I will be the judge of this galaxy!
—Darth Judicar
Darth Judicar, born Isaac Firestorm, was a Human male Dark Lord of the Sith living sometime after the fall of the previous Galactic Empire. Born on the planet of Serenno, he was a descendant of a long line of Force-sensitives, but broke ranks with them when, instead of becoming a Jedi, he turned to the dark side of the Force and became a Sith Lord. As a Sith apprentice, he was trained by an unnamed female Zabrak Sith Master, and eventually killed her, becoming a Sith Inquisitor.
Some time after this, he became the Galactic Emperor of the reformed Galactic Empire.
Biography[]
Early life[]
The fall of Darth Krayt all those years ago was just the beginning... I never knew he would come along.
—Judicar's master on a young Judicar.
The Human male that would become Darth Judicar was born on Serenno, a wealthy world in the Outer Rim of the galaxy, in 956 ABY. At an early age, he and his family were sent into slavery by local crime organizations. Taken to the mines of Kessel to be used as slave labor mining the precious spices the planet is famous for. While down in the mines, a young Isaac experienced unparalleled trauma. The energy spiders that prowled the tunnels of the mines often attacked the miner groups he was sent with and he witnessed the deaths of many innocent people, including some younger children that he had befriended.
After being there over a year, his parents joined a group of miners in a prison revolt, which resulted in both of them being taken away and killed right in front of his eyes. In a fit of rage, the young Isaac learned of his Force-sensitivity by causing a cave in, in which he himself barely escaped. The criminals in charge of him, now aware of his Force-sensitivity, kept him in solitary confinement, away from the other miners, but the damage had already been done. A Sith cult, growing in strength in the Outer Rim, noticed a disturbance in the Force, and made their way towards it.
Early Sith training[]
Who are you, boy?"
"Isaac...but some of the other prisoners call me 'Judicar'"
"You are now in the employ of the Sith, Judicar.
—Isaac and his Sith Master
A female, Zabrak, Sith agent arrived on Kessel several weeks later and bought Isaac from the slavers, who were all too willing to get rid of their perceived problem. She declared him under the employ of the Sith and began training him in the ways of the dark side of the Force. The Master-apprentice duo returned to the ice world of Ando Prime where the Zabrak Sith Master formally began Isaac's training.
Early on, Isaac learned that he was increasingly powerful in the Force, possibly more so than any other Firestorm to have existed. He studied the holocrons of the ancient Sith Lords in which the small Sith cult had managed to obtain, and learned directly from the foot of his master at times too. The training was incredibly harsh for the young boy, but soon, Isaac began to conform to Sith ideology and embrace the dark side. By the time he was sixteen, he was ranked top among all the acolytes in the cult for use of telekinesis; as he could use it to lift massive objects without the massive strain of doing so that other Force users often feel when moving larger objects. He was also gifted with a lightsaber, mastering Makashi at the young age of twenty-five.
Eventually, his growing success began to threaten his master, and so she plotted to kill him as to preserve herself. However, Isaac discovered this, through various means of manipulation among his fellow acolytes, and engaged in a duel with his master, killing her, and making himself into a Sith Inquisitor; a Sith that focused more on delving into the mysteries of the dark side, as well as forbidden techniques, to achieve greatness.
The Rise of Darth Judicar[]
My old name means nothing to me. I have been reborn by the dark side. I will be the judge of this galaxy! And it shall know me as Judicar; Darth Judicar.
—Isaac becoming Darth Judicar
After the death of his master, Isaac began a quest around the galaxy to learn more about the ancient Sith and their ways.
Pilgrimage to Kesh[]
The Kesh Sith Temple.
In 983 ABY, a now twenty-seven year old Isaac ventured to the Wild Space world of Kesh; a planet in which, centuries earlier, had been the home to a lost tribe of Sith. He ventured there to learn more about the ancient Sith and get a feel for how powerful they were. He first traveled to Tahv, the capital of Kesh, to hunt for clues about the ancient Sith tribe. All records pointed towards a temple in the Takara Mountains to the west of Tahv. There, Isaac found the Kesh Sith Temple, which was built over the ancient Sith dreadnought, Omen.
In the temple, Isaac found records of the Lost Tribe's way of life, virtually untouched since the tribe departed Kesh in 43 ABY. The records told him their culture, their beliefs, their hierarchy, and their ancestry. He learned that the Tribe were direct descendants of Sith Lords that served under the Sith Lord Naga Sadow in 5,000 BBY, that had become stranded on Kesh when the Omen crash landed on the world during the Great Hyperspace War.
This lead Isaac to leave Kesh for the Sith tombworld of Korriban to search for secrets concerning Naga Sadow.
Tomb of Naga Sadow[]
When Isaac arrived in the Valley of the Dark Lords, he immediately realized that centuries of plunder by both the Jedi and previous Sith orders would make his hunt for details on Naga Sadow almost useless. Upon entering the Tomb of Naga Sadow, he found the tomb to be weaker in the dark side than he had expected. At the end of the tomb, he discovered the ruins of an ancient Star Map, though he was unable to discover the significance of it, he did, however, discover that the revered Sith Lord, Darth Revan had once visited the tomb.
