Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi – The Fall of the Sith Empire

Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi — The Fall of the Sith Empire can be described as a specific offshoot from the broader Tales of the Jedi family of comic books. Its original publication spanned from June 18 of 1997 until October 22 of the same year. Later, on May 6 of 1998, the entire run was collected and released as a trade paperback.

The narrative focuses on the rise and subsequent collapse of the Great Hyperspace War.

Plot summary

The opening clash between the forces of the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire under Naga Sadow was the Battle of Coruscant.

Acting on the wisdom of Odan-Urr, Memit Nadill journeyed to Coruscant in order to gather the Jedi in anticipation of an impending Sith assault; however, the invasion commenced sooner than expected. The defense of Coruscant was spearheaded by Jedi Guardian Anavus Svag, who, with the aid of reinforcements from the Republic and the Jedi Order, successfully held off the initial attack.

The size of the Dark Lord's forces appeared larger than they actually were, an illusion created and amplified by Sadow himself as he meditated within his sphere above Primus Goluud.

When Gav Daragon targeted and struck the meditation sphere, the disruption to Naga Sadow's concentration caused a significant portion of the Sith army on Coruscant to vanish. This event greatly bolstered the morale and determination of the Republic and Jedi defenders, enabling them to effectively counter and ultimately repel the Sith invasion.

Koros Major

The Battle of Koros Major saw the forces of Koros engaged in combat against the Sith Empire. With Naga Sadow preoccupied with the Battle of Coruscant, he placed his captive, Gav Daragon, in command of the invasion fleet targeting Koros Major. As the battle unfolded, Gav landed on the planet with a contingent of Massassi guards, seeking to locate his sister, Jori.

Upon entering Aarrba's repair dock, owned by the Hutt, Gav's Massassi bodyguards perceived Aarrba as a threat and promptly attacked and killed him. Jori arrived just as this occurred and, assuming Gav was responsible for Aarrba's death, attacked him with a lightsaber given to her by Odan-Urr. Gav managed to escape the conflict and flee the planet, leaving Teta's forces to secure a victory against the Sith.

Kirrek

The Battle of Kirrek involved fighting between the Koros army and the Sith Empire. Prior to the conflict, Empress Teta forged an alliance with Commander Llaban, the leader of a previous rebellion on Kirrek, granting amnesty to the former rebels in exchange for their assistance in defending Kirrek against the Sith. She also extended an offer to the prisoners laboring on the colony world of Ronika, inviting them to join the defense of Kirrek; however, they were not present at the start of the battle.

Early in the battle, Odan-Urr attempted to employ his skills in battle meditation, similar to his efforts during the Unification Wars, but the sheer ferocity and resolve of the Massassi warriors proved too strong. Led by the Sith Lord Shar Dakhan, the Massassi breached the defensive lines and began scaling the walls. Separating the majority of the defenders from the Sith onslaught was Odan-Urr's Master, Ooroo, a Celegian who required a tank filled with cyanogen, a substance toxic to most species, to survive. He ordered the Kirrek rebels to find cover. He then tipped himself over, shattering his cyanogen tank and sending the fumes into the breaths of several Massassi, led by Shar Dakhan, killing them instantly. This killed Ooroo as well, as oxygen is just as toxic to him as cyanogen is to the Massassi.

The prisoners from Ronika then arrived, and with the death of the Sith commander, victory for the Tetans quickly became a certainty.

Primus Goluud

The Battle at Primus Goluud unfolded above the red supergiant star Primus Goluud, pitting Empress Teta's forces against the Sith Empire led by Naga Sadow. Jori Daragon guided Empress Teta to her brother Gav, believing he had fully embraced the Dark Side. However, Gav, trapped within Naga Sadow's meditation sphere, demonstrated his continued allegiance by transmitting the coordinates to Korriban to Teta's ship.

Soon after, the Dark Lord's warships arrived and engaged the Koros fleet. Sadow swiftly deployed a superweapon mounted on his flagship, triggering solar flares across Primus Goluud. As the Sith forces retreated toward the Sith Empire, closely pursued by Teta's ships, Gav was left behind, seemingly doomed within the meditation sphere.

Korriban

The first battle of Korriban involved a conflict between the war fleets of Naga Sadow and Ludo Kressh above the Sith burial world of Korriban.

As Naga Sadow's fleet retreated from the Battle of Primus Goluud, they were intercepted by Ludo Kressh, who declared himself the new Dark Lord of the Sith and banished Sadow from the Sith Empire. A fierce battle between the Sith Lords ensued, until Sadow crashed one of his ships into Kressh's flagship, killing the new Dark Lord.

The second battle of Korriban immediately followed the first battle. Using the coordinates provided by Gav Daragon, the Tetan forces emerged from hyperspace shortly after Ludo Kressh's death in the First Battle of Korriban, catching Naga Sadow completely off guard. This surprise allowed the Koros ships to quickly gain a significant advantage over the Sith Empire's forces.

However, Sadow had a final strategy; the Dark Lord commanded his Massassi warriors to assassinate their commanding officers on each ship, creating a massive, impenetrable barrier between himself and the Koros fleet. Naga Sadow then fled to Yavin 4 with his sole remaining vessel, hoping to rebuild the once-great Sith legacy.

Continuity

While Dark Horse Comics' timeline included in comics they published by the time of Star Wars: Crimson Empire, the 2000 reference book The Essential Chronology, the 2005 reference book The New Essential Chronology, and the 2009 reference book The Essential Atlas place the events of both The Golden Age of the Sith and The Fall of the Sith Empire at 5000 BBY, the timeline included in the issues of The Fall of the Sith Empire published by Dark Horse Comics places its events at 4990 BBY, a decade after the events of The Golden Age of the Sith. This dating was initially presented in the 1995 article Straight from the Horse's Mouth: A Guide to the Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi Universe, Part 1, featured in Star Wars Insider 26, and was later reiterated in the 2005 reference book Star Wars: The Ultimate Visual Guide and the 2007 Star Wars Omnibus Tales of the Jedi Volume 1.

Issues

Collections

Notes and references

External links

Appearances