Star Wars has a history of having some of the best villains in pop culture with some of the most notable being Jabba the Hutt, Jango & Boba Fett, General Grievous, Count Dooku, Darth Maul, Darth Vader and Darth Sidious. This multi-part blog will dive into the history of many of the galaxy’s most depraved beings and what makes them the stuff of nightmares and why they are so much better than any villain in Disney Star Wars. Also, villains are usually way more interesting than the heroes that oppose them.
WARNING: Villains in this multi-part blog have committed/attempted to commit, really GRIM & MACABRE stuff. Read at your own risk!
Note: BBY stands for Before Battle of Yavin, which took place in Ep.4 A New Hope, when Luke Skywalker blew up the First Death Star. ABY stands for After Battle of Yavin.
PALAPTINE/DARTH SIDIOUS
Origin: Expanded Universe/LEGENDS Version
Everyone knows Darth Vader’s story, but not many know about the origins of his super manipulative, murderous and maniacal master. Palpatine’s backstory is greatly expanded upon in the Expanded Universe/Legends Continuity, especially in the 2012 Plagueis novel by James Luceno.
Note: In Expanded Universe/LEGENDS, Palpatine’s first name is never revealed, but in Disney Star Wars his first name is Sheev. Source: (https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Darth_Sidious)
Palpatine was born on the planet Naboo into a wealthy family, as the eldest child of five siblings and black sheep of his family. The one member of his family he despised the most was his father, Cosinga, and harboured the desire to kill him. Palpatine refrained from the of use of his first name out spite for his family. In his younger years, he kept getting into trouble, even with the law and would never suffer any consequences for his actions due to his dad having the charges dropped, thus making Palpatine believe he was untouchable. One of Palpatine’s many crimes was killing two pedestrians and not showing any remorse.
“Palpatine proved to be a rebellious youth with a penchant for mischief. His father thus used a considerable amount of credits to protect the family from any scandal that Palpatine nearly caused on many occasions with his numerous run-ins with the law.”
“Palpatine’s list of offenses, while usually minor, was extensive enough that—were he anyone other than a nobleman’s heir—he would have been imprisoned in a correctional facility. Sure enough, whatever his son’s crime, Cosinga was there, ready and willing to use his influence and credits to make it “disappear.” Having been raised to believe that money could solve anything, Palpatine quickly dispensed with traditional notions of morality, instead forging a unique code of ethics for himself; a pedestal on which he placed himself, to be raised above all others.”
“…his father had bought him a state-of-the-art, prototype speeder, more as a bribe than a gift, but one he accepted, nonetheless. Indeed, the only time Palpatine thought well of the man who raised him was when they shared a cockpit together. This was not to last, however, as Palpatine soon crashed the machine, tragically killing two pedestrians in the process. As always, Cosinga bought his son a reprieve, and Palpatine himself never showed the slightest bit of remorse for the incident. Quite the opposite, in fact, if anything, the lack of punishment from the law only served to reinforce the boy’s belief in his own invulnerability…”
Palpatine realised his life’s true ambition was acquiring absolute power after buying Sith artefacts on the black market with his family’s wealth and was even interested in art. Palpatine would later make connections with aristocrats and politicians through a programme provided by the university he attended and started taking an interest in the political sphere as he wanted Naboo to prosper, but his dad was against the idea as he wanted to remain isolated from joining the Republic and didn’t want galactic corporations exploiting Naboo. Palpatine undermined his dad’s political party by leaking information to the opposition, which caught the attention of Darth Plagueis whose public identity was Hego Damask the Second, a powerful businessman who would manipulate politics and corporations to advance the Sith’s endgame in dominating the galaxy. Plagueis was supporting the opposition party for the Naboo throne and to open the planet up to the wider galaxy. Palpatine’s dad found out about his son hanging out with Damask/Plagueis and tried to prevent his son from messing up the election, which would ultimately have father and son come to blows that ended when Palpatine unleashed his dark power and massacred his entire family and their security .
“Palpatine recorded, in his preface to the Book of Sith (c 19 BBY), that he took a vested interest in forbidden Sith lore as a child. Employing his family’s vast wealth, the youth took to the black market, resolving to collect as many inscrutable runes and ancient texts as possible. Enraptured by the secrets revealed with each tome, Palpatine at once recognized the key to realizing his true ambition: the acquisition of absolute power. All that remained was opportunity.”
“Cosinga Palpatine eventually learned of his eldest son’s friendship with Hego Damask. Due to his estrangement with the younger Palpatine, as well as Damask’s support for Tapalo’s bid for the throne, Cosinga immediately attempted to thwart any further contact between his son and the head of Damask Holdings. After Cosinga failed to coerce Damask with veiled threats, the Muun contacted Palpatine, who had been away on Chandrila with his class at the time. Palpatine, enraged by the revelation of his father’s attempt to interfere in his affairs, desperately implored Damask for advice. Recognizing the potential that emanated within his young protégé, Damask took advantage of Palpatine’s fear and hatred for his family, and thus insinuated that he had to do whatever it took to become emancipated from his father’s control.”
“Palpatine’s defining moment came when his father personally journeyed to Chandrila with the entire family in tow to retrieve his heir… In order to keep him away from Naboo during the elections and out of Damask’s reach, Cosinga planned to send his son to Chommell Minor, where he would… complete the Legislative Youth Program… Palpatine did not accept the arrangement, and verbally attacked Cosinga. The altercation brought out their long-standing yet barely concealed hatred for each other, until Cosinga revealed to his son that he had wanted to kill him from the start. Overcome by years of repressed anger and frustration, Palpatine instinctively drew upon the power of the dark side and slaughtered his entire family and their security guards. When the deed was done, he contacted Damask and was assured by his mentor that none would ever learn of his role in the slaughter of House Palpatine. Damask arranged for all evidence of the crime to be purged, and for Palpatine to return to Chandrila. All records pertaining to his ancestry or his immediate family members mysteriously vanished afterwards; some would even assume years later that he created the name “Palpatine” to conceal his Sith identity and enter the political sphere.”
“Having judged the young Palpatine worthy of joining the Sith after he murdered his family, Darth Plagueis formally initiated him into the cult…. it was common for Sith names to begin with the forename Darth, a moniker that was as much a title as it was a name. Many factors went into deciding on the second name. At least one, based on observed ceremonies, is that Sith masters would enter a kind of communion with the dark side of the Force, question it, and within it find inspiration, an answer. In Palpatine, Plagueis saw a being completely lacking in empathy, ambitious, arrogant, and insidious. Palpatine genuflected before his master, pledged his undying allegiance to the Sith Order, and the Dark Lord of the Sith proclaimed him his new apprentice under the name Darth Sidious.”