Sometime later, he would discover that Naga Sadow's true tomb was on Yavin 4, a Jedi world.
While he was prevented from continuing his search for clues about Sadow, Isaac discovered information on Korriban that led him to seek out information on another ancient Dark Lord of the Sith that followed after Sadow; Exar Kun.
Hunt for Exar Kun[]
Like Naga Sadow, much information on Exar Kun lay in the hands of the New Jedi Order on Yavin 4, however, the libraries of the Fel Empire had records indicating that the New Jedi Order, several centuries prior, had encountered Kun's spirit. Isaac became frustrated with the lack of information on the ancient Sith, and returned to Korriban after months of fruitless searching, heading for the southernmost valley of tombs to begin his hunt again.
Tutelage under Darth Sedriss[]
I am Darth Sedriss, a Dark Lady of the Sith. I come from a time eons in the past. What you call Sith and what I call Sith are two completely different things. However, I sense you have a thirst for knowledge of the ancient ways. Allow me to teach you, so that the two 'Sith' can become one!
—The gatekeeper of Darth Sedriss' holocron to Isaac
The Valley of the Lesser Lords on Korriban, where the tomb of Sedriss was placed, remained relatively untouched by the Jedi or the Sith of old. The Sith Lords buried in that area weren't considered significant enough, and were thus left alone. In 983 ABY, Isaac entered her tomb, hoping to find clues left by the ancient Sith. There, he discovered the holocron of the long dead Sith Lady, Darth Sedriss. The gatekeeper of the device, in the form of Sedriss, introduced herself as a Sith from the time of the Great Galactic War, and offered to instruct Isaac in the way of the ancient Sith.
Overjoyed that his journey had finally bore fruits, Isaac pledged himself to her teachings. She rewarded his pledge by instructing him on how to go about giving himself his own Sith name, and he eventually chose one based on this information; Darth Judicar. For the next several years, Judicar remained in the tomb learning from Sedriss' holocron. It taught him the various Sith codes that had been used in and before her time, and once he had mastered them, it gave him access to deeper teachings stored in the device for additional learning. He learned forbidden Force techniques, as well as history lessons on Sith Lords such as Naga Sadow, Marka Ragnos, Exar Kun, and Darth Revan from her holocron; sleeping only briefly between these lessons.
In 988 ABY, Judicar finished his learning from the holocron. As a final lesson, it taught him how to construct a Sith holocron of his own and then gave him the lightsaber crystal Sedriss had stored millennia ago in her holocron. After that, he destroyed the holocron, as instructed, and Judicar stepped out of the tomb a changed man. Upon leaving the tomb, he also destroyed it; preventing future Sith from learning what he had learned.
Infiltrating the Empire[]
Beginning a military career[]
Judicar training in the tropical regions of Mygeeto.
Sometime following his training in the Valley of the Lesser Lords, he followed in the footsteps of Darth Sidious and the old One Sith and infiltrated the government of the Galactic Empire, becoming a small time politician on the planet of Mygeeto.
He quickly found out why it had taken Palpatine so many decades to complete his plan; amassing political power and a base was a very difficult thing to do for the young man, so he retired early from politics sometime in his mid-thirties. Shortly following his political retirement, he joined the Imperial Navy as a private. During his time in the navy, he operated under the alias of "Rip Mardin" from Bastion, while keeping his true identity as Darth Judicar a well kept secret. It was a trying time to be in the navy. Relations between the Galactic Alliance and the Empire were tense.[1] Judicar rose quickly in rank among the navy, with as little backdoor dealing as possible, becoming a lieutenant by 991 ABY. Skirmishes with the Alliance rarely happened, but when they did, Judicar usually found some way to use them to benefit his position in the navy.
Personality and traits[]
Darth Judicar has powerful methods of persuasion, even against a mind as strong as a Hutts!
—An unnamed Sith acolyte.
Darth Judicar, Dark Lord of the Sith.
Darth Judicar was a ruthless leader, typical of most Sith Lords. He was a very firm believer in controlling one's emotion to give that person power, rather than being ruled by one's emotions as most Sith Lords often did. In fact, he usually came off as a calm and collected individual whenever conversing with other members of the Empire, or his fellow Sith Lords. He was known to especially be harsh on students, or potential students; believing only the top notch students to be worth his wisdom.
He strongly believed that Force-sensitives existed to rule non-Force sensitives. He regarded fellow Force-sensitives as "brothers and sisters", even Jedi, though he found the Jedi to be incredibly disillusioned for protecting non-Force sensitives and for following the light side of the Force. He often belittled the Jedi for their views of the Force and of their place as Force-sensitives in society. Before his joining the Sith, Judicar was harshly judged for displaying Force powers, so after becoming the Dark Lord, he viewed himself as the "judge of the galaxy" as revenge for how he was treated as a child.
