Sith Order

A community of adherents of the dark side of the Force that operated in secret for centuries. Its members bore the title of Dark Lord of the Sith and took new names with the prefix “Darth,” and their legacy included ancient teachings, sanctuaries, and artifacts.

After a long-ago defeat at the hands of the Jedi, the order was restructured according to the Rule of Two: only a master and an apprentice existed at any one time, which made it possible to keep the secret and pass power on from generation to generation. The apprentice was expected eventually to take the master's place.

Darth Plagueis and his apprentice Darth Sidious brought the plan to completion: Sidious entered politics under the name Palpatine, unleashed the Clone Wars, and destroyed the Jedi Order with Order 66, after which he proclaimed the Empire. His apprentices at various times were Darth Maul, Count Dooku, and Darth Vader. The Sith were considered extinct after the deaths of the Emperor and Vader at Endor.