Sith Philosophy

The Philosophy of the Sith

The Sith Order of this day and age was built upon the ideas and philosophies of the ancient Sith Empires; the philosophies of Darth Revan and Darth Malak and their predecessors. Unlike their Jedi antitheses, the Sith way is to embrace instinct, passion, and primal emotions and impulses. Like their ancient Sith idols, the current Sith Order believes that conflict, whether internal or external, is what defines an individual. Conflict challenges both their civilization and their culture, forcing them to change and adapt quicker than their Jedi foes.

It if for this reason that the Sith are able to change tactics and methods with each incarnation of their Order, allowing them to combat the Jedi on different fronts and in different manners. The Sith's power is wrought from anger, hatred, aggression, unbridled passion, fear, covetousness, cruelty, selfishness, jealously, and malevolence. These fundamental beliefs of the Sith Order are reflected in the Three Creeds; the foundational philosophies that dominate the Sith way of life and thinking.

The First Creed
Baptism by Fire

The Sith Order adamantly believe that conflict culls the weak, hardens the intermediate, and ultimately allows the strong, those individuals more apt to survive and excel. Predatory in nature, the Sith believe contention and strife are the only way to mature and grow. Power stems from unrestrained emotion, impulse and instinct, and thus, to achieve power, many Sith are baptized by fire, forged into the warriors of the Sith by deathmatches, contests of strength, and other situations that force them to realize their potential or die in the process. Battle and conflict was the only way to put one's abilities to the test, and the strife forced them to evolve and become more powerful for it. The Sith possess an almost fear-like dread of non-conflict, as they believe it would lead to stagnation and decline, not unlike their hated Jedi enemies.

In additional purpose of the forged by fire concept is that it eliminates the weak and unworthy, and allowed the strong to exercise power and grow to realize their potential. In accordance with that, like virtually all incarnations of the Sith, the current Sith Order focuses inwardly on the individual, rather than an entire group as the Jedi do. A core tenet of the Sith philosophy is that the individual must be the one to use their passion to obtain strength, power, victory, and freedom from their shackles. Self-reliance to the end, and thus the Sith gained only what they were powerful enough to seize. This method allowed the Sith to become more powerful from empowering themselves individually, and eliminating those unable to do so. Such a process hardens the Sith, weeded out the weak, and ensures that only the strongest survive and pass on their knowledge.

Although taught by Sith Masters, the Sith themselves must not rely on others to help themselves obtain this, but rather must take what they can grab with their own power; any Sith that relies on others is weak and worthy of death. This cutthroat manner of learning adamantly forces the individuals to rely only on the Dark Side of the Force for their power, which they followed fanatically. In turn, virtually all Sith have an utter disgust, if not outright hatred, of the Light Side and of the Jedi. The manner of constant fighting, very often in-fighting, was also encouraged among even the Sith Acolytes for the purpose of prestige and cutting down the competition. In addition, this process also allowed Sith Masters to early recognize the most promising of the Sith.

This manner of being baptize by fire also emphasizes that a Sith must be observant and willing to act at all times, even at a moment's notice. At the slightest moment, an opportunity could present itself for the Sith to seize power and excel themselves. Only the most observant Sith can notice and then seize those opportunities for themselves. Those that did not were cast aside or eliminated, as the Sith took a strong stance on the foolish, as they did for Sith that poorly observed an "opportunity", which in turn would lead to their own demise. The Sith fight among themselves constantly and continuously, only redirecting their bloodlust toward their age-old enemies during times of war.

The Second Creed
Empowered by Passion

One of the most fundamental of Sith beliefs is that a Sith must realize that emotion is the cornerstone to all Sith. It fuels their power, and grants them surpassing strength. While the Jedi believed that what they considered to be negative emotions, such as anger, fear, aggression, were to be shunned, the Sith held the belief that such emotional manifestations were natural and fortified one for survival and evolution. By harnessing the latent power of their unbridled emotions, the Sith believed that they could achieve a magnitude of power otherwise impossible for any Jedi to ascend to. In turn, this outlook was in stark contrast with the Jedi, who believed such strong emotions should be suppressed. However, for the true Sith, unbridled passion is the only way to unlock one's potential, and was the only way to truly understand the nature of the Force.