Despite his role as a Sith Lord, he was a surprisingly polite, soft-spoken, and intellectual person, though he has shown a sadistic side to himself, such as using Force choke to kill defenseless prisoners or harshly beating his apprentices during sparring sessions; showing little mercy. He showed a great amount of respect for fellow Sith Lords, however, all of his pleasant behavior appeared to be nothing more than a facade. In all truth, he was manipulative, using his fake persona to give his allies and enemies alike a false sense of security. He rarely showed signs of alarm or distress, and had a habit of planning situations out two to three steps in advance. When confronted with a potential enemy or ally, he had the tenancy to turn their logic and philosophies back on themselves, causing them to doubt their beliefs and resolve. Though he was respectful to his fellow Sith, in truth, he cared very little for his subordinates to the point where he would kill them himself if they failed him one too many times.
That said, he believed strongly in Palpatine's philosophy that a Sith Lord needed an apprentice, as "a Master with no apprentice [was] a master of nothing."
Staying true to the Sith ways, Judicar has stated that he is not affected by the sort of morals and ethics practiced by the Jedi, viewing them as chains that hold his true self, his true power, back, and weakens him. He is not above committing acts of torture and murder to go about his selfish ambitions. He acquired supporters through either respect or fear, and used that trait to keep that person in line, killing them if they suddenly showed signs of not being effected by it anymore.
Judicar's stated goal is to establish the Sith Empire as the dominate force in the galaxy and then eradicate all non-Force sensitives, replacing them with genetically-engineered Force sensitive beings that will inhabit the galaxy in their place.
Powers and abilities[]
Force powers[]
You non-Force users and your blasters! Do you not know you are no match for me? Your blasters are rendered nothing next to the power of the Force..!
—Darth Judicar
Darth Judicar, from the moment he discovered his Force-sensitivity, was an incredibly talented Force user, considered one of the best of his day. He was widely regarded as a master of telekinesis, being so skilled with this particular ability that he could use it to pick up and move objects several times his size with little to no strain on himself. Another example of his ability with this technique was best demonstrated in his use of its variant, the Force push, to shatter Mandalorian iron. He could also use it to levitate or even fly short distances. Judicar regularly employed yet another application of this ability, the Force choke, to kill disobedient subordinates and prisoners for whom he had no further use.
Judicar was a notable practitioner of the protection bubble ability, throwing up a Force bubble capable of deflecting blaster bolts and even lightsabers. The downside to this power is that it forced him to remain totally stationary while using it. He could also utilize this power offensively, throwing up a bubble around his enemies to reflect their own attacks back on them. This usage had the same weakness as the primary use. Judicar had demonstrated the ability to deaden a foe's senses to induce catatonic stasis, but his exact skill with this power has not yet been determined. He was particularly skillful in information extracting techniques, such as Drain Knowledge, Mind Trick, Force Subjugate.
Like most Sith, Judicar could project Force lightning from his fingertips. He usually used it to torture captured victims, or in battle, when he wished to end the fight. He could also use variations of this technique, such as summoning a burst of electrical energy, known as a Force Storm. He could also wrap his protection bubbles in the electrical energy for added protection. He could even cast it from above by use of Force levitation, making it a hard technique to defend against, and allowing him to hit multiple foes from a bird's eye view.
Judicar could mildly defend his mind from the influence of the Force, but, due to his age, he was forced to utilize a special helmet that blocked out all access to his mind via the Force.
Darth Judicar was increasingly interested in Sith alchemy, as his main plan consisted of using it on a mass scale. He was often seen studying it from the holocrons available to him, and it is believed that he created his helmet with Sith alchemy. Other than that, there is no known instance of Judicar utilizing Sith alchemy.
Lightsaber training[]
During his youth, Judicar was an average-level lightsaber user, preferring to use his mastery of the Force over the red lightsaber he carried with him. He was a practitioner of Makashi and employed a curved-hilt lightsaber to increase his potency with this form. By the time he was a young adult in his late twenties, he had enough proficiency in the form to overwhelm and kill his Sith master, retaining only minimal damage himself.
Even in his older age, after becoming the Dark Lord, Judicar could hold his own easily against any of the younger Sith Lords or Jedi Masters, though he showed great fatigue after such battles.
Behind the Scenes[]
Darth Judicar was designed in response to the declaration of a new timeline on TheStarWarsRP.Com on June 12, 2011. He was initially made as a possible faction leader character, the Sith Emperor and the new Dark Lord of the Sith, though due to this and the uncertainty revolving around this position, he could face future reworking. His Sith name, "Judicar", was taken from one of the possible Sith names given to Darth Caedus, and means "the final judge". It was picked because it best reflected the character's personality that Fox had in mind when creating it.
It was originally planned to have Judicar learn from the holocrons of Darth Bane and Naga Sadow, but the idea was discarded to allow Judicar learn from the spirit and holocron of a completely original Sith Lady from a previous time, tying him into to Darth Krayt, who learned the ways of the Sith in a similar manner.
Judicar is portrayed by actors Michael Fassbender and Ian McKellen in this article, specifically in their roles as Magneto in the X-Men movies.
Sources[]
- TheStarWarsRP.Com (First appearance)