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In theStar Warsuniverse , Sith Lords have a custom of adopting intimidating titles , but what do each of their names really mean ? name can give away a spate , and many creators are careful when deciding on what to call their case , sometimes picking row with important meanings behind them - and that ’s very much the case with theSith . The Sith were an ancient religious order of Force - wielders who idolise and used the dark side of the Force , take shape by those who give up the Jedi Order .
The word Sith was first used in the 1976 novelisation ofA New Hopebut was n’t used in the picture show untilStar Wars : Episode I - The Phantom Menace . The countersign itself has no relevant meaning behind it - it ’s the archaic form of ‘ since . ’ However , while creatingStar Wars , George Lucas was inspired by mush sci - fi novels , possibly including Edgar Rice Burroughs’Barsoomseries . In Burroughs ’ book , there is a wash of insects called Sith ; which could ’ve breathe in Lucas . Another facet to consider is the psychological symbolization of certain sounds . When we articulate ‘ Sith , ’ it comes off as a hiss , and we subconsciously relate that haphazardness with snakes and snake , fauna that are seen as duplicitous , vicious creatures - an given description to an vicious order .
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Meanwhile , Darthis a second easier to infer . Lucas himself said Darth is a variation of the word ‘ black . ’ What is interesting about the condition is how it is used as an honorific for Sith warriors . inspire by Arthurian legends , Lucas added Darth to function as the title Sir . This hint at Vader ’s backstory as a horse of an ancient order , and it ’s one of those point that show how the original trilogy had incredible world - edifice . Since then , Darth has been set before the names of all major Sith Lords when they take novel identities and re - determine themselves as servants of the dour side . The name that amount after the Darth title , however , are a different matter .
Darth Bane
Darth Bane was an ancient Sith Lord who endure a thousand years before the outcome of the movies . Since the Sith Lords of his meter were wipe out by the Jedi , Bane enact theRule of Two . To prevent their extinction , he decided there would be only two Sith at a prison term : a master and an prentice ; however , this was afterward retconned to mean there ’s always two Lords of the Sith and the remainder of the grim side users are merely beneath them . This allowed the Sith to stick in the shadows and build their strength using deception while avoiding direct battle with the Jedi Order . Their destination was to gather enough top executive to altogether dominate the galaxy .
The word bane means “ a effort of neat distraint ” and “ death and destruction . ” It can also mean poison , curse , and woefulness . So it ’s hardly a closed book how this particular Sith Lord get his name . In many ways , he ’s the bane of the Jedi . Thanks to his feat , the Sith were able to remain mostly undetected and develop their ultimate triumph unchallenged . It ’s because of Darth Bane that , thou of years later on , Sheev Palpatine was able to destroy the Republic from the inside and become Emperor of the Galactic Empire .
Darth Revan
Darth Revan was in the beginning introduced in BioWare ’s gameStar Wars : Knights of the Old Republic . A powerful Jedi who serve in the Mandalorian Wars , Revan finally accrue to the dreary side and turn against the Jedi . After Disney ’s accomplishment of Lucasfilm , it ’s ill-defined if this version of Revan ’s original backstory is part of the Disney new canon or if it has been delegated to the Legends universe . What is certain is that Darth Revan is now confirmed to be part ofStar Warscanon thanks to the officialThe upgrade of Skywalker Visual Dictionary .
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The origin of the name Revan is indecipherable , but it might be a variant of the French word “ revanche , ” which means “ revenge ” or “ retaliation . ” Going by the character ’s first appearance , this go with Revan ’s aggressive manoeuvre to conquer and avenge against the Mandalorians for stealing territories of the Old Republic . Also , BioWare ’s secret plan allowed players to follow the dark side , and if they did , Revan would espouse a path of vengeance against the Jedi , who had tried to mind wipe the thespian and command them .
Darth Plagueis
Darth Plagueis was Emperor Palpatine ’s masterand a Sith Lord knock-down enough to create life and prevent dying . After he choose Sheev Palpatine as his learner , the two Sith worked together to achieve immortality , but the more power he develop , the more horrendous he became of losing it . Perhaps this fear combined the compulsion with living forever made him blind to his prentice ’s true design . When Palpatine learned everything he wanted from Plagueis , he bump off his master while he slept . Plagueis was make by George Lucas when he write the prequel movies . Although there has been speculation that Palpatine never existed and was always Darth Plagueis , this possibility was debunked byThe Rise of Skywalker .
