Darth Vich

Darth Vich was a young Sith Lord of the reconstituted Sith Empire when his Emperor launched a war against the Galactic Republic. Shortly after its beginning, Darth Vich went to the planet Rattatak and defied a one-thousand-year anti-alien tradition to transform a hundred Rattataki tribes into his personal army. Vich was eager to elevate his own status in the Empire in an unsuccessful ploy. The Empire's ruling Dark Council then enslaved or killed the Sith Lord's Rattataki followers, and rumors that some of his Rattataki acolytes betrayed him and were then admitted for full Sith training circulated.

Biography

When the Emperor was preparing the reconstituted Sith Empire for war against the Galactic Republic,^[4] the Sith were composed of Humans and Sith purebloods in the Unknown Regions.^[5] Among their Sith Lords was a young person who became known as Darth Vich, serving under the Empire's ruling Dark Council^[3] by 3681 BBY.^[6] In that year, the Sith Empire revealed itself to the wider galaxy and invaded the Republic's Outer Rim Territories, sparking the Great Galactic War.^[7]

Darth Vich dismissed the Sith Empire's anti-alien taboo to build a personal army of Rattataki (pictured).

In the early stages^[3] of the twenty-eight-year conflict,^[5] the arid world Rattatak in the deep Outer Rim came to the attention of Vich. The Sith Lord was intrigued by its inhabitants, the Rattataki, who had become a fierce warrior people after generations of infighting and countless struggles for survival on the bleak world. Recognizing their potential and dismissing a one-thousand-year anti-alien tradition, Vich recruited hundreds of Rattataki tribes from the world into his personal army. His forces were formidable opponents in battle, and he discovered that dozens of his soldiers were sensitive to the Force. Vich took the Force-sensitive Rattataki and trained them as acolytes.^[3]

Vich later used his Rattataki army in a play for power that ultimately failed, and he was killed by the Empire.^[5] Following the attempt, Vich's Rattataki followers were either executed or enslaved by the Dark Council. Rumors persisted that a number of Rattataki acolytes had betrayed Vich during his insurrection and were later taken in by the Sith for full training.^[3] In the period following the initial war against the Republic,^[3] the Empire began to allow non-Humans and non–Sith purebloods to undergo Sith training at the re-established academy on the Outer Rim planet Korriban.^[5]

Personality and traits

Vich was a Force-sensitive^[3] Human or Sith pureblood^[2] who attained the position of Sith Lord at a young age, eager to make a name for himself. He had the ambition and boldness to attempt a power play within the Sith Empire following its invasion of Republic space, dismissing one thousand years of anti-alien customs to exploit the Rattataki people. He organized a personal army and trained dozens of its members as acolytes of his own.^[3]

Behind the scenes

Darth Vich was created as part of the historical lore in the setting of the LucasArts and BioWare video game Star Wars: The Old Republic. He was first mentioned on the game's official site as part of The Holonet feature.^[3]