Summary
The Sith have been an essential part ofStar Warsfrom the beginning, and these 12 major events comprise their canon history. Although the Jedi may often be the focus ofStar Warsmovies and TV shows, the Sith have been just as influential intheStar Warstimeline. In fact, the Sith have had massive impacts on the galaxy far beyond the Skywalker Saga.
While Palpatine and Darth Vader may very well be some ofStar Wars’most powerful Sith, they are nowhere near the first. Rather,the Sith history dates back thousands of years. Throughout that very long history, here’s every major Sith event inStar Warscanon.
All 39 Sith Lords In Star Wars Canon
The greatest villains of Star Wars, the Sith are the Jedi’s most fearsome enemies. Here are all 36 Dark Lords of the Sith revealed to date.
12The Sith Order Was Formed In 5,000 BBY
The Sith Order Was Much Younger Than The Jedi Order
As with many aspects ofStar Warsthat took place prior to what has been shown on screen,there are several major discrepancies between canon and Legends when it comes to the history of the Sith. In Legends, the Sith Order was formed by Ajunta Pall, a Dark Jedi who was exiled from the Jedi Order along with several other fallen Jedi. Also in Legends, he is known as the first Dark Lord of the Sith.
In canon, many elements of this history remain the same, although there is no named being. Rather, in canon, there was an unnamed fallen Jedi who was exiled from the Jedi Order during the Old Republic Era for studying the dark side of the Force. Along the same lines, this unidentified being then helped to establish the first Order of the Sith. Notably, this means that, in both canon and Legends, the Sith Order was created by a rogue Jedi.
In both canon and Legends, the Sith Order was created by a rogue Jedi.
11The Emergence Of The Sith Began The Hundred-Year Darkness
Dark Jedi Threatened The Galaxy
As with the creation of the Order of the Sith,the Hundred-Year Darkness is slightly different in canon and Legends. However, both the canon and Legends timelines have a version of this period. In canon, the Hundred-Year Darkness coincided with the creation of the Sith. Specifically, as mentioned, around 5,000 BBY, multiple Dark Jedi pulled away from the Jedi Order following one unidentified Jedi pursuing the dark side of the Force.
The Hundred-Year Darkness coincided with the creation of the Sith.
The Hundred-Year Darkness refers to the period of time following this falling out, during which, over time, the Order of the Sith was created. Interestingly, in both canon and Legends, this took place largely on the planet Korriban—or Moraband—the homeworld of the Sith. Legends follows many of the same overarching details about this period of time, although there is significantly more information available about the Legends versions of these events.
10The Ancient Sith Allied With The Drengir
This Terrifying Species Helped The Sith
The Drengir were a terrifying and carnivorous sentientStar Warsspecies resembling plants, albeit with a mouthful of vicious teeth and violent tentacles, that played a role in the High Republic Era. Briefly,around 2,500 BBY, the Sith allied with the Drengir. Despite working alongside one another for a time, though, the Sith soon after betrayed the Drengir.
Nevertheless, the Drengir did pose a serious risk to the Jedi. In fact, the Sith had themselves turned on the Drengir because they had been wary of the threat the species posed. The Drengir wielded the capability to corrupt the minds of those they came in contact with, including the Jedi. Moreover, the Drengir even seemed somewhat impervious to blasters and lightsaber strikes. Ultimately, though, the Sith put them into a form of stasis, which neutralized their threat.
9The Jedi-Sith Wars Began In 3,000 BBY
These Wars Threatened The Existence Of Both Sides
The Jedi-Sith wars haven’t been shown on theStar Warsscreen, but that isn’t due to a lack of importance. Rather, these wars had a massive impact on the galaxy and changed the Sith forever. Following the Hundred-Year Darkness and the establishment of the Order of the Sith, the Jedi and the Sith were constantly locked in confrontations, no doubt giving way to the idea that the two groups are opposites in the Force, destined to be in battle with each other until one is destroyed.
In fact, while these wars may have begun in 3,000 BBY, they didn’t end until 1,032 BBY, revealing just how extensive these wars were. While details about the wars are somewhat sparse in canon, undoubtedly, the destruction of these wars was immeasurable. The Jedi Order in particular was faced with a brand-new threat the likes of which they had never seen. However, it was the Sith who nearly collapsed between these wars and the issues internal to their Order.
8The Sith Nearly Went Extinct Due To Their Own In-Fighting
The Nature Of The Sith Threatened Their Future
Perhaps unsurprisingly, one of the biggest issues the Sith have faced throughout their long history is their own damaging behavior when it comes to their desire for power. Although the Jedi clearly posed (and continued to pose) a threat to the existence of the Sith, the Order nearly tore itself apart because each of the Sith wanted to claim power for themselves. In fact,it was Sith in-fighting, much more so than the Jedi, that almost ended the Sith forever.