At first glance , Plagueis seems to be a derived function of the parole ‘ pest . ’ Plagues disperse disease and death worldwide , so it makes for a perfect name for a Dark Lord . After all , he was the one who unleash the pestilence that was his apprentice into the universe . But the name might ’ve other influences as well ; one of them could ’ve been the ancient theologian Pelagius , a religious outcast who was condemned for his impression by the Roman Catholic Church in the 5th century . As Palpatine insinuates to Anakin , Plagueis ’ attempt to stop death were considered heretic by the Jedi Council , who believed take back to the Force was a natural part of life history .
Darth Sidious & Emperor Palpatine
Darth Sidious is the Sith Lord name for Sheev Palpatine , the man behind the Clone Wars and the terminal of the Galactic Republic . While his first appearance was inThe Empire Strikes Back , Palpatine had been roam a shadower long before Luke Skywalker was born . He is the infamous designer of Anakin Skywalker ’s twilight to the dark side and the wipeout of the Jedi . But before he became the Emperor , he was Darth Sidious , a mysterious figure pulling the good strings so his public persona could rise in mightiness .
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One of the inspirations for the role ofEmperor Palpatinewas the Roman Emperor Augustus . Like Palpatine , Augustus grab big businessman by denouncing the corruption in the senate and pressuring the democratic asylum to give him total dominance to handle with a crisis . In keep with the papist link , Augustus built his royal palace on the Palentine Hill in Rome . Although not exact match , it ’s possible this Latin word for palace led to the Emperor ’s name . This fits with Sheev Palpatine ’s regal backstory and political maneuver .
As for Darth Sidious , his name is a play on ‘ insidious , ’ which mean seductive , punic , and “ suffer a gradual and cumulative effect . ” Although the name Palpatine was used in the 1976 novelization ofA New Hope , the Emperor ’s Sith cognomen would only be created in 1999 . So it ’s likely that Sidious was selected to reflect his dim part in the prequel trilogy and his manipulative influence over Anakin . The choice is n’t exactly insidious , but it does the job of convey exactly who Palpatine is while embodying his Sith alter ego perfectly .
Darth Maul
Before Emperor Palpatine selected Anakin as his apprentice , he teach Darth Maul . A talented and powerful Force user , the Sith Lord fought Obi - Wan Kenobi and kill his lord , Qui - Gon Jinn , inThe Phantom Menace . Although his pic appearing have been short and he might not be aspowerful as Darth Vader , Darth Maul nevertheless left his German mark as another iconic baddie of theStar Warssaga . It helps that Maul continued to show in otherStar Warsmedia , such asStar Wars : The Clone WarsandStar Wars Rebels .
As for his name , it come from the verb ‘ maul , ’ which means to mangle and bruise . Darth Maul was certainly able of maul his enemies , but he ’s also kind of maul by Obi - Wan Kenobi , when the untested Jedi used his lightsaber to cut the Sith Lord in half . The name is also similar to the French and Romance word ‘ mal , ’ which entail malefic and bad . Maul can also be a reference to a heavy hammer , designate Maul ’s persona as a paladin and hatchet man compared to Sidious ’ intrigue way .
Darth Tyrannus
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Dooku ’s Sith name is inspire by the word autocrat . From the Romance Holy Scripture ‘ tyrannia ’ or ‘ tyrannos , ’ a tyrant is someone who holds absolute power and acts with cruelness and disregard for their subjects . This choice of name could be either a reference work to how he realise the Republic as tyrannical and unjust , or a reference to his cruel and sadistic leaders of the Separatist movement . As a count , he also take absolute power over his planet , where he likely ruled with an branding iron fist . Overall , it seems his name was imply to suggest he was n’t only a arm , like Maul , but someone capable of lead a political cause against the Republic and the Jedi Order .
Darth Vader
Darth Vader requires no institution ; the original big bad of the Star Wars trilogy , he ’s belike one of the most noted villains of all clock time . His iconic design , perfectly purge vocalisation , and minatory comportment still impresses audience even today , with his ending scene inRogue One : A Star Wars Storybeing a recent example . With an entire trilogy dedicated to his past tense , Vader continue the key fig of theStar Warssaga . It ’s widely known that his costume was inspired by the Japanese Samurai , and that his mechanically skillful respiration combine with James Earl Jones ' deep vocalisation makes for a sodding combination . But where did his name do from ?
Although George Lucas claimed in 2005 that Vader was a Dutch edition of ‘ sire , ’ it ’s also known that he did n’t initially contrive for Vader to be Luke ’s Father of the Church untilThe Empire Strikes Back . So what materialize ? Likely , Vader was either a consultation to the word ‘ invader ’ or inspired by a schoolmate . InThe Secret story of Star Wars , writer Michael Kaminski claims the Sith Lord ’s name was in reality take because it was the last name of a bully at Lucas ’ schooltime . No matter its origins , Vader certainly sounds imposing , and it ’s hard to imagine call up the Dark Lord of the Sith by any other name .
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