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Star Wars: History Abridged Pt. 8- The Dark Wars Pt. 2

Hello, everyone, and happy May the Fourth. Hopefully you’ll have already read my review for the final episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars by now. There’s more, though. For the last week, I’ve been continuing my history abridged series for the Expanded Universe, covering the era of the Old Sith Wars. Today is the grand finale. If you’ve read my last posts, then you know the Galaxy’s in bad shape. The Jedi are on the brink of extinction, the Republic’s at death’s door, and the Sith are making it worse. However, there’s still one person left who can help. So, come with me and learn the story of the Jedi Exile.

If you haven’t played Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, then major spoilers ahead. Just saying.

The Jedi Exile

The woman known to history as the Jedi Exile was born Meetra Surik, and she spent her youth trained as a Jedi Padawan. She was strong in the Force, far stronger than some teachers gave her credit for. In addition, she was to unconciosuly use the Force to create powerful bonds with others, making her a natural leader and compassionate person. When the Mandalorian Wars broke out, she was one of the Jedi who followed Revan and Malak into battle. Next to Malak, she became Revan’s most trusted follower.

At the final battle of Malachor V, Revan entrusted Meetra with the superweapon that would wreck the planet. As a result of, she saw many of the friends she made die in front of her. It broke her, and she became the only Jedi to return to the Council to face judgement. They chose to exile her for what she did. In addition, they also seemed to sever her connection to the Force. she spent the next ten years wandering the Outer Rim. That is, until Revan’s friend Carth found her and brought her back to the Republic.

Hunted by the Sith

In 3,951 BBY, Meetra, aka the Jedi Exile, returned to Republic space. Naturally, this attracted the attention of many factions, including the Sith. Darth Sion and his Sith Assassins infiltrated the Republic ship she was on and came close to capturing her. However, she would be saved by none other than Darth Traya. Her students had turned on her, stripped her of the Force, and threw her out. Now she wanted revenge on them and saw the Jedi Exile as the key to that, and more.

With her new companions, along with several she picked up while on the run, she narrowly escaped the Sith. After returning to the Republic, she then set out on a quest to reunite the remaining Jedi Masters, take down the Sith, learn why she was exiled and why she was starting to regain her connection with the Force.

Journey of the Jedi Exile

With her new companions, Meetra began to travel to multiple worlds touched by the Mandalorian Wars and the Jedi Civil War. While doing so, she ended up helping the locals out with a lot of problems that were keeping them from rebuilding. She also gained a few more companions in the process. Among them were Visas Marr, the lone survivor of Katarr and Nihilus’ apprentice, and Mandalore the Preserver. The latter was trying to rebuild his people after their defeat, and saw aiding the Republic as their best option.

After traveling to multiple planets and fending off Sith assassins and bounty hunters, events would reach a fever pitch on the familiar world of Onderon. It had been fifty years since the events surrounding Freedon Nadd and the Beast Riders. Now the planet was ruled by Oron Kira and Galia’s descendant, Talia. However, a growing force wanted Onderon to secede from the Republic. What no one knew was that these separatists were backed by the Sith.

Ulimately, Onderon became engulfed in a Civil War that the Exile and her companions found themselves caught in. On the moon of Dxun, the group worked with their Mandalorian allies to drive the Sith out of Nadd’s tomb, which they were using to bolster enemy with the Dark Side. Meetra herself led the counterattack that would save Talia and end the conflict in victory. As a bonus, she found the last Jedi Master she was looking for.

Revelations

With all the (still) living Jedi Masters found, Meetra returned to Dantooine to learn the truth about her exile and her regaining the Force. The revelations were pretty big.

As it turned out, the Council never took her connection to the Force. She did that herself at Malchor V. If she hadn’t, the backlash from feeling all her friends die would have killed her. As for how she could use it again, it was through her bonds with others. So the masters wanted to exile her again, for good. However, Kreia intervened.

Kreia had come to believe that the source of much of the Galaxy’s strife was the Force itself and sought to destroy it. And in the Exile, she saw a truth that the Jedi refused to believe: that people did not need to rely on the Force to survive. So, she slew the masters and abandoned the Exile before journeying to Malachor V.

Fall of the Triumvirate

After Kreia left her, Meetra learned what she was planning. The countless deaths at Malachor V had made it a wound in the Force. By expanding it, she could cut the Force off from the entire Galaxy. In other words, killing it. But doing so would probably kill countless beings in the process. So, they had to stop that. First, though, the Sith had to be dealt with.

Firstly, Meetra managed to slay Darth Nihilus when he came out of hiding to consume another planet. After that, the group traveled to what was left of Malachor V, took down the Sith assassins, and convinced Sion to let go of his hate and pass on. After that, she confronted and struck down Kreia/Darth Traya, and then reactivated the superweapon that destroyed Malachor V to destroy the planet, closing the wound in the Force.

The Jedi are Reborn

However, this is where the story of the Jedi Exile ends in Republic Space. with her dying breath, Kriea told Meetra the truth about what happened to Revan, why he became a Sith Lord, and why he had left after the Jedi Civil War. He had discovered that the Mandalorians were pawns for a much greater evil, lurking in depths of space. An evil so great, that Revan sought to prepare the Galaxy for it by any means necessary. It was this evil that he left to confront on his own, and now the Exile would follow in his footsteps.

Meetra didn’t leave the Republic unguarded, though. Many of her companions on this journey were Force-sensitive. She chose to pass on her knowledge and training to them before she left. These students of hers would rebuild the Jedi Order and the Republic in the decades to follow. Thus, the Old Sith Wars came to an end.

May the Fourth Be With You

I didn’t intend on making this post as detailed as it was. However, I found that the only way to give this story any credit was to dedicate a separate post to it. This isn’t the end of the story, though. There are some pretty crazy things left to tell you about the Mandalorian Wars, Revan, and the Exile. So, come back tomorrow for Revenge of the Fifth as I give you the epilogue to the Old Sith Wars.

May the Force be with you.

