Dark Jedi

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"A Dark Jedi, on the other hand, has much smaller ambitions. He—or she—thinks only of himself. He acts alone. The ultimate goal is not galactic conquest, but personal wealth and importance. Like a common thug or criminal, he revels in cruelty and selfishness. He preys upon the weak and vulnerable, spreading misery and suffering wherever he goes."

―Jedi Master Obba^[1]

Dark Jedi, also known as "Fallen" Jedi, were Force-sensitives, frequently former Jedi, who chose to deny the light side of the Force or follow the dark side. Although "Dark Jedi" originally referred to a Jedi who had fallen to the dark side, it could also refer to uninitiated Force-sensitives who received no Jedi training but began their careers under another Dark Jedi. Others were simply dark-side users who did not follow the teachings of the Sith or other darksider organizations. In some cases, Dark Jedi also included "artificial" Force-sensitives who served the dark side, such as the Reborn and the Shadowtroopers. The first Dark Jedi was believed to be Xendor, who was the first member of the Jedi Order to fall. Other forerunners included Ajunta Pall and his followers who, after the Hundred-Year Darkness, were exiled from Galactic Republic space and became the ancient progenitors of the Sith Lords. Ultimately, the title became something of a blanket term for darksiders who could not be classified as belonging to any specific dark side organization.

Dark Jedi also became a term of note during the Great Sith War and the Jedi Civil War, where fallen Jedi served under the banners of Exar Kun and the duo of Darth Revan and Darth Malak, respectively. Thousands of years later, Sith Lords such as Palpatine would resurrect the term, with agents serving under him bearing the title. Those whom the Miraluka Jerec controlled came to be known as the Seven Dark Jedi.

Description and relationship to the Sith[]

"You wear the trappings of the Sith, you fight like the Sith… but this can be imitated, however. You lack a vital quality found in all Sith. Sith have no fear, and I sense much fear in you."

―Count Dooku and Asajj Ventress^[2]

Despite the fact that both groups called upon the dark side of the Force, Dark Jedi were not the same as the Sith, though the first group of Dark Jedi were the predecessors of the Dark Lords in the ancient Sith Empire.

Dark Side Master TotG — A Dark side Master in an apparent Soresu stance

The term Dark Jedi was a collective and vague name of dark-side practitioners (be they fallen or rogue Jedi) that used Force powers and a lightsaber, but were not always members of a certain organization, whereas the term Sith referred to a definite heritage or ideology. Some Dark Jedi were allied to the Sith or other organizations, while others were loners. Because they were notoriously dangerous, unstable, and treacherous, Dark Jedi seldom formed well-organized groups on their own in order to expand their following or reinforce their strength. One notable exception to this was the Miraluka Dark Jedi Jerec and his retinue of minions. Dark Jedi could also use their power for personal gain, becoming mercenaries or assassins.

The Sith, however, was an order that followed their code and studied their history, studied their own skills and techniques, and possessed secrets like Sith alchemy and Midi-chlorian manipulation. Furthermore, after the Rule of Two was established, the Order of the Sith Lords was limited to only two members, a master, and an apprentice, whereas the Dark Jedi had no organization and no such limitations.

The Sith often seduced Dark Jedi to work for them, without really granting them any knowledge of Sith techniques. Yet most Dark Jedi were willing to serve the Sith and saw it as a way to further their knowledge of the Force. Like those of the Sith, their lightsabers usually had red blades, but were also known to have a wide variety of colors.

Many dark-side practitioners, such as Count Dooku, considered the power of a Dark Jedi to be nothing compared to the power of the Sith. Other individuals, like Darth Vader, practiced both Dark Jedi and Sith techniques. According to Dooku, a prime difference between Dark Jedi and Sith is that the Sith "lack fear."

