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- What Is The Great Sith War?
- Who Fought In The Great Sith War?
- How Did the Great Sith War End?
The Great Sith War may not be as heavily highlighted in the main Star Wars canon these days, but fans of the Legends Canon will know how massive the war was. In another classic chapter from the ceaseless conflict between Sith and Jedi, countless lives were lost across the galaxy. This war was so significant that many Star Wars fans often call for a film or series to depict the events and fan-favorite characters.
There’s no understating how vital this conflict was in the history of the Jedi and the Sith. While it may have occurred long ago, this battle saw the Sith being handed a handy defeat. With Exar Kun rising to take the reigns as Dark Lord of the Sith, this conflict could have gone very differently.
What Is The Great Sith War?
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The Great Sith War |
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Date |
Before 1032 BBY in canon, and 3996 BBY in Legends Canon. |
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Location |
Across the entire galaxy |
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Key Battles |
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Key Figures |
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Rival Faction: |
The Sith Empire and the Jedi Order (with the Galactic Republic) |
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Outcome |
Jedi Order victory, with the destruction of the Sith Empire and the death of Exar Kun. |
The Great Sith War is a massive galaxy-spanning conflict that saw Exar Kun’s Sith Empire rising to take control of the galaxy. The name of the conflict is fitting, as Exar Kun is easily one of the greatest threats that the Jedi Order has ever had to contend with. The conflict is riveting from start to finish as it sees many Jedi, including the main villain Exar Kun, turning to the Dark Side to defeat the Jedi. The war features just about every fan-favorite Star Wars species out there, as well as a few other interesting ones the average fan may have not heard of before.
Over the course of a single year and dozens of high-profile battles, Exar Kun led his Sith Empire in a massive campaign, though the interests of his follower Ulic Qel-Droma complicated things at various points. This event led to the deaths of countless Jedi Masters and Jedi Knights, and ultimately led to the complete defeat of the Sith. Coming out of the Great Sith War, the Jedi are arguably at the height of their power and the Sith are at one of their lowest points in terms of both power and morale.
Who Fought In The Great Sith War?
Great Sith War Forces:
- The Jedi: The entirety of the Jedi Order and Galactic Republic.
- The Sith: The entirety of the Sith Empire (Sith, Krath, Mecrosa Order, and Mandalorian Crusaders).
It would be easy to say that the Great Sith War was simply another instance of a struggle between the Jedi Order and the Sith. While that is true, that description would do this massive event a disservice. The Jedi Order had the backing of the Galactic Republic, leading to the support of the senate and all the political and military power they wielded. This war required the mightiest Jedi available, which led some of the strongest Legends Canon Jedi Masters of the era to get involved. Such individuals included the likes of the mysterious Master Thon, Nomi Sunrider (who would eventually become Jedi Grand Master), and even the unique Vodo-Siosk Baas. A variety of skilled Jedi Knights also rounded out their numbers, with the relationship between the Qel-Droma brothers playing a major role in the overall conflict.
Meanwhile, Exar Kun was the primary leader of the Sith Empire. This faction also included the likes of the Mecrosa Order, Krath, and the Mandalorian Crusaders. Exar Kun was able to turn many skilled Jedi to the Sith upon his defection, but some of his most notable generals included Mandalore the Indomitable (a legendary Mandalorian warrior), and the vile sorceress Aleema Keto. Additionally, though his involvement was a bit messier, Ulic Qel-Droma was a major contributor for the Sith Empire for quite a while during this conflict. Another key group to mention is the Brotherhood of the Sith, a group of Jedi who followed the fantastic villain Exar Kun to the dark side. This group can be considered the biggest source of the overall conflict, as their scheming resulted in the overall Sith Empire and the choice to go to war.
How Did the Great Sith War End?
The long Great Sith War didn’t end overnight; it was a long and drawn-out process. The first steps involved the defeat of Exar Kun’s key allies. Aleema Keto fell, and Ulic Qel-Droma defected yet again to challenge Exar Kun after striking down his own brother in a heated lightsaber duel. From there, the Republic wiped out the different factions of the Sith Empire, starting with the Krath and eventually the Mandalorian Crusaders. Upon the death of Mandalore the Indomitable, his successor fully withdrew the Mandalorians from the conflict, further weakening Exar Kun’s empire. Eventually, all that remained to topple the Sith Empire was to defeat Exar Kun.
The problem was that, at this point, Exar Kun was arguably the most powerful Sith to ever exist in the Star Wars universe. This wasn’t a textbook example of the Jedi underestimating their Sith foe either. They were starkly aware of how powerful Exar Kun had become. It seemed there wasn’t a single Jedi or Sith who could defeat Exar Kun in a one-on-one duel, either with a lightsaber or purely through the Force. Even Exar Kun is aware of this long before many of the major events of the war kicked off. He made this clear in a duel with Ulic Qel-Droma, in the Tales Of the Jedi: Dark Lords Of The Sith audio drama:
You are skilled with a lightsaber…yet even my Master could not defeat me! I am the greatest swordsman in the galaxy!
Ultimately, Exar Kun realized that he was doomed to lose to the Jedi on Yavin 4. He began a ritual to allow his spirit to live on, similar to how Palpatine managed to return in The Rise Of Skywalker. Exar Kun managed to complete the ritual, but a mass of thousands of Jedi sent a huge wave of Force energy at the surface of Yavin 4, slamming into Exar Kun’s dark energy and effectively destroying his spirit. With the two energy masses colliding, a massive storm of destruction raged across Yavin 4, leaving everything and everyone left on the surface to be obliterated. Though horrified by what they had done, the Jedi now knew that the Great Sith War was more or less over, with only a few minor hiccups to clean up across the galaxy.
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