“You’re heartless, ambitious, arrogant, insidious, and without shame or empathy. More, you’re a murderer.” – Darth Plagueis to Sidious
“You have the Force, apprentice, and the talent to lead. More, you have the bloodlust of a serial killer…” – Darth Plagueis to Sidious
“Then it is done. From this day forward, the truth of you, now and forever more, will be Sidious.” – Darth Plagueis to Palpatine christening him his Sith name: Sidious.
Palpatine would begin his political career and while still apprentice to Plagueis, would train a young Darth Maul to be a Sith assassin. Part of Maul’s torturous Sith training by Sidious involved being chained upside down while lowered into a vat of acid and being tossed into a frozen lake. As an assassin, Maul would kill many people in Sidious’ name. Maul would later be ordered by Plagueis and Sidious to kill Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn to make sure young Anakin Skywalker isn’t trained by the Jedi, but Maul only succeeded in killing Qui-Gon and was defeated by Obi-Wan. Palpatine also had his political mentor Vidar Kim assassinated and later his Jedi son Ronhar Kim, who wanted to find out if the Sith had infiltrated Republic politics. Palpatine would continue making friends and allies and whether they knew it or not, aided in Palpatine’s goals in messing up the galaxy behind the scenes even more. Palpatine would even crash a party-banquet hosted by Senator Pax Teem and massacred the politician’s family, friends, and guests before killing the Senator last by setting fire to a floor-to-ceiling curtain which fell down and immolated/burnt Pax Teem to death.
“… Plagueis was adamantly opposed to the Jedi training him. He immediately ordered Palpatine to instruct Maul that killing Qui-Gon Jinn was now of paramount importance, as Jinn was essentially acting as Anakin’s sponsor within the Jedi Order. Without Jinn backing the boy, Plagueis hoped the Jedi Council would simply send him back to Tatooine.”
“… Sidious instructed TD-D9 to have Maul chained upside down to a winch, which he would attempt to escape from as he was being lowered into a vat of acid.”
“… the Sith Lord lifted him with the Force and tossed him into a vast, icy lake. Maul struggled to get out, while his Master watched on and refused to answer any call for help. The boy feared for his life, but he learned that he must turn his fear into anger, therefore using it to swim hard to shore…”
“Maul originally went on countless missions of terror for his master, killing politicians, crime bosses, merchants, and warlords.”
“… Sidious slaughtered everyone else who was present, including the guests that Teem had invited to a feast. After butchering Teem’s family, friends and guests right before his horrified eyes, Sidious used the Force to set fire to a floor-to-ceiling curtain that fell atop the Gran, enveloping him and roasting him alive.”
Plagueis and Sidious tipped the scales of balance in the Force towards the Darkside and Plagueis would inadvertently create the Chosen One Anakin Skywalker via trying create life by influencing The Force through the midi-chlorians. Palpatine along with his master Darth Plagueis and former Jedi Count Dooku who would be given the Sith name Darth Tyranus, come into the fray later on following the events of the Trade Federation‘s Blockade of Naboo orchestrated by Sidious and Plagueis in Ep.1: Phantom Menace and plotting the downfall of the Republic and Jedi in the years leading up to the Clone Wars. As Hego Damask, Plagueis would use Jedi Master Syfo-Dyas to order the creation of the Clone Army for the Republic while Count Dooku recruited the Mandalorian Jango Fett to become the template for the Clone Army and would later erase the planet Kamino along with other solar systems that Palpatine believed would benefit the Sith. Palpatine would have Count Dooku kill Syfo-Dyas as he was one of many loose ends they had to eliminate to ensure the Sith’s Grand Plan a secret. Palpatine would later kill his master Plagueis after becoming the new Republic Chancellor and would tell Anakin Skywalker “The tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise” in Ep.3: Revenge of the Sith. Dooku would become leader of the Separatists that would challenge the Republic and made sure the Clone Wars would begin before Palpatine’s second term as Chancellor ended, thus giving Palpatine more political power. Since the Sith were presumed destroyed a 1000 years prior to the Clone Wars, the Jedi had become complacent and hypocritical, thus making them unknowingly complicit in their own downfall along with Palpatine being so insanely powerful in the Darkside causing the Jedi to make poor decisions and unable to see the future properly and masking his true intentions.
“… able to hide his dark nature from the Jedi Order for many years before allowing himself to be discovered. Sidious was so powerful in the dark side that he was able to cloud the Jedi’s vision, making it exceedingly difficult to predict future events. This allowed him to bide his time and plot his rise to power while the Jedi were unable to sense him. Overall, his powers of control and persuasion had been drawn from the very blackest depths of the dark side of the Force.”
“During his period as the Chancellor, he used a strategy called the Perpetual war… This strategy consists of maintaining a state of continual war with no foreseeable ending. Palpatine applies this strategy by coming to power through conflict with the Trade Federation, gaining greater privileges through the Clone Wars, and solidifying his position through the war on the Jedi.”
“Sidious and Plagueis then entered a meditative trance and managed to tip the scales of balance in the favor of darkness. Plagueis attempted to go one step further and attempted to create life by mentally reaching out to the inhabitants of the galaxy. An act in direct violation of the nature of the Force, Plagueis and Sidious attempted to will a being of their own design into creation, pouring their malicious intent into waves through the Force to the countless midi-chlorians spread across the galaxy. “
“By 33 BBY, Sidious was busy fomenting dissent in the Outer Rim as part of the Grand Plan’s goal to pit the Republic against disgruntled star systems in the outlying regions.”
“… Dooku erased all records of the planet Kamino from the Jedi Archives, along with thirty-seven additional systems, including Dagobah and Dromund, that Sidious had judged to be of potential value to the Sith.”
“Palpatine had now completed his two four-year terms as Chancellor, and his clone army was nearly at the ready. The time was ripe for the commencement of the penultimate stroke of the Grand Plan. Throughout Palpatine’s career as a Sith Lord, he, Plagueis, and Dooku had thrown the galaxy into chaos. Through careful manipulation of the Senate, various intragalactic criminal organizations, and the Republic’s commercial and financial institutions, many systems of the Outer and Mid Rims were festering with hatred and resentment of the decadent Core Worlds and the corrupt Senate. Disenfranchised, poor, exploited and lawless, many of these worlds began to sound the rallying cry that they should break from the Republic. With a civil war virtually inevitable, Palpatine rushed to make sure he was in complete control of the impending conflict. Ultimately, he intended to use it to cement his hold on power and eliminate the Jedi Order.”
