncovered the planet and converted the Prophets to his cause, keeping Dromund Kaas's location confidential. The Dromund system was among 36 systems erased from the Jedi Archives, a discovery made by Yoda following the revelation of Kamino's deletion. Yoda was believed to have visited the Dromund system, but any records of his visit were lost due to the Great Jedi Purge. During the Clone Wars, Separatist forces, commanded by the Dark Acolyte Asajj Ventress, clashed with the 327th Star Corps during the Battle of Dromund Kaas. Ventress leveraged information provided by the Prophets of the Dark Side to her forces' advantage. Before the Jedi Purge, Palpatine appointed the Dark Jedi Kadann as Supreme Prophet of the Dark Side. Kadann became one of the Emperor's most trusted advisors on Imperial Center. Kadann's apprentice, Jedgar, became his right-hand man as High Prophet of the dark side.
When Supreme Prophet Kadann predicted the restoration of balance to the Force at Endor, Palpatine dismissed it with laughter and fury. Most of the true Prophets abandoned Imperial Center and Dromund Kaas, seeking refuge in Supreme Prophet Kadann's hidden temple stronghold on Bosthirda.
Following the Battle of Endor, some Mages pursued different paths. Cronal, now the Emperor's Hand known as "Blackhole," served the resurrected Emperor, established the Church of the Dark Side on Imperial Center, and transformed Gorc and Pic into the "Brothers of the Sith" (these "Brothers" became Dark Jedi apprentices of Jerec). Sariss fled Tatooine after the population rebelled following the destruction of the second Death Star. She became one of Jerec's Dark Jedi apprentices, becoming engaged to a mineral baron on Panatha on his behalf. She taught the baron's son, Yun, the ways of the Church of the Dark Side, seduced him, and had him murder his own father so Sariss could give the baron's holdings and Yun himself to Jerec. Maarek Stele joined the 181st Imperial Fighter Wing and later served in the Imperial Remnant in the Outer Rim under Grand Admiral Gilad Pellaeon. Merili served as a Church of the Dark Side advisor to Grand Admiral Peccati Syn and perished with him when his flagship was destroyed by Admiral Gial Ackbar at Kashyyyk.
In the year following the Battle of Endor, Cronal's Church of the Dark Side gained official sanction from acting-Emperor Sate Pestage and was secretly supported by Emperor Palpatine after his resurrection. Imperial Intelligence, where Cronal (a former true Prophet turned Emperor's Hand) held a high-ranking position, established the Church.
Unlike the Secret Order, the Church served as a highly visible propaganda instrument. It comprised not only former true Prophets (Cronal, Sariss, Merili) but also a group of false Prophets of the Dark Side, who were, in reality, Imperial Intelligence agents aiding the Central Committee of Grand Moffs in controlling a significant Imperial Remnant. These false Prophets included impersonators of Kadann, Jedgar, and Gornash, operating from Scardia Station in the Null Zone and traveling aboard the ship Scardia Voyager.
These individuals were con artists rather than genuine Force-sensitives, manipulating events to fulfill their prophecies. The pseudo-Jedgar authored Secrets of the Dark Side, documenting the supposed prophecies of the pseudo-Kadann.
The false Prophets predicted that the next Emperor would wear the indestructible Glove of Darth Vader. After the Glove was discovered in the wreckage of the second Death Star, which had entered space near Dac through a space anomaly, it was worn by Trioculus, a three-eyed mutant and Imperial slavemaster on Kessel whom the Central Committee of Grand Moffs declared to be Palpatine's son and appointed as Emperor.
The pseudo-Kadann's attempt to seize Imperial Center from Ysanne Isard, who had taken power from Sate Pestage, failed. Among those who ignored the pseudo-Kadann's summons to Imperial Center was Grand Admiral Afsheen Makati, who believed the pseudo-Kadann to be the true Kadann, against whom Makati harbored a grudge. The pseudo-Kadann fled back to Scardia Station. Grand Admiral Makati tricked Azrakel, who also believed the pseudo-Kadann to be the true Kadann, into revealing extensive data on Scardia Station and the Lost City of the Jedi on Yavin 4. Makati trapped the pseudo-Kadann on Scardia Station, destroying it with his fleet.
The true Jedgar foresaw the deception of the false Prophets, but the true Kadann forbade him from acting against them, having foreseen their downfall. The true Prophets regarded Palpatine as an enemy for rejecting Kadann's prophecies and despised Cronal for betraying them by becoming an Emperor's Hand instead of joining them on Bosthirda. Disregarding the actions of the Central Committee of Moffs, the true Prophets contacted Jerec, now a Great InQuestor of Judgment for the Pentastar Alignment. Jerec agreed to search for the lost Valley of the Jedi on behalf of the Prophets, while simultaneously feigning a search for the Valley for the Alignment. Shortly thereafter, Emperor's Hand "Blackhole" (formerly an Emperor's Mage and Sariss's father) contacted Jerec, informing him of the clone Emperor's existence on Byss and requesting him to search for the lost Valley on the Emperor's behalf. Jerec agreed, concealing from "Blackhole" that he was already searching for the Valley for the Alignment and the true Prophets.
