Sith Empire (KotOR era)

The Sith Empire in the KotOR era was formed after Revan and Malak became Sith Lords following the Mandalorian Wars. For the most part, it was made up of former Republic soldiers and Jedi, who were swayed into joining by Revan. There were also troopers and Sith created by the Star Forge. The Sith Empire would eventually conquer the Galaxy, even after certain events made it seem like it was over.

Foundation
Upon becoming a Sith Lord, Revan realized that the only way the Galaxy could end the centuries of conflict and become stronger was through an Empire. The Republic was stagnant, weak, and continually wrapped in conflict, mostly from Sith all wanting to make the Galaxy stronger. Taking Malak as his Apprentice, Revan convinced many of his followers in the Republic fleet to join him, as well as creating troops, ships, and Dark Force users with the Star Forge.

The Jedi Civil War Begins
Once the fleet was assembled, Revan and Malak (now Darth Revan and Darth Malak) began their conquest of the Republic. Starting with a sneak attack on Foerost, they announced to the Galaxy their intentions. The Galaxy's greatest hero had now become their conqueror.

The Sith Empire was all but invincible, using the might of its leaders and the infinite fleets from the Star Forge to wipe out any resistance and easily conquer much of the Galaxy.

The Capture of Revan
The Republic was losing badly: still weak from the war against the Mandalorians, and with the overwhelming Sith forces, it was clear there wasn't much hope. The only hope for the Republic rested on Bastila Shan, a Jedi Padawan with a rare Force ability known as Battle Meditation. This power could change the tides of battle, enhancing one side while demoralizing the other.

Desperate to end the war, the Jedi set a trap for Revan and Malak. During the fighting, Revan had disposed of much of the boarding party, and was ready to eliminate Bastila and two other Jedi, removing the only obstacle for his domination. However, Malak chose to betray his old friend and master, firing on Revan's ship. The blast nearly killed Revan and Bastila. Bastila used the Force to preserve the spark of life in Revan, and he was taken to the Jedi Council. They agreed after discussion that he would be given a new identity, that of a Republic soldier, and they hoped his returning memories would help stop the Sith. It wouldn't.

The Empire under Malak
Malak, unlike Revan, was reckless when it came to conquering the Galaxy. While Revan had wanted to preserve strongholds and factories, ensuring he'd have things to work with upon conquering the Galaxy, Malak had no concern for anything: he simply eliminated all resistance and wasn't afraid to destroy planets.

A while after Revan's capture, a space battle erupted over Taris. The Sith managed to destory a Republic ship, the Endar Spire, although Carth Onasi, Bastila, and none other than Revan himself would escape. Revan at the time had no idea who he really was, he only knew himself as Vanek Tanra, the name given to him by the Jedi Council. Being as Malak wanted Bastila's Battle Meditation, or to see her dead, he would focus his efforts on finding her on Taris.

Days later, as Revan won the season opener for the Black Vulkars in a lower city swoop track, and ended up freeing Bastila, Malak decided the search was taking far too long. He ordered the planet wiped out to stop her. Even the entire destruction of Taris wouldn't stop Bastila: she, Revan, Carth, and a few other companions Revan met would escape on a crime lord, Davik Kang's ship, the Ebon Hawk.

As Revan went on a mission to find Star Maps for the Jedi Council, all the while giving in to the Dark Side yet again, believing he could take over the Empire from Malak, Malak himself doubled his efforts to find Bastila. After the Galaxy's best bounty hunter and his own apprentice could not stop them, he intercepted the Ebon Hawk in hyperspace. There he revealed to Revan his true identity, that of Darth Revan. After nearly being killed by Revan in a duel, he captured Bastila. Though the others escaped to find the remaining Star Map, he had his prize: Bastila and her Battle Meditation.