“Plagueis and Palpatine became aware of the powerfully Force-sensitive Anakin Skywalker, a human slaveboy from Tatooine who stood at a vergence in the Force and who had been born around the same time that they had saturated the galaxy with the dark side a decade earlier. Plagueis became convinced that the midi-chlorians, unwilling to comply to his and Sidious’s “unnatural” usurpation of the power of the Force, had struck back in retaliation, conceiving a savior to ultimately destroy the Sith: the prophesied Chosen One, whom Plagueis had blasphemously endeavored to create, or “father,” in the past.”
“… Plagueis began to fear that the Sith were in danger of being undone, and indeed held himself responsible, as he interpreted Skywalker’s creation as the Force striking back at him and Sidious.”
“With his master’s guard completely down, Palpatine betrayed Plagueis by blasting his transpirator mask with Force lightning, shorting it out and waking him; being inebriated and half-asleep, however, the Muun could do nothing to stop his apprentice. Palpatine took this opportunity to thoroughly deride, mock, and otherwise disparage Plagueis, telling him that for the whole of their relationship the apprentice had ever manipulated the Master, playing him like a pawn. And throughout the relentless derision, Sidious sent forth additional blasts of lightning, causing the Muun immense pain as he slowly suffocated. Adding insult to injury, Sidious lambasted Plagueis for his role in Palpatine’s own warped conversion, hatefully accusing him of manipulating a “confused boy” into murdering his family.”
“… If it’s any consolation, I’m being honest when I say that I could not have succeeded without you. But now […] I’ve no need for [you]. […] I have Maul to do what the risk of discovery might not allow me to do, while I execute the rest of the Grand Plan: growing an army, fomenting rebellion and fabricating intergalactic war, corralling the Jedi and catching them unawares … Rest easy in your grave, Plagueis. In the end, I will be proclaimed Emperor. The Sith will have had their revenge, and I will rule the galaxy.”– Sidious after killing Plagueis.
Note: (Intergalactic War means warring of 2 or more galaxies, what Palpatine meant was Intragalactic War)
After three years, The Clone Wars ends with the Second Jedi Purge/Great Jedi Purge (the second time the Jedi were nearly wiped out following the First Jedi Purge carried out by the Sith Triumvirate a few thousand years prior), the Separatists destroyed, the Republic transformed into the first Galactic Empire, the Jedi portrayed as villains by Sidious and Anakin Skywalker now Darth Vader was finally under the Sith Lord’s control after years of manipulating the young Jedi.
“Without the Jedi to oppose him, Sidious declared himself Emperor of the first Galactic Empire, bringing an end to the Republic that had stood for over 25,000 years.”
“As Emperor, Sidious effectively wielded absolute control over the entire galaxy and virtually everyone who lived within it. During his tenure, he built one of the most powerful military forces the galaxy had ever seen and ruled unopposed for nearly two decades.”
Apart from Plagueis, Vader, Count Dooku and Maul, Palpatine had many other allies and underlings to carry out his bidding while he was Senator, Chancellor and Emperor. The most notable being Mas Amedda, Cronal, Sun Guard, Lumiya, Sate Pestage, Prophets of the Dark Side, Dark Side Elite, Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin, Mitth’raw’nuruodo/Grand Admiral Thrawn and Mara Jade – who would later become Luke Skywalker’s wife and mother to their son Ben Skywalker.
Sources:
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Mas_Amedda/Legends
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Cronal
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Sun_Guard
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Lumiya
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Sate_Pestage/Legends
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Prophets_of_the_Dark_Side
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Dark_Side_Elite
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Wilhuff_Tarkin/Legends
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Mitth%27raw%27nuruodo/Legends
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Mara_Jade_Skywalker
Before becoming the elected Chancellor of the Republic, Sidious and Plagueis had certain politicians assassinated to ensure the former’s victory and even plotted the downfall of his predecessor Chancellor Valorum.
“… Palpatine had few enemies in the Senate, and many friends, ensuring that all factions could work well with him. In addition, Plagueis, in his disguise as Hego Demask, began calling in all the favors owed to him by various galactic power brokers to help ensure Palpatine’s election.”
“… Palpatine secretly arranged to have several billion credits, believed to have been stolen by the criminal organization Nebula Front, funneled through the Bank of Aargau and into the accounts of House Valorum. Sate Pestage ensured that the exchange was uncovered by Valorum’s political enemy, Senator Orn Free Taa, who revealed it to the Internal Activities Committee. This action served to critically weaken Chancellor Finis Valorum’s already tenuous hold on power.”
“Palpatine returned to 500 Republica certain that the tide was with him. He declared to Amidala that he would become the next Chancellor, and meant it. In fact, he had already made certain of it. Even in the midst of all his preparations for the Naboo crisis, Sidious had availed himself of his connection to the Thyrsian Sun Guard… Sidious and Plagueis had made use of these Sith mercenaries to assassinate a discreet, though pivotal, number of Senators whose votes could have endangered his scheme. Exactly which Senators were killed is not known, but they would have been the ones most likely to tip the balance of votes decisively in favor of his competition.”
During his reign as Emperor, Sidious would face many threats against him such as an assassination plot orchestrated by rogue Imperials and Darth Vader’s secret rogue apprentice Galen Marek/Starkiller. Starkiller dies fighting Sidious to save his friends and his family crest would become the symbol for the Rebel Alliance. Despite his death, Vader had Starkiller cloned, but the clone would also go rogue and aid the Rebels just like the original Starkiller.
Sources:
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Ghost_Prison_incident
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Galen_Marek
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Subject_1138
As mentioned earlier, Palpatine is so insanely evil and powerful in the Darkside that he has been repeatedly stated to be the most powerful Sith to have ever lived and the prophesied Sith’ari, the Sith’s version of the Jedi’s Chosen One and even considered himself the Darkside incarnate. It is because of his immense power that he was able to fool everyone in the galaxy. When George Lucas created Palpatine/Sidious he based him on a number of real life political leaders and tyrants such as Richard Nixon, Joseph Stalin and Roman Emperors Julius Caesar and Augustus as well as referring Palpatine as the Devil of Star Wars. Ian McDiarmid who played Palpatine/Sidious in the movies has said that he is more evil than Satan.
