The Force Awakens showed us a new enemy that threatens the peace of the galaxy. The First Order - at first glance it seems that this is still the same Empire, but in profile. This is how it will seem if you limit yourself to just watching films. In a rapidly growing new canon, we can learn both the fate of the Empire after the explosion of the second Death Star, and where the mysterious First Order came from.

The late Emperor Palpatine was the most self-centered man in the galaxy. Many years of subversive work in the Senate, intrigues on a national scale, conspiracies, a double life - all in order to one day say to myself: “Yes, I won.” There has never been a Sith who could so much indulge his monstrous egoism.

The Empire rested on the personal power of Darth Sidious and the dark charm of Darth Vader, and the work of its bureaucratic mechanisms was ensured by Moffs, sector governors. Simply put, Palpatine delegated all management responsibilities to ambitious Moffs with carte blanche (imagine the colossal amount of work awaiting the sole dictator of the entire galaxy), while he himself, first of all, enjoyed power, improved his mastery of the Dark Side of the Force and searched for the surviving Jedi, the last a threat to yourself. And, like any absolute leader, Palpatine became interested in the super project.

For the construction of the first Death Star, begun by the separatists before the fall of the Republic, such an abyss of resources was allocated that all other sectors of the young Empire suffered greatly from this. They were going to build a second station there too! The first victim of the Death Star was not Alderaan at all, but the Imperial budget.

Such a shaky political structure, tied to one dictator, even if he considered himself immortal, collapsed literally from a couple of powerful blows. The destruction of two deadly battle stations deprived the Empire's fleet of its last trump card, and the death of the entire small top of the state broke a thousand invisible threads that held the entire galaxy in power, like a puppet doll.

Just over a year after the death of Lord Sidious, that is, in 5 ABY (after the Battle of Yavin), the Empire was defeated in the Battle of Jakku, whose traces you could see in the seventh episode of Star Wars. The totalitarian power, limited by this time to only a small part of the galaxy, signed a capitulation.

Formally, this cannot be considered the end of the Empire, because its surviving territories retained their independence, albeit with numerous restrictions of the shameful truce (disarmament, a ban on the recruitment of stormtroopers, the surrender of Coruscant). But the very essence of the Empire disappeared there. Officials and generals quickly quarreled among themselves, and the fragment of the Empire crumbled into crumbs.

The late Sith Lord considered the main goal of the Empire to be the protection of his own person. And although her defense mechanisms were quite impressive, the Emperor suffered from paranoia. What if they kill him after all? Darth Sidious decided that in this case he would take with him to hell everyone he could lay his hands on.

As soon as he died, an entire army of droids with messages from the Emperor scattered throughout the galaxy, to the most ideological and loyal officers, to entrust them with Operation Ash. One of these officers turned out to be Admiral Garrick Versio, whose daughter Eden - main character. Their part of the plan included the destruction of Palpatine's home planet, Naboo, using climate weapons. Many other worlds faced an equally sad fate. To do this, Palpatine, long before the start of the Rebellion, built and classified several Observatories, where he hid valuables, holocrons and artifacts of the ancient Sith and weapons of mass destruction.

Grand Admiral Gallius Rex had a special place in the plan. With the help of successful “information leaks”, he exposed the Imperial Council of the Future, which was planning the future fate of the dying state, under attack. Republican forces eliminated the Council, and only Admiral Ray Sloane was able to escape from the hands of yesterday's rebels. The Empire is once again beheaded.

According to Palpatine's further plan, Rex pulled the forces of the Empire and the New Republic to Jakku for a decisive battle, but its outcome was decided in advance. The observatory on Jakku was intended to blow up the planet using Sith technology. However, Rex failed to carry out his plan and was killed by Admiral Ray Sloan.

This is where the story of the First Order begins. Gallius admitted that he used the Emperor's legacy to recreate his Empire in the future. And he called the brutal purge in the ranks of the imperial government a “selection” that Admiral Sloane went through. He gave Ray the coordinates of the flagship Eclipse, which was drifting in the Unknown Regions.

Sloane went there, followed by thousands of people devoted to the ideals of the Empire. Unexplored regions are called that for a reason: travel there is difficult and dangerous due to anomalies. It’s as if someone’s will protects this area from study and development. This is where Palpatine's visions of the Dark Side of the Force led, which we will talk about later.

Slowly, idealists, revanchists and simply interesting personalities fled beyond the “political map” of the galaxy, into the Unknown Regions. Some are empty-handed, while others are armed with combat ships, secret technologies, weapons and “party gold.” During the period from 5 to 19 ABY, the transformation of this beaten fugitive guard into a monolithic military junta - the First Order - took place.

One of the highest positions in the command of the Order was taken by General Armitage Hux, who successfully tested his program for training stormtroopers here. Instead of recruiting military-age youth, he combined the former Jedi Order's tradition of starting training at a young age with intensive clone training from Kamino. The Order kidnapped children across the galaxy and brutally trained them, training them to be far more capable fighters than the former stormtroopers. Armitage himself grew up in a similar environment, because his father, the imperial warlord Brandol Hux, kept his son strict and punished him for showing weakness. Now Armitage has brought to life the postulate “children are the main weapon of the Order.”

The Republican Senate eventually learned of the emergence of a new force in the galaxy. And, following the thousand-year traditions of the Senate, he hid his head in the sand, not considering a handful of fugitives at the end of the world as a reason for excitement. Moreover, among the parliamentarians there were those who managed to change their shoes on the fly while the Civil War was going on, although in fact their sympathies remained on the side of the centralized dictatorship. Some of them joined the First Order, while others remained in the Senate, working for the Order.

The pernicious influence turned out to be so great that the war hero General Leia Organa had to create a semi-underground private organization - the Resistance, to fight, and then war with the Order. As it turned out, not in vain. The Order “built” weapons into the planet similar to those in the Death Stars, and then destroyed the capital of the neutral Republic and other worlds with one shot. Now the Starkiller itself has been blown up. How will the heirs of the Empire frighten the enemy?

As in the Empire, true power in the Order belongs to the masters of the Force, who are, as it were, above the rest of the hierarchy. The Knights of Ren are what they call themselves, and they are only indirectly connected to the Sith. Supreme Leader Snoke is one of them, as is Jedi convert Kylo Ren. The other knights wear ominous masks, serve as Kylo’s personal guard and, apparently, do not wield the Force and do not carry lightsabers: such conclusions can be drawn from the frame from the trailer for “The Force Awakens.” The history of the knights is unclear, but there are some ideas.

During the Civil War, among people insensitive to the Force, fanatics of the Dark Side appeared, considering the Sith as liberators going against the tide of life. Their self-name back then was the Acolytes of the Beyond. Their leader was Yup Tashu, a former advisor to the Emperor himself and an expert in the Dark Side of the Force - he believed that the Empire could not be built without a powerful Sith at its head. The Acolytes hunted for Sith artifacts, hoping to restore their presence to the galaxy. Their visions associated with the Dark Side of the Force pointed to a certain place in the Unknown Regions - but shortly before his death, Palpatine himself observed these visions and prepared for the expedition, but died earlier.

