Since ancient times, the Star Wars universe has depicted an eternal struggle between the Jedi and the Sith for control over the galaxy. However, do you know who was the first Jedi Knight to defect and establish the powerful Korriban Empire on the dark side? When we simplify the expansive narrative of this universe, we find that it has always revolved around the classic battle between good and evil, embodied by the Jedi and the Sith. The Jedi are the champions of peace and justice, dedicated to upholding righteousness and order amidst chaos and anarchy. On the other hand, the Sith harness and cultivate the dark side of the Force in their pursuit of personal power and influence. In the timeline of the Skywalker Saga, the Sith have dwindled in numbers, surviving through the teachings of Sheev Palpatine, who learned from his master Darth Plagueis. Darth Plagueis, in turn, was instructed by another Sith named Darth Tenebrous. This tradition of having only one apprentice at a time originated over a thousand years before the Clone Wars, during the time of the Old Republic. It was during this period of conflict that the Sith and the Jedi fought a devastating war for control of the galaxy. However, the Sith’s origins and the formation of the Brotherhood of Darkness can be traced back even further.
In this war, the Sith expanded their dominion and established an empire sustained by slave labor. Meanwhile, the Jedi continued to militarize and resist. Although the Old Republic was on the verge of being overwhelmed multiple times, the Sith Empire’s internal squabbles and corrupt ambitions ultimately led to the Jedi’s triumph. They believed they had eradicated every Sith from the galaxy. Yet, one Sith Lord managed to survive—Darth Bane. Bane went into hiding and devised the Rule of Two, ensuring that the Sith’s inherent greed would not hinder their ultimate goal of subduing the Jedi and the High Republic. However, Darth Bane was not the first Sith Lord. The first Sith were former Jedi who deviated from the Jedi Code in an event referred to as the Great Schism. Though the specifics of this period remain speculative due to Disney’s alterations to the Expanded Universe, we can gather some information about the first Sith Lord based on both the canon timeline and the “Legends” reality.
In the official Star Wars canon established after Disney’s acquisition, the first Jedi to turn to the dark side remains unknown. According to the Geektionary, a canon reference book, this mysterious individual grew disillusioned with the Jedi Order’s teachings and believed that true mastery of the Force required embracing both its light and dark aspects. The Jedi Council, naturally, exiled this individual from the Order due to their dissenting views. Subsequently, the expelled Jedi gathered like-minded followers and instructed them in the ways of the dark side, leading to a period known as the Hundred-Year Darkness. During this time, many Jedi and other Force-sensitive individuals defected to the dark side, establishing the Brotherhood of Darkness and triggering the Great Schism. This conflict paved the way for the Sith to invade the Old Republic, igniting the massive Jedi-Sith war and culminating in the supposed annihilation of the Sith.
In the “Legends” timeline, which predates the Disney acquisition, the first Sith Lord is named. Ajunta Pall, a human Jedi Master, grew disenchanted with the arrogance of the Jedi Order and set out to forge his own path. Ajunta eventually arrived on the planet Korriban, where he encountered a primitive species known as the Sith. Surprisingly, the Sith were not initially ideological adversaries of the Jedi but instead a Force-sensitive species attuned to the living Force. Originally red-skinned humanoids with face tentacles, the Sith gradually evolved into a distinct entity over thousands of years due to interbreeding with humans. Ajunta sought to bring the Sith under his rule, given his vastly superior knowledge and technology. However, the Sith’s king resisted these attempts. Through forceful means, Ajunta eventually usurped the throne, establishing himself and his followers as the ruling elite of the Sith Empire. The native species on Korriban revered Ajunta as their god, holding him in awe due to his mastery of the Force and the advanced technology of the Old Republic. Ajunta capitalized on their affiliation with the dark side, essentially creating the Brotherhood of Darkness, later known as the Dark Lords of the Sith, as a counterpoint to the Jedi Order.
Though Ajunta, or the unknown individual according to the canon timeline, played a crucial role in the Sith’s formation and the ensuing devastating war, his understanding of the dark side was flawed. However, this does not mean that Darth Bane’s system was foolproof. Bane realized that betrayal and deception were deeply ingrained in a Sith Lord’s mentality, making it inevitable even within the Rule of Two. Darth Bane himself was defeated by his apprentice Darth Zannah, and Darth Palpatine betrayed and murdered his own master, Darth Plagueis. While Palpatine cunningly eliminated his apprentices Darth Maul and Count Dooku before they had a chance to betray him, Darth Vader ended up killing Palpatine in Return of the Jedi. Although Vader’s motivations were not primarily aimed at supplanting the emperor, he ultimately danced to the rhythm of history. Ajunta’s order crumbled due to in-fighting, but Bane ensured that there would always be at least one Sith Lord to advance the Sith’s plan. With this shift, the Sith embraced manipulation rather than brute force to achieve their goals, preventing a full-scale conflict between Jedi and Sith since the ancient war preceding the Skywalker Saga. As for Ajunta’s fate, it remains unclear how the first Sith Lord met his end. However, due to his extensive knowledge of the Force and other fields, Ajunta bound his spirit to the mortal realm, observing the legacy of his Sith Empire. Witnessing the infighting among the Sith, Ajunta eventually regretted many of his decisions and questioned his initial deviation from the light side. Hundreds of years after his demise, the legendary Darth Revan journeyed to Ajunta’s tomb, engaging in a conversation about the Sith’s destiny and its impact on the galaxy. Revan convinced Ajunta to return to the light side, and, relinquishing his hatred and pain, Ajunta finally attained peace and became one with the Force.
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Khushi Patel is a science fiction author who lives in Austin, Texas. She has published three novels, and her work has been praised for its originality and imagination. Khushi is a graduate of Rice University, and she has worked as a software engineer. She is a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America, and her books have been nominated for several awards.