Sources:
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Palpatine/Legends#Political,_historical,_and_mythological_allegory
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2005-05-18-0505180309-story.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20060909135351/http://www.scifi.com/sfw/issue421/interview.html via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palpatine#Creation_and_development
“There’s a moment in one scene of the new film where tears almost appear in his eye. These are crocodile tears, but for all those in the movie, and perhaps watching the movie itself, they’ll see he is apparently moved — and of course, he is. He can just do it. He can, as it were, turn it on. And I suppose for him, it’s also a bit of a turn-on — the pure exercise of power is what he’s all about. That’s the only thing he’s interested in and the only thing that can satisfy him — which makes him completely fascinating to play, because it is an evil soul. He is more evil than the devil. At least Satan fell — he has a history, and it’s one of revenge.” – Ian McDiarmid on Palpatine’s evil nature. Source: (https://web.archive.org/web/20061215043150/http://www.starwars.com/episode-ii/bts/profile/f20020124/indexp2.html)
“He’s the great political manipulator of all time. I imagine he’s evil from birth, which is a terrible thing to imagine.“―Ian McDiarmid. Source: (https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Star_Wars:_Revenge_of_the_Sith_Scrapbook) via (https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Palpatine/Legends#cite_note-Dark_Empire_5-4)
“Palpatine has many similarities with traditional depictions of the Devil. He is extremely good at lying, deceiving many really good people into following him in a scheme that ends up having him take over the government to usher in (what he claims to be) a utopia. Order 66 is inspired by 666, the number of the Beast…” Source: (Villains Wiki)
“And then there was Palpatine, of course: he was beyond power. He showed nothing of what might be within. Though seen with the eyes of the dark side itself, Palpatine was an event horizon. Beneath his entirely ordinary surface was absolute, perfect nothingness. Darkness beyond darkness.
A black hole of the Force.” – Count Dooku regarding Sidious’ malevolent nature in Revenge of the Sith novel
In Matthew Stover’s Revenge of the Sith novelisation, Sidious was hell bent on having the galaxy plunged into darkness that he wanted his Galactic Empire to rule for 10,000 years. However, Palpatine also desired to rule not just the galaxy, but the rest of the universe, forever ruled by the Darkside.
“We are an Empire ruled by the majority! An Empire ruled by a new Constitution! An Empire of laws, not of politicians! An Empire devoted to the preservation of a just society. Of a safe and secure society! We are an Empire that will stand for ten thousand years!“―Palpatine
“Resurrected, Palpatine accelerated his plan to replace the Galactic Empire with a “Dark Empire,” a universe-spanning magocracy ruled through the dark side of the Force alone, without the need for regional governors or technological domination.”
Note: (A magocracy is a form of government composed of individuals capable of magic.)
“… highly manipulative, Machiavellian, exploitative and seductive megalomaniac, easily bending others to his will in his quest for Sith supremacy and ultimate power. As a megalomaniac and egotist, Sidious identified his own essence with the very blackness of space, even going so far as to declare himself the ultimate personification of the dark side. His desire for absolute power was such that he even had Extra-galactic aims regarding his rule, seeking to dominate the entire universe, and very possibly having the means to do so if he had turned all the Skywalkers to his service, after his first resurrection.”
“…Sidious—having only just proclaimed himself the embodiment of the long-prophesied Sith’ari—felt a monumental shift in the Force, which he interpreted as the dark side anointing him as the tool it would use to take over the universe…”
“You’ve been nothing more than a pawn in a game played by a genuine Master. The Sith’ari. Reflect back on […] Yinchorr, Dorvalla, Eriadu, Maul, the Neimoidians, Naboo, an army of clones, the fallen Jedi Dooku … You think these were your ideas, when in fact they were mine, cleverly suggested to you so that you could feed them back to me. You were far too trusting, Plagueis.” – Sidious after killing his master Plagueis
“Palpatine, the greatest Dark Lord of the Sith of all, was subject of several prophecies before his birth. In approximately 990 BBY, Bodo Baas‘s Master foretold Palpatine’s eventual struggle against the Skywalker siblings Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa Solo in 10 ABY. Bodo’s mentor prophesied that Palpatine would try corrupt the former, so the latter would have to face him to save her brother.”
“Sometime before 147 BBY, while still being taught by his master, Darth Tenebrous calculated with his enormous brain about the future of the Sith, and saw Palpatine’s coming as the shadow that would mark the end of several things in a way that would darken the galaxy, envisiuoning the arrival of a “One Sith” that would no need a replacement and rule forever, though Tenebrous naively thought it was him.”
“Darth Sidious was considered by many, including Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker, to be the most powerful Sith Lord in the entire history of the Sith Order—something he himself firmly believed… Additionally, he was the only Sith Lord in a thousand years to achieve the ultimate goal of the Sith: to eradicate the Jedi Order and bring the galaxy under the rule of the Sith. He was also considered the one Force user to have successfully tamed the Dark Side of the Force… He brought about the greatest period and depth of darkness to the galaxy and the Force until the rule of Darth Krayt and the One Sith.”
After his death at Endor by the redeemed Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, Sidious would continue his plans to conquer the galaxy and the universe by transferring his spirit into one of his many clone bodies.
“At an unknown time prior to his death at the Battle of Endor, Palpatine had found a different way to cheat death by preserving his spirit after the death of his body, by the method of spirit transference. He arranged for a series of clones of himself to be created for his spirit to possess, in the event that he perished. His primary supply of clones was kept on Byss, guarded by loyal Dark Jedi and immense genetically altered guards and maintained by a trusted private physician. Unfortunately, the clones were heavily ravaged by the dark side and not sustained by the Force. Each body he took would age and deteriorate more quickly than the last. But the Dark Lord was not concerned; he had an endless supply of clones which he could use to rule the Empire.”
Operating on the planet Byss at the near-centre of the galaxy, Sidious would reform the Galactic Empire into the Dark Empire and would unleash new superweapons to terrorise the galaxy: The Eclipse 1 & 2 Super Star-Destroyers, the World Devastators and the Galaxy Gun and would have Luke Skywalker become his apprentice, but Luke becomes his apprentice so that he could end Sidious, but finds himself in too deep and Leia helps him come back to the light. Sidious would be killed a second time when Luke and Leia temporary sever his Force connection, thus causing Sidious’ own power to blow up in his face (see video below).
Following his second death, Sidious would once again inhabit one of his clone bodies, but was failing him and couldn’t use another clone body as the rest were all destroyed by Luke Skywalker and members of Sidious’ inner circle tampered with the spare back ups that Luke didn’t destroy, even the genetic source needed to create more clone bodies. The Dark Lord would be defeated for good when his spirit would try to possess Han and Leia’s new born son Anakin Solo, when one of Luke’s fellow Jedi, Empatojayos Brand, sacrificed himself to contain Sidious’ spirit and ends up sending both himself and the Dark Lord into the Netherworld of The Force where Sidious would be restrained by the spirits of every Jedi that had ever lived over the last 25,783 years, and experience a fate worse than death, finally ending his reign of tyranny which resulted in immeasurable trillions of deaths.
