The Dark Lords of the Sith collectively serve as the primary antagonists of both theStar Warssaga movies and the franchise writ large, yet the films do not explain the origins of their imposing titles. Of course, the films never needed to specify why the Sith are called Dark Lords while their ancient enemies areJedi Knights. The Jedi are Knights because they serve the Force and the people of the galaxy, while the Sith are Lords because of their desire to rule the galaxy and their use of the dark side of the Force.
The word Sith was never spoken aloud in theStar Warsmoviesuntil 1999’sStar Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, but the concept has existed since at least 1976.A New Hope’snovelization refers to Darth Vader as a Sith Lord and references otherSith Lords, and deleted dialogue in the film itself includes this title as well. The classic MarvelStar Warscomics from the 70s and 80s, which had creative oversight from Lucasfilm, show Sith other than Vader and Palpatine, establishing that they are not simply fallen Jedi, but an entirely separate Force-using tradition.
In Legends, A Dark Lord Was Originally A Ruler Of The Sith Race
The Sith Were A Species
TheStar WarsLegendscontinuity, which was the official canon until 2014, has a comprehensive origin for the term Dark Lord of the Sith. Although there were Jedi who had fallen to the dark side long before the establishment of the Sith Order, the first Sith Lords were a group of 12 fallen Jedi who were expelled by the Jedi Order and banished. These dark side-corrupted Jedi – known as the Exiles – settled on Korriban, a harsh world in the Outer Rim Territories and thehome planet of ahumanoid species called the Sith.
Every Major Sith Event In Star Wars Canon Explained
The Sith have been absolutely essential in Star Wars movies and TV shows, and these major events show how complex their history has been.
The Exiles conquered Korriban and enslaved the Sith species, becoming the “Dark Lords of the Sith” and eventually forming their own religion, the Order of the Sith, combining appropriated beliefs and cultural traditions of both the Sith species and the Jedi. Eventually, the terms “Sith Lord” and “Dark Lord of the Sith” would evolve into a rank and title for members of the Sith Order. After Darth Bane’s establishment of theRule of Two, the title of Sith Lord became even rarer and more dreaded, as there would only be two exceptional Dark Lords of the Sith at a time.
The Sith species gradually disappeared over time, seemingly becoming extinct long before the events of theStar Warssaga movies.
The Canon Origin Of “Dark Lord Of The Sith” Has Only Partly Been Explained
A Ruler Of The Sith
The modern canon has reimagined numerous elements ofStar Warslore, including that of the Sith Order. Thus far, the complete history of the term “Sith” has not been revealed in the modern canon, but its evolving meaning within the Sith Order has been explained by Michael Kogge’sStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: A Junior Novel. The novel reveals that at one point, the term Dark Lord of the Sith referred to the two Lords who ruled over the other Sith, but whether this refers to the Sith as an organization or aStar Warsspecies is not clear.
August 22, 2025
Star Wars
Star Wars is a multimedia franchise that started in 1977 by creator George Lucas. After the release of Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope (originally just titled Star Wars), the franchise quickly exploded, spawning multiple sequels, prequels, TV shows, video games, comics, and much more. After Disney acquired the rights to the franchise, they quickly expanded the universe on Disney+, starting with The Mandalorian.
