Tales of the Jedi – The Golden Age of the Sith 0: Conquest and Unification serves as the introductory issue for the Legends comic book series titled Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi — The Golden Age of the Sith. Kevin J. Anderson penned the story, Chris Gossett provided the illustrations, and Dark Horse Comics released it to the public on July 31, 1996.
The reign of the Sith's dark power over the galaxy occurred five thousand years before Luke Skywalker's birth and a millennium before two young Jedi unwittingly revived an ancient evil. This era represented a pinnacle of power for these corrupt Jedi with malevolent hearts. However, it was a horrific period for the remainder of the galaxy.
On Ossus, Odan-Urr, a Jedi historian, has finished his Jedi training. Odan-Urr has a keen interest in ancient teachings, especially the history of the Sith. He possesses knowledge of events such as the First Great Schism, the Hundred-Year Darkness, and the Dark Jedi Exiles who went on to create the Sith Empire. After being deemed prepared, Master Ooroo sends Odan-Urr to participate in the Unification Wars of the Koros system alongside Empress Teta.
Hok and his wife, Timar Daragon, are employed as supply runners for Aarrba, a generous Hutt who owns a repair dock, on the planet Cinnagar within the Koros system. Their offspring, Gav and Jori, express their desire to join their parents on a supply mission to Kirrek, a planet controlled by rebel forces. However, Hok denies their request due to the inherent risks. The couple then departs in the Shadow Runner, as Aarrba is holding their ship Starbreaker 12 as security.
Simultaneously, Odan-Urr encounters Memit Nadill, a fellow Jedi who advises Empress Teta. The Empress has successfully united six of the seven planets in the Koros system through collaborative commerce and assistance. However, the Kirrek pirates have rejected all overtures and have been attacking ships. The rebels continue to lay siege to their advanced troop, and have murdered fifty Tetan captives as revenge for their previous aid and rescue efforts.
Although not a warrior, Odan-Urr suggests employing battle meditation to secure the defeat of the Kirrek rebels. He and Memit Nadill engage in the final confrontation against the rebellion on Kirrek. Utilizing Odan-Urr's battle meditation, the Jedi manage to shift the battle's momentum, ultimately achieving victory, though Odan-Urr clearly finds the experience distasteful. Tragically, a desperate rebel targets Hok and Timar's ship, the Shadow Runner, resulting in their deaths.
Following the Kirrek rebels' surrender, Odan-Urr feels despair over Hok and Timar's demise. Nevertheless, Memit assures him that the battle's outcome could have been far worse without his battle meditation.
Returning to Cinnagar, Aarrba delivers the heartbreaking news of their parents' passing to a grief-stricken Gav and Jori. Moved by compassion for the Daragons, Aarrba presents Gav and Jori with their parents' ship, the Starbreaker 12, previously held as collateral, stating that their parents "paid for it in blood."
- UPC 761568954166; July 31 , 1996 ; [1] Dark Horse Comics ; Direct edition [2]
- (No UPC) ; November 10 , 2015 ; Marvel Comics ; Digital edition, Legends [3]