The villains of the Star Wars franchise, the Sith, have become wildly popular, nearly as popular as the Jedi, since the term was first popularized in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace nearly 20 years ago.
The Prequel trilogy shed a lot more light on the dark side wielders from the galaxy far far away, and the comics and books from Star Wars provided fans with even more of the history.
The most iconic Sith of all time is Darth Vader, who was the first Sith to ever appear in a movie. Over the years, more Sith were introduced into the Star Wars franchise, including Emperor Palpatine, Darth Maul, and Count Dooku.
Additionally, a number of other Sith were revealed in the books and comics, including Darth Bane, Darth Plagueis, and Darth Revan.
The Sith have a long history in Star Wars lore, having existed in the universe for thousands of years. Over the years, the Jedi and the Sith would regularly struggle for power in a number of wars and fights. One war between the Jedi and Sith even lasted for one hundred years.
While the Sith have become well known over the past two decades, there are still a lot of facts about the intergalactic "religion" that people tend to get wrong.
Like the Jedi, the Sith are incredibly complex, and are also rather different from the Jedi in nature.
With that in mind, here are the 20 Things Everyone Gets Wrong About The Sith.
There Hasn't Always Been A Rule Of Two
The "Rule of Two" has been in effect ever since we first saw the Sith chronologically in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.
In this movie, it was established that the Sith always consist of one Master and one Apprentice, with Darth Sidious / Emperor Palpatine being the Master in all of the movies.
This Rule of Two wasn't always in effect in Sith culture, though. At their height, there were hundreds of Sith at a time.
However, once all of the Sith at that time except Darth Bane were wiped out by the Jedi, Bane created the Rule of Two in order to keep the Sith more concentrated and mysterious.
While this plan worked to keep the Sith alive for 1,000 years ago, it didn't really work out the way Darth Bane would've hoped as seen in Return of the Jedi.
Their Lightsabers Aren't Created Red
One of the most iconic parts about the Sith is their red lightsabers. Whether their hilts are curved like Count Dooku's or double bladed like Darth Maul's, a majority of the Sith all have their lightsabers as the same color.
Shockingly, Sith lightsabers aren't created red the same way that Jedi lightsabers are created blue and green.
Instead, in order for a Sith to actually get a kyber crystal to power their sword, they must take it from another person, usually a Jedi.
Once a dark side user begins using a kyber crystal that is not theirs, the crystal begins to bleed with pain, creating the red tint that we see in their lightsaber blades.
Sith Can't Become Force Ghosts
In the Original Trilogy, Force Ghosts became an important part of Star Wars lore, with Luke Skywalker regularly being visited by the ghost of his old mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi.
At the end of Return of the Jedi, Obi-Wan, Yoda and Anakin all came back as Force Ghosts to watch the celebration of the rebellion.
Unfortunately for the Sith, the ability to become a Force Ghost is exclusive only to the Jedi.
It was first discovered by the Jedi Qui-Gon Jinn, who returned as a Force Ghost around the time of Revenge of the Sith and helped the remaining Jedi of that time realize this new ability.
The only Sith to ever become a Force Ghost was Anakin / Darth Vader, but it was after he redeemed himself and renounced the Sith.
It was never explained how he learned the ability to become a Force Ghost, though, creating a bit of a plot hole.
The Dark Side Is Not More Powerful Than The Light
One of the biggest temptations that the Sith commonly use to get Jedi to join their ranks is claiming that the dark side is somehow stronger than the light side. Shockingly, this statement is not true, as both the dark side and the light side are about equally powerful.
Yoda once explained the relation between the two forms of power, saying that the dark side is "quicker" in its strength, which in turn corrupts its users faster.
However, the Jedi require more patience to harness their full Force abilities, but over time, they become just as powerful as the Sith, if not more.
This would explain why Yoda is one of the most powerful Force users in history, despite not being a Sith. He studied the Force for hundreds of years, and the light side grew in him more and more as the time passed.
George Lucas Created The Word "Sith" Long Before The Prequels
Many people believe that the "Sith" were created originally for the Prequel Trilogy, but the term was actually in the original Star Wars script from 1977.
While the line didn't make the final cut of the movie, it did introduce that Darth Vader was a Sith Lord.
Some Star Wars fans misinterpret that Darth Vader and the Emperor are no longer Sith in the Original Trilogy simply because the term was never mentioned.
However, they were still Sith, they just weren't known for being Sith by the rest of the Galaxy.
The Sith had a long history of being evil, so the Emperor and Vader kept their Sith roots quiet from the common population, making most people like Han Solo believe that the Sith and the Force were just ancient legends, having no idea that the Emperor they served was a Sith himself.
The Sith Were Originally A Species
Before the Sith were their own "religion" that used the dark side to try taking over the galaxy, they were actually their own species.
The Sith all had red skin with humanoid features, and lived on a number of different planets over the years before they went seemingly extinct.