“… two Dark Side Adepts Nefta and Sa-Di began to slaughter the secret auxiliary clones Skywalker did not kill. Executor Sedriss killed them for their defiance, as the last clone of Sidious emerged, planning to resume conquest of the galaxy.”
“… the Emperor began to succumb to genetic tampering done to his clones by the treacherous Imperial Sovereign Protector Carnor Jax, both due to the latter’s own ambitions and because several of the Imperial officers hired him to do so due to growing disturbed by the Emperor’s erratic use of the Galaxy Gun. He tried to clone other bodies so that he could resurrect himself, but Jax had succeeded in tainting even the genetic source material.”
“With his last body destroyed, Sidious’ cackling spirit flew toward young Anakin Solo, but was intercepted by the dying Brand, who threw himself in the way. The Jedi Knight bound the Emperor’s soul to his own departing life force, taking it with him as he became one with the Force. Railing and cursing against the Skywalker family, Sidious’s spirit was dragged into the depths of the Force, where every deceased Jedi would ensure his dark essence would never again return to wreak havoc upon the galaxy. There he would experience disembodiment in darkness, perpetual madness as if to always live with an open wound; terror without respite.
“With Brand’s ultimate sacrifice, Darth Sidious was finally, and permanently, dead.”
The following images depict the evolution of Palpatine through the Star Wars Legends/EU Continuity.
If you want to learn more about one of the greatest villains in pop-culture, watch the following videos.
Darth Sidious Tribute Video
Sources:
https://villains.fandom.com/wiki/Emperor_Palpatine_(Star_Wars)#Trivia
https://pure-evil-villains.fandom.com/wiki/Emperor_Palpatine#Legends_Exclusive
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Palpatine/Legends
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Cosinga_Palpatine
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Imperial_family
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Midi-chlorian/Legends
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Dark_side_of_the_Force/Legends
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/The_Force/Legends
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Rule_of_Two/Legends
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Darth_Plagueis/Legends
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Darth_Plagueis_(novel)
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Pax_Teem
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Massacre_at_the_Gran_Protectorate_Embassy
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Vidar_Kim
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Ronhar_Kim
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Galactic_Republic_Chancery_election,_32_BBY
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Chosen_One/Legends
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Sifo-Dyas/Legends
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Clone_Wars/Legends
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Sith%27ari
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Order_of_the_Sith_Lords
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Grand_Plan/Legends
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Naboo/Legends
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Finis_Valorum/Legends
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Darth_Tenebrous/Legends
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Vergence/Legends
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Darth_Maul/Legends
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Dooku/Legends
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Trade_Federation_of_Planets
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Confederacy_of_Independent_Systems/Legends
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Galactic_Republic/Legends
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Galactic_Empire/Legends
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Dark_Empire
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Byss/Legends
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Literature/RevengeOfTheSith
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Star_Wars:_Revenge_of_the_Sith_(novelization)
TENEBRAE aka VITIATE & VALKORION
Source: (https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/star-wars-theory-palpatine-vitiate)
Origin: Expanded Universe/LEGENDS (SWTOR MMORPG)
“When the Emperor broke my will, he looked into my mind, and I was able to see the reflection of his own evil. Invading the Republic is only the first step of his plan. He has become obsessed with power and immortality. The dark side is like a cancer inside him; it grows faster than he can feed it. And with his hunger comes an all-consuming fear. He has lived a thousand years; he knows he could live many thousands more. He is terrified of death.” – Revan explaining the Emperor’s motives. Source:(https://comicvine.gamespot.com/forums/gen-discussion-1/tenebrae-slave-to-hunger-and-false-sith-1875700/)
Tenebrae was the Darth Sidious of his era, only way more scheming and manipulative as he tormented the galaxy for nearly 1500 years. Born over 5000 years BBY and assumed different personas and possessing others over the ages and started killing at an early age. Tenebrae murdered his family after discovering he was the product of an affair his mum had with the Sith Lord Dramath who ruled over their planet Medriass. Tenebrae killed his step-dad by snapping his neck with the Force, tortured his mum for months before killing her, and when he met his real dad Darth Dramath, Tenebrae easily killed him and imprisoned his soul inside a holocron for centuries just to torture him. After successfully conquering his home-world, Sith Lord Marka Ragnos christened Tenebrae as Darth Vitiate. Tenebrae would rename his planet Medriass to Nathema and build a palace for himself at the sight of his old home and rule his planet for a 100 years before destroying it. After Naga Sadow‘s Sith Empire lost to the Republic in the Great Hyperspace War, Tenebrae saw his opportunity to form his own Sith Empire.
“At thirteen he presented himself to Marka Ragnos, the Lord of all Sith and the ruler of the Sith Council. Impressed by the teenager’s ambition and power, Marka Ragnos granted him the title of Lord Vitiate.“―Darth Nyriss
Tenebrae went onto perform a 10 day ritual with the assist of a powerful superweapon called Zildrog, created by a long deceased advanced civilisation, that made Tenebrae both incredibly powerful and immortal, with Tenebrae himself killing 8,000 Sith and wiping out his home-world stripping it of all life and Force energy and warping reality of the planet itself, turning Nathema into a nightmarish wasteland. It was on this day that the Sith Emperor was truly born.
“But the ritual was not confined to the doomed Sith Lords. They were but the eye of the storm; the center of a vortex that spread across the entire planet. Every man, woman, and child on Nathema died that day. Every beast, bird, and fish; all the insects and plants; every living being touched by the Force was consumed. When the ritual ended, Nathema was no longer a world. It was a husk sucked dry. Lord Vitiate sacrificed millions, stealing their life force to make himself immortal. Their deaths also made him stronger than any Sith who had come before, and he ceased to be known as Lord Vitiate. On that day, the Emperor was truly born.“―Darth Nyriss
Tenebrae would build his Sith Empire within the galaxy’s Outer Rim territories and orchestrate the Mandalorian Wars, a prelude for his true plans, which lasted 16 years resulting in mass death and destruction. As Vitiate, Tenebrae was confronted by Jedi Heroes Revan and Malak – who led the Jedi to victory against the Mandalorians – corrupted the two Jedi heroes to the Darkside and gave them a mission to find an ancient superweapon: The Star Forge. Unfortunately for the Emperor, Revan and Malak broke free from his influence and formed their own Sith Empire and caused the Jedi Civil War, which was followed by the Dark Wars in which the Sith Civil War and the First Jedi Purge took place. After Revan was redeemed and saved the galaxy from his former friend Darth Malak, Tenebrae would later keep Revan alive for the next 300 years just to torture him when the Jedi Knight tried to assassinate him with the aid of Jedi Exile Meetra Surik and unexpected help from Sith Lord Scourge. However, Scourge betrayed both Jedi when he saw a vision of a mysterious unknown hero – who would be forever known as the Hero of Tython, and killed Meetra while Vitiate overpowered Revan. As a reward, Scourge was given immortality by Vitiate and made him his wrath (Emperor’s Wrath) one of his many devoted servants. Scourge would wait for the day to betray Vitiate again and aid the Hero of Tython to stop his insane master from destroying the galaxy. As the Emperor’s prisoner, Revan never saw his Jedi wife Bastila Shan again and never got to meet or know his unborn son Veran.
