The Jedi are weak not because they turn away from the dark, but because they do not embrace the Force as we do. I would have died long ago of my pain, but I allowed the Force to help me, to keep me alive. My wounds have been healed by the Force. Because of this, I am unstoppable.
—Darth Xyster to Jedi Knight Allanar Gabbett, 12 ABY
Darth Xyster (26 BBY – ), the Lord of Suffering, was a male Sarkhai Sith Lord who was the apprentice of Darth Ominus for an extended period of time. Xyster served as an admiral and general during the Galactic Civil War on the side of the Infinite Empire of the Sith.
Born one of the few non-natives on the planet of Togoria to a family living in a small immigrant colony on the planet, the man that eventually became Darth Xyster lived a normal and carefree childhood. At the age of six, Xyster was sent away from Togoria from his parents, merely moments before the Republic bombarded the planet and killed millions. One of the few people to escape the planet unharmed, Xyster fell into despair and anger. Sometime later, he, along with his Force sensitivity, was discovered by Darth Ominus, who took him in as his Sith apprentice.
Xyster was known, even before the Infinite Empire's invasion of the galaxy in 10 ABY, as a particularly hate-filled Sith Lord. While much of this anger stemmed from the loss of his parents at a young age, it also came from the abuse he endured while training to become a Sith. While leading Sith troops in a campaign to capture a planet in the Unknown Regions, Xyster suffered severe scarring and burns to his face and upper torso, while also losing his right arm below the elbow. Forced to use a mask and adopt a cybernetic arm replacement, his pain and humiliation drove him to further lengths to harness and embody the dark side of the Force. He used the Force to help him overcome some of his pain – though in many cases, his pain was only made worse because of his failure to receive proper medical treatment – and to overcome the physical disabilities he had to face as a result of his wounds. Some time before the Infinite Empire's invasion of the galaxy, he began styling himself as the Lord of Suffering, which became a sobriquet that inspired great fear and anxiety among many Imperial and Republic officials and soldiers. During the war, he served primarily as Darth Ominus' enforcer, and showed aptitude in military strategy and battlefield tactics.
Biography[]
Powers and abilities[]
While Darth Xyster had extensive knowledge of the dark side of the Force – as he used it to keep himself at peak physical capability – he was not necessarily known to use the Force as much as his master. During battle he favored Force lightning, and occasionally also used the Force to choke or crush his enemies with ease.
Xyster was highly-regarded among the Sith battlemasters as the most skilled lightsaber duelist in the Infinite Empire, perhaps surpassing his master. During the Battle of ????, he had nearly beaten Jedi Master Luke Skywalker in a duel, before being stopped by ????. At first glance by the first Jedi to meet him in battle, his form was considered unfocused and highly reckless. Once engaged in a duel, however, Jedi often found themselves increasingly disadvantaged against his somewhat unorthodox, fluid, and extremely powerful lightsaber technique. He became greatly feared by the Jedi after news of the Battle of Firrerre reached them, and particularly his duel with and murder of Jedi Knight Nima Tualin, widely regarded as one of the best lightsaber duelists in the Order.
Character and traits[]
Upon becoming the apprentice of the Dark Lord of the Sith, Xyster was a highly dedicated yet naive Sith. By the time of the Infinite Empire's entrance into the Galactic Civil War, he had become virtually totally corrupted by the dark side. It was known that he highly enjoyed torturing random enemy soldiers and his personal enemies, both with specifically-built machines and with his knowledge of the Force. He was widely regarded as sadistic and unnecessarily cruel, even moreso than his master. One infamous example, which helped to gain his reputation has a highly-demanding Sith Lord, was his very public torture, and later execution, of Admiral Bevel Starkos, for "disobeying orders and committing high treason".
Xyster, unlike his master, almost always punished the smallest degree of failure or disobedience with summary execution, so much so that Darth Ominus chastised him several times for the habit. He was highly demanding of all but his master, who, for a Sith, highly revered and respected him.
Behind the scenes[]
Xyster is another word for a surgical tool that scrapes organic matter off of bones.