The only ones who were able to settle in the Unknown Regions were the harsh Chiss, who arrived there thousands of years before the founding of the Old Republic. The Chiss Dominion at one time asked for help from the Empire to fight a mysterious enemy, and it is not very clear whether that enemy is connected with Supreme Leader Snoke.

Apparently, the Acolytes achieved their goal and found the place from the visions. Perhaps they found Snoke there, for some reason locked away from civilization. Or Snoke was one of the Acolytes who was chosen by an unknown Dark Side entity to be its host. In addition, Acolytes were particularly passionate about collecting Sith masks, whose influence can be extremely powerful. At the same time, the Knights of Ren wear masks, and Kylo also worships the charred helmet of his grandfather, Darth Vader. Everything is going really well!

The new trilogy refuses to deviate from the pattern we saw in the original epic. If this continues, then the First Order will not fit into it. The rebels and their oppressors are one thing, and two approximately equal states are quite another. And the Order was created in a completely different way, not by decree of a usurper of power, but in distant lands, gathering new strength from the fragments of its former power. But their role in history is the same: evil militarists who don’t know how to shoot.

In the history of any major media franchise, sooner or later there comes a moment that changes everything. For Star Wars it came when Disney decided to buy LucasArts. After a fateful deal, it was decided to restart the universe, making all the events and characters of the Expanded Universe non-canonical.

Star Wars Battlefront goes through all the key events of the classic trilogy, so there is no doubt about canonicity here, but today we will talk about what was left behind and what preceded (more precisely, could precede) the events of the game and the first films. Canonicity of the Expanded Star universe Wars is questionable, to say the least, but this universe exists, and it was well represented in video games, and certain characters first appeared in them. Let's remember the four most important of them.

Kyle Katarn

If you have heard about the game series Jedi Knight, then you probably know about Kyle. Our hero started out as an imperial stormtrooper. Then, due to certain circumstances, he went over to the side of the rebels, worked as a mercenary, discovered the Force in himself and, finally, joined the Jedi Order and became a good friend of Luke Skywalker. The hero first appeared in Star Wars: Dark Forces, but most players remember him in Jedi Outcast And Jedi Academy.

Kyle Katarn during his first appearance in Dark Forces and later in Jedi Outcast.

Katarn's track record is quite long: there is the fight against various cults such as the followers of Ragnos and the Dark Jedi of Jerec, and espionage against the Empire (it was Katarn who stole the plans for the first Death Star, which ended up with Princess Leia), and participation in the war with the Yuuzhan Vong , and many many others. In general, a worthy person. We hope he will appear in future projects. By the way, one of the main characters of the seventh episode, Finn, resembles Kyle: he is also a stormtrooper who went over to the enemy’s side and discovered the Force in himself.

Revan

It would be short-sighted to think that great figures in the world of Star Wars only existed during the times depicted in the films. Those wielding the Force reached the peak of their power just thousands of years before the Battle of Yavin IV - during the period of the Old Republic. Revan became one of the strongest and most influential Sith and Jedi of that time. Being a rebel Jedi, at one time he went against the will of the Council and participated in the Mandalorian War, which then ended quite quickly.

Some time later, under the pretext of pursuing the remaining forces of the Mandalorians, Revan, along with his best friend Malak, went beyond the borders. They returned a few years later, having already turned to the Dark Side, and immediately unleashed a large-scale war, establishing Sith domination over the galaxy.

Well, then the plot begins Knights of the Old Republic: betrayal, memory loss, miraculous return to the light, happy ending. However, after this, Revan begins to be tormented by memories, and he disappears again, going in search of a certain mysterious threat that played a role in his transition to the Dark Side. This threat turns out to be the Sith Empire (more on it later).

Darth Revan and Kylo Ren from episode seven. Find ten differences.

After being captured, Revan spends the next three hundred years in captivity, after which he is freed, participates in another war and is finally reunited with the Force. Revan's legacy cannot be overstated. The irony is that, having rejected the Dark Side and becoming a great Jedi, it was the Sith that he had the greatest influence on: almost three thousand years later, one adept of the Dark Side, named Darth Bane, found a holocron with Revan's recordings and was so impressed that he came up with " the rule of two" (teacher-student and constant struggle for power), which determined the development of the Sith for a millennium. The Jedi Order, in turn, remained deaf to Revan's teachings and continues to adhere to orthodox views.

Emperor Wisheit

As already mentioned, beyond the distant borders, Revan discovered the Sith Empire and went over to the Dark Side. But the conversion did not happen out of whim, but under the influence of a powerful and terrible entity - Emperor Vitiate, the last great ruler of the Sith before the time of Palpatine.

Its history begins a thousand years before the events Knights of the Old Republic. The future Sith Lord was born under the name Tenebry on an outlying planet. His mother was a simple woman, and his father was the Sith Lord Drameth. From childhood, the boy showed incredible sensitivity to the Force - and inhuman cruelty. Having killed his parents and subjugated his native village, the boy began to conquer the surrounding lands.

At the age of thirteen, Tenebry appeared before the head of the Sith Council, Marka Ragnos, who was amazed by his “exploits”, gave him the new name Vitiate and made him his student. In addition, Vitiate was appointed ruler of his home planet, which he renamed Nathema.

Well, then the Great Hyperspace War began between the Republic and the Sith Empire, ending in the defeat of the latter. Visheit immediately called the entire top lords to Nathema under the pretext of discussing further actions. They did not expect any trick from the ruler of the provincial planet and calmly appeared.

And in vain. Visheit, being much more powerful, suppressed the will of his opponents and destroyed them.

After that, he performed a terrible ritual on Nathema: with the help of ancient magic, he drank all the Power from the planet, turning it into a piece of stone and killing millions of its inhabitants. Thus, he gained immortality and became emperor. Gathering all the remaining Sith under his command, he intimidated them and forced them to go with him in search of a new home outside the known galaxy. The final coordinates were already known to him, but Vitiate chose to hide them, extending the fleet's journey for decades and forcing all the Sith to worship him as a god.

Eventually they reached the planet Dromund Kaas, where they hid for a thousand years, growing in power. Later, Jedi Revan would find the planet and meet with the Emperor. Its power will be so great that Revan will turn into a soulless puppet in the hands of the monster and turn to the Dark Side.

Almost three hundred years later, the Empire emerged from the shadows and dealt a crushing blow to the Republic, establishing the Sith dictatorship for many years. Visheit himself stepped down from power at this time to take up his secret projects. As a result, the Republic still managed to fight back and, with the assistance of the Jedi Order, destroy the physical shell of the emperor. However, his spirit survived and for a long time moved from one body to another (Palpatine would later do the same), bringing a lot of troubles to the distant, distant galaxy.

Revan and Malak's first meeting with the Emperor.

Galen Marek

A headache for any Star Wars fan, the character is so strange and illogical that questions about his canonicity were ongoing long before the Expanded Universe was cancelled.

