Sith'ari

For other uses, see Overlord.

This article is about Sith'ari. You may be looking for a prophecy about the Dark Lords of the Sith.

The Sith'ari Prophecy recorded in the Book of Sith — The Sith'ari Prophecy recorded in the *Book of Sith*

"Some of the old texts speak of the Sith'ari. They say the Sith will one day be led by a perfect being, one who embodies the dark side and all we stand for."

―Qordis^[1]

Sith'ari was an ancient title that, in Sith, meant "the Lord" or "Overlord." It was first claimed by the King of Korriban Adas who unified the Sith species twelve millennia before the formation of the Sith Empire.

After Adas's death, the term became the subject of a legend prophesying the coming of a being that would lead and destroy the Sith, but in doing so would make the Sith more powerful than ever before. In this context, the term came to mean "perfect being" or "god." The prophecy, which was in many ways similar to the Jedi prophecy of the Chosen One, retained its importance for the Sith up until the time of the Order of the Sith.

The Sith'ari Prophecy

"One who has freed themselves from all restrictions has reached perfection, their potential fulfilled. Perfect strength, perfect power, perfect destiny. Imagine it. That is our ideal, at any rate. It is said in Sith legend that the 'Sith'ari'... the perfect being... will one day lead us. But perhaps that is just a legend."

―Yuthura Ban^[2]

Inspired by the legend of the ancient King Adas of Korriban,^[3] the Sith'ari legend prophesied the coming of the ultimate Sith.^[2] This "perfect being" would rise to power and bring balance to the Force.^[3] Free of all restrictions, the Sith'ari would lead the Sith but, according to the prophecy, destroy them as well; yet, through their destruction, make them stronger than ever.^[4] In that respect , the term of Sith'ari came to mean Immortal God-King.^[5]

The Sith'ari Prophecy was considered too sacred to be put into writing by the Kissai, who passed it on verbally from generation to generation. Eventually, the Jen'jidai Sorzus Syn recorded it thus:^[4]

The Sith'ari will be free of limits.
The Sith'ari will lead the Sith and destroy them.
The Sith'ari will raise the Sith from death and make them stronger than before.

The prophecy was to a large extent similar to the Jedi prophecy of the Chosen One, reflecting the need of a savior for both groups.^[6]

History

Adas, the first Sith'ari

"While some among the Kissai priests deem that the prophecy began and ended with Adas, many more await the Sith'ari's return."

―Sorzus Syn^[4]

Sith'ari, meaning "the Lord" or "Overlord" in Sith language, was a title originally assumed by Adas, the King of Korriban after he unified the Sith people under his rule in the Pre-Republic era.^[7]

After the death of Adas during the Rakata Invasion of Korriban^[7] around 27,700 BBY,^[8] the Sith Kingdom fragmented. Without the stabilizing influence of Adas, a civil war erupted on Korriban. The Sith battled against each other for rule of their people, with the reigning combatants arrogantly claiming the title of Sith'ari.^[7] The Kingdom of the Sith remained largely fragmented for the next millennia^[9] but the title of Sith'ari remained a key tenet of Sith lore.^[10]

The legend

"Prophecies are generally wishful thinking ... The fact that the Sith created their own savior myth is predictable ... [Yet these predictions] seem uniquely specific to the actions I am taking now ... I am not a creature of superstition. But if the robes of the Sith'ari ["perfect being"] fit, I see no reason not to claim them. "

―Darth Plagueis^[4]

The prophecy of the Sith'ari appeared during the millennia that followed the death of King Adas and the fragmentation of the Kingdom of the Sith.^[7] In 6900 BBY, ^[11] a group of Dark Jedi exiled from the Jedi Order arrived on Korriban. Led by Ajunta Pall, the Exiles quickly subdued the Sith and Pall became the first Dark Lord of the Sith, paving the way for the creation of the first Sith Empire.^[7] One of the Exiles, Sorzus Syn, discovered the legend of the Sith'ari and was the first to write it, breaking the old rule of exclusive oral transmission.^[4]

Over the next millennia, the legend of the Sith'ari remained strong in the Sith society and persisted despite the collapses and resurgences of Sith Empires. It was well known among the Sith acolytes of the Sith Academy of Korriban at the time of Darth Revan's Sith Empire and at the time of the Brotherhood of Darkness.^[2]^[1] Nevertheless, not all Sith believed to the prophecy.^[1]

During the Old Republic era, Darth Andeddu claimed the title of Sith'ari of Prakith.^[5]

During the New Sith Wars, some of the students at the academy on Korriban thought the apprentice Sirak was the Sith'ari. However, Sirak was killed by his nemesis, Bane. Darth Bane, eventually becoming a Dark Lord of the Sith, finally fulfilled the prophecy in many ways, first by providing Skere Kaan with the thought bomb, which caused the annihilation of the Brotherhood of Darkness, and then by instating the Rule of Two,^[1] leading to a powerful line of Sith by reducing their numbers to only two at a time. This allowed the dark side to distill in two vessels only; whereas Bane believed that its power in the past had been spread far too thin among the vast numbers of Sith 'lords'. This concentration of strength also made it easier to hide the Sith until they built up enough power to destroy the Jedi Order, and thereby open the way for the Sith to rule the galaxy.^[4] Many Sith would later consider Bane as the Sith'ari.^[6]

The legend retained its significance for the Sith after the fall of the Sith Empires and the establishment of Darth Bane's Rule of Two. According to Darth Tenebrous, Darth Bane was the foretold Sith'ari.^[12] Although Darth Plagueis, due to being a creature of logic and not superstition, never believed in the Sith'ari prophecy, or any prophecy since he considered prophecies "wishful thinking", he nonetheless saw no reason to not claim the title figuring that it ultimately fit him.^[4] Almost a century later, Darth Sidious proclaimed himself to be the Sith'ari while killing his master, Darth Plagueis, in his sleep.^[12]

Behind the scenes

Ever since its first mention, fans have speculated who the Sith'ari was. Some of the most notable candidates among this speculation were Darth Revan, Darth Bane, Darth Sidious, and Darth Vader.^[13]^[14]^[15]^[16]^[17]^[18]^[19] The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, however, establishes Bane as being the looked-for Sith'ari, confirming the assumptions of many fans.^[3] But the title has also been interpreted as having multiple holders throughout galactic history. Giving credence to this, the 2012 publication Book of Sith: Secrets from the Dark Side featured a number of references to the prophecy of the Sith'ari in what was intended by the book's author, Daniel Wallace, to be a running joke, whereby each in-universe writer of the Book of Sith came to the conclusion that he or she was the Sith'ari.^[20]