Like the Sith religion, the power of the Sith species came from their dark side abilities, making them rather threatening to the rest of the galaxy. This began a number of wars, which eventually brought down the population of this ancient race.
While most of the Sith species were believed to be gone during the events of the Star Wars saga, the Star Wars "Legends" showed that there were still a few still around, scattered across the galaxy.
Darth Sidious Doesn't Follow The Traditional Rule Of Two
While Darth Sidious in a way did follow the "Rule of Two," he also broke it a number of times and has been described a number of times as following the "Rule of One."
Though he did follow the Master and Apprentice rule, he took it to an extreme, treating every Apprentice as a servant with no intention of bringing them to their full potential.
Additionally, his way of becoming the Sith Master was not in the traditional way at all. Traditionally, for a Sith Apprentice to become the Master, they must face their Master in fair combat and defeat them.
Instead, Sidious took his Master's life in his sleep, which broke the Sith tradition.
There Have Been Numerous Female Sith
While all of the Sith who appeared in the live action Star Wars movies were male, a number of the Sith over the years have been female, much like the Jedi.
Though the males were more prominent in history and more common, the female Sith did still leave their mark.
One notable female Sith was Mother Talzin, who was not only Darth Sidious's Apprentice before Darth Maul, but was also the mother of Darth Maul himself.
Additionally, Asajj Ventress was a Sith (or at least a dark side user) who trained under Count Dooku during the Clone Wars. Though she didn't last long, she left her mark in the Clone Wars, taking out a number of Jedi by herself.
Not All Sith Use Red Lightsabers
While a majority of the Sith are known for having red lightsabers, there have been a few exceptions to this rule throughout Star Wars history.
One notable exception is Darth Vader, who still used his blue lightsaber during the beginning of his Sith career, before losing it in battle on Mustafar.
Another Sith who wielded a blue lightsaber was Exar Kun, who was another Jedi who turned to the dark side.
Kun lived nearly 4,000 years before the events of the Star Wars saga. Like Vader, Kun continued to use his lightsaber that he had as a Jedi.
Since the kyber crystal technically belonged to him, the crystal did not bleed, and thus the original color was maintained.
Dark Side Users Aren't Automatically Sith
While the dark side may seem exclusive to the Sith, there are a number of Force users who used the dark side that weren't part of the Sith faction.
There have been a number of rogue dark side users throughout the course of Star Wars history, in addition to a number of other dark side groups that may not have been as historically prominent as the Sith.
Groups like the Prophets of the dark side and Bando Gora have left their marks on the Galaxy, as did the Nightsisters who Darth Maul descended from.
While the sides of the Force may be binary, their groups aren't necessarily binary, as there are a number of Light and Dark factions scattered across the history of the galaxy.
The Sith Went Unbeaten For 1,000 Years Before The Phantom Menace
Many people thought that the Sith had been beaten to a pulp before the events of The Phantom Menace, which is why the Jedi weren't incredibly concerned with them before their sudden rise to power.
However, Darth Maul was actually the first member of the Sith to be taken down by a Jedi in about 1,000 years.
The last Sith to be beaten by the Jedi before Darth Maul were the Jedi who were alive around the time of Darth Bane. All things considered, Darth Maul kind of dropped the ball for the Sith, breaking the longest undefeated streak in their entire history, to a Jedi Apprentice at that.
Though Maul did end up surviving the fight, Count Dooku ended up losing his life to a Jedi about a decade later, breaking the streak even further.
Kylo Ren And The Knights Of Ren Aren't Sith
Many people mistake Kylo Ren and Supreme Leader Snoke as being Sith, when they really aren't. Darth Sidious and Darth Vader were the last Sith before the group was finally taken from history forever.
When Supreme Leader Snoke came into power and helped form the Knights of Ren, they started a new faction for the dark side. While they followed the Sith's trail, they still never technically became the Sith, as confirmed by Maz Kanata in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
This differentiation was made a bit more clear in The Last Jedi when Kylo Ren stated that he wanted the Jedi to end so the world could move on.
The Sith came to an end, but the dark side still thrived.
A Number Of Sith Start Out As Genuinely Good People
There is a common misconception that the Sith are inherently evil and are raised to be horrible from birth. While this is true for a couple of Sith, such as Darth Maul and presumably Darth Sidious, it is not true for all of them.
Take, for example, Darth Vader. Anakin Skywalker was raised a good person and joined the Sith to save his wife, and likely would've kept those good intentions had Padmé survived Revenge of the Sith.
Historically, a number of Sith join with great intentions, being family men and women who want to help their loved ones.
The evil side of things comes with the corruption from the dark side of the Force that slowly turns those good characters into something else.
They Usually Follow Rules Of Respect Like The Jedi
The Jedi essentially have a "code of ethics" that keeps them from falling apart, which includes rules like respecting one another, not betraying the Jedi, and refraining from romance.