History of the Dark Jedi[]

"Beware, Jedi Master, lest through carelessness and inattention you let loose on the galaxy a monster…"

―Bodo Baas^[3]

The Old Republic era[]

The First Great Schism and early Dark Jedi[]

KotOR Dark Jedi — A typical Dark Jedi during the Jedi Civil War.

After the Jedi Order was established, divisions began to appear within the order's structure, leading to the First Great Schism, (c. 24,500 BBY), when several Jedi were discovered delving within the "dark" side of the Force. The Dark Jedi Xendor and his followers allied with the master of Teräs Käsi Arden Lyn and her Followers of Palawa from Bunduki. In a climactic battle, Xendor was slain, Jedi Master Awdrysta Pina stopped Arden's heart with morichro, and Lyn killed Pina with a Kashi Mer talisman. After the war, the rest of these dissidents—known as the Legions of Lettow—were defeated.

The Second Great Schism and the Hundred-Year Darkness[]

For over the next seventeen millennia, crises involving the Dark Jedi were rather isolated. One example involved a female Jedi Knight named Halbret who had brought together a contingent of Jedi Knights during the Pius Dea Era to defeat a powerful Dark Jedi who had enslaved the Kathol species.

Around 7000 BBY, however, a second war broke out between the Jedi and Dark Jedi that lasted a hundred years. The Dark Jedi were finally defeated at the Battle of Corbos and exiled into the far reaches of space. These exiles finally landed on the planet Korriban, enslaved the native Sith, and eventually interbred with them and created a new Force organization that eventually would plague the galaxy for millennia: the Sith cult.

The Golden Age of the Sith and the Great Hyperspace War[]

The Dark Jedi exiles and the Sith species formed an immensely rich and powerful empire built upon sorcery and dark-side-fueled technology.

Over the centuries, the Dark Jedi exiles were forgotten by the Galactic Republic even as all records of the Republic were lost by the Sith. The two civilizations thrived in isolation, each ignorant of the other.

However, after Marka Ragnos, the reigning Dark Lord of the Sith died, two other Sith Lords, Naga Sadow and Ludo Kressh, clashed for the mantle of Dark Lord. Two explorers from the Republic stumbled upon Korriban and the Sith Empire. They were imprisoned upon arrival, and the Sith council debated. They were originally going to be executed, but Naga Sadow secretly freed them and left evidence of the Republic.

Believing the escape was due to Republic work, the Sith aligned with Sadow, and attacked the Republic.

The Third Great Schism and the Vultar Cataclysm[]

In 4250 BBY, the Third Great Schism broke out on Coruscant, which led to the destruction of the Dark Jedi in that conflict in the Vultar Cataclysm.

The Great Sith War[]

Many Jedi seduced by Exar Kun became Dark Jedi. After the death of Kun, many Dark Jedi still existed and served under new Sith Lords like Darth Malak and Darth Nihilus.

The Jedi Civil War[]

Many Jedi joined Revan and Malak when they joined the Mandalorian Wars, and almost all of them became Dark Jedi when the Jedi Civil War started. Jedi who hadn't followed them were captured and turned to the dark side, becoming Dark Jedi themselves.

The Fourth Great Schism & The New Sith Wars[]

2000 BBY, Umbaran Jedi Master Phanius fell to the dark side. He left the Jedi Order with fifty Jedi Knights and became Darth Ruin. He eventually established a new Sith Empire that later resulted in the New Sith Wars. During the era of Lord Skere Kaan, many dark-siders were considered Sith Lords and very few Dark Jedi were ever seen in the following millennia, until the Clone Wars.

The Republic Classic era[]

In approximately 600 BBY, fallen Jedi Knight Allya was banished to Dathomir, where she became the founder of the Witches of Dathomir.

In 188 BBY, a Dark Jedi conflict occurred on Genarius, led by fallen Padawan Kibh Jeen.

Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn's Padawan Xanatos turned to the dark side and later died in a confrontation with his master.