Galen was born on Kashyyyk in the family of two Jedi - Molly and Kento Marek. After the boy’s mother died on a mission, his father took over raising his son. Then began the infamous Purge (Great Jedi Purge), during which Darth Vader personally led an attack on Kashyyyk to kill Kento. However, after the battle, the sword Vader raised over the enemy’s head was torn from his hands. This is how the Sith Lord discovered Galen's incredible potential. However, this did not save the elder Marek.

Having eliminated all the witnesses, Vader took the boy off the planet, made him his secret student and awarded him a new name - Starkiller (that, by the way, was supposed to be Luke Skywalker's name in the original version of the script for A New Hope). His plans were the most far-reaching - with the help of Marek, kill Emperor Palpatine and seize power (remember the “rule of two”?).

But everything, as always, went wrong. Like many young men, Starkiller managed to fall in love with his partner, the pilot Juno Eclipse. Well, then there was tossing, doubts about the teacher’s words about the power of the Dark Side and, finally, a transition to the Light Side. As a result, Galen betrayed Vader, founded the rebel movement and led it (are you already seething with fan indignation?). No wonder the famous rebel emblem is the coat of arms of the Marek family.

Vader and the emperor discovered the conspirators and almost killed everyone. To save his friends, Starkiller had to sacrifice his life. Oh yes, shortly before that he used the Force to drop it onto the planet “ star destroyer" This is in case you haven’t yet realized what’s wrong with the character.

In the second part, Galen (or rather, his clone) acquired a second lightsaber.

And in The Force Unleashed 2 it turned out that Vader managed to clone Galen, but this is a completely different (and not really finished) story - moreover, unlike many others, it deserves to sink into oblivion.

HOLONET: Sith Empire

Brief information:

• Rebuilt from the remains of the original Sith Empire.
• The Emperor has lived for more than 1300 years
• The population of the Empire is significantly smaller than the population of the Republic.
• Society is divided into Sith and Non-Sith.

HOLONET: Sith Empire

The goal is to rule the galaxy

The true origins of the Sith remain shrouded in mystery. The Sith race was, in fact, completely insignificant before the exiled Dark Jedi arrived on Korriban three thousand years ago and subjugated the Sith to their own philosophy.

As the years passed, the Dark Jedi intermarried with those they ruled, and through the generations, the word "Sith" took on a different meaning. This powerful new civilization began to expand, driven by a growing population of ambitious dark Force users. Fifteen centuries ago, the borders of the Sith civilization reached the Republic, and the Great Hyperspace War began.

The Dark Lord of the Sith, Naga Sadow, led his armies in an aggressive campaign to destroy the Galactic Republic. Although the Sith were successful in the beginning, the Jedi Order rallied to defeat their dark "brothers", systematically destroying the Sith civilization on Korriban.

However, the Jedi never learned that the last Sith Emperor was able to escape and fled into Deep Space along with his most loyal Dark Lords.

These Sith survivors began rebuilding their society on a distant planet, hoping to return for vengeance.

Over the next thousand years, the Sith Empire regained its strength. The Emperor created a massive Imperial army, a fleet of modern warships, and performed a number of dark rituals that prolonged his life and his unchallenged reign.

When the time came for revenge, the Sith began to infiltrate star systems on the Outer Rim of the galaxy, sowing seeds of chaos and making secret deals with local criminals and military dictators. With all the pieces of the puzzle falling into place, the Sith launched a massive offensive that caught the Jedi by surprise. In just the first wave the Sith managed to capture several star systems on the Outer Edge of the galaxy, destroying the Republic shipyards in the Sluis sector and cutting off the popular Rimm Trade Route.

After the initial strike, the Emperor's ingenious strategies continued and the crushing force of the Imperial war machine swept away the Republic time after time, from the deep wells of Utapau to the high forests of Agamar. And although it seemed that the Empire was capable of waging war indefinitely, the Emperor once again surprised the Republic.

While the Emperor's Dark Council entered into negotiations with the Republic leaders, several Sith Lords, along with elite troops of the Imperial Army, defeated the capital planet of the Republic.

Having destroyed the Jedi Temple and holding the planet hostage, the Sith left the Republic leaders no choice but to surrender and surrender several distant star systems to the Sith by signing the Treaty of Coruscant.

After signing the treaty, the Emperor handed over control to the Dark Council, and he himself went about his personal mysterious affairs, which created a platform for a brutal struggle for power. In a political vacuum, the strongest and most cunning Sith and leaders of the Empire began to rise to the pinnacle of power with the goal of seizing it, uniting the entire Empire and crushing its enemies.

Jedi and Sith are also people (and non-humans) and the topic of carnal pleasures was not alien to them. And even more so at a young age. But do not expect from this article a depiction of the Sith-Jedi Kama Sutra and all sorts of perversions. The article will focus on such an important thing in the life of any society as family, marriage and what is commonly understood by the word “love”.

Sith

If the Sith, as it sometimes seems, needed only strength and power to be happy, and their favorite pastime was to cut, kill, destroy and take curko, milk, eggs from the inhabitants, they would have died out long before the first war with the Jedi.

Among the true followers of the “dark side” of the Force, love and marriage were not only not forbidden, but were even encouraged. The reason is obvious. Love and sexual attraction are the strongest emotions of any intelligent being. And, as you know, the Sith did not hesitate to use their emotions to control the “dark side” of the Force.

Already in the early days of the Sith Order, shortly after the arrival of the eleven Dark Jedi on Korriban, marriages often occurred between human exiles and the local Sith population. The possibility of healthy offspring from such relationships was scientifically proven by Sorzus Sin, the famous Sith scientist and a true legend of the order. Several hundred years later, half-breeds became commonplace in Sith society, and many of them rose to the heights of power in the first Sith Empire. You don’t have to look far for examples - Marka Ragnos, Naga Sadow, Ludo Kressh... Apparently, even during this period, extramarital affairs were not considered immoral for the Sith. At least it was not forbidden to have a harem and concubines.

After the Great Hyperspace War, two Sith societies survived. One of them settled on Kesh, and the second on Dromund Kaas.

First, let's say a few words about the Sith of Kesha. The citizens of the Sith Empire (forcers and “mere mortals”) were forced to find themselves on this planet. Their ship was shipwrecked during a hyperspace war. A handful of three hundred survivors had to adapt to their new surroundings. Carnal entertainment not only brightened up the difficult life of the first decades, but was also the key to the survival of society.

Over the next five thousand years, the Sith of Kesha created a full-fledged state with a population of many millions and... “this very thing” was in the order of things for them. Marriage was just as important to the local Sith as it is to us in the real world. The only difference was that the partners were selected in such a way that the children were most likely to be born force users. But, as they say, you cannot order your heart, and unequal marriages were also not uncommon. In this matter, the fate of the Kai family is indicative. Gavar Kai was a Sith sword (a title similar to a Jedi knight - approx.), and his wife, Laka Kai, did not even have sensitivity to the Force and did not occupy any significant place in society. Fortunately for the family, their daughter - the famous Vestara Kai - was born with the gift of the Force. And with what a gift!

