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- "A mysterious figure who may have been an Umbaran, Darth Ruin revived the Sith Order and seduced a number of Jedi to his cause. A war with the Jedi Order inevitably followed, but the Sith soon turned the war upon themselves. Ruin was destroyed by his own disciples, who ushered in a millennium-long period of betrayal and darkness amongst the Sith."
- ―Bodo Baas's writings
The New Sith, occasionally referred to as the Sith Empire or the New Sith Empire, was the Sith order that was revived by the Sith Lord Darth Ruin after the Fourth Great Schism in 2000 BBY. Though Ruin was killed by his disciples not long into his reign, the New Sith would survive for a thousand years, ravaging the Galactic Republic and bringing about the New Sith Wars. Various powerful Sith rose to head the vast number of Sith during that period, and betrayals and internal warfare often decimated the Sith, but it was eventually reorganized into the Brotherhood of Darkness by Skere Kaan.
History
In 2000 BBY,[1] the Sith Empire of the Great Galactic War had seemingly vanished without a trace. The Jedi Master Phanius left the Jedi Order to pursue forbidden teachings, and he was joined by fifty followers in the Fourth Great Schism. Unbeknownst to the Order and the Galactic Republic, Phanius infiltrated and united various surviving Sith clans, and then declared himself Darth Ruin, head of the New Sith. A merciless leader, Ruin maintained a supremely self-centered philosophy that he passed on to his disciples, but his death at their hands started a millennium of betrayal and internal warfare that became known as the New Sith Wars.[3] Despite Ruin's death, the New Sith retook many ancient Sith worlds such as Yavin 4 and Ziost.[2] Various permutations of the New Sith would rise and fall over the next several centuries, taking territory from the Republic.[1] Around 1100 BBY, the Republic essentially collapsed at the dawn of the Republic Dark Age, and the Sith fell on each other as they fought for control of their territory. It was not until 1010 BBY that a definite leader emerged—Skere Kaan's Brotherhood of Darkness solidified its supremacy over the other warring factions and united the remaining Sith.[2]
Behind the scenes
The New Sith were first mentioned in the novelization of Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, released on April 21, 1999 and written by Terry Brooks. The organization was expanded on in later sources to reconcile George Lucas's idea that the Sith originated in 2000 BBY and the fact that the Sith had existed for thousands of years prior. While referred to primarily as the New Sith and not a proper empire, Star Wars: The Clone Wars Comic UK 6.27 and Book of Sith: Secrets from the Dark Side refer to it as the Sith Empire and New Sith Empire respectively.
Appearances
- Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace novel (First mentioned)
Sources
- The Essential Chronology
- Power of the Jedi Sourcebook
- The New Essential Chronology (First identified as New Sith)
"Heritage of the Sith" — Star Wars Insider 88- Evil Never Dies: The Sith Dynasties on Hyperspace (article) (content removed from StarWars.com and unavailable)
- "Heritage of the Sith" — Star Wars: The Official Magazine 65
- Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, Vol. III, p. Ruin, Darth
- The Essential Atlas
- The Jedi Path: A Manual for Students of the Force
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars Comic UK 6.27 (First identified as New Sith Empire)
- Book of Sith: Secrets from the Dark Side (First identified as Sith Empire)
- Star Wars: The Ultimate Visual Guide: Updated and Expanded
