Darth Desolous

Darth Desolous
Biographical information
Homeworld	Utapau
Died	c. 32 BBY
Physical description
Species	Pau'an
Height	2.06 meters
Eye color	Black
Skin color	Grey
Chronological and political information
Era(s)	Old Republic era Rise of the Empire era
Affiliation(s)	Jedi Order Galactic Republic The Revanchists Sith Army of Darth Desolous
Apprentices	Idnum-Ki

Go, and use what I have taught you to bring peace to Dantooine.
—Darth Desolous

Darth Desolous was a Pau'an Dark Lord of the Sith born on Utapau who lived from the time of the reign of Darth Haagen to the Siege of Dantooine. When the Mandalorians invaded Republic space, Desolous heard the call to war and joined Revan and Alek Squinquargesimus's cause, defying the Jedi Council. He was eventually seduced the power of the dark side of the Force, and therefore was exiled from the Jedi Council.

Vowing revenge, Desoluos took on his Sith name and rallied an army to serve him. The war he raged on the Jedi proved brutal, and his reign was finally ended in a battle on Yaga Minor in which his army was destroyed and he himself was thought to be killed. Believing his previous actions to have been mistakes, the defeated Dark Lord gave up a life of war and chose to live in a small cave on Dantooine. He would write many books which spoke of the dark side, including Control of the Force.

Many millennia later, Desolous trained the Jedi Idnum-Ki during the Siege of Dantooine and told him that he could ascend from simply being Jedi or Sith, before the Dark Lord was killed by his student sometime afterwards. In 2 BBY, a simulacrum of Desolous fought Darth Vader's secret apprentice, Galen Marek, inside the ruins of the Jedi Trials Chamber.

Biography

Early life

Desolous in his younger years on Utapau.

I was once a blind servant of the Jedi Order.
—Darth Desolous

Once a Pau'an warrior, Desolous was taken from his homeworld of Utapau at the late age of fifteen to be trained as a Jedi. Under the teachings of the Order, Desolous learned to control his anger and rage, and often studied the history of the galaxy in the Jedi Archives. He was soon made a Jedi Knight, and eventually, a Master.

When the Mandalorians invaded Republic space, war ensued. Though the Jedi Council failed to act and counselled patience, two young Knights, Revan and Alek Squinquargesimus demanded immediate action. They rallied other Jedi to their cause, and would soon be known by the public as the Revanchists.

Desolous's instinctive lust for battle which had originated on Utapau was reawakened, and he joined Revan's cause. The once revered Jedi Master quickly rose through the ranks, winning many victories for the Republic alongside Squinquargesimus. Meanwhile, as the Revanchists were hailed as the saviors of the Republic, Sith teachings began to spread through the faction. Desolous himself came across holocrons of Sith from the past, and was seduced by the power of the dark side of the Force.

In one battle which was considered pivotal for both sides of the Mandalorian Wars, the Jedi was consumed by rage and set fire to the planet to prevent the Mandalorians from setting up a base there. Desolous was praised by the Republic; however, the Jedi Council sensed the dark side in his actions and ordered him to return to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. He was brought before the Council and accused not only of defying them in following Revan, but also of falling to the dark side. Thus, Desolous was exiled.

Dark Lord of the Sith

Henceforth, my name shall be Darth Desolous, one with the Order of the Dark Lords.
—Desolous announcing his Sith title on Utapau

Vowing revenge, he turned to the Pau'an warriors he had once served with on Utapau. He gave a rallying speech concerning the Jedi Order, and claimed that the Jedi were not to fit to rule the galaxy. The former Jedi announced his name henceforth to be Darth Desolous, and declared that they would end the "tyranny" of the Order. The Dark Lord then began training the army in his own style, using cortosis alloy shields and melee weapons. He himself fought with a single-bladed red lightsaber and a shield, similar to the design his people.

The Dark Lord's war on the Jedi proved to be tolling for the Republic, who had no wish to fight another war while their forces were spread thin due to the concurrent Mandalorian Wars. The conflict led to the slaughter of nearly two-thousand Jedi. With each victory, he grew more reckless and bold, his hatred against the Jedi eclipsing all his other emotions. The failure of Desolous was used by the Jedi Council as an argument against Revan's ways, and in order to protect his image, Revan sought to end the new threat to the Republic. He soon lured Desolous into a trap at Yaga Minor, where a group of Jedi awaited he and his army. Preventing their retreat, a large Jedi fleet emerged from hyperspace, and, outnumbered and outmatched, Desolous' army was destroyed. The Pau'an Sith himself was thought to have been killed.

Desolous fighting on Dxun.

Instead of striking back against the Republic and the Jedi once again, Desolous chose to live as what some would have called a hermit in a small cave on Dantooine with his only purpose being to ensure that the Sith would live for thousands of years to come.

Training on Dantooine

You must learn to embrace the dark side, unlike the Jedi, but to not let it control you, like the Sith.
—Darth Desolous to Idnum-Ki

In 32 BBY, a Cerean Jedi named Idnum-Ki landed on the planet during the Siege of Dantooine. During the battle, Idnum-Ki was separated from his apprentice and entered the cave in which Desolous had lived for years, searching for the captured Khoonda leader Ludge Ganler. Instead, the Jedi Master found Desolous. Idnum felt the dark taint within him that he had felt since first entering Dantooine's atmosphere and, assuming him to be a Sith, ordered him to surrender.