Vestara Kai

In Visheit's Sith Empire, carnal pleasures and marriages between Sith were also encouraged. For the first hundreds of years, they had the same meaning as for the Sith of Kesh - ensuring the survival of society. In other words, being a virgin in those days (especially for a Sith) was not only unfashionable, but also smacked of anti-state activity. And homosexuality was tantamount to betrayal. After the Empire grew, carnal pleasures and amorous relationships between force users became commonplace.

Moreover, in the Sith Empire, issues of family and marriage of members of the order were approached with all seriousness, not even disdaining eugenics. Members of the order were selected the most promising partners in terms of health and heredity.

Several centuries after the formation of the Sith Empire, the Sith Order's recruitment department created an extensive database that recorded information about everyone who had ever entered the Sith Academy. Personal files contained data on origin, pedigree, service history, potential, health, etc. Using data from the card index, the Sith from the recruitment department and other related services selected marriage pairs and predicted the potential of the offspring. Sometimes even the Dark Council, the highest legislative and executive body of the Empire (after the Emperor, of course), was involved in the selection of a couple. This approach was not only due to concern for the happiness of Sith families. The well-being of the entire Empire depended on this, since it was the Sith force-users who were its core. You can find out more about this in the novel “Fatal Alliance” and the MMO “The Old Republic”.

Lord Tetsu

But don’t think that Sith men were turned into an analogue of an inseminating bull. The Sith were given the right to choose with whom, when, how and where. However, it also happened that the Sith “repaid his debt to his homeland” with one lady, and married another.

Thanks to such a serious approach to the formation of families as the basic unit of society, within a few generations many Sith dynasties appeared, most of whose members served in the Sith Order. As an example, we can cite the Sith clans to which the Sith Lords Praven and Tetsu belonged. Tetsu's clan numbered ten generations, and Praven's clan was even older.

Among the Sith of this Empire there were both outright libertines and womanizers, and decent family men who cared about the upbringing and well-being of their children. Examples of the latter are Darth Angral, Darth Jaedus and Lord Gratan.

Angral had a son, Tarnis. Angral treasured him, often providing opportunities to prove his usefulness to the Sith Empire. The Sith whom Angral trusted most was chosen as Tarnis' teacher. He became Lord Praven, a former student of Angral.

The example of Jadus is even more illustrative. Jaedus's only student and most valuable treasure was his daughter, Darth Zorrid (her birth name is unknown). After the death of Jadus (in reality it was a staged act), Zorrid, according to ancient Sith traditions, took her father's chair on the Dark Council.

And finally, the third example presented is the Gratan family. Selventa Gratan and her husband lived in a happy marriage for many years. Although Selventa married not only for love, but also because of the high position Gratan occupied in Sith society. Their son, Bilzlit Gratan, like Jadus's daughter, was educated at home. His only mentors in learning the ways of the dark side of the Force were his father and mother. By the way, using the example of this family, one can trace the attitude of the Sith towards children. When Bilzlit was in danger, the mother was ready to give her life and even betray her husband, if only her child would survive.

The Sith of this period did not disdain extramarital sex. Perhaps the most famous outdoor enthusiast was the well-known Darth Malgus. His love was Elina Daru, who was formally considered a slave. There were also rumors among the Sith and ordinary citizens that Malgus had a lover on the side. Moreover, this mistress was one of the high-ranking Sith in the Empire. Her name was Darth Khadra. However, these were just rumors.

Elina Daru

You can also remember the Sith Lord Shaa, who in her youth had a long-term relationship with Lord Raxus. The ever-sullen Lord Scourge also showed up in amorous affairs. This assistant to Revan and Mithra in the murder of Vitiate, and then a useful companion to the Hero of Tython, managed to enjoy the company and love of at least two women before taking his place next to the emperor.

Going back a little, I would like to note that in the history of the Sith Order there were strong dynasties that ruled states for centuries. An example of such a dynasty is the royal family of Onderon, descended from Freedon Nadd himself. In the famous period (comics of the Tales of the Jedi series), Onderon was ruled by two strong forsusers: King Ommin and Queen Amanoa. And so they would have continued to rule if the Jedi with light democratizers had not descended on the planet without asking or knocking and contributed to the speedy departure of another royal couple to the world. Only their daughter Galia was left alive, who was not studying the dark side of the Force and therefore was not a target for axes in the name of goodness, light and other pathos.

Vilia Kalimondra

Little is known about the family life of the Sith in the next well-developed time period in the franchise, the New Sith Wars. We can only say with certainty that marriage and sexual relations were not condemned and, just like in the old days, were in the order of things. The ban simply did not make sense, because any Sith ruler of those times needed heirs to preserve the integrity of the state.

Only one Sith dynasty from this period is well known. Kalimondra dynasty. A successful military leader and politician, Viliya Kalimondra for his long life managed to get married several times and give birth to seven children. Alas, each of her offspring believed that he was the true heir to her empire. The sons' struggle for their mother's inheritance led to another feudal fragmentation of the Sith state and a long Sith civil war. The main confrontation was between her son Chargas and her daughter Zelian.

In addition to impressive military and political achievements, Chargas Kalimondra also made his mark on the personal front, becoming the father of three children, a son, Quillian, and two daughters, Arcadia and Dromika.

For Zelian, the word family was also not an empty phrase. Having married an unknown Sith, she gave birth to two children - Dayman and Odion. Subsequently, her sons also “added fuel to the fire” of the civil war, starting to squabble with each other. The narcissistic Dayman could not come to terms with the fact that his mother was preparing her eldest son Odion to be his heir. You can read about how this couple, in the name of the struggle for power, sent thousands of soldiers to their deaths in the comic book series “Knight Errant” and the novel of the same name.

In total, Vilia Kalimondra had seven children and at least six grandchildren: Arcadia, Dromika, Quillian, Malakit, Dayman and Odion. Such a “friendly” Sith family.

Zelian holds young Dayman in his arms

After the destruction of the Sith order (Brotherhood of Darkness) by Darth Bane and the Jedi "Army of Light", the expected final collapse of Sith traditions began. Including family and marriage traditions. Over the next centuries, until the death of the Jedi Order and the transformation of the Sith Order, the Rule of Two Sith did not start families or fall in love, rarely living a full life. The teacher-student couple had completely different goals in life.

Against this background, one exception looks surprising. His name is Darth Vectivus. Instead of destroying the Jedi - the fix idea of ​​all the Sith "Rule of Two" - Vectivus dedicated most of his life, unhurried knowledge of the Force, commerce, entertainment, collecting art... In general, I had as much fun as I could. Unlike all the Sith before and after him, who were killed by their own students at the first opportunity, Vectivus died a natural death, surrounded by friends and loving family. Fortunately for the “Rule of Two,” Vectivus’s somehow trained student, after the death of the Sith, continued the tradition of “one teacher, one student.”