However, a common misconception is that the Sith are slaves to their emotions; in fact, a true Sith was seen as one that had full control of their emotions without restraining them, whereas a false, or weak Sith was one who was controlled by their emotions. As such, the Sith must always be wary, as only the worthy Sith are seen as being able to perfectly control their emotions while still being able to draw power from them. When emotion controls the individual, that individual is nothing more than a mindless animal, a beast with the power of the Dark Side of the Force behind him. However, an individual that harness his emotions will open the floodgates to power from the Dark Side of the Force, as is the case with the greatest of the Sith Lords. In addition, the Sith did consider many emotions to be dangerous, such as compassion, love - although for entirely different reasons than the Jedi, mercy and hope.

The Sith harnessed all of their power for the purpose of combat and strife, which was echoed in their extreme devotion to warfare, battle, and contention. Like the Jedi, the Sith Order utilized the lightsaber, but instead of a tool to defend the innocent, the Sith used the lightsaber as a weapon to slay the weak, useless, and unworthy, as they did with the Force. This is reflected also in the fact that, while the Sith also practice the Seven Forms and Three Styles, they perform the lightsaber arts for an entirely different purpose. Nevertheless, the Sith Order possessed full knowledge of the Forms and Styles, although executed them differently; whereas a Jedi would defend others, the Sith would ignore them and press the attack;

Form I was called Shii-Cho and the Determination Form and Way of the Sarlacc, and was the most basic of the styles, and was taught to Sith Acolytes. Shii-Cho was learned by all Sith Acolytes as it was the sole form which laid the foundation for the six successive forms that followed, from basic strikes, parries, to body attack zones. Form II was called Makashi and the Contention Form and Way of the Ysalamir, and was the highest refinement of lightsaber-on-lightsaber dueling, and emphasized unique and sophisticated strikes and defenses. Form III was called Soresu and the Resilience Form and Way of the Mynock, and was the most defensive of the seven forms in response to the galaxy's ever-growing advancement of blaster technology, and characterized tight and passive movements. Form IV was called Ataru and the Agression Form and Way of the Hawk-Bat, and is by far the most dynamic of the forms, utilizing the bodily powers of the Force to enhance ones physiology to perform supernatural acrobatics.

Form V was a dual-variant form called Shien and Djem So, and known as the Perseverance Form and Way of the Krayt Dragon, was created as the more aggressive extension of Soresu and more power-oriented style of Makashi, focusing on strength and raw power. Form VI was called Niman and the Moderation Form and Way of the Rancor, and was an amalgamation of the five previous forms, creating a form of balance with no exploitable strengths or weaknesses. The final was Form VII, and also a dual form called Juyo and Vapaad, and known as the Ferocity Form and Way of the Vornskr, and was as much of a state of mind as it was a combative form, requiring extreme focus, kinetic movements and intensity of both mind and body. Unlike what outward appearances would assume, the seven forms represented not styles only, but more deeply, personal philosophies, however altered by the Sith mindset. This was also very distinct from the Three Styles that arose during the era of the Imperial Remnant, which were pace-based and compatible with the forms.

Aurum was the first style, and was the intermediate ground between the latter two styles. Aurum focused on balancing power with speed, and was most often introduced to new Sith as the initial style to train in as the other styles were based with Aurum as its foundation. Maintaining simple movements without sacrificing finesse, Aurum was a neutral style, equally effective in defensive situations as offensive. In methodology, Aurum's respectably balanced combative prowess and comparatively simplistic designs bear resemblances to the forms Shii-Cho and Niman. Caesitas was the second style, and consisted of short, rapid burst-like movement, and highly kinetic chained-strikes. Highly aggressive, Caesitas' opening stance is tight and close, and is extremely effective at defensive stances, particularly against blaster wielding foes and highly acrobatic movements.

Dependent on speed and fluid movements, Caesitas has a short range, as the lightsaber must always be kept close to the body, and uses many one-handed strikes. Because of this, Caesitas has the weakest raw offensive power in dueling other lightsaber wielders, and its defenses can be shattered by the more powerful strikes. The shorter range of Caesitas can also put an inexperienced wielder at a significant disadvantage against another lightsaber wielder. In methodology, Caesitas' rapid movements, acrobatics, and strong defensive stances against blasters bear resemblances to the forms Soresu, Ataru, and Shien. The final of these styles is Erythros, and is the strongest of the styles, focusing on unrivaled raw power and distinction to batter through an opponent's defenses, with inexperienced wielders willing to sacrifice speed for unmatched strength.

