While the Sith have a long history in theStar Warsgalaxy, one scene fromStar Wars: The Clone Warsmakes it clear that they also have a dark and oppressive history worthy of their reputation. The Sith began after a rogue Jedi fell to the dark side, and, in Legends, traveled to the Sith planet Korriban. There, the Dark Jedi conquered the native Sith species, calling themselves theLords of the Sith.
This takes place after the Hundred-Year Darkness, a Jedi Civil War that is also a part ofStar Warscanon storytelling. In the many ways that canon diverges from Legends, this one line fromThe Clone Warscould make the Sith feel a lot bigger – even thoughThe Clone Warswas initially a part of Legends.It confirms to us that the Sith have had a much bloodier history than previously thought.
Palpatine Confirmed There Have Been Many Sith Empires In History
The Clone Wars Season 4, Episode 13 “Escape from Kadavo”
InThe Clone Warsepisode “Escape from Kadavo,” part of the Zygerrian arc, Palpatine tells Dooku that “Long have Sith Empires been built upon the backs of slaves.“This implicitly acknowledges the fact that there have been multiple Sith Empires in the past. This works in elements of Legendsstorytelling, but also confirms to the audience that the Sith have a long and deadly history.
Long have Sith Empires been built upon the backs of slaves.
“Escape from Kadavo” involves slaves taken by the Zygerrian slave empire, which collaborated with the Confederacy of Independent Systems. This shows that slavery is a tool for the modern Sith just as much as it was for the ancient ones. Even more importantly, it shows that even during the Clone Wars era of his manipulation,Palpatine viewed himself as establishing a new Sith Empire, re-framing theGalactic Empirein an interesting way.
Why Have There Been So Many Sith Empires?
Imperialism And The Evil Of The Dark Side
This begs the question of why and how there have been so manySith Empires. The Sith are a naturally conquering ideology, focusing on the oppression of others in order to gain power for themselves. Given the nature of Imperialism and Imperial tendencies, this actually makes sense; Sith seek power and conquer others to gain it, just like how Palpatine wants more than anything else to control the entire galaxy.Oddly enough, though, recent comics have finally clarified why there were so many Sith Empires.
Every Major Sith Event In Star Wars Canon Explained
The Sith have been absolutely essential in Star Wars movies and TV shows, and these major events show how complex their history has been.
According toThe High Republic: Echoes of Fear#1, by George Mann, Vincenzo Federici, and Vincenzo Riccardi, the early Sith actually used to spread out to their ownregions of the galaxy, establishing their own smaller empires, including the issue’s newly revealed Sith Lord, Darth Ravi. This makes a lot of sense for theOld Republic era, because hyperspace travel was significantly less developed as a technology at the time, leading to smaller, more spread out Sith Empires. These are what Palpatine references inThe Clone Wars- but his empire was the first to properly claim the word “galactic.”
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Cast
Star Wars: The Clone Wars is an animated series that explores the intense conflict between the Republic and the Separatists. Featuring a mix of loyalty shifts and alliances, it delves into complex mysteries of the Force and showcases pivotal moments for characters like Anakin Skywalker and Master Yoda.