While the Sith rules may be a bit different, they have their own rules nonetheless.
The biggest part of the Sith rules is to not betray another Sith. The only way a Sith Apprentice can take the mantle of Sith Master is by beating their current Master in fair, traditional combat.
Darth Sidious notably broke this rule of respect when he took the life of his master Darth Plagueis in his sleep.
Had there been more Sith around during this time, Sidious surely would have been ejected from the Sith Order permanently. However, Sidious' actions technically made him the last Sith alive, so there was no one to boot him out.
The Jedi Order Thought The Sith Were Extinct
The main reason for the fall of the Jedi during the Prequel Trilogy was that they did not anticipate the return of the Sith. After the fall of the Sith a thousand years before, Darth Bane created the Rule of Two in order to keep the Sith absolutely silent and quiet.
Evidently, his plan worked, as the Jedi thought that the Sith were extinct for a thousand years.
This was why the return of the Sith became such a big shock to the Jedi during The Phantom Menace, as they thought they had been gone for centuries.
Because of this, the Sith caught the Jedi off guard, and were able to overpower the numerous Jedi who had never been trained to take on a Sith Lord.
Darth Maul Denounced His Sith Roots
Many Star Wars fans were shocked to see the villain Darth Maul return at the end of Solo: A Star Wars Story, but some people may be even more shocked to learn that Darth Maul was no longer a Sith at this point.
Maul denounced his Sith connection, simply being known as Maul from then on.
After Maul returned to power during the Clone Wars, he tried to continue being a Sith, even taking on his own apprentice.
However, after Darth Sidious learned about Maul, he took the lives of Maul's apprentice and his entire family.
Because of this, Maul no longer wanted anything to do with the Sith. While he still used the dark side, he resented the dark side and wanted nothing more than to see the Sith be overthrown.
The Jedi Prophecy Did Technically Bring An End To The Sith
The Prequel Trilogy introduced the Skywalker prophecy, stating that the Chosen One would be able to bring balance to the Force and bring an end to the Sith.
A number of Star Wars fans misinterpreted the prophecy, and actually saw the Sequel Trilogy as a plot hole because the return of the dark side meant that the work of the Chosen One was all in vain.
However, technically Luke and Anakin did complete the prophecy by bringing an end to the Sith, as the dark side users that came after were not Sith and instead their own rank of dark side users.
While the galaxy may not have been at peace forever after, the Skywalker prophecy did come into fruition nonetheless.
The Sith Have Their Own Chosen One
Like the Jedi, the Sith had their own Chosen One known as the Sith'ari. However, the Sith'ari is a bit different from the Jedi Chosen One, being worshiped like a god more than an actually prophesized redeemer.
The first Sith'ari was a king of the original Sith species, about 27,000 years before the events of the Star Wars saga.
However, long after that, Darth Bane became the proclaimed Sith'ari, as he created the Rule of Two that kept the Sith alive in a time when it looked like they would be defeated forever.
Apparently, some people thought that Darth Sidious was also the Sith'ari during his rule. However, the fact that he was defeated and brought an end to the Sith pretty much ruined this theory.
The Sith Never Actually Wanted Peace
During Revenge of the Sith, we saw the corruption of Anakin Skywalker into Darth Vader as Darth Sidious lured him into the dark side. Shockingly, however, the version of the dark side that Sidious pitched was far from what the Sith Code actually is.
The actual Sith Code is: “Peace is a lie. There is only Passion. Through Passion I gain Strength. Through Strength I gain Power. Through Power I gain Victory. Through Victory my chains are Broken. The Force shall free me.”
The most important takeaway from this is that the Sith did not want "peace."
This negates Anakin's motivations in Revenge of the Sith, who joined the dark side because he wanted to bring peace to the galaxy. This is just another way of showing how much Darth Sidious lied.
Nearly Every Sith Apprentice Has Had An Apprentice Of Their Own
Evidently, Darth Sidious was not the only Sith to break the Rule of Two. Throughout the events of the Star Wars saga, every Sith Apprentice had an Apprentice of their own.
First off, Darth Maul trained his brother Savage Opress as his Apprentice during the Clone Wars. Also during the Clone Wars, Count Dooku trained Asajj Ventress as his Apprentice in order to help him fight off the Jedi.
Finally, Darth Vader had a number of different Apprentices throughout different iterations of Star Wars canon.
In The Force Unleashed video game, Vader trained an orphan named Starkiller in secret in order to seemingly overthrow Darth Sidious. Also, in the traditional Star Wars legends, Vader trained Mara Jade, who later went on to marry Luke Skywalker.
While the Rule of Two was essential in keeping the Sith alive for an extra thousand years, none of the Sith in the movies actually followed it properly.
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Can you think of any other things about the Sith in Star Wars that most fans get wrong? Sound off in the comments!