"The Force Awakens" has shown us a new enemy that threatens the tranquility of the galaxy. The First Order - at first glance it seems that this is the same Empire, but in profile. So it will seem, if you limit yourself to just watching films. In the rapidly growing new canon, one 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-absorbed man in the galaxy. Many years of subversive work in the Senate, state-scale intrigues, conspiracies, double life - all in order to one day say to yourself: "Yes, I won." There was no other Sith who could so amuse his monstrous selfishness.

The empire was based on the personal power of Darth Sidious and the dark charm of Darth Vader, and the work of its bureaucratic mechanisms was provided by the moffs, the governors of the sectors. To put it simply, Palpatine offloaded all managerial duties to ambitious Moffs with carte blanche (imagine what a colossal amount of work awaits the sole dictator of the entire galaxy), while he himself first of all enjoyed power, improved his command 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 was carried away by the superproject.

The construction of the first Death Star, begun by the Separatists before the fall of the Republic, was given such an abyss of resources that all other branches of the young Empire suffered greatly from it. 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, literally collapsed from a couple of powerful blows. The destruction of two deadly battle stations deprived the fleet of the Empire of the last trump card, and the death of the entire small top of the state broke off a thousand invisible threads that held the whole galaxy in power, like a puppet puppet.

Just over a year after the death of Lord Sidious, that is, in 5 ABY (after the Battle of Yavin), the Empire was defeated at 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 the 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 recruiting 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 protection of his own person to be the main goal of the Empire. And although her defense mechanisms were quite impressive, the Emperor suffered from paranoia. Will they kill him anyway? Darth Sidious decided that in this case he would take with him to hell everyone who could reach his hands.

As soon as he died, a whole army of droids with messages from the Emperor scattered throughout the galaxy, to the most ideological and loyal officers, in order to entrust them with Operation Ashes. One of these officers was Admiral Garrick Versio, whose daughter Eden - main character. Part of their plan was to destroy Palpatine's home planet of Naboo with a climate weapon. Many other worlds were preparing for a no less 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 occupied a special place in the plan. With the help of successful "leaks of information", he jeopardized the Imperial Council of the Future, which planned the future fate of the dying state. The Republican forces eliminated the Council, and only Admiral Ray Sloan managed to slip out of the hands of yesterday's rebels. The empire is 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 the outcome of it was decided in advance. The observatory on Jakku was meant to blow up the planet with Sith technology. However, Rex failed to carry out the plan and was killed by Admiral Ray Sloane.

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

There Sloane went, and after her - thousands of people devoted to the ideals of the Empire. Unexplored regions are called so for a reason: travel there is difficult and dangerous due to anomalies. As if someone's will protects this area from study and development. It was there that Palpatine's visions of the dark side of the force were leading, which we will talk about later.

Slowly, idealists, revanchists and just interesting personalities fled beyond the "political map" of the galaxy, into the Unknown Regions. Someone empty-handed, and someone - with military ships, secret technologies, weapons and "gold of the party." Between 5 ABY and 19 ABY, this battered runaway guard was being transformed into a monolithic military junta, the First Order.

One of the highest positions in the command of the Order was occupied by General Armitage Hux, who successfully tested his stormtrooper training program here. Instead of recruiting draft-age youth, he combined the former Jedi Order's tradition of beginning training at a young age, as well as intensive clone training, with Kamino. The Order has kidnapped children across the galaxy and brutally drilled them into more capable fighters than the stormtroopers of old. Armitage himself grew up in a similar environment, because his father, the Imperial warlord Brandol Hux, kept his son strict and punished for signs of weakness. Now Armitage has brought to life the postulate "children are the main weapon of the Order."

The Republican Senate eventually became aware of the emergence of a new force in the galaxy. And, following the centuries-old traditions of the Senate, he hid his head in the sand, not counting 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, while working for the Order.

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

As in the Empire, the 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 - that's what they call themselves, and with the Sith they are connected only indirectly. Supreme Leader Snoke is one of them, as is the converted Jedi Kylo Ren. Other knights wear sinister masks, serve as Kylo's personal bodyguards, and, apparently, do not wield the Force or 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 considerations.