At the same time, while the followers of the “Rule of Two” were hiding from the Jedi in fear, another self-proclaimed Sith lived and lived. His name was Seth Hart. The immortal Hart loved entertainment, wearing out his temporary body at numerous feasts, sexual orgies and other decent amusements of high society. Unlike the Rule of Two Sith, he did not hide from anyone and... also went unnoticed by the Jedi.

Seth Hart

The destruction of the Jedi Order in 19 BBY and the transformation of the Republic into the Empire did not entail a radical revision of the views of the then Sith regarding family and marriage. In the Galactic Empire, love relationships between members of Darth Sidious's Sith order were rare, and marriages were even rarer.

Let me give you a couple of examples. The result of Cronal's relationship (one of the strongest GI force-users) with an unknown woman was the birth of a daughter, Sariss. True, there was no talk of any happy family life. Cronal often traveled around the galaxy, carrying out secret orders for Sidious, led part of the Ubictorate (imperial intelligence) and was engaged in other government affairs. He completely entrusted the upbringing and training of his daughter in the art of the “dark side” of the Force to the “Prophets.” Sariss never learned that one of the most powerful Forces in the Empire was her father.

Another example is the married couple Hethrir and Rillao. They were Imperial Forcers (Vader's students) and for the time being faithfully served Palpatine. The result of their cohabitation was the birth of a son, Tigris.

And Emperor Palpatine himself loved to enjoy female company. His lover was Roganda Ismaren, one of the Emperor's Hands. Obviously, the ruler of the entire galaxy had other concubines, but their names are unknown.

Roganda Ismaren

Another well-known character who had great influence in the Galactic Empire should be mentioned. Hand of the Emperor Sarkev Quest, after the formation of the Empire, became one of the most influential members of the Imperial Sith Order. Sarkev was officially listed as an employee of Imperial intelligence. But he did not hide from anyone among the shadows, like Cronal, and did not rush headlong across the galaxy, exterminating the emperor’s enemies, like Mara Jade. Sarkev openly appeared at court in luxurious attire and led a typical social life, secretly spying on his master's political opponents. Feasts, balls and beautiful ladies - this is his field of activity. In imperial secular society, Sarkev had a reputation as a reveler and womanizer. But there was also love in his life. The aforementioned Roganda Ismaren shared the bed with him. The result of their union was the birth, in 4 BBY, of Irek Ismaren.

Fortunately for Sarkev, Emperor Palpatine was not jealous. Moreover, for his good service, he granted Sarkev a place on the Imperial Ruling Council - the highest advisory and executive body of the Galactic Empire. It is worth noting that Sarkev was the second adept of the Dark Side to sit on the Council. His predecessor (Sly Moore) had by that time resigned from the Council and was engaged in other activities.

After the repeated and final death of Emperor Palpatine in 10 ABY, the surviving followers of the "dark side" had no time for family life.

Darth Talon and Cade Skywalker.

Go ahead. During the time of Darth Krayt's Sith order, inter-Sith marriages sometimes occurred. Darth Talon spoke. that she was “born a Sith,” like some other members of the Order of Krayt. All of them were Sith from birth, that is, their parents were Sith too.

But members of the order did not disdain extramarital affairs. For example, the well-known Darth Talon, whom people love to look at with unambiguous glances, happily shared a bed with anyone school age, causing the well-known itching in the lower abdomen. In general, Talon was that damn girl of easy virtue. One of her temporary lovers even happened to be Cade Skywalker, Luke's great-grandson.

The Sith dynasties also existed during this period. The most striking example is the Wyrlok dynasty. It’s not for nothing that Darth Krayt’s trusted assistant, Wyrlok-III, is called the third. Three generations of his family were members of the Sith order. In total, four generations of this family are known. Wyrlok III had a daughter, Saarai (Wyrlok IV).

Jedi

Well suited to describe the carnal pleasures of the Jedi famous aphorism: « If you can’t, but really want to, then you can».

Views on this topic in different periods of the existence of the Jedi Order changed from the prohibition of any relationship with sexual overtones to complete freedom.

Let's start in order.

As you know, the Jedi Order is the successor to an older order known as the Je'daii. Members of the order were not prohibited from starting families. Even entire generations of adherents of the order often met. An example of a hereditary Je'daii is Sek'nos, a member of the Sith race. At least three generations of his family were members of the order. His grandmother was the skilled healer Mjartha Sek, and his grandfather Tok Rath was an outstanding warrior of his time and a sage. Or you can remember Tasha Ryo - the daughter of the Je'daii master Cora Ryo and the lord of the criminal world of the Chicago system, Volnos Ryo.

The Jedi Order, formed after the Force Wars (25,783 BBY), did not change its attitude towards issues of amorous relationships of its members and did not even try to encroach on traditions associated with marriage and family life. This continued for many thousands of years, until the Great Sith War, also known as the First Sith War, also known as the war with Exar Kun (3996 BBY).

Nomi Sunrider and newborn Vima

During this period, several Jedi families are known to have existed, all of whose members were part of the Jedi order. For example, the Sunrider and Dray families. Many generations of the Drey family - a wealthy family of Jedi and businessmen - were Jedi. And members of the Sunrider family have served in the order for hundreds of generations. Many of them were truly outstanding personalities, inscribing their names in the annals of the history of the order. As in some Sith dynasties, children of Jedi families were often taught the basics of using the Force at home. It is worth noting that in those days there was no obligatory teacher-student connection. A young Jedi was often taught by several teachers at the same time.

You can also recall another contemporary - Jolie Bindo. This gray Jedi, who lived by the principle “as the Force dictates,” once fell in love and married his own student. The Jedi Order initially did not interfere with their relationship, intervening only when his missus turned to the dark side and carried out artistic carvings of several Jedi with a lightsaber. Not appreciating her “creative impulse,” the Jedi Council ordered Jolie to kill her wife. Like, you taught it yourself, now figure it out yourself. Jolie defeated his lover in a lightsaber fight, but love prevented him from finishing what he started. Soon, Jolie's wife and student were hacked to death by the Jedi.

Little Lucien Dray

The attitude of the Supreme Council of the Jedi Order towards family and marriage was turned upside down in just a few years, without objective reasons. This happened when the Council, in order to consolidate the order, began to “tighten the screws” by introducing uniform rules for all enclaves. Although marriage was not strictly prohibited, relations of this kind were now undesirable. It was believed that love and family brought one closer to the “dark side” of the Force.

By the way, such views of the order’s leadership were one of the reasons why the Jedi looked wryly at the marriage of Bastila Shan and Revan. And Bastila’s pregnancy couldn’t make them happy at all. The Jedi calmed down only after an unspoken peace was concluded between the council and the rebellious family - Revan stopped expressing his “heretical thoughts” about the Force out loud to the Jedi, and the Jedi stopped grumbling publicly about their family relationships.

Revan watches the holotape of his wife and son

The situation changed again after the Great Purge, carefully carried out on the Jedi Order by the Sith Triumvirate. Darth Sion was especially successful at that time in reducing the Jedi population.