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Star Wars: History Abridged Pt. 7- The Dark Wars, Pt. 1

Any Star Wars fan worth his salt knows how Darth Sidious almost managed to wipe out the Jedi Order in the films. However, in the Star Wars Expanded Universe timeline, this wasn’t the first time this happened. That distinction belongs to the period of time following the end of the Jedi Civil War. Known as the First Jedi Purge, it’s what we’ll be talking about both today and on May the Fourth. And in some ways, it was worse than what Sidious ever did.

Republic and Jedi at Death’s Door

Thanks to the efforts of the redeemed Revan and his friends, the Jedi Civil War ended in victory for the Jedi and Republic. However, that brought no comfort. In less than fifty years, the Galaxy had gone through three major conflicts that had eaten away at the Jedi. Thousands of members had either died or fallen to the Dark Side. Some of their most important centers of knowledge had been lost. And since the latest incarnations of the Sith had been ex-Jedi, public confidence in them reached an all-time low.

When the Jedi Civil War ended in 3,956 BBY, the total number of Jedi left was around a hundred. A hundred; in a galaxy of trillions of people who needed help. Worse still, the Republic stood on the brink of total collapse. Their military and infrastructure were in shambles, and they could do nothing to help their protectors.

There was one person who could lead the Galaxy through this strife, though: Revan. However, after the war, he began to regain more of his memories. Suspecting there was a threat in the deep reaches of space, he left known space a year after the war ended. Thus, the Galaxy was deprived of a leader.

The Sith Triumvirate

Even though Revan’s Sith Empire was shattered, remnants of it clung to life in the dark corners of the Galaxy. For several years they continued to cause trouble for the Republic, but they also fought each other. After a while, though, the remnants united under the leadership of the Sith Triumvirate, three powerful Dark Lords of the Sith with badass titles.

There was Darth Sion, the Lord of Pain. He had been a part of the Brotherhood of Sith in the Great Sith War, where he discovered an unnatural power. By focusing on his pain/sheer willpower, he could use the Dark Side to bring himself back to life whenever he fell. In other words, he was immortal at the cost of his body becoming a patchwork of injuries held together by the Dark Side.

Then there was Darth Nihilus, the Lord of Hunger. scariest of the three. He fought in the Mandalorian Wars and was unlucky enough to be on Malachor V when Revan almost destroyed it. Even though he survived, he had to drain the Force Energy from others to survive. In other words, he was a Force vampire. When the Dark Side began to destroy his body, he got rid of it. He transferred his consciousness to his skull-like mask and armor, become a freak of nature.

Then there was Darth Traya, the Lord of Betrayal. Once a Jedi, she had been one of Revan’s teacher’s in his youth. When he became a Sith Lord, the Jedi kicked her out, and she vowed revenge. Journeying to Malachor V, she learned Revan had left something behind: the Trayus Academy and its students, the Sith Assassins. They used the Force to hide themselves and hunt down targets through it.

First Jedi Purge

Rather than conquer the Galaxy outright, the Triumvirate had a different strategy: take. out. The Jedi. They were smart enough to realize that if their attempts at Galactic Domination kept getting foiled by the Jedi Knights, they should get rid of them. After that, it wouldn’t who was in charge: the Dark Side would reign supreme. Thus, they got to work, starting the First Jedi Purge

Every time the Jedi tried to gather together, they began to disappear, hunted down by the Sith. No place seemed safe for them. To make matters worse, someone put out a bounty on the Jedi; now they had to worry about bounty hunters as well. Something had to be done. So, most of the remaining leaders called a meeting on the planet of Katarr in secret. However, one of them ratted on them in the hopes of drawing their attackers out of hiding. Big mistake.

Katarr was also home to a colony of Miraluka, a species of blind humanoids who used the Force to see. The whole planet was like a Force feast for Darth Nihilus. So he came to Katarr and… he ate them. He sucked the Force out of everything on planet, killing all but one person.

So, the remaining Jedi (who I could count with my fingers) went into hiding. The Order was publicly disbanded. It seemed like the Galaxy would fall into darkness.

One Last Hope

By the year 3,951 BBY, the Galaxy was sinking into darkness. The Jedi were gone, crime was rampant, and the Republic was on life support. It looked like the end of everything.

However, all was not lost. In the Outer Rim, the Republic found a Jedi; rather, a former Jedi. She had fought in the Mandalorian Wars as one of Revan’s top officers. She was the only one to return when the war ended and was exiled as a result. Now this Exile was the last hope for the Jedi and Republic.

Come back tomorrow as I cover the events of Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Wars and the end of the Old Sith Wars and the First Jedi Purge. Then come back on Revenge of the Fifth for an extra surprise. May the Force be with you!

Click here to learn all there is about Star Wars with Wookiepedia, the Star Wars Wiki.

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Star War: History Abridged Pt 6.

You wouldn’t believe how long I’ve waited to write about this, people. Of all the stories from the Star Wars Expanded Universe, few rival the Jedi Civil War. This conflict would see the Republic and Jedi face their fallen comrades in a war that came close to ending them. How the war started isn’t as interesting as how it ends, though. So, if you haven’t played Knights of the Old Republic, then major spoilers ahead.

All Hail Darth Revan

The year, 3,959 BBY, one year since the end of the Mandalorian Wars. After the Mandalorians defeat at Malachor V, Revan and Malak, the Jedi who led the Republic to victory, had vanished. They took their fleet beyond known space in search of the remnants of the Mandalorian armies. Most people presumed them to be dead. They weren’t; they returned from deep space, alive, but not the heroes everyone knew.

What happened to them is a story for another day. What you need to know is that beyond the reaches of the Republic, Revan and Malak gave in to the Dark Side. Taking the titles of Darth Revan and Darth Malak, the former heroes turned their forces on their former comrades. In a short time, Revan had carved out a new Sith Empire poised to lay waste to the Republic.

What made the Jedi Civil War so terrible was the effect it had on the Republic and Jedi’s strength. Many of the Republic’s finest soldiers defected to Revan’s side. Anyone that was a threat to his campaign would be taken out. In addition, any Jedi unlucky enough to be captured would get coerced or tortured into joining the Sith. Revan’s ranks swelled as the Republic’s dwindled.

Then there’s the fact that Revan was a military genius. He knew how to hit the enemy where it hurt the most, and they could do little to stop him. On top of all this, the Dark Lord seemed to have an endless supply of ships, weapons, and droids. He was pretty much unstoppable.

