A Look At The Dark Side Organizations In ‘Star Wars’ That You May Not Have Heard Of
Image Source: CultureSlate
When George Lucas created Star Wars, he envisioned two types of Force users: The Jedi, representing the light side, and the Sith, centered around the dark side.
But as the franchise grew in popularity and Lucas let other creatives play in his sandbox, they started to come up with other groups and organizations that could use the Force or at least tap into it.
Especially the era of the Old Republic of the former Expanded Universe consisted of a variety of sects and splinter groups of dark side users for whom the Sith were either too radical, not radical enough, or who focused just on certain aspects of Bogan (i.e., the Dark side). But all those are now part of Legends.
Today, we will look at dark side organizations aside from the Sith, which are part of the current Star Wars lore.
And we will focus on the more obscure or lesser-known factions.
Probably every Star Wars fan is familiar with the Nightsisters, a group of witches who used Magik (with a k) to heal and strengthen their members, defeat their enemies, and even bring back the dead. Over time, they became so powerful that even Darth Sidious saw the need to send his enforcers to wipe them out.
RELATED:
Another well-known group of dark Side users was the Inquisitors, first introduced in Star Wars Rebels, tasked with hunting down the last remaining Jedi and finding Force-sensitive children. While strong in the Force and wielding red lightsabers, they were still "below" the Sith, thus not breaking the Rule of Two.
The Sequel era finally introduced the Knights of Ren, a group of Force-sensitive marauders who mainly worked for their own profits and gains but later joined the ranks of the First Order after Ben Solo took control of them.
Aside from these groups, the current Star Wars canon includes some other factions affiliated with the dark Side, without actually being Sith.
Acolytes Of The Beyond
Image Source: Wookieepedia
This cult emerged during the last years of the Galactic Civil War. Rumored to ritually sacrifice sentient beings and able to communicate with the spirits of former Sith Lords, they believed that every living being must bend to the will of the Force, while only the Sith were truly able to wield it.
After the Battle of Endor, they staged a series of coordinated attacks against New Republic outposts and even acquired what they believed to be Darth Vader's lightsaber, planning to return it to him in death. Later, the cult vanished into obscurity.
The Acolytes were created by Chuck Wendig for his Aftermath trilogy and most recently appeared in the Battle of Jakku comic series. Ochi of Bestoon, the assassin sent to kill Rey's parents, was part of this group.
Sith Eternal
mage Source: starwars.com
Based in the Sith citadel on Exegol, these fanatics believed it was their natural right to rule the galaxy. They worshiped Sidious long before his first demise at the Battle of Endor, and the Sith Lord used them to ensure the success of his Contingency Plan.
They not only constructed the massive fleet of Star Destroyers under the surface of Exegol but also created cloning facilities that spawned beings like Supreme Leader Snoke or Palaptine's (and the father of Rey), all with the ultimate goal in mind to create a vessel for Sidious's spirit after his body had died in the Battle of Endor.
As the cultists indoctrinated the native population of Exegol, their numbers became countless over time, and they used enforcers called Tankers to kill anyone who would be able to find their location, although both Darth Vader and later Kylo Ren were able to enter the Sith citadel.
When Sidious's body exploded and the Sith citadel collapsed, this also marked the end of the Sith Eternal.
Created for The Rise of Skywalker, the cult was also featured in several Marvel Star Wars comics.
Alazmec Of Winsit
Image Source: Star Wars Galaxy
Made up of members of the sentient beings Alazmec, this cult settled on Mustafar after Darth Vader's death to worship the former Sith Lord.
Being ruthless themselves, the cult was cut down by Kylo Ren as they possessed Vade's Wayfinder, which contained the path to Exegol.
Nightbrothers
Image Source: Clone Wars Wiki
Not as widely known as the Nightsisters, this group of male Zabraks also lived on the planet Dathomir. Acrobatic and strong, they only achieved their full potential when they underwent a ritual reinforced by the Nightsisters that allowed them to tap deeper into the dark Side.
Maul's brother, Savage Opress, was one of those whose powers were enhanced by Nightsister Magik to do the witches' bidding, as was Maul himself after his remaining upper body was brought back to his homeworld.
Sorcerers Of Tund & Yacombe
Image Source: Wookieepedia
Not much is known about this group other than that it dates back to at least the time of the High Republic. These dark side users were first mentioned in Cavan Scott's Dooku - Jedi Lost. The Yacombe was also featured in Marvel's High Republic comics when a group of them traveled to Jedha to join the Convocation of the Force, but left when they realized that their beliefs were not welcomed there.
Ascendant
Image Source: CBR
This cult was an enemy of the Sith and tried to replicate dark side abilities by using technology. In doing so, they created a so-called thought dowser, a device that could influence the minds of others.
Although the Sith ultimately defeated the Ascendants, one thought dowser briefly fell into the hands of Crimson Dawn.
So far, the Ascendants have only been featured in Marvel's Doctor Aphra comics.
Brotherhood Of The Ninth Door
This cult was active during the time of the High Republic and possessed the ability to make others appear to be monsters or hostile creatures, causing some havoc on the planet Jedha centuries before the events of the Star Wars movies.
Frangawl Cult
Image Source: Flickr
Located on the planet Bardotta, this cult worshiped Malmourral, an ancient demon of war. Banished by the Dagoyan Order, a group of light side Force users, they went into hiding, waiting for the time when the Order would vanish. Aside from Malmourral, they also revered the Nightsister Mother Talzin, calling her The Great Mother.
The Frangawl Cult was featured in The Clone Wars episodes “The Disappeared” parts 1 and 2
READ NEXT:
Latest News
Featured