Four visions of long-dead Sith, those Sith being Darth Bane, Darth Malak, Darth Revan, and Darth Nihilus appeared around Desolous. Though Idnum-Ki knew them to be visions, he did not want to risk an injury or death that they could possibly have inflicted through the Force and so dueled them. Further into the battle, his lightsaber was taken away from him and he was left defenseless. However, in the Force, Idnum felt a sudden urge to live, and through him, the Force cried out in a burst of energy which dissolved the Sith spirits.

Desolous was impressed by Idnum-Ki's abilities and spoke to him of ascending from simply being Jedi or Sith. He reminded Idnum of when he had killed Ibtiseh, a Jedi who the Cerean had envisioned would indirectly cause the deaths of the Jedi Council members, and said that etched on his soul were the deaths of many more Jedi to come. Idnum-Ki said that he had only killed the Jedi because he had to, and claimed that even with that side the Galactic Republic which he served would fall under the current Chancellor. The Pau'an, however, told him of the identity of the next Chancellor: Palpatine.

Darth Desolous with visions of ancient Sith.

Desolous taught Idnum-Ki much of the dark side, and instructed him to embrace it unlike the Jedi, but to not let it control him as the Sith did. Idnum bowed and promised to return after the battle was won.

Sometimes afterward, Darth Desolous was killed by Idnum-Ki, who would take on the Sith title "Darth Taral".

Legacy

A thousand Jedi died cursing Darth Desolous. Now you too shall scream my name.
—A simulacrum of Darth Desolous to Galen Marek

Darth Desolous's legacy was considered by many of those who knew of his existence to have had a notable impact on the galaxy. Upon the defeat of the Sith Triumvirate, Desolous ensured that the title of "Darth" was passed down for years to come. Due to this, though he claimed to Idnum-Ki that he was training him to be something more than simply Jedi or Sith, it is very possible that he had ulterior intentions, and what he taught him following the Siege of Dantooine is unknown. Idnum-Ki would pass on what he had learned from Desolous to his Padawan, Dular, and start his own reformed Order of Sith, in addition to taking the title of "Darth Taral".

Desolous's visage was later used as part of the Jedi Trials program at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, and was an enraged opponent for Padawans to face in the hopes of mastering their own abilities. In 2 BBY, the simulacrum fought Darth Vader's secret apprentice, Galen Marek, inside the ruins of the Jedi Trials Chamber. After a brief lightsaber duel, Marek used the Force to slam Desolous into a large statue of Emperor Palpatine and pulled it down onto the Sith Lord, crushing him and ending the program.

Personality and traits

I do not claim to be part of either groups, but spare me your Jedi philosophy. I abhor their Order with a deadly hatred. It does not flourish, it only hinders. And I abhor it because of the blindness of its Masters.
—Desolous, speaking of the Jedi Order

Early in his life, Desolous was considered by the Jedi to be belligerent and had a lust for battle. With each victory, he grew more reckless and bold, his hatred against the Jedi eclipsing all his other emotions, which he admitted to thousands of years later. After his defeat at Yaga Minor, the Pau'an looked away from the views of the Jedi and Sith which he considered dogmatic, and adapted a broader view of both the galaxy and the Force. While training Idnum-Ki in 32 BBY, he showed signs of regret over the hatred he had once succumbed to.

Even still, he kept a deep hatred for the Jedi, abhorring their Order because of the "blindness" of its Masters. He taught Idnum-Ki that the Jedi Master could be something more than simply Jedi or Sith, but it is possible that he only said such things in order to turn him to the teachings of the Sith, due to being committed to ensuring the continuation of the Sith.

Powers and abilities

Darth Desolous's war against the Republic led to the slaughter of nearly two thousand Jedi. The Sith fought with a single-bladed red lightsaber and a shield, similar to the design his people. After his defeat, his abilities grew more reserved and, instead of using them himself, he taught them to other Force-sensitives. During the Siege of Dantooine, Desolous used visions of ancient Sith as a test for the Jedi Master Idnum-Ki.

Behind the scenes

Darth Desolous's lightsaber.

Darth Desolous first appeared in the Jedi Temple level of The Force Unleashed. The game was released before Darth Desolous's role was written for The Drewton Legacy; thus, there are many contraditions, such as the Pau'an Sith's "death" and his birth occurring in 3,500 BBY according to the databank of Force Unleashed.

Originally, when The Drewton Legacy Chapter 3: Dark Visions of the Sith was first written and Desolous's scenes were shot, he was never intended to actually be Darth Desolous, but rather remain unnamed. His silver lightsaber was intended to show neutral allignement, and he was portrayed by Tion Medon. His backstory was originally planned to be told in the same chapter.

When author Andrew Barton was writing the story for the Darth Haagen trilogy, he decided to make Desolous the "Unknown Darth" who "ensured the continuation of the Darth line for years to come". This was because Desolous was possibly attempting to train Idnum-Ki as a Sith, therefore continuing the line of the Order.

Appearances

• Darth Haagen: War of the Force
• Star Wars The Drewton Legacy Chapter 3: Dark Visions of the Sith (Cut content)
• Star Wars The Drewton Legacy Chapter 4: Armageddon (Appears in flashback(s)) (Cut content)
• Star Wars The Drewton Legacy Chapter 23: The Threat Within (Mentioned only) (Cut content)
• Star Wars: Path of Darkness (Mentioned only)
• Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (First appearance) (Appears as a ghost or spirit)

Sources

• The Essential Guide to The Drewton Legacy

See also

• Darth Desolous at Wookieepedia, the Star Wars Wiki