Revan’s “Death”

By the year 3,957 BBY, the Republic was on its last legs. It seemed like nothing could stop Revan. He had to be taken out if the Republic wanted to win. So, they set a trap.

Among the Jedi, there was a young Padawan named Bastila Shan. Despite her inexperience, Bastila had mastered the ability known as Battle Meditation. In essence, a lets someone use the Force to strengthen the morale and coordination of a group to their absolute peak. In other words, a Force cheat code. Using her as bait, they lured Revan and Malak into a skirmish with a Republic fleet. Bastila then led a boarding party onto Revan’s flagship to capture the Dark Lord. It didn’t go as planned. Malak figured out was happening, and, seeing a chance to seize power for himself, fired on Revan’s ship. To the galaxy at large, it looked like Darth Revan had died, making Malak the new Dark Lord.

Except his betrayal failed. Revan survived, along with Bastila, but the former was on the brink of death, with most of his memories gone. Whether out of compassion or a need to finish her mission, Bastila chose to use the Force to save him. She brought him to the Jedi Enclave on Dantooine, where the Council healed him. They decided to wipe his remaining memories and make him believe he was a soldier of the Republic, one that they could retrain as a Jedi. In time, they hoped that as his memories returned, he could lead them to the source of the Sith’s infinite army.

Knights of the Old Republic

The Council’s plan worked. The amnesiac Revan became a soldier of the Republic, whereupon he met Bastila once more. With the help of Carth Onasi, a veteran of the Mandalorian Wars, and many other companions, the group narrowly escaped the Sith’s destruction of the world of Taris. After relearning the ways of the Force, the Council sent them on a quest to find the source of the Sith’s army.

After traveling to several worlds and gaining more companions, things took a turn for the worse. Malak captured the group and revealed the truth to his former master and friend, while Bastila sacrificed herself to give everyone time to escape. Despite the world-shattering revelation, Revan chose to remain loyal to the Republic and continued his quest.

In 3,956 BBY, Revan’s group found what they were looking for: the Star Forge. A massive factory built by a long dead empire, the station drew resources from the very star that it orbited, letting create an infinite amount of weapons and ships for the Sith.

After a harrowing journey, Revan called the Republic to the Star Forge’s location, beginning the final battle of the war. Revan himself boarded the Star Forge and confronted Bastila, who had been broken to the Dark Side by Malak. Despite drawing on the Dark Side energy of the Star Forge itself, Bastila proved no match for the redeemed Revan. Using the feelings of love they had developed for each other, Revan brought Bastila back from the darkness.

Revan then confronted his former friend and apprentice in the heart of the station. Another epic battle ensued, and even with the power of the Star Forge at his disposal, Malak couldn’t withstand Revan’s might and was bested. Malak passed away as Revan looked on, and the Star Forge itself was destroyed. The Knights of the Old Republic had won, and the Jedi Civil War was over.

What Happened Next?

The Jedi Civil War was over, ended by the very man who had started it. Revan had redeemed himself in the eyes of the Galaxy and was once again a hero to the Republic. However, the damage to the Republic and Jedi was almost fatal.

The next five years were a period of chaos and strife as the Jedi and Republic were at death’s door. Meanwhile, remnants of the Sith continued to ravage the Galaxy. As for Revan, he disappeared back into the Unknown Regions. Those who knew him best thought he went in search of answers. Answers as to why he fell to the Dark Side and the truth about the Mandalorian Wars.

Make Revan Canon Again

In the next, we will cover the final portion of the Old Sith Wars, and I will touch upon what truly happened to Revan. If you want to learn more about him and his amazing story, though, play Knights of the Old Republic, available on Steam. I cannot reccommend it enough; he’s one of the best characters in Star Wars.

May the Force be with you.

Click here to learn all there is about Star Wars with Wookiepedia, the Star Wars Wiki.

Click here to see more of my Star Wars Stuff.

Star Wars: History Abridged Pt 5

Continuing our countdown to ‘May the Fourth’ and ‘Revenge of the Fifth,” I keep covering the Old Sith Wars era of Star Wars. My last three posts were about the Great Sith War that saw the return of the Sith and the Jedi put to the test. In the end, they won the won, but at a high cost. As they and the Republic looked to rebuild, though, a familiar threat emerged beyond their borders. That of the Mandalorians Wars.

Rise of Mandalore the Ultimate

In my last entry, I wrote how the Mandalorians got their butts kicked at Onderon in the last days of the Great Sith War. Now I wish to elaborate: after being pushed back, Mandalore the Indomitable had his warriors retreat to Dxun. However, he crashed far from help and got killed by the local predators. A scout out searching for him found his remains helmet. In accordance with his people’s customs, he claimed it for himself, becoming the new Mandalore, Mandalore the Ultimate.

As his first act, Mandalore the Ultimate sought to wipe away the stain of defeat from the Great Sith War. He united his scattered people and grew their ranks by recruiting warriors of all races and creeds. Beyond the borders of the Republic, he trained his new armies in the Mandalorian way. Then, around 3,976 BBY, he sicced them on the Outer Rim. 

For the next ten years, the Mandalorians took every world they could get their hands on. With each victory, they grew in size, strength, and skill. By 3,966 BBY, they had reached the borders of the Republic. Battles between the two sides broke out along the border world of Taris. It was only a matter of time before the Mandalorian Wars would escalate.

The Mandalorian Wars Proper

After several months of stalemate, the Mandalorians broke through Republic lines around Taris and forced the Republic into retreat. Multiple fronts were opened along Republic space as Mandalore’s warriors struck deep into Republic territory. Entire worlds were nuked, burned, and otherwise wrecked.

Now, you’re wondering where the Jedi are during all this? Protecting people is part of their job. Well, after the Great Sith War, they didn’t want to get involved in another war. They were still healing from the damage Exar Kun did. However, not all of them thought that way.

The Rise of Revan

One vocal critic of the Jedi’s neutrality was a young Jedi Knight whose name remains unknown. What’s known is that he was one of the most powerful of the Jedi, was very charismatic, and had a strong moral compass. And with his best friend, Alek, he began to draw other Jedi with similar feelings. 