Lord Revan returns
Malak's time was coming to an end, however. Now that Revan knew of his true identity, he was determined to get revenge and get his throne back. After collecting the last Star Map, he would arrive on Lohan, after the Sta Forge's disruptor field forced him to land. After fighting his way across the planet, Revan engaged Bastila on the roof of a Rakatan Temple. Bastila was now Malak's Apprentice, and after a duel, she realized Revan was truly the strongest Sith who ever lived. She offered to become his Apprentice, and help him kill Malak and conquer the Galaxy. Readily accepting, Revan killed Jolee Bindo for refusing to join him, and afterwards having Zaalbar kill Mission Vao for the same reason, showcasing his Force persuasion. Carth escaped, but would end up killed later on, when Revan sent troops to find him. Even after long torture, Carth did not join the Sith Empire, so Revan simply killed him.

On board the Star Forge, Revan slew the entire army of Sith Malak sent after him. Recovering his old robes, and later his mask, Revan confronted Malak and killed him. With the Sith once again under his control, he returned to his conquest.

However, he soon left the Galaxy, to find and kill the ancient Sith Empire.

The Sith Trimuvurate
The Sith Empire entered a civil war period, where Sith turned on each other without Revan to guide them. It was nearly reduced to ruins, until Darth Traya, Darth Sion, and Darth Nihilus stepped in.

Traya, however, would find herself at odds with Sion and Nihilus. The two proceeded to turn on her, stripping her of her Force power and exiling her. She sought out Ben Farelle afterward, an exiled Jedi who had activated the Mass Shadow Generator at Malachor V, and had cut himself off from the Force afterward. He had been exiled for going to war, and because he was a wound in the Force, and he had been angry and wanting revenge at the Jedi ever since.

After a while, Farelle returned to the Galaxy, and killed all 3 members of the Triumvurate, and the Jedi Masters on the council that exiled him, and became the Dark Lord of the Sith, taking the name Darth Gravus. Seeking Revan, he went into the unknown regions. He would find him, and together the two set a new course for the Sith Empire, one that would finally win them the Galaxy.

The Sith Empire under Lord Gravus
Gravus found the Sith as they were scattered, but under his command he built cloning centers in Sith planets, to rebuild the army. He also began mass production of ships. Gravus also changed the Sith Order's structure a little, making it so that there would be the Dark Lord, a Dark Underlord to be his right hand, and each would have an apprentice to take their place when the time was right. The new Sith looked like: Dark Lord:De facto leader of the Sith, had absolute power over the entire Order and Empire. Anything the Dark Lord said would be law. Dark Underlord:The Dark Lord's right hand man. Would be able to help enforce laws, issue orders, and other things. Could be overriden by the Dark Lord. Sith Master:Sith Masters oversaw all training measures within academies. Slightly more powerful than a Sith Lord, they did go to battles, but for the most part were teachers. Sith Lord:Sith Lords were masters of the Dark Side. They used their powers to corrupt, eliminate, or demoralize the enemy. Similar to Sith Masters, they were more active in combat and tasks for the Dark Lord. Sith Marauder:Sith who were masters of Lightsaber combat. They could channel their emotions and Dark power into extreme rage, making them deadly killing machines, but at the expense of not being as strong in the Force. Sith AssassinPreffering stealth, these Sith sought out targets across the Galaxy for various purposes. Similar to the Assassins under Revan at the beginning, they brought Jedi for corruption/death or killed enemies of the Empire with no fuss. Sith AcolyteA student in the Sith.

Dark Jedi were also around: Dark Jedi Masters were equal to Sith Masters/Lords Dark Jedi Knights were like Lords/Assassins/Marauders and carried out tasks Dark Jedi Apprentices/Padawans were students.

These changes enhanced the Sith, and were generally approved. With the strength of the Sith Empire, the Galaxy would prepare itself for a new direction.

The Sith Empire conquers the Galaxy
After rebuilding, Gravus and Revan gathered the fleet and began conquest. After sweeping through much of the Galaxy, some senators in the Republic felt that it was a sinking ship, and the Sith were bound to take over. They then began to support the Sith Empire, and gladly allowed for their planets to hold secret Sith bases while the Republic wasn't looking. Finally, the stage was set for the invasion of Coruscant.

The Sith overwhelmed the large Republic army, using Bastila's Battle Meditation and the newly rebuilt fleet to eliminate Republic orbital defenses. On the ground, the Sith swept through to the Senate Building, where Gravus pronounced himself Emperor. The Sith had finally conquered the Galaxy. Only one thing was left- wait for the remaining Jedi to come out of hiding, then exterminate them if they didn't join the Sith.