This is not all that shocking in light of what has been shown of the Sith inStar Warsmovies and TV shows. Clearly, the Sith desire power for themselves and, crucially, only themselves. Just as Palpatine was shown burning through apprentices in his quest for power throughout the Skywalker Saga and willing to cast anyone aside should they get in his way, the ancient Sith had no interest in collaborating or living harmoniously as the Jedi Order did. Unfortunately for the Sith, this nearly caused them to go extinct.
Darth Bane
Although Darth Bane has only appeared on-screen inStar Warsas a ghost inStar Wars: The Clone Wars,he was absolutely essential to the survival of the Sith. In fact, it may only have been because of Darth Bane that the Sith survived at all. In light of the wars with the Jedi and the significant in-fighting, the Sith nearly went extinct, which led Darth Bane to establishthe Sith Rule of Two—a rule that lasted all the way to theStar Warssequel trilogy.
This rule established the Sith master and apprentice dynamic, dictating that there would be two Sith Lords at a time, a master to wield power and an apprentice to crave it. While this has proven challenging in its own way, as this quickly became an issue wherein Sith apprentices were constantly seeking to kill their master, it addressed the violent, ambitious inclinations of the Sith in a way that prevented their self-destruction.
Darth Maul
The Sith were never truly extinct, despite what the Jedi believed inStar Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. However, it’s nevertheless true that the Sith hadn’t quite ‘returned’ until the prequel trilogy’s first movie. In fact, even in light ofThe Acolyte, which revealed the existence of Darth Plagueis on the Unknown Planet, it wasn’t untilThe Phantom Menacethat the Sith were truly confronting the Jedi out in the open yet again.
This return inThe Phantom Menaceincluded Darth Maul, the Sith apprentice who faced off against Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn, and Darth Sidious, the Sith master who entirely concealed his identity until the time was right. Despite Sidious only working in the shadows, though,this marked a major change in the SithStar Warstimeline. Now, finally, the Sith were back to challenging the Jedi, attempting to take power for themselves.
Emperor Palpatine / Darth Sidious
The Clone Wars was an imperative period for the Sith, as Palpatine had orchestrated the events of the war entirely to his benefit. Not only was Palpatine leading the Republic Senate and gaining power in that way, but he was also the secret head of the Separatists, using Count Dooku as a puppet to get what he wanted. Ultimately,Palpatine was able to play both sides of the war so effectively that he won either way.
The Clone Wars was an imperative period for the Sith.
Moreover, this era saw the beginning of the end for the Jedi in more ways than one. On the one hand, yes, a Sith master was gaining increasing access to the Jedi, including the Jedi Council. On a larger scale, though, the Jedi’s willingness to participate in politics and act as soldiers in a war shifted public opinion of them. This, too, was essential to Palpatine’s plan, as it made the galaxy much more willing to accept the massacre of the Jedi.
4Order 66 Wiped Out Nearly All The Remaining Jedi
This Event Was Perhaps The Greatest Sith Achievement In Thousands Of Years
Order 66 was one of the most defining moments for the Sith and the Jedi. In fact, it was just before Order 66 that Palpatine established his newest Sith apprentice, Darth Vader, and Vader himself was key in carrying out this brutal slaughter. However,Order 66 also gave the Sith the most power they had ever had in the galaxy—not only were they now ruling the galaxy, but they also no longer faced opposition from their greatest adversary, the Jedi.
Order 66 was one of the most defining moments for the Sith and the Jedi.
Although there weresurvivors of Order 66, the Jedi had been so effectively crushed, physically and in public opinion, that those who survived really posed very little threat to the massive Empire and the Sith leading it. Surprisingly,even the likelihood that Obi-Wan Kenobi had survived didn’t seem all that important to Palpatine; Vader was obsessed with hunting Obi-Wan down for revenge inObi-Wan Kenobi, but finding and killing Obi-Wan clearly wasn’t a priority for Palpatine. Evidently, he wasn’t concerned.
Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader
Although it inevitably crumbled in the originalStar Warstrilogy,Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine ruled the galaxy for nearly twenty years, representing a massive Sith accomplishment. From the very beginning of the Sith Order, the Sith had faced opposition from the Jedi, constantly in a struggle for power against them. With the Jedi effectively squashed (or, at least, working in the shadows, as the Sith had once been), Vader and Palpatine were able to rule the galaxy as Sith Lords.
It’s easy to overlook how significant this was because so much of theStar Warsstory is about this rule being overthrown, but this was a massively important period in the history of the Sith. In many ways, Palpatine had achieved what even the ancient Sith had aspired to; the Jedi were destroyed, and the Sith ruled. Of course, that wasn’t built to last, and none other than Darth Vader’s son brought all of it down.