This “Revanchist” as the media dubbed him, gained more and more traction as he spoke out against the Jedi Council. Frustrated, the Council confronted the Revanchist on the (abandoned) planet Cathar and told him to stand down. That’s when he found an old Mandalorian mask in the dirt, and when he picked it up, it triggered a mass Force vision.

In the Great Sith War, the feline-like Cathar had bested the Mandalorians, and they held a grudge for it. When they reached their planet, they proceeded to kill every last Cathar they could find; 90% of them, wiped out. That mask belonged to a Mandalorian warrior who objected to the genocide and was killed for it.

Outraged beyond all reason, this Jedi donned the mask, took on the name Revan, and vowed not to rest until the Mandalorians were stopped. 

The Tide Begins to Turn

Meanwhile, the Mandalorian Wars were not going well. Despite a few victories, nothing seemed to be able to stop them. By 3,962 BBY, they had gotten as far as the Core. That was as far as they’d get. Under the leadership of Revan and Alek (now called Malak), the Jedi joined the war effort and began to push the Mandalorians back.

As it turned out, Revan was a genius at the art of war, creating masterful strategies and meeting the invaders with such aggression, even the Mandalorians were left in awe. Under his leadership, the Republic began to push the enemy back, retaking the worlds they had lost before pushing the Mandalorians back into their own territory. 

These actions made Revan and Malak heroes to the Republic, but as the war dragged on, it began to change them. Every battle would harden their hearts, making them more ruthless. Eventually, they became almost as violent as the enemy they sought to defeat. Years later, this would cost the Galaxy in ways few could imagine.

Final Victory at Malachor V

By 3,960 BBY, Revan had thrust deep into Mandalorian territory. At the ancient Sith world of Malachor V, Mandalore the Ultimate and his people made their last stand. Revan personally boarded the Mandalorian leader’s flagship and slew him in single combat. Meanwhile, as the battle began to reach a stalemate, one of Revan’s generals activated a device that weaponized the planet’s own gravity. Thousands of ships were pulled down from the sky, driving themselves deep into the planet’s crust. Battered and beaten beyond measure, the Mandalorian people unconditionally surrendered. 

The Mandalorian Wars ended in victory for the Republic, with the Mandalorians being dealt a blow they’d never recover from. Their people scattered across the Galaxy to survive, with their descendants becoming the bounty hunters and warriors we know from the films.

As for Revan himself, he didn’t return from Malachor V. Instead, he took his fleet into deep space in search of remnants of the Mandalorians. For a time, they were not heard from, with many fearing the heroes of the Republic to be dead. They weren’t. A year later, they would return, but not as heroes. But that’s a story for another day.

Pretty amazing story, huh? I like this because it introduces my all time favorite Star Wars character Revan. Come back tomorrow to learn why he’s my favorite.

If you want to learn more about the start of the Mandalorian Wars, read the Knights of the Old Republic series by Dark Horse Comics.  

May the Force be with you!

Click here to learn all there is about Star Wars with Wookiepedia, the Star Wars Wiki.

Click here to see more of my Star Wars Stuff. Especially my posts on the Siege of Mandalore, the final arc of Star Wars the Clone Wars

Star Wars: History Abridged Pt. 5- The Great Sith War

Hello everyone, Jay here with the next installment of Star Wars: History Abridged. Where I take the lore of the Star Wars Expanded Universe and sum it up for your enjoyment. In the last two parts, I’ve covered the events leading up to the return of the Sith more than 4,000 years before the events of the films. First the galaxy was rocked by the Onderon Crisis and the revelation of the Sith cult that ruled the planet. Next, we had the rise of the Krath and their “Holy Crusade” against the Galaxy. In 3,996 BBY, everything came to a head when the ancient Sith Lords crowned two fallen Jedi, Exar Kun and Ulic Qel-Droma, as the new Dark Lords of the Sith. At last the Great Sith War begins!

New Allies Minions Join the Sith

Even with the combined forces of the Krath and Kun’s Massassi warriors, the the Sith remained outnumbered by the Jedi and Republic. They would need to gather more followers to help topple the Republic. Thus, Exar Kun and Ulic each sought out new recruits to bring about the Sith’s return to power.

Amidst the chaos, another power was on the march. The legendary Mandalorian warriors (yes, these guys) sought out new enemies to face, and began raiding Krath space. Angered, Ulic sent a message to their leader, Mandalore the Indomitable and demanded his surrender. However, Mandalore challenged him to a duel for control of the Mandalorian clans. In the end, Qel-Droma’s skill as a warrior proved too much for the leader of the Mandalorians. Thus, the Mandalorians joined the Sith forces.

Meanwhile, Exar Kun traveled to the Jedi library world of Ossus. There, he fooled many younger Jedi into following him to Yavin IV, promising to teach them Force techniques the Masters would not. Instead, he used the Dark Side to corrupt them, turn them into Sith acolytes, and set them loose on their former masters. Thus the Brotherhood of Sith was born.

The Great Sith War Engulfs the Galaxy

With their combined Mandalorian, Krath, and Dark Jedi, the Sith launched a brutal campaign of conquest. The Great Sith War spread throughout the Galaxy, with no region safe from the bloodshed. Even Coruscant itself became a battleground when Qel-Droma launched a brazen attack on it. However, due to the treachery of Aleema, Ulic was captured by his former allies. Subsequently, his trial was interrupted by Exar Kun himself. The halls of the Senate became a battlefield as the Dark Lord cut the Supreme Chancellor down in front of helpless onlookers before facing off against his former master. Exar Kun took the chance to show off his latest creation: a double-bladed lightsaber, the first ever created, and christened with the blood of Kun’s Jedi Master.

Following the raid on Coruscant, the two Sith dealt with the treacherous Aleema. On Yavin IV, Kun had discovered the ancient warship of Naga Sadow. Armed with Sith talismans brimming with Dark Side power, Kun gave it to Aleema. In a repeat of events from the Great Hyperspace War, Aleema used the ship to cause a cluster of stars to go supernova. However, they neglected to tell Aleema that this would kill everyone in reach, including herself. Worse, the shockwave would lay waste to every planet in the region. Among them was Ossus, one of the Jedi’s most important planets and home to an incalculable wealth of knowledge and artifacts.