Erythros maintains a focus on powerful, often two-handed, kinetic movements, striking relentlessly and with a wide range. Highly damaging build-up swings and destructive blows characterizes the style, and the wide, sweeping movements make the style ineffective against blaster wielding opponents. While some masters of the style may compensate, many wielders are often at a disadvantage against faster duelists in melee combat. Defensive stances were very limited, as the opening stance for Erythros was with the blade held high for aggressive offensive combat. In methodology, with its focus on raw power, kinetic strength, precision, and sweeping range, Erythros bears resemblances to Djem So, Juyo and Makashi. For these reasons, many Sith Lords and Marauders were often trained in all three styles, to more evenly balance their capabilities and limit their potential disadvantages, and to maximize their own power and destructive potential.

The Third Creed
Code of the Sith
The code of the Sith was the mantra which stated the core beliefs of the Sith Order, and is almost perfectly contradictory to the Code of the Jedi. Following the embrace of passion, which was believed to be a powerful aspect of nature, the code explains that the strength granted by passion leads to power, which then leads to victory. By way of victory, the Sith believed they could free themselves from the limitations of regular beings, and achieve their potential. Neophyte Sith believed that the breaking of chains represented the ability to do whatever one wished, however more seasoned members of the Order recognized that the true meaning of freedom was the end of all physical restrictions and the ability to attain perfection. This was reflected in the original Code of the Sith;

"Peace is a lie, there is only passion
Through passion, I gain strength
Through strength, I gain power
Through power, I gain victory
Through victory, my chains are broken
The Force shall free me"
-The Original Sith Code

However, the original Code of the Sith was revised sometime between the end of Darth Bane's Order of the Sith Lords and the One Sith Order, and the current Sith Order. The Sith, unlike their ancient Jedi enemies, focus on what the individual can do. By the time of the rise of Darth Judicar, the current Code of the Sith read slightly differently;

"There is no Peace; Therein lies only passion
Through my Passion is borne my Strength
Through Strength, I unleash my Power
Through Power, Victory is mine
Through Victory, my Shackles are Broken
The Dark Side shall set me Free"
-The Latter Sith Code

Analysis of the Sith Code

"Peace is a lie, there is only passion"
A Sith does not keep his passions in check; passion is encouraged, because through passion “is borne strength”. All creatures are kept alive by their passions, and it through mastery of his passion that makes a Sith superior to a Jedi, who deny themselves their passions. A Sith who has no passion, has no strength, and therefore, no power.

According to Yuthura Ban, a Twi'lek Sith Master who taught at the Korriban Academy, the "peace" of the Jedi, meaning the lack of confict, was an agent of stagnation. Conflict, however, was seen as the source of progress for both the single beings and the civilizations. She also stated that the necessity of conflict was a law of the universe and not just a Sith thinking. Fundamentally, the Code of the Sith expressed their rejection of selflessness and their full embrace of passion and lust. Although some individuals turned to the dark side out of a philosophical ideal or even wished to wield its violent powers for altruistic purposes, all Sith ended up prisoners of their own crave for power. The deeper nature of the Sith Order was a predatory one,  a trait that Sorzus Syn had admired in the Sith Purebloods.

"Through Passion, I gain Strength."
Strength is also a cornerstone of Sith philosophy. In Sith society, only the strongest will survive; the weak are meant to serve. Strength comes from one's passions. With strength, a Sith enforces his will upon those weaker than him. Such is the way of the dark side of the Force. With strength comes power.

The Sith saw themselves as seekers, challengers of old and stagnant ways, in touch with the laws of nature and the universe. They saw the Jedi as denying their natures and afraid of the truth around them. Yuthura Ban gave examples of the tuk'ata hunting prey, feeding on weaker creatures. Passions were what kept all creatures—from the most rudimentary to the most evolved sentient—alive. Yuthura Ban explained this to the amnesiac Revan, "To think us creatures beyond the need of simple passions is a delusion." They believed that mastery of their passions gave them strength the Jedi lacked.

"Through Strength, I gain Power."
Power is vital to becoming a true Sith. Power is achieved by utilizing one's strength to exert dominance over the Force. The Force is not something to be feared or obeyed. It is a great gift; a tool to be used. Only those who understand this can achieve true power over the dark side.

The Sith did not believe that victory by any means was desirable, but believed that unless victory proved your superiority, it was an illusion and temporary. Though there might be different types of victories—peaceful victory, victory by sacrifice, even a truce—Sith dogma taught that unless the victory was achieved by demonstrating that one's power was superior it was not true victory. The stronger a Sith became in the Force, the more power he could achieve, but he always had to fight for that power.