During the Civil War, there were dark side fanatics among the people insensitive to the Force, who considered the Sith to be liberators, going against the current of life. Back then, their self-designation was Acolytes of the Otherworld. Their leader was Yup Tashu, a former adviser to the Emperor himself and an expert on the dark side of the force - he believed that the Empire could not be built without a powerful Sith at the head. The Acolytes hunted for Sith artifacts, hoping to bring their presence back into the galaxy. Their visions related to the Dark Side of the Force pointed to a certain place in the Unknown Regions - and after all, 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 the Empire for help to fight a mysterious enemy, and it is not very clear if that enemy is connected with Supreme Leader Snoke.

Apparently, the Acolytes got their way and found that place from the visions. Perhaps they found Snoke there, for some reason locked away from civilization. Or Snoke was one of the Acolytes chosen by an unknown dark side entity to be their host. In addition, the Acolytes had a particular passion for collecting Sith masks, whose influence can be extremely strong. At the same time, the Knights of Ren wear masks, and Kylo, ​​in addition, worships the charred helmet of his grandfather, Darth Vader. It's all going pretty well!

The new trilogy is unwilling to deviate from the pattern we saw in the original epic. If this continues, then the First Order will not fit into it. It is one thing - the rebels and their oppressors, and quite another - two approximately equal states. Yes, and the Order was created in a completely different way, not by decree of the usurper of power, but in remote lands, gathering new strength from the fragments of the 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 runs through all the key events of the classic trilogy, so there is no doubt about the canonicity, but today we will talk about what was left overboard and what preceded (more precisely, could precede) the events of the game and the first films. Canonicality Extended Universe Star Wars has been called into question, to say the least, but this universe exists, and it was well represented in video games, and individual characters first appeared in them. Let's take a look at the four most important ones.

Kyle Katarn

If you have heard of the game series Jedi Knight, then you probably know about Kyle. Our hero started 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 a fight against various cults like 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 it 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 side of the enemy and discovered the Force in himself.

Revan

It would be short-sighted to think that the great personalities in the world of Star Wars only existed during the times shown in the films. The peak of their power wielding the Force reached exactly thousands of years before the battle of Yavin IV - during the period of the Old Republic. One of the strongest and most influential Sith and Jedi of that time was Revan. As a rebel Jedi, at one time he went against the will of the Council and participated in the Mandalorian War, which ended rather quickly after that.

Some time later, under the pretense of pursuing the remaining Mandalorian forces, Revan and his best friend Malak traveled to the far reaches. They returned a few years later, having already gone over to the Dark Side, and immediately unleashed a large-scale war, establishing Sith domination over the galaxy.

Well, then the story 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, setting off in search of some mysterious threat that played a role in his transition to the Dark Side. This threat turns out to be the Sith Empire (more on that later).

Darth Revan and Kylo Ren from episode 7. Find ten differences.

Once captured, Revan spends the next three hundred years in captivity, after which he is released, participates in another war, and finally reunites with the Force. Revan's legacy is hard to overestimate. The irony lies in the fact that, having rejected the Dark Side and becoming a great Jedi, it was the Sith that he most influenced: almost three thousand years later, one adept of the Dark Side, named Darth Bane, found a holocron with Revan's records 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 the teachings of Revan and continues to adhere to orthodox views.

Emperor Vishate

As already mentioned, beyond the distant frontiers, Revan discovered the Sith Empire and went over to the Dark Side. But the conversion did not happen out of a whim, but under the influence of a powerful and terrible entity - Emperor Vishate, 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 Tenebrae on the outskirts of the planet. His mother was a simple woman, and his father was the Sith Lord Dramath. Since childhood, the boy has shown 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, Tenebrae appeared before the head of the Sith Council, Marka Ragnos, who was amazed by his "feats", gave him the new name Vishate and made him his apprentice. In addition, Vishate 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. Vishate immediately called the entire top of the rulers to Nathema under the pretext of discussing further actions. They did not expect any dirty trick from the ruler of the provincial planet and calmly appeared.

And in vain. Vishate, 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 Force from the planet, turning it into a piece of stone and killing millions of its inhabitants. Thus he gained immortality and became emperor. Gathering under his command all the remaining Sith, 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 Vishate chose to hide them, stretching the fleet's journey for decades and forcing all Sith to revere him as a god.