The Fall of the Sith

The Jedi scrambled to evacuate Ossus, but still despaired. For they knew that there were too many artifacts for them to save. Which is what the Sith wanted. While the evacuation proceeded, the Sith raided the doomed planet to steal as much as they could. However, Ulic found himself confronted by a familiar face: Cay Qel-Droma, his younger brother. The two brothers dueled as the younger Qel-Droma made one final attempt to bring the elder back from darkness. Enraged, Ulic tore into his younger brother before finally slaying him, an act witnessed by two Jedi. One of which was Nomi Sunrider, Ulic’s former friend and lover. Giving into her grief, Nomi unleashed the full extent of the Light Side on Ulic, permanently cutting him off from the Force.

No longer under the Dark Side’s influence, Ulic’s long-dormant conscience finally made him realize how far he had fallen. Wracked with guilt over his crimes, he became undone. As a result, he turned himself into the Jedi and led them to Yavin IV, to put an end to the war he had helped start.

Facing the full might of the Republic and Jedi, Exar Kun knew he had no chance of winning. However, instead of surrendering or fighting to the death, the Dark Lord chose another option. Using an incredibly risky Sith technique, the Sith Lord would use the life force of most of the Massassi warriors to free his spirit from his body and flee the jungle moon. Not know what he was up to, the Jedi erected a light barrier around Yavin IV to contain the Dark Side. By doing so, they trapped Kun’s spirit on Yavin IV, but the resulting collision of raw Force energy set the moon ablaze. Yavin IV became a wasteland devoid of almost all life. Horrified, the Jedi left the system behind.

Elsewhere, the Republic was able to finally liberate the Empress Teta System, while the Mandalorians were routed in a failed invasion of Onderon. The survivors of the Brotherhood of Sith went into hiding, bringing the Great Sith War to an end.

Aftermath

The short but brutal Great Sith War had ended, but at great cost. Despite their best efforts, the Jedi failed to stop the return of the Sith. Many of their best and brightest were either dead or fell to the Dark Side, and one of their most important worlds was lost. It would take generations for them to recover.

As for Exar Kun, he remained trapped as a ghost on Yavin IV for millennia until Luke set up shop. Then he manipulated one of his students to the Dark Side, led to the “Sun Crusher Incident”, and tried to kill Luke. Fortunately, Luke’s students banished his spirit for all eternity.

Redemption of Ulic Qel-Droma

Those who survived would carry the scars of the war as they struggled to recover from the darkness. Nomi Sunrider would become a key leader in the rebuilding process, which led to her eventually being made Grand Master of the Order. Unfortunately, her new responsibilities led her to neglect her family.

See, before she became a Jedi, she had been married to one (he died) and they had a daughter, Vima. As Vima got older, Nomi tried to train her daughter herself, but was too busy to do so. As a result, by 3986 BBY, a now fourteen-year-old Vima became fed up with how busy her mom was. Thus, she went looking for the only other person she thought could teach her: Ulic Qel-Droma.

After the Great Sith War, for some reason, Ulic was allowed to walk away and spent a decade wandering the Galaxy, trying to find some semblance of peace. That’s when Vima dropped in on him and asked to become his student. In the end, her persistence won out, and he agreed to teach her. Despite the fact that he could no longer use the Force.

Despite his lack of Force-sensitivity, Ulic proved an effective teacher, and Vima an eager student who quickly excelled at her training. They got so close that the young Padawan saw Ulic as the father-figure she never had, while she helped him come to terms with his past. Sadly, Ulic was killed by a pilot seeking to gain fame from his death. Though before he died, he helped Nomi and Vima reconcile and made amends with his former lover before becoming one with the force.

Round Two, Jedi!

I wish I could say this was the end of the Old Sith Wars, but this was just round one. The next two rounds would see the Jedi and Republic be pushed to the brink. Come back tomorrow as I cover the next conflict of the Old Sith Wars Era, the Mandalorian Wars.

If you want to learn more about the Great Sith War, look up Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi comic book series by Dark Horse. It covers all the events that I’ve mentioned.

Click here to learn all there is about Star Wars with Wookiepedia, the Star Wars Wiki.

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Star Wars: History Abridged– The Origins of the Sith Lords

The Sith, the ancient order of Dark-Side users bent on galactic domination. For forty-three years, their members have been amongst the greatest villains in pop culture. Yet despite how recognizable they are, Disney’s failed to give them a proper origin story. Thankfully, the old Expanded Universe explained some of it, and today, I’m going to abridge it. Come with me back 7,000 years into the past as we look at the origins of the Jedi’s greatest enemies, the Sith

Simple Curiosity

Around 7,000 BBY (Before Battle of Yavin), a group of Jedi began to believe that the Order wasn’t using the Force to its greatest extent. Thus, to satisfy simple curiosity, they began testing how far they could take the Force. Their experiments bore fruit: these Jedi learned that they could use the Force to manipulate life. Given enough time, they could have used it to even restore or life.

These Jedi wanted their comrades to join them in advancing their knowledge. They hoped that they could eventually find a way to cheat death. However, most of the order saw what their comrades were doing as bad. So instead of trying to compromise or talk them out of it, the Order banned these practices. They feared what would happen if they delved into the darker recesses of the Force. Incensed, these Dark Jedi chose to flee into exile and continue their studies in peace. However, the Jedi would not let them go, and a philosophical debate gave wya to armed conflict. Thus began the period known as the Hundred Year Darkness.

The Hundred Year Darkness

During the war, the Dark Jedi found themselves heavily outnumbered by the Jedi. Thus, in order to turn the tide, they tapped as far into the Force as possible. In the end, the Jedi’s worst fears came true: they created new life. The resulting eldritch abominations sent soldiers running for the hills, and came close to turning to the tide in favor of the Dark Jedi. However, the Jedi Order rallied and, working with the Republic, they began to push back against their former comrades.

After decades of conflict, the sheer numbers of the Jedi and the Republic overwhelmed the Dark Jedi. These exiles made their last stand at the Battle of Corbos. Despite throwing all of their considerable assets against their enemies, though, it was no use. The combined Jedi-Republic assault broke them at long last, leaving only a handful of survivors.