In reality, Jerec was loyal only to himself, intending to use the Valley's power to subjugate all three of his sponsors and rule as Emperor. Leveraging resources from his three sponsors, Jerec eventually located the Valley on Ruusan. However, Kyle Katarn killed Jerec and kept the Valley's location secret, thwarting the true Prophets' efforts. They remained hidden, awaiting a sign indicating their return.
Six years after the Battle of Endor, Kyle Katarn, after studying ancient dark-side inscriptions, learned of Dromund Kaas and traveled there, succumbing to the dark side's corruption. Mara Jade followed Kyle and found him in the Dark Force Temple, where she redeemed him. Kyle, Mara, and Luke Skywalker then reconstructed Dromund Kaas's history. The Jedi and New Republic Intelligence collaborated to maintain the planet's location as a secret.
The Dark Lady Lumiya and her apprentice Carnor Jax were responsible for the Prophets' demise. They enlisted the aid of the dark warrior Azrakel, who, consumed by vengeful fury, arrived at the Prophets' headquarters and slaughtered many, including Kadann himself, before falling. Lumiya and Jax arrived shortly after, eliminating most of the remaining Prophets.
Palpatine dispatched numerous dark-side followers to Dromund Kaas for training under the Prophets, including the Dark Warrior Azrakel, Grand Admiral Nial Declann, and Inquisitor Jerec. It was during his studies on Dromund Kaas that Jerec first learned of the Valley of the Jedi from the Prophet Cronal and met Cronal's daughter, Sariss. Supreme Prophet Kadann trained Azrakel as a secret weapon against Palpatine and Darth Vader should the Sith turn against Kadann, but Azrakel grew to hate Kadann and deserted him before the Battle of Endor. The Prophets deployed agents to various planets; for instance, Sariss operated on Tatooine under the alias "Prophetess." Maarek Stele, one of the Prophets' agents, became an Emperor's Hand and, uniquely, remained a servant of the Order, eventually being promoted to the (perhaps unique) rank of Emperor's Reach.
Palpatine frequently consulted the Prophets to validate his own foresight. Only the most trusted Imperial advisors, including the Grand Admirals, were aware of the Emperor's Mages' existence. When Grand Admiral Afsheen Makati's first officer ridiculed the Prophets' black robes, Kadann retaliated by using Force lightning on Makati. The Prophets often sent entourages, frequently including Sariss, to confer with Jerec on the Super Star Destroyer Vengeance.
The Emperor's Secret Order was a covert, elite group of spies consisting of the Emperor's Mages and their agents.
Mages traveled incognito, seeking out Force-sensitive individuals like Maarek Stele. They would often observe their Force-sensitive subjects in briefing rooms or corridors, waiting for them to inquire about their intentions. The Mage would then reveal himself as an envoy from the Emperor, offering the gifted individual the opportunity to serve the Emperor through secret missions. These missions, such as assassinating key enemies or inspecting enemy craft for intelligence before destroying them, advanced the Emperor's dark-side objectives, which were concealed behind the Empire's accomplishments.
Upon proving himself, an agent was initiated into the Secret Order as a First Initiate and assigned special duties during combat missions. As he progressed through the Order, he would advance through the Second Circle, Third Circle, Fourth Circle, and Inner Circle, ultimately earning the titles Emperor's Hand (distinct from the Imperial agents also known as the Emperor's Hand), Emperor's Eyes, Emperor's Voice, and Emperor's Reach.
Palpatine selected the most successful agents, such as Stele, from the Order to become Emperor's Hands. The Supreme Prophet Kadann led the Order. Shortly before the Battle of Endor, the true Prophets parted ways with Palpatine and retreated to Bosthirda. The former Prophet Cronal, now known as the Emperor's Hand "Blackhole," created the Church of the Dark Side as a more public institution in mockery of the Order. The Order ceased to exist as such, as the true Prophets no longer associated themselves with the Empire but only with the dark side of the Force.
Chosen personnel received a tattoo-like mark on their left arm, etched into their skin with the dark side of the Force. The higher the rank an agent attained within the Order, the larger and more intricate the mark.
- Argor
- The Cloaked Figure
- Cronal , also known as "Blackhole"
- Sariss , also known as "Prophetess"
