As the evil counterparts to the Jedi, the Sith are one of the most iconic groups and features of the vast and expansive Star Wars franchise. Relying on passion and hate rather than peace and serenity, the Sith have been the perfect enemy for the keepers of peace for generations as they attempt to rule the galaxy and attain all the power they could wield and more.
The now Legends section of Star Wars dived deep into the lore and history of the Sith, but in the new canon, which has only really started, information on the legendary practitioners of the Dark Side is relatively scarce. Here are ten unanswered questions we still have about the Sith.
WHO WAS DARTH BANE'S APPRENTICE?
Darth Bane is one of the most legendary and important Sith Lords in all of Star Wars. He is the sole survivor of the Jedi-Sith War and creator of the Rule of Two. In Legends, he had a well-known apprentice by the name of Darth Zannah.
In the new canon, though, there is excruciatingly little information on Bane's apprentice, not even a name. There have been a couple of indirect mentions of Bane's apprentice, but nothing more. While one could assume it is still going to be Darth Zannah, that could very well prove untrue, so who are they? Who was the one to take the Rule of Two and ensure its continuation?
HOW DID DARTH BANE SURVIVE?
Speaking of Darth Bane, his status as one of the most legendary Sith Lords of all time became all but solidified by his survival of the Jedi-Sith War. But what is unknown is how he survived.
If the Sith at the time did not succumb to infighting amongst the Sith Order, they were massacred by the Jedi, whose power and collectiveness worked against the Sith. So how did Bane manage to survive all this, he was a skilled Sith Lord, immensely so, but it is impressive by his standards he survived such a thing.
WHAT ARE THE DETAILS OF THE HUNDRED YEAR DARKNESS?
The Hundred-Year Darkness is a famous and pivotal event in the history of the Star Wars Galaxy. It is essentially the period where the Sith were born out of the Jedi Order, and the power of the Dark Side rose.
But what is unknown is the details of the event in the new canon. The outline is simple, a rogue Jedi believed real power in the Force to lie in the Dark Side, and so they were cast out of the Jedi Order and created the Sith Order. But what happened during all this time, what were the details of the split? How was the Dark Side explored? What was the mindset of the Jedi? There is so much to explore.
MUST THEY ALWAYS KILL A JEDI FOR THEIR CRYSTAL?
The process of getting a red lightsaber is known as bleeding the kyber crystal. To do this, the implication is that the Sith must kill a Jedi, take their crystal, and bleed it. Or if a Jedi turns to the Dark Side, they could bleed their own.
However, there does not seem to be confirmation of this being necessary. Take Darth Maul, for example; he had his red lightsaber before he encountered a Jedi. Palpatine could have killed a Jedi, bled the crystal, and given it to Maul, but the question still stands.
WHY DID THEY NEVER CREATE THEIR OWN FORM?
One of the most consistently epic parts of Star Wars is the lightsaber battles. The combat used in these battles come in the forms of, well, forms. There are eight in total, Shii-Cho, Makashi, Soresu, Ataru, Shien/Djem So, Niman, and Juyo/Vaapad.
These forms of combat though were all created by the Jedi Order. Sith did master some forms such as Makashi (Count Dooku), and while there are spins on the forms, it is a wonder that in the length of time the Sith have existed, they did not create their lightsaber form.
WHO WROTE THE CODE OF THE SITH?
"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 set me free." This is the Code of the Sith (also known as Qotsisajak.)
The Sith Code is abided by all members of the Order, but its creation is unknown. It is an inversion on the Jedi Code whose origins are also unknown. Whoever did write the code will likely have been either a Sith scholar of sorts or a hugely influential Sith Lord.
WHO WAS THE ROGUE JEDI?
Talked about earlier on was the Hundred-Year Darkness, and so too was the Rogue Jedi. This unidentified individual was the one who wanted to explore the Dark Side of the Force and so was cast out by the Jedi Order and went on to amass a following that would become the Sith Order.
But who were they? This is one of the most essential characters in the entire timeline of Star Wars. In Legends, the character who was the first Dark Lord of the Sith was Ajunta Pall, it could become him in canon, but thus far, we do not know the identity of the Dark Jedi.
WHO WERE THE SITH AFTER BANE'S DEATH?
In Legends, there is an assortment of fantastic Sith Lords with stories and details. In the new canon, not so much. This is not a bad thing, the canon is relatively fresh, but it still stands that there is no real known Sith Lords in canon between Darth Bane and Darth Plagueis.
So who were the Sith at this time? As well as Bane's apprentice, as mentioned earlier, the Master of Darth Plagueis is also unknown. Perhaps Project Luminous will delve into this, but that seems focused on the Jedi, the Republic, and the Nihil.
WHAT ARE THE STORIES OF OTHER SITH LORDS?
As has been established, there are not many Sith Lords in the new canon, especially when compared to the vast, divisive Legends universe. But there still are a good few and more seem to be being brought into canon, like Revan or Exar Kun.
However, a lot of these revered Sith are brought into the canon by mentions in reference books or allusions and indirect mentions. We do not know their stories. They are all well established in Legends, but this is a new universe, and someone with the popularity and prowess like Revan deserved more than to be introduced in a visual dictionary. So what are the stories of all these Sith? When will they be told?
WHAT WERE THE SITH DOING BETWEEN BANE'S DEATH AND SIDIOUS' RISE?
The history of the Sith, as has been alluded to multiple times, has a lot of generation-long holes. There are odd bits of information on various critical Galactic events, but not much more.
While we do want to know the stories of many Sith Lords, one of the most intriguing and strange parts of history is the part we don't know anything about; the time between Darth Bane's death, and Darth Sidious' rise to power. What were the Sith doing at this time? How did they survive and function unseen? Were they as smart and as hidden in plain sight as Palpatine? Were they involved in politics or trade or banking? It is a long, long period for there to be no information on.