At some point, a being named Lycan left the Jedi Order and became a Dark Jedi. He also introduced his Iktotchi apprentice, Sardoth, to the dark side of the Force. In 32 BBY, following a starcruiser crash, he lost his memory and went on an aimless killing spree. He was eventually tracked to the planet Molivar and killed in an ambush set by Darca Nyl, a retired mercenary whose family Lycan had slain.

On Ahakista in 9 months ABY, Sardoth confronted Nyl, vowing to retrieve his dead master's blade. However, Darth Vader, sensing the presence of a force user not aligned with The Galactic Empire, intervened and killed Sardoth.

A few years before the invasion of Naboo by the droid army of the Trade Federation, a group of Dark Jedi brought terror to the Elrood sector. Their reign of fear ended when the Jedi Ambassador Jorus C'baoth and his strike team defeated the darksiders.^[4]

Clone Wars[]

Main article: Dark Acolyte

ChronicallyCW-HC66-AsajjVentresscloak — Asajj Ventress, one of Darth Tyranus' Dark Acolytes during the Clone Wars.

After the apparent death of Darth Maul, Darth Sidious apprenticed Darth Tyranus, who in turn apprenticed several Dark Jedi, including Asajj Ventress and Sora Bulq. He also supposedly had under his wing the Jedi-turned-Dark Jedi Quinlan Vos.

During the war, the Bpfassh Dark Jedi crisis occurred. A group of Bpfasshi Dark Jedi were responsible for a rampage of terror and destruction throughout the Bpfassh system and, indeed, the entire Sluis sector. A Jedi task force led by Yoda was sent to stop them and quell the uprising.

Near the end of the Clone Wars, everything went wrong for Dooku. Ventress, after faking her own death, fled to an unknown location. Sora Bulq was killed by Quinlan, after the latter had turned back to the light, during the Siege of Saleucami. Another Dark Jedi named Tol Skorr was also killed by Quinlan during the battle. A few weeks after the siege, Dooku himself was killed by Anakin Skywalker onboard General Grievous's flagship, the Invisible Hand. Soon after, Skywalker became Darth Vader, Sidious' newest apprentice, and the Sith ruled the galaxy once more. This would lead to the employment of many more Dark Jedi.

Galactic Empire[]

Main article: Dark Side Adept

"I have watched you. You have advanced in submission to my will. I will make you Dark Jedi—extensions of my own power."

―Reborn Emperor Palpatine to Xecr Nist and Tedryn-Sha^[5]

Serpent Shard GH by Shoemaker — Illiv Orfa, Dark Jedi on Mustafar

During the span of the Galactic Empire, Sidious established a number of organizations composed by Dark Jedi, including the Inquisitorius, the Emperor's Hands, and his personal Dark Side Elite. Many AgriCorps Padawans were captured by Vader after the execution of Order 66. The younglings that Vader did not kill (which were very few) were trained in the ways of the dark side by several Dark Side Adepts, including Vader himself. After Vader's death, Sidious would not risk living with another apprentice after losing three, and so the Dark Side Elite became the right hand of Darth Sidious during Operation Shadow Hand. Sidious also trained several Emperor's Hands, special assassins that did his bidding. Famous ones included Darth Vader's daughter-in-law, Mara Jade Skywalker, and Shira Brie, who would later become Lumiya, Vader's apprentice. Mara was later redeemed by her future husband, Luke Skywalker, and became a Jedi Master.

Post-Palpatine era[]

Main article: Reborn

"He is a Dark Jedi."
"Jedi?"
"Dark Jedi."

―8t88 and Kyle Katarn, discussing the Dark Jedi Jerec^[6]

Desann and Jerec — Inquisitor Jerec & Desann.

After the Battle of Endor, Dark Jedi sporadically appeared throughout the years.

One group of Dark Jedi rallied under Jerec in an effort to locate and siphon the power of the Valley of the Jedi. This faction, often known as the Seven Dark Jedi, was defeated by Kyle Katarn.