Exiled and Finding a New Home

After their final defeat, many in the Republic wanted the Dark Jedi to be executed, saying they were too dangerous to be left alive. Had that happened, the Galaxy may have been a much different place. Instead, the Jedi chose to exile the survivors beyond known space in the hopes that they would learn the error of their ways. Big mistake.

The dozen or so surviving Dark Jedi didn’t travel blindly into the unknown. They had heard legends of an arid planet that was home to a species of red-skinned beings who were strong in the Dark Side. Eventually, these exiles found what they were looking for: Korriban, the homeworld of the Sith species.

Impressing the natives with their mastery of the Force and their technology, the Exiles were eventually hailed as gods and declared Lords of the Sith. From their new base on Korriban, the former Jedi built an interstellar empire far from the reach of the Republic. In addition, they proceeded to interbreed with the Sith, merging their bloodlines until the two were one and the same.

This is how the Sith came to be, and how they would help shape the Star Wars Galaxy.

A People Built on Revenge

Like much of Star Wars, the origins of the Sith and the Hundred Year Darkness got pushed to the side by Disney’s soft reset of the franchise. Which is a shame, as I think this whole thing provides a very interesting backstory to a group that’s given us some of the best villains in fiction. The Sith were born out of a desire to know more about the Force, something most Jedi were unable or unwilling to understand. As a result, they turned on each other, and their former comrades let their anger twist them into something that would cause untold suffering for thousands of years. The question I want to pose, though, is this: would these Dark Jedi have ended up where they did on their own, or did the Jedi force their hand?

Think about it: if the Jedi had been more open-minded, they could have come to an understanding with their counterparts. Their concerns were justified, as well: playing with power on that scale will eventually backfire. It’s important to be open-minded in order to allow progress, but it’s also important to know when to hold back. Had the Jedi, as a whole, figured this out, the Sith may never have existed. Instead, they did exist, and felt understandably mad over what happened to them.

Disney’s since re-integrated the Hundred Year Darkness into the canon. However, it’s far more vague about what happened. Considering how the Jedi-Sith conflict shapes Star Wars, I fail to see why Disney hasn’t tried harder to explain this. It’s a wasted opportunity.

Star Wars History Abridged

One last thing: this article’s the first in a series of articles I’ll be doing about Star Wars. I call them Star Wars: History Abridged, and as the title implies, I’ll be summing up stories and events from the Expanded Universe for people to read. I know there’s Wookiepedia to do that, but I want to see if it I can make it sound more interesting. It’s my hope that this will boost awareness of all the cool stories Disney abandoned so we can encourage them to bring them back. Star Wars can survive without the Skywalkers, and Disney should know that by now.

May the Force be with you!

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One of the big things about Star Wars is how the villains like big, grandiose weapons. Grevious had the Malevolence, which was the Bismarck with a giant ion cannon. In the canon, Darth Sidious has the Death Star’s. Then the First Order has Starkiller Base. However, all these superweapons pale in comparison to the most OP ship in all of Star Wars. A ship capable of obliterating entire solar systems and shrug off any hit. Behold, the ultimate superweapon, the Sun Crusher!

Yes, this oddly shaped, Starfighter sized ship is the most powerful weapon in Star Wars. If you’re not familiar with it (or don’t read Wookiepedia), you’re asking “how?” We’ll there are two reasons

Made of Indestructium

Firstly, the Sun Crusher’s made from this material called quantum armor. It’s made by stacking layers of atoms as densely together as possible. The result is an armor that can shrug off any type of damage. And I do mean any kind of damage! The Sun Crusher could take a shot from a turbolaser battery or even a miniature Death Star and brush it off.

Thanks to it’s indestructible armor, the Sun Crusher could double as a lethal ramming weapon. Han Solo flew it through the bridge of an Imperial Star Destroyer; it cut through it like paper.

Sun Killing Torpedoes.

What truly made the Sun Crusher so deadly was its cargo of resonance torpedoes. When fired at a star, it would, via a process of scientific nonsense, destabilize it’s fusion cycle, causing it to eventually fall apart. In other words, it makes stars go supernova. The resulting shockwaves, radiation, and lack of sunlight will kill everyone.

Now here’s the kicker to all this: Darth Sidious didn’t even know this Sun Crusher existed, or else he would have used it. Tarkin created the weapon in a top-secret weapons facility located amidst a cluster of black holes, the Maw, and never told anyone about it. When he died, the galaxy forgot about the facility until Han and Chewie found it

Theft and Usage

With the help of the scientist who made the weapon, and Kyp Durron, a Force-sensitive escapee from Kessel, Han and Chewie escaped on the Sun Crusher. That lead to them slicing through the bridge of the Star Destroyer! Afterwards, the New Republic had no reason to keep the ship around, so they threw the Sun Crusher into the gas giant Yavin Prime. They hoped that would make it inaccesssible to anyone who sought to use it for evil. They were wrong.

Kyp Durron began training with Luke Skywalker as a Jedi, but he had a deep-seated hatred for the Empire for killing his parents and taking his brother away. The ghost of an ancient Sith Lord used that anger to drive him to the Dark Side. As a result, Kyp used the Force to raise the Sun Crusher from the depths of Yavin Prime. He then proceeded to go on a rampage against the Empire, destroying bases left and right.

Ultimately, Kyp’s rampage brought him to the Imperial training world of Carida, demanding they give him back his brother. When it appeared he was dead, Kyp fired a torpedo at the planet’s sun, dooming the system. Tragically, not only was his brother alive, but he was only a few feet away from the Sun Crusher when the sun went supernova. Kyp survived, but his brother didn’t.

Kyp’s Redemption and Destroying the Sun Crusher

Not long afterwards, Luke’s students were able to destroy the spirit of the ancient Sith Lord, freeing Kyp from his dark influence. Overwhelmed by guilt, the young man surrendered to the New Republic to stand trial for his crimes. However, after Han stood up in his defense, it was decided that Kyp was not fully in control of his actions. Instead of executing him, the New Republic sentenced him to spend the rest of his life atoning for his crimes. His first task: to destroy the Sun Crusher.

Since even a gas giant could destroy the Sun Crusher, Kyp returned to the Maw and piloted it into one of the many black holes. The resulting gravitational forces either destroyed the superweapon or trapped it forever. As for Kyp himself, he managed to escape by cramming himself inside a tiny messenger pod. He would go on to become one of the best knights in the New Jedi Order, though he’d never forget his past actions.