In the end, they reached the planet Dromund Kaas, where they hid for a thousand years, increasing their power. Later, the Jedi Revan will find the planet and meet with the emperor. The power of that will be so great that Revan will turn into a soulless puppet in the hands of a 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 a Sith dictatorship for many years. Vishate himself at this time stepped down from power to pursue his own secret projects. In the end, 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 moved from one body to another for a long time (Palpatine would do the same later), bringing a lot more trouble to the galaxy far, far away.

Revan and Malak's first meeting with the emperor.

Galen Marek

A headache for any Star Wars connoisseur, the character is so odd and illogical that questions about his canonicity have been going on since long before the Expanded Universe was cancelled.

Galen was born on Kashyyyk to two Jedi, Molly and Kento Marek. After the boy's mother died on a mission, his father took up the upbringing of his son. Then came 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, brought by Vader over the head of the enemy, was torn from his hands. So the Sith Lord discovered the incredible potential of Galen. This, however, 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 called Luke Skywalker in the original version of the New Hope script). His plans were the most far-reaching - with the help of Marek, kill Emperor Palpatine and seize power (remember the "rule of two"?).

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

Vader and the Emperor discovered the conspirators and nearly killed them all. To save his friends, Starkiller had to sacrifice his life. Oh yes, shortly before that, with the help of the Force, he dropped on the planet " star destroyer". This is if you suddenly still do not understand what is wrong with the character.

In the second part, Galen (more precisely, 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 - besides, unlike many others, it deserves to sink into oblivion.

HOLONET: Sith Empire

Quick reference:

• Rebuilt on the remnants of the original Sith Empire.
• The Emperor has been living 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 origin of the Sith remains shrouded in mystery. The Sith race was, in fact, quite insignificant until three thousand years ago, the exiled Dark Jedi arrived on Korriban and subjugated the Sith to themselves and their 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 boundaries of the Sith civilization reached the Republic, and the Great Hyperspace War began.

The Dark Lord of the Sith Naga Sadow led his armies on an aggressive campaign to destroy the Galactic Republic. Although the Sith were lucky in the beginning, the Jedi Order gathered strength 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 revenge.

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 series of dark rituals that extended his life and his unquestioned reign.

When the time came for revenge, the Sith began infiltrating star systems in the Outer Rim of the galaxy, sowing the seeds of chaos and making secret deals with local criminals and military dictators. With all the pieces of the puzzle in place, the Sith launched a massive offensive that took the Jedi by surprise. In the first wave alone, 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 Rimma Trade Route.

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

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

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

After the signing of the treaty, the Emperor handed over control to the Dark Council, and he himself took up his personal mysterious affairs, which created a platform for a fierce struggle for power. In a political vacuum, the strongest and most cunning Sith and the leaders of the Empire began to rise to the pinnacle of power in order to seize it, gather the entire Empire together and crush 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 don't expect this article to be 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, power to be happy, and their favorite pastime was to cut-kill-crush and take away from the townsfolk kurko, milk, eggs, 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 even encouraged. The reason is obvious. Love and sexual attraction are the strongest emotions in any rational being. And, as you know, the Sith did not hesitate to use their emotions to control the "dark side" of the Force.

Even in the early days of the Sith order, shortly after the arrival of eleven Dark Jedi on Korriban, intermarriage between human exiles and the local Sith population was common. The possibility of healthy offspring from such bonds has been scientifically proven by Sorzus Sin, a renowned Sith scholar and true legend of the order. After several hundred years, 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 Kresssh ... Apparently, extramarital affairs for the Sith were not considered immoral even during this period. 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 Kesh. On this planet, the citizens of the Sith Empire (forcers and "mere mortals") were forced. Their ship was shipwrecked during a hyperspace war. A handful of three hundred survivors had to adjust to their new surroundings. Entertainment of a carnal nature 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 Kesh created a full-fledged state with a population of many millions and ... "this thing" was in their order of things. Marriage was 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 children were more likely to be born as force-users. But, as they say, you can’t command 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 what a gift!

Vestara Kai

In the Sith Empire of Vishate, carnal pleasures and marriages between Sith were also encouraged. For the first hundreds of years, they had the same importance 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 completely tantamount to betrayal. After the Empire has grown, carnal pleasures and amorous relationships between the forces have become commonplace.