“…Locked in stasis, hovering between life and death, Revan was unable to move as the Emperor reached out across dozens of light years and fed off of the Jedi Master’s strength, using Revan’s power to fuel his own. The Emperor also linked his mind to Revan’s and tried to draw on his knowledge of the Republic and the Force so that he could learn more about his enemies” Source: (http://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Revan/Legends)
“… centuries ago I had a vision of the Emperor destroying the Galaxy. Republic, Empire, everything gone this Jedi has the power to stop him.” – Lord Scourge to the Jedi Council regarding the Hero of Tython in SWTOR
During his time as Sith Emperor Vitiate, Tenebrae was largely absent and had barely any interaction with his Sith Empire as he was heavily focused on building a second Empire far from the eyes of the Sith and Republic. The reason why Tenebrae went to great lengths to make a second Empire is because he got bored with the Sith as he was leagues above them in terms of power and his ambition outgrew them. Whilst constructing his new Empire, Tenebrae discovered an ancient armada of spaceships that would become known as the Eternal Fleet that he would control from his Eternal Throne that would help him crush both his former Sith Empire and Republic. Tenebrae would take the body of a Zakuul warrior named Valkorion and use him as his vessel for his spirit.
“Dissatisfied with Sith ideology, the Emperor divided his consciousness into a Zakuulan warrior named Valkorion and created a vast civilization known as the Eternal Empire. The Emperor desired absolute immortality to experience the pleasures of life and expand his new creation across galaxies, so he plotted to initiate a war between his Sith Empire and the Galactic Republic. The deaths caused by the conflict would fuel a new ritual that would allow him to consume almost everything in the galaxy and become an all-powerful god.” Source: (https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Tenebrae)
“… the Sith Empire was never more than a means to an end for Vitiate. In secret, he had diverted funds to a small planet in Wild Space, known as Zakuul, where he had built an empire using technology far beyond any seen in the galaxy at the time, an empire fanatically loyal to their Immortal Emperor. In the guise of the benevolent Emperor Valkorion, Vitiate ruled justly and fairly for centuries, even finding love and fathering three children, but always preparing to take over the galaxy once the Sith and Republic had wiped each other out.” Source: (https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Characters/StarWarsTheOldRepublicSithEmperor)
As Valkorion, Tenebrae fathered three kids with one of his bodyguards, Senya Tirall, and they had twin boys Arcann & Thexan and a girl Vaylin. Valkorion’s kids were all incredibly strong in the Force and he treated them badly by ignoring his sons and never acknowledging their accomplishments, which infuriated Arcann to the point where he temporarily gave into the Darkside and tried to kill Valkorion but was stopped by Thexan, causing Arcann to accidentally kill Thexan instead, which is what Valkorion wanted, to see which of his sons was superior. Valkorion had Vaylin locked away in a facility on Nathema where he had her “conditioned” (tortured) to control her power and would later consume her soul during the War against Zakuul, to make himself more powerful.
The mythical and mysterious Hero of Tython defeated Tenebrae in his Sith Emperor Vitiate persona and stopped him from carrying out his doomsday ritual of wiping out the galaxy. Tenebrae’s spirit would go into slumber and later awakened by a crazed Revan (whose actions forced both Sith Empire and Republic to team up) who tried to resurrect the Emperor so he could finish him for good. However, Tenebrae’s Spirit would go onto torment the Sith world Ziost where he would corrupt and mentally enslave the population and consume all life and Force energy on the planet just like he did with his home world Medriass/Nathema centuries prior, but without the need of a ritual.
The following video (below) shows the Emperor’s Wrath in the Sith Warrior Storyline of SWTOR, having a vision of what would’ve happened if the galaxy was destroyed by Tenebrae’s Doomsday Ritual.
“Vitiate, as the now-former Emperor was known to the Empire that rejected him, soon resurfaced on the planet Ziost, an ancestral world of the Empire. Extending his influence across the globe, he began to possess the planet’s population, and fed off of the chaos and death that his puppets caused—allowing him to become stronger and possess more of Ziost’s population.”
“Ziost’s population was evacuated as quickly as the Empire and Republic could manage, but only a fraction were off-world by the time Vitiate made his final call: a wave of dark-side energy rolled across the globe, turning all living things to ash and leeching the Force from the world to revitalize him. The only things that survived Vitiate’s hunger were the Monoliths, a new breed of Sithspawn that Vitiate created using dark-side energy rather than by manipulating existing creatures. Believing himself to have finally passed beyond death’s reach, Vitiate decided that he had transcended the link between flesh and identity, and thus no longer required vessels such as his Voices and Children. His hunger sated, the Force entity departed the now-barren world and vanished into the Unknown Regions, where he consolidated his entire essence into the Valkorion body, abandoning the name Vitiate and severing his ties to the Sith Empire, even going so far as declaring it a failed experiment.”
Tenebrae would go back to assume the form of Valkorion, while his twin sons led the Eternal Fleet and Knights of Zakuul in battles against Jedi and Sith. In response to the Emperor’s destruction of Ziost and the attacks on Republic and Sith by the mysterious Eternal Empire, Darth Marr and The Outlander – later known as the Alliance Commander – who is heavily and clearly implied to be the Hero of Tython, as Valkorion states:
“In all my centuries, you alone have merited my full attention. You leave your mark upon the galaxy wherever you act, just as I do.”
are captured by the Eternal Empire with Darth Marr being killed by Valkorion and The Outlander imprisoned after killing Valkorion, which is secretly what the Emperor wanted as his consciousness bonded to the Outlander’s mind in order to take control of his body when time was right. With the threat of the Eternal Empire now led by Arcann and Vaylin, The Republic and Sith form the Eternal Alliance that would be led by the Outlander who would become known as the Alliance Commander.
To end the war with the Eternal Empire, the Alliance Commander teams up with Valkorion’s family including Darth Dramath’s spirit, permanently vanquishing Tenebrae. Despite dying for good in his Valkorion persona, Tenebrae had one last trick up his sleeve: Upon the destruction of both his original body and spirit, Tenebrae’s original body was rigged with an ancient ritual that created a backup copy of his soul to finish what he started. However, Tenebrae’s soul copy was defeated by the Alliance Commander and his comrades as well as the spirits of everyone Tenebrae had ever wronged and he along with his Vitiate and Valkorion personas crumbled to dust, finally ending his reign of evil that tormented the galaxy for so long (see video below).