The New Government
Gravus began reform immediately after taking office. He disbanded the Senate, on the basis that it was corrupt, stagnant, and nothing got done. As a replacement, he established a governor system, where each planet in the Empire would have a governor who would control planetary affairs. Gravus had absolute power though: Governors would have to tell him any kind of troubles citizens were having, though most of the time Gravus allowed for them to handle situations on their own. This, combined with keeping certain freedoms, ensured the citizens of the Empire would be supportive, and lessened the chance of Rebellion. It would finally bring peace to the Galaxy, where citizens lived under an Empire that, while still an Empire, offered more freedom than usual. Gravus could still do anything he wanted, but found he never needed to.

A Rebellion emerges
A few months after the takeover, a group of Jedi teamed up with a group known as the Union for the Return of the Republic, or URR. This group was made of political idealists, some former senators, and some old Republic soldiers who felt the Galaxy was better off as a Republic. The Jedi were cautious about revealing themselves, but they wanted to try and free the Galaxy.

After they started using military force in some planets, Gravus decided to end them once and for all. He "invited" both groups to Coruscant for a meeting. Only Gravus would be meeting with Mace Dison, a Jedi Master and leader of the Jedi remnant group, while Revan met with the URR. The purpose of the meetings, as told to the two groups, was to discuss the Galaxy and the concerns of the groups. However, Gravus and Revan wanted to kill both. Gravus would try to turn Dison to the Sith, or kill him, as well as finishing off the remaining Jedi. Revan would lure the URR to a meeting room where he would kill them all by using the Force to crush their lungs, while telling them "The Republic had its last breath long ago, now it's time for you fools to die as well."

In the meantime, Gravus met with Dison in the old Jedi Temple, now the Sith Temple(Though Korriban held the rebuilt academy, Gravus wanted the Jedi Temple to become the Sith's home, turning it into a storehouse of Sith knowledge, a large academy, and a meeting ground for Sith across the Galaxy). After a long discussion, Dison refused to join the Sith and a fight ensued. Taunting Dison the whole fight, Gravus showed his extreme power, proving he was now the most powerful Sith that ever lived. Dison become so upset at the fact his old friend was taunting him, he let his anger go towards the end, becoming more aggressive. He wanted to feel the darkness, to see what it was, to see how it gained so many followers. It didn't help him however, as Gravus disabled his saber and cut off both of Dison's hands. After one last attempt to turn Dison, he killed his former friend after he refused yet again, telling Gravus: "Prove to me you are truly a Sith... I have no use for my life any more, my Republic and my Order are gone... and I am too weak now to be a Sith, so kill me or spare me, and show me if you truly are what you've become, or if maybe the Jedi is still in you". Slashing Dison across the chest with his lightsaber, Gravus ordered the Sith in the temple to eliminate the remaining Jedi who were waiting. They had felt Dison's death, but soon fell to the Sith. With both groups dead, the rebellion was over.

The End of the Sith Empire
The Sith Empire would last for a number of years. 100 years after the conquest was finished, Gravus and Revan lost their respective apprentices, Kira Hoban and Bastila Shan, who were alos their wives. Having seen them die, Gravus and Revan let the Force take them one night, with Gravus telling Darth Endan, a Sith Lord who had been with them for thirty years, to try and take over. However, as strong as Endan was, he could not stop another Sith Civil War, with two groups trying to take over. One wanted to keep the current Sith structure (the Preservationists). The other wanted the Master-Apprentice command structure of old (the Resurrectionists). Without a leader like Gravus or Revan, they killed each other, with Endan dying by a bomb placed in his personal shuttle by the Resurrectionists. Months later, the Sith were reduced to ruin, and the Republic came back into power when a senator from Corellia, Jados Kordan, vowed to pick up the pieces. With no more Sith, the senators agreed, and the Galactic Republic returned. Millenia later, Darth Sidious would work his way through the Republic to conquer the Galaxy yet again.