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

Centuries after the founding of the Sith Empire, the Sith Order's Recruitment Department created an extensive database of everyone who had ever entered the Sith Academy. Personal files contained data on origin, pedigree, service history, potential, health status, etc. Using data from the filing cabinet, the Sith from the recruiting department and other related services selected mating couples 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 engaged in the selection of a couple. This approach was not only driven by concern for the happiness of Sith families. The well-being of the entire Empire depended on this, since it was the Sith Forces who were its core. You can learn more about this in the Fatal Alliance novel and The Old Republic MMO.

lord tetsu

But do not think that male Sith were turned into an analogue of the bull-inseminator. The Sith were left to choose with whom, when, how and where. However, it also happened that the Sith "returned his debt to the motherland" 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. An example is the Sith families to which the Sith Lords Preven and Tetsu belonged. The Tetsu clan spanned ten generations, and the Preyven clan was even older.

Among the Sith of this Empire, there were both formal lechers and womanizers, as well as 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 Grathan.

Angral had a son, Tarnis. Angral treasured him, often providing an opportunity to prove his worth to the Sith Empire. The Sith that Angral trusted the most was chosen as Tarnis's teacher. They became Lord Praven, a former student of Angral.

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

And, finally, the third of the presented examples is the Gratan family. Selventa Gratan and her husband have been happily married for many years. Although Selventa married not only for love, but also because of Gratan's high position in Sith society. Their son, Bilzleet Gratan, was homeschooled like Jadus's daughter. His mentors in learning the ways of the dark side of the Force were only his father and mother. By the way, on 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 lover of "active recreation" was the well-known Darth Malgus. His love was Elina Daru, formally considered a slave. There were also rumors among the Sith and ordinary citizens that Malgus had a mistress 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 relationship with Lord Raxus. The eternally gloomy Lord Scourge was also noted in amorous affairs. This assistant of Revan and Mithra, in the murder of Vishate, and then a useful companion of the Hero Tython, before taking a place near the emperor, managed to enjoy the company and love of at least two women.

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, descending from Freedon Nadd himself. In a known period (Tales of the Jedi comics), Onderon was ruled by two powerful forceusers: King Ommin and Queen Amanoa. And so they would have ruled further, if the Jedi with light democratizers had not descended on the planet, without asking and knocking, and had not contributed to the speedy departure to the world of another royal couple. Only their daughter Galia was left alive, who did not study the dark side of the Force and therefore was not a target for the ax head in the name of goodness, light and other pathos.

Vilia Kalimondra

Little is known about Sith family life in the franchise's next well-developed time period, the New Sith Wars. We can only say with certainty that marriage and sexual relations were not condemned and, as in the old days, were in the order of things. There was simply no point in the ban, because any Sith ruler of those times needed heirs to preserve the integrity of the state.

Only one Sith dynasty of this period is well known. Dynasty of Calimondra. A successful military leader and politician, Vilia Kalimondra for her long life She got married several times and had seven children. Alas, each of her offspring believed that he was the true heir to her empire. The struggle of the sons for the maternal inheritance led to another feudal fragmentation of the Sith state and a prolonged Sith civil war. The main confrontation broke out between her son Chargas and daughter Zelian.

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

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

Altogether Vilia Calimondra had seven children and at least six grandchildren: Arcadia, Dromica, Quillian, Malakith, Daiman, and Odion. Such a "friendly" Sith family.

Zelian holds young Daiman in his arms

After the destruction of the Sith Order (Brotherhood of Darkness) by Darth Bane and the Jedi "Army of the Light" came the expected final collapse of Sith traditions. Including family and marriage traditions. For the following centuries, until the demise of the Jedi order and the transformation of the Sith order, the Rule of Two Sith did not marry or fall in love, rarely living a fulfilling life. The teacher-student pair had very different goals in life.

Against this background, one exception looks surprising. His name is Darth Vectivus. Instead of destroying the Jedi - the idea of ​​\u200b\u200bfixing all the Sith "Rule of Two" - Vectivus dedicated most unhurried knowledge of the Force, commerce, entertainment, collecting art objects ... In general, I had fun as best I could. Unlike all Sith before and after him, who were killed by their own apprentices at the first opportunity, Vectivus died a natural death surrounded by friends and loving family. Luckily for the "Rule of Two", Vectivus's somewhat trained apprentice, after the Sith's death, continued the one-teacher-one-student tradition.