After the death of the entire Council and most of the knights and masters, the new generation of Jedi had to quickly restore the order. In this situation, prohibiting marriage and having children was tantamount to sabotage. New dynasties of Jedi arose, bearing the surnames Ovair, Shan and Zavros. But during this period, old dynasties such as Sunrider and Diath also continued to exist.

Although the Ovair were not exactly a Jedi family. Or rather, not at all Jedi. At least four generations of the family secretly worked for the Sith Empire, being the most valuable agents of Emperor Vitiate on the territory of the Republic.

By the way, it is worth saying that in subsequent eras, when the attitude of the Jedi Order towards personal affections finally changed from approval to condemnation and strict prohibition, people from the Sunrider and Diath families were allowed to marry.

Nima-Da-Boda is the last known representative of this line and the direct great-great-great-great... (and many times "great") great-great-granddaughter of the Sunriders on her mother's side served in the Jedi Order several decades before the Clone Wars. And another representative of the family, Vima-Da-Boda, born in 190 BBY, lived for more than two hundred and fifty years, having served in both the old and new Jedi orders of Luke Skywalker.

Master Niko Diat with a baby

The Diat clan existed for more than four thousand years. Latest famous representatives Diath dynasty - Padawan Te Diath and Master Nico Diath - served in the order during the Clone Wars. Tae died fighting Separatist droids on Jabiim in 21 BBY, and his uncle Nico died seven months earlier in the battle for Keith.

However, let's go back to ancient times. After an unspecified period of time during which the Jedi were free to marry and love each other as and where they wanted, the Order Council reimposed strict prohibitions. An exception was made only for some families.

But even here there are double standards. The well-known Jedi Master Satil Shan, hero of the Great Galactic War, Grand Master of the Order, strict defender of the rules of the Order, unbreakable champion of traditions, and so on and so forth... was not against sharing a bed with a man. In her case, it was Jace Malcom, a decorated warrior and commander of the renowned special forces unit "Ravagers". The result of their closeness was the birth of Taron Shan, the future legend of SIS (Republican Intelligence). Such were the immaculate grandmasters of the order, who preached one thing but in practice... were engaged in “this very thing” with some martinet. However, most members of the order did not even know about Satil’s pregnancy. For the time being, even Jace did not know that for twenty years now he had been the father of a boy carrying out deadly missions behind enemy lines.

Newborn Theron and his mother Satil Shan

But Satil wasn’t the only one with a bad conscience. During this period, several more Jedi were known to love each other and were forced to hide their feelings. For example, the knights Likha Narezz (Nautolan) and Jomar Chul (Zabrac).

Love arose not only between adult knights. Among young people, unequivocal views on the genitals of the opposite sex were much more common. One famous example was the relationship between Padawans Moracen and Spanios.

In search of “hazing,” Jedi masters of this period did not hesitate to secretly spy on students and force other students to spy on their classmates. In particular, Jedi Master Yollo resorted to the services of informers.

Sometimes the Jedi prohibition on marriage led to very unpleasant consequences and even bloodshed. As proof of this statement, I would like to cite one interesting couple - Nomar Organa and Reanna Rist. Nomar and Reanna loved each other and were going to get married. An engagement was announced. The leaders of the noble houses of Rist and Organa did not interfere with their relationship, because marriage could put an end to the long-term feud between the houses. It would seem that everything was going as well as possible - a happy family and a long-awaited peace. But when news of Nomar's intentions reached the Jedi Council, the masters forbade the young Padawan to marry. Forced to choose between the order and his beloved, Nomar still chose the order. House Rist took Nomar's decision as a personal affront. The bloodshed continued.

After the events described above, celibacy was an unbreakable tradition of the Jedi Order for more than one and a half thousand years. But then the traditions had to be changed again, adapting to changing circumstances. These circumstances marked the beginning of the New Sith Wars (NSW), which followed the Fourth Great Schism. For nearly a thousand years, in a series of long, bloody wars, the Jedi and Sith enthusiastically cut each other's throats across the galaxy.

During the NSV, some rules were conveniently consigned to oblivion or temporarily abolished as not corresponding to the spirit of the times. Now the Jedi often became supreme chancellors, commanders-in-chief of the armed forces, they were given the titles of lords, kings and barons, they owned property and finally received the legal right to marry. Jedi Lords married freely, and their titles were typically hereditary, passed down from generation to generation.

By the way, the very fact of the existence of hereditary Jedi, who, despite the massive bloodshed of the New Sith Wars, rarely turned to the dark side, was sometimes considered proof of the fallacy of traditional Jedi views about the inadmissibility of affection, love and marriage. Hereditary Jedi Lords included such prominent figures in the history of the order as Valentin Farfalla and Roland Hoth.

Quinlan Vos and Khaliin Hentz

Shortly after the end of the New Age, which culminated in the decisive victory of the Army of Light at the Battle of Ruusan, the Jedi returned to their old ways, prohibiting marriage. As they say, our song is good, start over.

Although this time the matter was not limited to marriages. The Jedi Council invited members of the order to voluntarily renounce titles and hereditary estates, castles and other material wealth that constituted family property. As expected, not all Jedi liked this “offer”, which was more like an ultimatum. Many have become accustomed to their high status. In response to the demands, some Jedi lords and barons openly suggested that the Jedi Council follow the very well-known sexual route, wanting to see those who invented the Jedi vow of celibacy, at least in a coffin in intimate positions.

With celibacy and a few exceptions to this rule, the Jedi Order survived until its demise at the end of the Clone Wars.

T'ra Saa and Tholm

But the nature of living beings cannot be abolished by artificial rules and regulations. Many Jedi of this period had romantic relationships, from light infatuation to long-term love and even a wedding played away from the eyes of the members of the Order Council.

One of the most famous examples is the love affair between Tholm and T'ra Saa. I must say, it was a very, ahem, interesting relationship, because Tholm was a man, and T’ra Saa was an almost immortal tree (or rather, a race of intelligent tree-like plants). In this light, the potential continuation of communication between Malvina and Buratino in bed does not seem something strange in the fantasy genre. In their relation, the phrase “he was passionate and hot, and she was a log in bed” has a slightly different meaning.

At one time, a lot of controversy and bewilderment among fans was caused by the fact that this tree had voluminous breasts, which some earthly ladies could only envy. It would seem, why does a tree need sis... mammary glands or something very similar to them? But there is a reasonable explanation for this: T’ra Saa was just trying to give her body a more feminine appearance. It was not difficult for her to “inflate” the desired part of the body to volumes that were pleasant for Tolme. It’s a completely understandable and reasonable step for a woman, even one made of wood.

It is also worth mentioning the relationship between the Nautolan Kit Fisto and the Twi'lek Aayla Secura. True, in their case, things didn’t go beyond a light affair and kisses.

But not only members of the order secretly loved each other. There were also relationships between the Jedi and, so to speak, “mere mortals.” The most striking examples of such relationships are the love between Jedi Master Quinlan Vos and Separatist agent Khaliin Hentz. Another secret union that led to the birth of a child was the love between the Jedi knight Etain Tur-Mukan and a clone commando named Darman.