So That’s It

Thus ends the story of the most grandiose superweapon in the history of Star Wars. I don’t think even Starkiller base can top what this tiny ship can do. What do you guys think is the more powerful: Starkiller Base or the Sun Crusher? Let me know in the comments below. Be sure to check out Wookiepedia if you want to learn more about that ancient Sith Lord, Kyp Durron, or any of the other things mentioned in this article.

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I Call out the Jedi Order On Their Mistakes

For forty-two years, the Jedi Knights have been some of the greatest paragons of good in pop culture. Wielding the power of the Force and armed with their lightsabers, they’re symbols of peace and good. However, once you’ve been into the franchise long enough, you see that the Jedi aren’t perfect. In fact, they can be just as bad as the Sith and dark siders they fight.

With the Rise of Skywalker out on Friday, and the future of the Jedi uncertain, I think now’s a good time to look at the flaws this group has. In addition, I’ll be providing examples of mistakes they’ve made in Star Wars, both in the new canon and Expanded Universe. Just because I love them doesn’t mean I can’t call them out on their nonsense.

No Blaster Training

This is more of a nitpick than an actual flaw the Jedi have. In a Galaxy where almost everyone has access to energy based firearms, the Jedi rely on the Force and their lightsabers for defense. Normally, that’s all they need, but even that can fail them.

Normally, the Jedi don’t use blasters because they see them as clumsy and, more often than not, lethal. Meanwhile, a lightsaber is methodical and doesn’t necessarily kill a person when used. Thus, they see it as an elegant weapon from a more civilized time. Here’s what I have to say to that:

Once the Empire rose, the last thing a Jedi would want to do is use a lightsaber in public. Therefore, blasters become a preferred option for Jedi trying not to draw attention.

Personally, I fail to see why the Jedi didn’t integrate blasters alongside lightsabers. Firstly, most, if not all blasters, have a stun setting so they can be non-lethal. Secondly, with the use of the Force, a Jedi will likely be far more accurate with their shots, to the point where can deliver non-lethal hits. In the Expanded Universe, there are several cases in which someone draws on the Force to deliver incredibly accurate and deadly shots. If the majority of Jedi trained with ranged weaponry, they could be deadlier than even the most skilled non-Force users. Finally , I think watching a Jedi dual-wield a lightsaber and blaster would incredibly badass.

Choose to Avoid their Emotions

Part of the Jedi’s code is to avoid using their emotions. They see it as means to cloud their judgement, and that negative emotions like fear and anger can lead to the Dark Side. As a result, the Jedi are seen as paragons of fairness and ideal as mediators and judges.

Unfortunately, there’s a flaw in choosing to avoid one’s emotions: not everyone’s capable of doing that. In fact, given how their job involves getting involved in potentially life-threatening and traumatic experiences, not dealing with one’s feelings can be a bad thing. Worse still, because the Jedi see emotion as a potentially bad thing, they have no way to help members who clearly need emotional support.

Take Anakin Skywalker, for example. He always felt guilty for leaving his Mom in slaver, something most Jedi had a hard time understanding. So when he started having nightmares about his Mom in trouble, their advice was to “be mindful of your thoughts”. That was a mistake, as Shmi Skywalker was in great danger, and ended up dying in his son’s arms. As a result of that traumatic experience, Anakin lost himself in his rage and killed the entire village of Tusken Raiders, even the non-combatants. Afterwards, he never told anyone outside of Padme and Palpatine, the latter of whom would use the knowledge to force further to the Dark Side. He kept the anger and guilt bottled up because he knew that the Jedi would refuse to forgive him.

I won’t condone what Anakin did, but I think many of us understand how traumatic the experience was for him. The Jedi wouldn’t have been able to, and that anger, guilt, and fear festered and helped push him to the dark side. The best thing the Jedi could have done was reach out not with horror, but with sympathy and understanding. Me? I would have been horrified at first, but would understand how much Anakin was suffering and that pushing him away would do more harm than good. In that moment, what Anakin really needed was a friend that understood why he did it and would help him atone for his actions.

Forbidding Attachments

Piggybacking off what I said above, because the Jedi are paranoid about emotions leading to the Dark Side, the idea of emotional attachments is frowned upon and forbidden. They see it as a potential weakness and fear that it will lead a Jedi to forsake their duty if it meant rescuing someone they loved. In my honest opinion, though, I think the whole thing’s poodoo.

Yes, people can make rash decisions when our loved ones are on the line. That said, most of the Jedi fail to realize that bonds between loved ones does more good than harm. Love is one of the most positive emotions that a sentient being can feel, be it love for a friend, a family member, or partner. That love can, in turn, serve as an anchor to keep a Jedi from falling to the Dark Side. Both in canon and in the Expanded Universe, love has actually helped several Jedi come back from the darkness.

I think the problem isn’t necessarily attachments. I think the true problem is that Jedi don’t know how to deal with pain and loss, and thus they embrace their inner darkness. In the Expanded Universe, Luke Skywalker recognizes this mistake of the old Jedi Order. Given his own experiences with the redemptive power of love and attachment, Luke thus allowed the New Jedi Order to marry and raise families. Hopefully, Rey or someone else will do the same if they rebuild the Jedi.

Believing Those Fell to the Dark Side were Iredeemable

In the original trilogy, both Obi-Wan and Yoda told Luke that trying to bring his father back from the darkness was impossible. This attitude was a reflection of the Jedi’s deeply entrenched belief that the Dark Side was something to be destroyed on sight. As a result, they saw anyone who fell into its grasp as beyond saving and must be destroyed. Yet as we saw, Luke proved them both wrong when Anakin chose to save his son’s life.

Looking back on the films, I realize that Obi-Wan and Yoda gave up on Anakin too easily. As is often the case in real life, anyone is capable of changing for the better. They need only be willing to let that happen. While Anakin remains the best example, Star Wars is filled with examples of Jedi who fell to the Dark Side but redeemed themselves. In other words, that whole “forever will it dominate your destiny” stuff is bantha poodoo. Not even Yoda knows everything.

