Darth Desolous

"Go, and use what I have taught you to bring peace to Dantooine."

- Darth Desolous

Darth Desolous was a Dark Lord of the Sith who lived from the time of the reign of Darth Haagen to the Siege of Dantooine. Once a revered by the Jedi Order, his lust for battle led him to the dark side of the Force and in search of Sith teachings. Thus, he was expelled from the Jedi Order, took on his Sith name, and vowed to have his revenge. In a battle with the Jedi on Yaga Minor, the Sith Lord was defeated and thought to be killed, while in reality he gave up a life of war and chose to live in a small cave on Dantooine.

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. In 2 BBY, a simulacrum of Desolous fought Darth Vader's secret apprentice, Galen Marek, inside the ruins of the Jedi Trials Chamber.

Early life


"I admit, I myself once succumbed to my anger…as Darth Desolous."

- Darth Desolous

Desolous was born on the world of Utapau. Before falling to the, the Pau'an was a revered by the Jedi Order whose name has been long forgotten. His lust for battle led him to the dark side of the Force and in search of Sith teachings. Thus, he was expelled from the Jedi Order, took on his Sith name, and vowed to have his revenge.

Desolous began training an army of Pau'ans in his own style, using cortosis alloy shields and melee weapons. The Pau'an Sith fought with a single-bladed red lightsaber and a shield, similar to the design his people. He eventually rallied his army against the Jedi, ambushing Jedi Knights across the galaxy, leading to the slaughter of nearly two thousand Jedi. He was lured into a trap at Yaga Minor, his army engaging a small force of Jedi Knights. A large Jedi fleet emerged from hyperspace, preventing his retreat, and, outnumbered and outmatched, Desolous' army was destroyed. Desolous himself was thought have been killed.

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:.

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.

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.

His 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 first appeared in the level of . 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 occuring 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