Who was the first Sith? How did the organisation that became the epitome of the Dark Side come to exist? The origins of the Sith are shrouded in mystery but are largely owed to the actions of a single human man. Depending on whether you follow the official Disney lore or the ex-canon Legends timeline, this person was either a mysterious unnamed man or a Jedi master named Ajunta Pall.
The first Sith in Legends
In the ex-canon storyline, the 'Sith' were actually a race of red-skinned aliens, native to the planet Korriban. However, they were not the founders of the famed Sith Empire...
Ajunta Pall was originally part of the Jedi Order, long before the Sith existed. In these early days, conflict was mainly centred around the Jedi and rebellious groups who didn't conform to the order's strict rules.
Ajunta Pall was one such rebel, who reached the rank of Jedi Master and begin experimenting with ways to use the Force to influence life. This was barred by the order, who stated all of Pall's teachings were part of the dark side of the Force. Pall, angered by this, declared open war on the Jedi in a conflict called 'the Hundred-Year Darkness'.
Despite a series of small victories, the rebel dark Jedi were eventually defeated. Pall took his followers to the planet Korriban, where they found a race of red-skinned Force-sensitive aliens known as the Sith. Pall recruited the purebloods to his cause and became the first Dark Lord of the Sith.
The first Sith in the canon
The origin story for the Sith order is similar in the Disney timeline, but is a little more cautious about naming names. Like with the Ajunta Pall story, the canon version of events involves Jedi rebelling against the order, fleeing to Korriban and encountering the Sith race.
On Korriban, the leader of the rebellious Jedi united his followers and the Sith race and began the Sith order, a religious sect that was in total opposition to the Jedi. The conflicts that followed led to the collapse of the Old Republic, until the Sith themselves were almost eradicated. The only remaining member was Darth Bane, who passed his knowledge to Darth Zannah and ultimately saved the Sith from extinction.
Why are Sith so rare?
Both versions of the timeline agree that the Sith order started as a reaction to the Jedi. The Sith we encounter in the main film franchise are far more secretive than that early order, relying on the 'Rule of Two' to keep their secrets safe. This meant there could only ever be one master and one apprentice at a time, ensuring the Sith passed beneath the Jedi's notice until it was too late - revealed only when Darth Sidious enacted Order 66.
Wield a Sith lightsaber
One of the most distinctive elements of the Sith was the red lightsaber, a hue that signifies their affiliation with the dark side. Most Sith have a furious fighting style and a powerful command of the force, which resonates well against a colour famous for passion and anger.
Wield a Sith saber of your own by choosing any of our lightsabers and utilising the colour-changing blade to lock in red.