“Simultaneous with the expulsion, the former Emperor’s Wrath Scourge and the Jedi Knight Kira Carsen destroyed the Emperor’s original body, dooming his spirit to chaos. However, the act released a final, disparate vestige of his essence, imbued into his flesh centuries earlier, which soon took hold of Jedi Grand Master Satele Shan and her Jedi followers. Drawing off their memories and power, the imprint slowly reformed itself into a duplicate of Tenebrae and threatened to use Shan as his new host. Many of history’s greatest champions, including the Outlander and Revan, along with the souls of all those ever wronged by Tenebrae, joined within Shan’s mindscape and destroyed the Immortal Emperor once and for all.”
Tenebrae’s legacy would go onto inspire Sith Lords Darth Plagueis and Darth Sidious, millennia after his death.
“Thousands of years after the Emperor’s death, the Sith Lord Darth Plagueis—himself obsessed with achieving immortality—mused that Emperor Vitiate, as he was known to history, was the only Sith Lord in history who had come close to achieving the secret.”
“… Plagueis muses about Vitiate’s accomplishments during the Muun Sith Lord’s own research on immortality.”
Ever since Tenebrae/Vitiate/Valkorion was introduced in the EU/Legends continuity, there has been constant debate among fans about him being more evil and powerful than Sidious, even with some saying that he’s better than Sidious.
Sources:
https://starwars.fandom.com/f/p/2729234963407832445/r/2729257639216153894
Tribute Videos of Tenebrae/Vitiate/Valkorion
Quotes:
“You discern a fraction of reality. Beyond these stars exist other galaxies, other worlds, other beings. I will experience or ignore them as I wish. I will spend eternity becoming everything: a farmer, an artist, a simple man. When the last living thing in the universe finally dies, I will enjoy peace and wait for the cycle to begin again.” – Vitiate to the Hero of Tython explaining why he wants to be immortal via committing galactic genocide.
“I found Valkorion centuries ago. He was a great warrior. A champion of ancient Zakuul. It was only natural I hollow him out to use as my vessel.” – Tenebrae on Valkorion
“Look around you. Zakuul is poised to become the greatest civilization in the history of the galaxy. I have forged this empire to surmount all of my previous works. To span eternity.” – Valkorion regarding the Eternal Empire of Zakuul
“You are mine. Servants. Slaves. Weapons. And you will obey…” – Vitiate to the Strike Team sent to stop him
“My life spans millennia. Legions have risen to test me… My ascendance is inevitable. A day, a year, a millennium—it matters not. I hold the patience of stone and the will of stars. Your striving is insignificant. Let your death be the same.” – Vitiate to the Hero of Tython
“Life is as empty without terror as without love. But while chaos can be beautiful… it cannot last.” – Valkorion
“The future is not a river to carry us. It is the ocean in which we drown, if we are not prepared.” – Valkorion to the Alliance Commander
“You demand a simple answer, refusing to look for it within. That is the essence of your failure.” – Valkorion
“A life without regret is a life well-lived.” – Valkorion
“Kneel before the dragon of Zakuul!” – Valkorion
“You wanted my return. You did not need to destroy whole fleets or turn a living world barren for that. You only had to point the Empire and Republic to a shared adversary, and let them do what they do naturally: make war. The scores of dead have nourished me. I am awakened. And I bring with me… death!” – Vitiate taunting Revan
“There is no death; there is only the Force-and I am its master” – Vitiate
“He is master of the Force, master of us all! To stand against such power is to be destroyed!”- Servant Four regarding Valkorion’s power
Sources:
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Tenebrae
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Tenebrae%27s_curse
https://swtor-archive.fandom.com/wiki/Vitiate
https://villains.fandom.com/wiki/Vitiate
https://pure-evil-villains.fandom.com/wiki/Vitiate
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Sith_Emperor’s_ritual
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Ritual_of_Nathema
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Valkorion
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Dramath
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Tenebrae%27s_adoptive_father
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Tenebrae%27s_mother
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Nathema
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Marka_Ragnos
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Sanitarium
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Sith_Empire_(Post–Great_Hyperspace_War)
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Mandalorian_Wars
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Jedi_Civil_War
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Dark_Wars
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/First_Jedi_Purge
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Sith_Civil_War
http://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Revan/Legends
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Darth_Malak
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Scourge_(Sith)
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Star_Forge
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Zakuul
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Eternal_Empire
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Eternal_Throne
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Eternal_Fleet
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Hero_of_Tython
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Alliance_Commander
http://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Darth_Marr
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Zildrog
http://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Ziost/Legends
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Invasion_of_Ziost
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Senya_Tirall
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Thexan
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Arcann
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Vaylin
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Eternal_Empire_raids
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Eternal_Empire_conquest
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/War_against_Zakuul
ABELOTH – PART 1
Origin: Expanded Universe/LEGENDS (FATE OF THE JEDI)
Luke Skywalker along his son Ben and niece Jaina Solo and the rest of the Jedi team up with an ancient Sith cult called the Lost Tribe of Sith, that have been isolated from the galaxy for millennia, to take down Abeloth aka the Bringer of Chaos, an ancient entity of cosmic horror that transcends the natural order of things and possesses more than enough power to destroy the galaxy and unleash an apocalypse upon the rest of the universe if she wasn’t stopped. Abeloth did some some really dark stuff in Fate of The Jedi book series, such as making her way to Coruscant where she became Chief of State of the Galactic Government thus earning her the title of “Beloved Queen of the Stars” by killing and taking on the form of a popular senator, caused earthquakes across Coruscant with the intent of killing billions to deter Luke and his fellow Jedi from stopping her, tortured Luke by taking on the form of his of old girlfriends Akanah Goss Pell and Callista Ming after killing them and claiming their souls and deceive the Lost Tribe of Sith into turning against the Jedi, levelled an entire Sith city, and made a bunch of Jedi go psychotic.
With unexpected help from the mysterious Darth Krayt, Luke was able to put an end to Abeloth’s rampage by sending her into the Lake of Apparitions, located in a higher-plane of existence called Beyond Shadows, that can trap anyone by sending them into the Depths of Eternity, FOREVER! Luke didn’t believe that an entity as powerful and dangerous as Abeloth could be defeated and would one day return centuries after his death and the only way to stop her for good was with the legendary Mortis Dagger/Dagger of Mortis that can only be found in the Realm of Mortis where Abeloth’s adopted family of gods (The Father, The Son & The Daughter) that were introduced in The Clone Wars Season 3 episodes Overlords, Altar Of Mortis and Ghosts of Mortis (The Mortis Trilogy by fans) once resided, who were responsible for keeping her imprisoned for countless millennia, until their deaths in the Mortis Trilogy.