We Still Need the Jedi

I could going about all the screw-ups the Jedi have made, both in the EU and in Disney’s canon, but I think you got the picture. The Jedi Order was a flawed organization that messed up a lot. From a certain point of view, you can see why Luke thought the Jedi had to end with him.

Here’s what I have to say: screw that.

The Jedi aren’t perfect. They let the Sith rise to power, they had no idea how to handle negative emotions, and they thought love was the root of evil. That doesn’t change the fact that when they were doing what they’re supposed to and helping others, they did a great job. The Galaxy saw them as symbols of justice and hope. No matter what Luke may have thought of them in The Last Jedi, that doesn’t change the fact that the Galaxy needed the Jedi to come back. As long as there are jerks who want to use the Force to bully others, the Jedi need to be there.

In other words, I hope that The Rise of Skywalker sees Rey do what should have been done a long time ago: bring back the Jedi.

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A Look at How Darth Sidious Cheated Death in the Expanded Universe

Ever since the trailers for The Rise of Skywalker dropped and we heard the laughter of Ian McDiarmid, Star Wars fans went crazy. As a lifelong fan of the franchise, who is admittedly a little bitter over the loss of the EU (#MakeRevanCanonAgain), I was skeptical. I immediately asked one question, the same question everyone is asking: how the heck could Darth Sidious still be alive? We saw Anakin throw him over the railing and explode in a ball of dark side energy. Not even a Sith Lord could survive that.

However, assuming it’s not a red herring or he’s a ghost, I keep coming back to a single theory: cloning. We know Palpatine has access to advanced cloning technology. It’s possible he could have made clones of himself when and if he died. It’s a theory that’s been proposed already, but that’s not what I want to talk about. What I want to talk about the time in the Expanded Universe where Palpatine did, in fact, come back from the dead. It’s called the Dark Empire series, and I think it gives us clues on his possible return in The Rise of Skywalker.

Sidious’ Cheat Code

Like many Sith, Palpatine tried looking for a way to cheat death so he could rule his Empire for eternity. Fortunately for the Galaxy, while the Force has ways to extend one’s life by decades, even centuries, true immortality is a myth. Thus, Sidious found himself a workaround using cloning technology. He made an army of mindless clones of himself that he could inhabit when his original body died.

As a result, when a redeemed Anakin threw him down that reactor, he did die, but his spirit stayed behind. He traveled to his private fortress near the center of the galaxy, where he possessed a younger clone of himself. Thus, Darth Sidious returned from death.

The Shadow Hand

One would think that his first priority would be letting the Galaxy know he’s alive. Rather than do that, Palpatine stayed in the Deep Core and watched his Empire tear itself apart like a pack of starved Womp Rats. He built up his forces and created an arsenal of super weapons. These included the Eclipse and Eclipse II, two Super Star Destroyers with miniature versions of the Death Stars superlaser. There were the World Devastators, mobile factories that sucked planets of resources and churned out ships and weapons. Then my personal favorite, the Galaxy Gun, a platform capable of firing planet-destroying missiles through hyperspace. It’s like the galaxy’s biggest sniper rifle.

Around six years after the defeat at Endor, Sidious made his move. Using the Force to create a portal to his fortress world of Byss, Sidious captured Luke Skywalker. Rather than face certain death, Luke pretended to bend to the reborn Sith. However, Sidious eventually broke him for real, turning him into the leader of his armies. With an armada of ships and deadly superweapons, Sidious announced his return to the Galaxy.

However, Sidious once again underestimated the power of love for another person. Leia chose to confront her brother, and was able to bring him back from the Dark Side. Together, they used the Force to cut off the Emperor’s connection to it. As a result, he lost control of the massive Force Storm he just created, destroying him and his flagship.

He then came back, again.

Final Death

Having suffered several major setbacks, things only got worse for the Sith Lord. Due to the actions of a traitorous guard, Sidious’ remaining supply of clones were falling apart; even the genetic template was damaged. Desperate, Sidious sought the aid of the spirits of the Ancient Sith Lords. They advised him to take the body of Leia’s infant son, Anakin Solo.

Yes, Leia and Han names their youngest son Anakin. They wanted the name to stand for something good again.

Sidious tracked the family to Onderon and brought his armada in to finish the job. However, Luke arrived soon afterwards. Alongside him and Han was a Jedi survivor of Order 66, Empatojayos Brand, and his padawan, Rayf Ysanna. The three Jedi engaged in a furious fight with the Sith Lord and his Dark Jedi guards. Despite besting his guards, the Emperor killed Ysanna and mortally wounded Brand. However, Han Solo arrived, and with a well placed blaster shot, struck the Dark Lord down; which is what Sidious wanted. No longer needing his body, his spirit rushed towards young Anakin. Before he could do anything though, Brand used the last of his strength to throw himself in front of the baby and his mother.

Knowing that he was dying, Brand used all his power to trap Sidious within him. He told Luke he would drag the Emperor to the depths of hell, where all the Jedi he’d murdered would ensure he would never return. Thus, cursing the Skywalker bloodline, Darth Sidious died, this time for good.

A Similar Scenario for Sidious?

First off, this story came out in the early 90s, well before the Prequel Trilogy established the idea of the Chosen One. Thus, even though it’s said the Chosen One would destroy the Sith, Sidious’ survival seems to contradict that. It was a crazy time for Star Wars.

Secondly, I bring this story up now because, in my opinion, cloning may be the best way to explain how Sidious’ returns in The Rise of Skywalker. He could have created clones of himself on some remote planet where he could lay low and gather his strength over the next thirty years. That, and he’d probably see the Galaxy falling apart as some sort of sadistic entertainment.

How he came back, though, doesn’t matter in the end. What matters is that Darth Sidious is back from the dead, and by the look of things, he has dark plans for Kylo Ren and Rey. What’s surprising, though, is how I’ve warmed up to the idea of Sidious returning. If the rumors and speculations are true, then he’s been behind everything in the movies. He’s one of the greatest villains of all time, the overarching antagonist to Star Wars. Seeing him one last time will be awesome. Plus, after all’s said and done, he’s still got the Villain Pub on How it Should Have Ended to go back to.

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Check out this fan animation for the comics that I just found!