As most die-hard Star Wars fans know, the Star Wars universe stretches far beyond the Skywalker legacy. In fact, the struggle between good and evil goes back beyond the Galactic Republic. Fortunately, fans can peer into many historical events that shaped the future of the Star Wars universe through Star Wars: The Old Republic.
And with the release of the Legacy of the Sith expansion (which was a bit short for most fans), Bioware treated fans with an epic military campaign for the Sith Lord, Darth Malgus. But, for players to fully comprehend the events that unfolded in the latest Star Wars: The Old Republic expansion, they'll need to understand what the Dark Council was.
Origin And Early Days Of The First Dark Council
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After the events that occurred during the Great Hyperspace War, the Sith Emperor Vitiate settled on the ancestral capital of the Sith, Dromund Kaas, in 4980 BBY. With him, twelve of the strongest and wisest Sith Lords built the Sith Empire from the ground up, which ultimately led to the creation of the Dark Council. The Dark Council would mainly oversee the training of new acolytes like that of Sith Warriors (which have one of the best class stories in the game!).
But certain members like Darth Zavakon were in charge of the Imperial Reclamation Service, a group of disciplined officers responsible for archeological expeditions to recover both unknown and ancient Sith relics. In fact, fans can see glimpses of these expeditions in some of the CG trailers of Star Wars: The Old Republic.
Over time, the Sith Emperor withdrew himself from the Dark Council and eventually stopped overlooking the Sith Empire. Being power-hungry Sith Lords, the Dark Council quickly came up with a plan to remove Vitiate, but ultimately eleven of the twelve members met a quick death. Darth Lokess (the twelfth member) was imprisoned and tortured until her demise.
Dark Council Attempts To Remove Vitiate...Again
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Several years after the first dethronement attempt, the Sith Emporer appointed twelve new members of the Dark Council. But, in 3954 BBY, Dark Councilors Darth Nyriss and Darth Xedrix formed another conspiracy to kill the Sith Emperor. But, this time, the Dark Council wasn't doing it to gain more power, but it was to prevent the Sith Emperor from starting another war that would destroy the newly formed Sith Empire.
Members of the Dark Council managed to convince the Emperor's right-hand advisor, Lord Scourge, to help them carry out their coup. But, unfortunately, Lord Scourge betrayed them to the Emperor to save the then imprisoned Jedi Master Revan (the same Revan from Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, which is a must-play RPG if you enjoyed playing Mass Effect).
The Sith Emperor then summoned nine conspirators to his throne room, where he killed them. As for the remaining three members, he had the Imperial Guard destroy them. Interestingly enough, Lord Scourge also attempts to remove the Dark Emperor with the aid of Jedi Master Revan and Meetra Surik, but ultimately fails (fans who want to know more about these events should read The Old Republic – Revan, considered to be one of the best Star Wars Legends novels!). Once again, the Sith Emperor recruits twelve new members for the Dark Council, but this time he warns them what happens to traitors.
During The Great Galactic War
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In 3681 BBY, the Sith Emperor did what the previous Dark Council feared, start a war against the Galactic Republic. As a result, many intense battles happened during the Great Galactic War, some of which claimed the lives of five members of the Dark Council. Perhaps, one day, fans will be able to experience this war if Sony ever remakes Star Wars Galaxies, one of the most innovative MMOs of the early 2000s.
Additionally, one Dark Councilor (Darth Sajar) renounced the Dark Side and became a Padawan for the Jedi Order. Despite the Sith Empire technically winning the war, both sides lost countless lives and planets. After the Treaty of Coruscant, which marked the end of the Great Galactic War, the Sith Emperor left the Dark Council in charge of the Sith Empire.
Power Struggle Amongst Dark Council Members
The Dark Council didn't remain in power of the Sith Empire for long since a Dark Council member, Darth Baras, decided to take the empty throne for himself. And even though some Dark Council members supported the idea of Darth Baras being the new Sith Emperor, some opposed it. Darth Thanaton, a member who strongly opposed Darth Baras, challenged him and defeated him in combat.
Darth Thanaton then decided to be the new Sith Emperor but was challenged by a non-member, Lord Kallig. Darth Thanaton is defeated by Lord Kallig (now known as Darth Nox) and becomes the leading member of the Dark Council. But, after the events of Hero of Tython, Darth Marr became the de facto leader of the Dark Council.
The Onslaught Of The Eternal Empire
During some time, the Sith Empire, under the leadership of the Dark Council, unspokenly joined forces with the Galactic Republic to end the heretical cult known as Order of Revan. And because of this involvement, the former Sith Emperor, under the guise of Emperor Valkorion, returned to conquer the Sith Empire with his newly created Eternal Empire.
As a result, the Dark Council was wiped out, except for Darth Acina, since she allied herself with the Eternal Emperor and became the Empress of the Sith Empire. After some time, the Empress of the Sith came to terms with the Eternal Empire, thus forging a new alliance. She then reestablished the Dark Council, but with only five members, and ordered them to siege war against the Galactic Republic and Jedi Order.
Star Wars: The Old Republic is available for PC.