In the Empire Reborn campaign, Lord Hethrir, Desann, and Admiral Galak Fyyar created an unusual hybrid of Dark Jedi and stormtroopers by giving them cortosis-weave armor and crystals from Artus Prime. These soldiers were called the shadowtroopers. Jedi-in-training Kyle Katarn and his partner Jan Ors put a stop to the project and defeated two of the three heads.

In 14 ABY, Master Katarn and his new apprentices, Jaden Korr and Rosh Penin, came to the New Republic's rescue as Desann's former apprentice, Tavion Axmis, discovered the Scepter of Ragnos and created a new Sith cult called the Disciples of Ragnos. The cult consisted of cultists and Desann's old Reborn warriors, and was also allied to the Imperial Remnant. The Disciples and Tavion were defeated by Korr and Katarn, and Rosh was redeemed after joining.

A young Jedi named Dolph trained under the New Jedi Order for less than a year before returning home and finding his parents' dead bodies impaled before the governmental palace, having been slain by the Je'har government. He became the Dark Jedi Kueller and used his powers to bring down the Je'har regime. He then orchestrated the Almanian Uprising, only to be thwarted by Jedi Master Luke Skywalker and his sister Leia Organa Solo.^[7]

Many Dark Jedi would later become part of the Second Imperium. Led by a former Jedi named Brakiss, the second Imperium assaulted Luke Skywalker's Jedi academy on Yavin 4. Brakiss was eventually defeated by Skywalker then killed when a Royal Guardsman triggered an explosive device after nearly being killed by him, thus destroying the Second Imperium.

Irek Ismaren was built into the cyborg Dark Jedi, Lord Nyax. Lord Nyax was eventually defeated by Luke Skywalker, Mara Jade Skywalker, and Tahiri Veila.^[8]

During the Yuuzhan Vong war and the Dark Nest crisis, scarcely any Dark Jedi remained. The only apparent Dark Jedi during these crises were Nightsister Lomi Plo and Shadow Academy student Welk. Both were killed by Luke Skywalker during the Dark Nest crisis, however, both were secretly members of the One Sith. Also, a former Jedi named Alema Rar became a Dark Jedi during the Dark Nest Crisis, but was supposedly killed during one of its final battles. Alema was later proven alive but grievously wounded, only to die later by the hands of Jagged Fel.

Despite all these tragic deaths and defeats, the Dark Lady Lumiya eventually resurfaced as a Sith, but was eventually killed by Luke Skywalker, who believed that she had murdered his wife Mara.^[9]

Behind the scenes[]

"Would you have preferred we have brought back a full-fledged Dark Jedi? A second Darth Vader, perhaps, with the sort of ambitions and power that might easily lead him to take over your ship? Count your blessings, Captain."
"At least a Dark Jedi would have been predictable."

―Grand Admiral Thrawn to Captain Gilad Pellaeon, discussing Joruus C'baoth^[10]

Star Wars author Timothy Zahn coined the term "Dark Jedi" in his 1991 novel Heir to the Empire. Zahn needed a label for a Jedi who had fallen to the dark side, and the term "Sith" would not be properly defined for another few years. He went with "Dark Jedi," which he regarded as "descriptive if not very original."

Over time, the definition of the term became progressively less precise, and "Dark Jedi" ended up referring to both fallen Jedi and malevolent Force users who never underwent proper training.^[11] Perhaps due to uneven usage within Legends sources, many fans have argued that "Dark Jedi" describes only those dark-side users who had previously been a Jedi or were once being trained as a member of the Order. Leland Chee dispelled this notion in two posts on the StarWars.com forums:

"We avoid [Dark Jedi] when we can. Dark Jedi definition still refers to any dark side user."

―Leland Chee^[12]

"A dark Jedi is anyone who practices the dark side of the Force whether or not they were a former Jedi."

―Leland Chee^[13]