Etain Tur-Mukan and Venku (fanart)

But there are no rules without exceptions, just as there is no person without vulgar thoughts. In addition to the above-mentioned families, representatives of several other Jedi families served in the order in the last decades of the Old Republic. The most famous examples are the characters Plo Koon and Ki-Adi-Mundi.

Directly during the Clone Wars, Plo Koon, his brother (name unknown) and Plo's niece named Sha Koon served in the order.

An exception was made for Ki-Adi-Mundi based on the characteristics of his race. The fact is that the Cereans valued men very much, since much fewer of them were born than women. The average ratio was 1:20, making a typical Cerean village sometimes resemble a chicken coop in terms of sex ratio. This feature of the race determined the absence of a monogamous family in Cerean society. Polygamous marriages were considered the norm.

At first, Ki-Adi-Mundi's father did not want to give his son to the Jedi. The Jedi Order, who wanted to get a promising student, had to compromise by allowing Ki-Adi-Mundi to marry after puberty and continue the family line. At the time of his death in 19 BBY, Jedi Master Ki-Adi-Mundi had five wives and eight children. Now imagine the envy of the other Jedi, who could only dream about it.

Ki-Adi-Mundi and his wives

In listing Jedi of varying degrees of eccentricity, it would be a mistake not to mention Tracia Cho Lim. This petite woman was a contemporary of Mace Windu and one of his few close friends. Their friendship was not hampered even by Trasia’s unorthodox views, her fashionable way of dressing and her complete disregard for the strict rules of the order. Trasia had amazing healing abilities with the Force, was a good diplomat and an inquisitive researcher.

Trasia accepted only girls as students, which predictably provoked the emergence of vulgar rumors and unpleasant mutterings behind her back. She could teach several students at the same time. Her favorite student was Vergere, another very outlandish madam. Although this is not surprising: the apple does not fall far from the tree.

Thrasia had other quirks as well. For example, she openly violated the trademark Jedi vow of celibacy. The Jedi entered into intimate relationships many times during missions in various parts of the galaxy. The number of those who shared her bed cannot be counted. The result of “friendly sex, Jedi style” was the birth of several sons and daughters. But that’s not all, Tracia married several times.

The Jedi in general and the council in particular looked at this whole matter askance and with bewilderment, grumbled angrily, but did nothing. Luckily for them, the loving healer rarely visited the capital, preferring to seek adventures for her soft spot far beyond the borders of Coruscant. This circumstance could not but please the Council of the Order. As you know, a bad example is contagious. The further Thrasia was from the temple, the less influence she had on the fragile Padawan minds.

In 29 BBY, her beloved student went missing. Even Obi-Wan and Anakin, known lovers of poking their noses into all unlocked cracks, failed to find Vergere. When both returned to Coruscant and reported that Vergere had been kidnapped by an unknown race, Trasia packed her things and quietly left without explanation. History is silent about how the Order’s council responded to this. But perhaps their collective opinion was: “What a shame she finally left.” No one saw her again.

Tracia Cho Lim

It would be a mistake not to mention another loving character. Obi-Wan Kenobi. Yes, yes, this great Jedi did not miss a single skirt in his youth. However, I am exaggerating somewhat.

Obi-Wan's first love, while still his Padawan, was a red-haired girl named Serasi, whom he met during a mission on Melida Daan. His love interest in the girl was one of the reasons that prompted Obi-Wan to temporarily leave the order and even draw his sword against his teacher. Alas, their relationship did not last long. Serasi died in 44 BBY.

Then there was the blonde Siri Tachi. Although their romantic relationship never went far, it left an indelible mark on Obi-Wan's soul. Only the order's rules prevented their relationship from developing into something more.

Next in line was another blonde - Mandalorian Duchess Satine Kryze. But this time it didn’t work out either. Although during the Clone Wars, the relationship with Satine still benefited the order in general and Obi-Wan in particular when it came to Mandalore's non-intervention in the Clone Wars. Particularly undesirable then was the accession of the entire Mandalorian people to the CIS.

Siri Tachi

Sometimes celibacy led to sad consequences. In addition to the well-known Anakin-Padmé couple, there were several other cases when the ban on love relationships came back to haunt the order in the most unpleasant way.

One of the most interesting examples was the fate of Padawan Ryke Muun. In the last decades of the Galactic Republic, this girl studied at the Alma Academy of the Jedi Order. For the time being, her fate was cloudless - good potential in the Force, a diligent attitude to study, excellent skills with a lightsaber... But, alas, order taboos and feelings for another student of the academy stood in the way of her becoming a Jedi knight. One day she fell in love with a young Zabrak named Nek Lawsirk. But Nek, relying on the rules of the order, decisively rejected all her claims. Nek told his teacher about what had happened and, as if a broken heart wasn’t enough, Raik was kicked out of the order in disgrace.

Raik Muun, angry at the whole world and wanting revenge on the Jedi, soon turned to the “dark side.” Although the target of her retribution should not have been Nek, for whom she probably still had warm feelings, but Master Kirlokka, the head of the academy. It was this Wookiee who made the final decision to expel her. The opportunity presented itself during a peace conference held on a luxury liner hovering in orbit of the planet Rennok. Raik launched the T'salak onto the ship, whom she managed to find on Kularin and subjugate by Force to her will. The creatures killed Kirlokka and seriously wounded several knights.

Talent and perseverance allowed Raik to complete her training on her own, becoming a powerful force user, although she did not really know how to control her gift. When Ryke heard that the Jedi had been outlawed and the Purge had begun, she rushed to Coruscant to take revenge on the offenders before others did. But instead of the long-awaited battle with the Jedi, Ryke encountered Valin Dreyko. He, too, was once a Jedi, was also offended by the order and also wanted revenge. But unlike the girl, Valin served the Empire, being one of its inquisitors.

Ryke was enrolled in the Inquisitorium, becoming Drayko's student. The couple turned out to be perfect. Raik was very talented, but unrestrained, unsure of herself and had little control over her gift. Drayko, on the contrary, was a skillful and determined warrior who consistently approached the solution of any problem. He sometimes lacked the emotionality inherent in Rike. Thus, the advantages of one compensated for the disadvantages of the other. Former Jedi and now a pair of Inquisitors, Valin and Raik served the Galactic Empire faithfully, tracking down fugitive Jedi throughout the galaxy.

Remember! You shouldn't break a girl's heart. This could end badly.

Callista Ming

However, it is worth noting that among the Jedi of this period there was a group who strongly rejected the restrictions of the order, following the ancient Jedi traditions. These members of the order were called Altisian Jedi, named after their leader, Jedi Master Jinn Altis. Master Altis said that the Jedi Order was now more like a corporation than a spiritual association. Solid rules, taboos, rigid hierarchy, infrastructure, commissions... The rest of the Jedi looked at the Altisians the same way as in our history they looked at the Old Believers. They seem to be Jedi, but they also seem to be some kind of near-Jedi sect. The Order Council still hasn’t really decided what to do with the Altisians.