“Luke believes vestiges of Abeloth remain—her destructive rise to power is cyclical, according to legend, and Luke fears she will return, as evidence suggests the galaxy is slipping into darkness. In a proactive measure, Luke dispatches a special team of Jedi—the Ten Knights—to seek out the monolith of Mortis, where they might find the Dagger of Mortis, a legendary object capable of slaying a Force-wielder from beyond the mortal realm.” – Source: (The Essential Reader’s Companion) via (Comicvine – Abeloth Respect Thread)
The Ones, once known as Celestials, as they appear in The Clone Wars Season 3. Abeloth’s adopted family are said to be representations/embodiments of The Force. The Son (Dark Side) wielding the Dagger of Mortis (left), The Father (Keeper of Balance) (centre), and the Daughter (Light Side) (right), making them far more powerful than any Force user in history. The Father said that apart from him only the Chosen One – Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, can maintain balance between the Son and Daughter, by taking his place and staying on Mortis to prevent his children from throwing The Force out of balance and endangering the entire universe.
Growing old and afraid of losing her adopted family, the mortal woman who would become Abeloth did what was forbidden, bathed in The Pool of Knowledge and drank from the Font of Power – both powerful Force Nexuses, corrupting her into the nightmare entity she now is. Confronted by her adopted family, Abeloth was imprisoned within The Maw, a cluster of black holes by her former family with the aid of the Killik species, created powerful technological marvels, Centerpoint Station and Sinkhole Station. With Abeloth imprisoned, The Ones retreated to the Realm of Mortis, which exists outside space-time.
“It is Abeloth’s nature to seek what is beyond her grasp. That is why she is the Bringer of Chaos.” – Thuruht
“… Abeloth managed to escape her prison whenever the Current of the Force was altered and the flow of time changed.”
“The Killiks believed that Abeloth was freed following periods of great strife when the Current was turned, which happened when individuals wished to go where the Current would otherwise be unable to carry them and changed the Force, usurping the Celestials’ dominion over the energy field. Turns of the Current meant the Force suffered as Abeloth, the Bringer of Chaos, shattered the status quo for a new order to take its place, changing the future. Typically, Abeloth escaped only after thousands of years of war.”
“[…] when Abeloth escapes, it is always in a time of great strife. Sometimes, when war grows too powerful, the Bringer of Chaos is released. She shatters the old order, so a new one can rise.” – Thuruht
Abeloth possessed many abilities that no one had seen before, while confined to her planet within the Maw, she could control and manipulate the plant life and was a master in psychological torment. Her power was such that she could reshape the galaxy however she wished by warping reality itself, and capable of rag dolling multiple Sith and Jedi. She’s also 12x physically stronger than Jedi Grandmaster Luke Skywalker and nearly crushed his neck. Abeloth’s physiology makes her nigh impossible to injure.
“… She drove the still-sizzling stump of her amputated arm into his throat, catching him square in the voice box and pressing hard. The cartilage began to give. He pushed back with the Force, reinforcing his larynx and trying to throw her off.” – Source: (Fate of the Jedi: Vortex) via (Comicvine – Abeloth Respect Thread)
“It was no good. Abeloth had a dozen times the Force strength Luke had, and he could do no more than keep her from crushing his throat.” – Source: (Fate of the Jedi: Vortex) via (Comicvine – Abeloth Respect Thread)
“They’re Sith,” Jaina reminded him. “All that matters to them is power, and Abeloth had power like a nova has light.” – Source: (Fate of the Jedi: Vortex) via (Comicvine – Abeloth Respect Thread)
“Thuruht seems convinced that the galaxy is about to perish. She keeps saying that the end of time has come”. – Fate of the Jedi: Apocalypse. Source: (Comicvine – Abeloth Respect Thread)
“With footings and foundations melting by the square kilometer, skytowers would fall by the thousands, tumbling into their neighbors or dissolving into the same pools of molten stone that had eaten away their bases. The fumes, superheated and filled with noxious gases, would kill hundreds of millions-and if a pyroclastic flow developed, the death toll would rise to the billions.” Source: (Fate of the Jedi: Apocalypse) via (Comicvine – Abeloth Respect Thread)
“And the whole time, Abeloth would be feeding off the fear and anguish of the victims. She would grow into a being beyond mortal comprehension. With the dark side hers to command, she could literally reshape the galaxy in any manner she wished.”- Source: (Fate of the Jedi: Apocalypse) via (Comicvine – Abeloth Respect Thread)
“Ben shook his head, not quite able to grasp the enormity of what was happening before him. He was watching a deity being born-and she was not a benevolent one. It felt like he was caught in one of those terrible nightmares from which it was impossible to awaken, except that if this was a nightmare, it had been going on so long that it had become his life. – Source: (Fate of the Jedi: Apocalypse) via (Comicvine – Abeloth Respect Thread)
Follow sweet Jedi, I’ll show thee the way, Through all the pain and the sorrows. Weep not poor Jedi, For life is this way, Murdering beauty and passions.
Hush now dear Jedi, It must be this way, To weary of life and deceptions. Rest now my children, For soon we’ll away, Into the calm and quiet.
Come little Jedi, I’ll take thee away, Into a land of dreaming. Come little Jedi, The time’s come to play, Here in a land beyond shadows.”
Fan Art. Source: (https://www.swagonline.net/image/inktober-day-22)
Sources:
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Abeloth
https://near-pure-evil.fandom.com/wiki/Abeloth
https://villains.fandom.com/wiki/Abeloth
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Mortis/Legends & https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Mortis
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Akanah_Norand_Goss_Pell
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Callista_Ming
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Vestara_Khai
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Ben_Skywalker
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/The_Ones/Legends
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Darth_Krayt
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Duel_at_the_Lake_of_Apparitions
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Lake_of_Apparitions
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Depths_of_Eternity
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Beyond_shadows
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Dagger_of_Mortis/Legends
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Overlords
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Altar_of_Mortis_(episode)
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Ghosts_of_Mortis
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/The_Maw/Legends
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Abeloth%27s_planet
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Sinkhole_Station
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Centerpoint_Station
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Thuruht
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Killik/Legends
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Celestial/Legends
https://comicvine.gamespot.com/profile/emperordmb/blog/abeloth-respect-thread/125991/
ANAMORPHIC 