"Through victory, my chains are broken."
Victory is perhaps one of the most important tenets taught by the Sith code. Victory is seized with power. 'Victory by any means' is not desirable under any circumstance. Victory can come in many forms, but the greatest victory is one that proves a Sith's superiority. Any other victory is false.

The true meaning of the line "…my chains are broken" was a subject of argument among many Sith. According to Yuthura Ban, the chains represented a being's restrictions; not just a Sith but any being in the universe. The restrictions could be those placed upon a being by someone else, or restrictions that one placed upon oneself. The ultimate goal of any Sith was to free himself from such restrictions, but not in the simplistic meaning of just being able to do whatever he wanted. The Sith desired to free themselves in order to reach perfection and fulfill their potential. They wanted perfect strength, perfect power, and perfect destiny, which, in turn, allowed one to do whatever they wanted for the most part.

"The Force shall set me free."
When one's shackles are broken by the dark side of the Force, they achieve freedom from their own personal weaknesses and limitations, and thus transcend the Jedi. Learn this well; only simplistic beings believe that this freedom means they can do whatever they want. A true Sith knows that being freed by the dark side really means obtaining perfection.

Arauk'kesh
Rite of Ascension

The Arauk'kesh (translated into Galactic Basic as "Rite of Ascension" from the Sith language) is one of the oldest traditions of the oldest Sith Orders, and refers to the practice of one Sith engaging in a formal and open challenge in opposition to a Sith Lord. This tradition of infighting within the Sith themselves was one of the oldest adopted customs, harmonious with their belief in survival of the fittest and rule by the strongest. Thus, when any Sith sees themselves as being more powerful and worth than one of the Sith Lords, it is both their right and obligation to challenge their superior to prove whether they truly hold the mantle of power, or if their power should be stripped of them and given to the challenger.

As an open challenge to a Sith Lord, the Arauk'kesh is, inherently, a blatant insult to their position and authority. Thus, in light the former fact, and of the fact that any mercy or surrender would be seen as a detestable weakness, the Arauk'kesh must always be a deathmatch, and not one to be taken lightly by the challenger, as they very well may be sacrificing their own lives. Either the challenger must be slain for his disrespect for a Lord, or the Lord must be slain for being weak, and thus be purged from the Sith entirely. Nevertheless, under normal circumstances, the Sith Lord being challenged does retain the right to reject or ignore the challenge by a lesser Sith, such as a Sith Crusader. However, the challenge by a Sith Master to a Sith Lord is one that cannot be denied or ignored easily, lest the other Lords see vault in the challenged.

An Arauk'kesh is a ceremonial duel, one to be made within the presence of the Council of the Sith Lords, including the Dark Lord of the Sith, in the Imperial Palace on the Imperial Capitol of Bastion. The remaining three Sith Lords and the Dark Lord then observe the battle to determine the worthiness of the victor, specifically if it is the challenging Sith, or to reserve punishment of the defeated, specifically if it is the Sith Lord in defeat. Upon the occasion that the challenging Sith defeats and/or slays the Sith Lord, they would then inherit their title (under their own appointed moniker), position, and authority as the next successive Sith Lord.

Ordinarily, Sith Lords cannot declare an Arauk'kesh, as they hold the highest positions of power, and for the most part, equal authority. However, there exist two special circumstances under which a Sith Lord can challenge another Sith Lord for their mantle of power. These can only occur under circumstances of challenging the Shadow Hand, or in exceptionally rare circumstances, the Dark Lord of the Sith himself. Although the Shadow Hand is typically the chosen apprentice of the Dark Lord, any of the Sith Lords may challenge the Shadow Hand for the right to prove their worthiness over the Dark Lord's apprentice, and be accepted as the new Shadow Hand.

The same conditions for openly challenging the Shadow Hand also apply for defying the Dark Lord of the Sith. Only another Sith Lord is permitted to even challenge the Dark Lord for the title, and although this is the case, the challenge to the Dark Lord of the Sith is almost exclusively manifested by the Dark Lord's own apprentice, the Shadow Hand, in true Sith tradition. This occurrence is by far the most recurring as only the Shadow Hand touches the Dark Lord's mantle, in being taught by the most powerful Sith Lord in the galaxy, and thus is typically the only one capable of overthrowing the Dark Lord.[/i]