Followers of the Altisian branch of the Jedi Order ignored many of the order's prohibitions that limited the personal freedom of the Jedi, including training Padawans in a teacher-student relationship (instead, one teacher could have several students) and, of course, love and family. The most famous (for us) couple in love among the Altisian Jedi were the knights Callista Ming and Gate Eris.

Luke and Mara's wedding

With the death of the Jedi Order during Order 66, all existing rules and taboos also died. There was nothing stopping Jedi who survived the Purge from marrying. However, they practically did not use the sexual freedom that fell upon them.

In creating the New Jedi Order (NOD), Luke Skywalker did not shackle his followers with the unreasonable restrictions of the old order. “Warlike virgins” with the light side of the Force are completely a thing of the past. Their place was taken by a younger generation who were not afraid to experiment in everything, from methods of using the Force to marriage.

Many NOD Jedi, even before the Vong invasion, started families and children. Among them was Luke himself. Although it is worth noting that Luke often doubted the correctness of his relationship with Mara. At times, Luke thought that marriage might lead him to the dark side. You can read about Luke’s moral torment in this regard in the novel “Survivor’s Quest” (in the Russian translation “The Path of the Survivor”).

Ulic Qel-Droma and Nomi Sunrider

According to the author of this article, the ban on establishing relationships beyond friendship between members of the order and strict celibacy were the greatest mistake of the Jedi. Indeed, in addition to mental and physical rest, which prevented the emergence of bad (and dark) thoughts, celibacy led to the removal of gifted people and non-humans from the gene pool of society and thus weakened future generations of force users. After all, it is known that as a result of the connection between a force user and a non-force user, children with the gift of the Force were born much more often than without it.

Although at the same time it is worth admitting that the Jedi were right in some ways. It remains to be seen what would have happened to Revan's mind had he continued to cohabit with Bastila. It is quite possible that Bastila, as befits a typical wife, would thoroughly “rape” his brain and everyday problems returned the poor fellow to the “dark side”.

The Galactic Empire, the resident evil from the Star Wars universe, is very fond of being compared to the USSR. Several books have even been written on this topic in the USA. They say that George Lucas, creating the terrible Empire ruled by the Sith, was inspired by the gloomy news from the Soviet Union. But in reality, these two powers do not have much in common. But parallels can only be drawn with great reserve.

Coat of arms of the Galactic Empire

Evil Empire

It all started with a small mistake. In March 1983, US President Ronald Reagan called the USSR an evil empire. These famous words of the American leader quickly spread around the world, became popular and left their place in history. Associations with Star Wars arise almost immediately. After all, it is difficult to perceive the Galactic Empire as anything other than an evil Empire. But here we need to remember that the Fourth Episode of Star Wars - the one that launched the franchise - was released in 1977, when Reagan was not even president yet. Moreover, two months after Reagan's speech, the world premiere of Episode Six, the film that completed the classic trilogy, took place. There is an opinion that Reagan managed to watch Episode Six before the big premiere. If this is so, then it is more likely that the president was inspired by the film than George Lucas by the words of the president. And this, you see, changes a lot.

Star Wars came out before Reagan called the USSR the Evil Empire

Sith Lord

Coincidences

The obvious similarities between the Soviet Union and the Galactic Empire undoubtedly include the extreme militarism of both powers. The fictional state from Star Wars relies on military power as the foundation of its existence. And it is quite obvious that it is the high-ranking military that is the main caste in the Empire. Because the Empire is constantly at war and tries to keep both its population and its neighbors in fear. Darth Vader and Lord Sidious are constantly producing new and new types of destructive weapons.

The Death Star is a deadly thing that can destroy an entire planet. Undoubtedly, this is some kind of pinnacle of the military, economic and technological power of the Empire, a kind of analogue of the hydrogen bomb or intercontinental ballistic missiles. The Empire loses the Star in the fourth episode, but in the sixth it already has a new Star.

The Sith also do not stand on ceremony with their neighbors. And if they need something from them, then they simply carry out an occupation. This is what Darth Vader does to Cloud City in Episode Five. He is not going to conquer it, he is sending in troops to dictate his terms. And here the parallel with the Soviet Union is also obvious.

Another clear similarity is the behavior of the leaders. Emperor Palpatine, aka Lord Sidious, is the most powerful man in the Galaxy. Moreover, his power is not only the power he possesses. Sidious is a Sith Lord who has mastered the dark side of the Force. After all, even Darth Vader is unable to release lightning, and Sidious uses them more often than a lightsaber. At the same time, he gives the impression of a man obsessed with his own safety. A giant guard, a special guard escorting destroyers around his flagship. And this despite the fact that Sidious is convinced that the Jedi will no longer stand in his way. On the other hand, it is the presence of impressive security that creates a distance between the protected and the rest of the world. This is a psychological technique that was used in the Soviet Union for many years. The leader is protected by a guard regiment, and this regiment must be seen by everyone. So that everyone understands where he is and where the leader is. All other similarities are from a cohort of conjectures and stretches. There are some similarities between military uniform Soviet military and imperial officers. Both powers adhere to the principle of “use force to intimidate.”

Differences

First, here's what's important. IN " Star Wars» The Empire is fighting against rebels, idealists and fighters for freedom and democracy. In the Soviet Union, an uprising was basically impossible. Because a huge repressive machine worked day and night to suppress dissent. Any protest was nipped in the bud and simply had no chance of developing into anything more than simple discontent. The Sith Empire obviously also had to have such a repressive machine. But she's not there. More precisely, it, of course, exists, in the person of the military command. But this machine does not nip the protest in the bud; it eliminates the consequences. More precisely, he is trying to eliminate them.

The Sith, unlike the USSR, did not have a repressive machine

Imperial military uniform

Go ahead. The Galactic Empire has no population. That is, it, of course, exists, but somewhere there. It is not present in Star Wars in any form. The Soviet Union demonstrated to the world in every possible way the “happiness” of Soviet citizens. Achievements of the national economy, labor feats, the world's best athletes, outstanding cultural and scientific figures. The Empire simply doesn't have it. No demonstration of general happiness. No doctrine of universal equality. The Empire is for the Emperor, all for the sake of his power. Sidious doesn't even hide it. Probably the Sith Lord is the most honest dictator in world history and culture.

Finally, third. Sidious does not have any management elite (except Vader). The Sith Lord does not have his own Politburo, Central Committee, Party or anything like that. He is not the chairman, he is the Emperor. The Empire is his personal creation, and he does not need not only allies, but even “sixes” to rule it. He does not consult with his comrades, he simply gives orders. He has neither Suslov, who is responsible for ideology, nor Kosygin to create the appearance of carrying out reforms.

The Sith Lord is the most honest dictator in world history and culture

It is also important to remember how the Empire arose. After all, initially it was a Republic under the control of the Senate. Parliamentary democracy, at the center of which is an elected chancellor. This chancellor was the future Emperor. And one day, in an emergency, he received emergency powers, which he never relinquished. And this no longer resembles the USSR, but a completely different country and a completely different historical character. And this character just had the experience of transforming a republic into a personal empire.