At the same time, while the followers of the "Rule of Two" hid in fear from the Jedi, another self-proclaimed Sith lived and flourished. His name was Seth Hart. Immortal Hart adored entertainment, wearing out his temporary body at numerous revels, sexual orgies and other decent amusements of high society. Unlike the Sith of the "Rule of Two", 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 lead to a fundamental revision of the views of the then Sith regarding family and marriage. In the Galactic Empire, love affairs between members of Darth Sidious's Sith order were rare, and marriage was even rarer.

I'll give you a couple of examples. The result of the connection of Cronal (one of the strongest GI forceusers) with an unknown woman was the birth of her daughter Sariss. True, there was no talk of any happy family life. Cronal often traveled 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 found out that one of the Empire's most powerful force-users was her father.

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

Yes, and the emperor Palpatine himself liked to enjoy the female company. His mistress 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 dangle headlong across the galaxy, exterminating the enemies of the emperor, like Mara Jade. Sarkev appeared openly at court in luxurious robes and led a typical secular 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 for revelers and a womanizer. But there was also love in his life. The aforementioned Roganda Ismaren shared a bed with him. Their union resulted in the birth, in 4 BBY, of Yrek Ismaren.

Fortunately for Sarkev, Emperor Palpatine was not jealous. Moreover, in return for his good service, he gave Sarkev a seat 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 then retired 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" were no longer up to family life.

Darth Talon and Cade Skywalker.

Go ahead. During the days of the Sith Order of Darth Krayt, marriages between Sith sometimes occurred. Darth Talon spoke. that she was "born a Sith", like some other members of the Order of Krayt. They were all Sith from birth, meaning their parents were Sith too.

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

The Sith dynasties also existed during this period. The most striking example is the Wyyrlok dynasty. Darth Krayt's trusted aide, Wyyrlok-III is called third for a reason. Three generations of his family were members of the Sith order. In total, four generations of this family are known. Wyyrlok-III had a daughter, Saaray (Wyrlok-IV).

Jedi

To describe the carnal pleasures of the Jedi is well suited 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 of an older order known as the Je'daii. Members of the order were not forbidden to create families. Even whole generations of adherents of the order often met. An example of a hereditary Je'daii is Sek'nos, a representative of the Sith race. At least three generations of his family were members of the order. His grandmother was the skilled healer Myarta Sek, and his grandfather Tok Rat 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 underworld of the Chicago system Volnos Ryo.

The Jedi Order, which was formed after the Wars of the Force (25.783 BBY), did not begin to change its attitude towards the issues of amorous relations of its members and did not even try to encroach on the traditions associated with marriage and family life. This went on for many thousands of years, until the Great Sith War, aka the First Sith War, aka the war with Exar Kun (3996 BBY).

Nomi Sunrider and newborn Vima

Several Jedi families are known to have existed during this period, all of whose members were part of the Jedi Order. For example, the Sunrider and Drey families. Many generations of the Drae family - a wealthy line of Jedi and businessmen - were Jedi. And members of the Sunrider family have served 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 with some Sith dynasties, the 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 bond. A young Jedi was often trained by several teachers at the same time.

You can also recall another contemporary - Jolie Bindo. This gray Jedi, who lived according to the principle of "as the Force directs", one day fell in love and married his own student. The Jedi Order did not interfere with their relationship at first, only intervening when his missus turned to the dark side and performed artistic lightsaber carvings on the carcasses of several Jedi. Not appreciating her "creative impulse", the Jedi Council ordered Jolie to kill his wife. Like, he taught himself, now you can figure it out yourself. Jolie defeated his beloved in a lightsaber fight, but love prevented him from completing 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 turned upside down in just a few years, for no objective reason. It happened when the Council, in order to consolidate the order, began to “tighten the screws” by introducing uniform rules for all enclaves. Marriage, though not strictly forbidden, was now undesirable. It was believed that love and family bring people closer to the "dark side" of the Force.

By the way, such views of the leadership of the order were one of the reasons why the Jedi looked crookedly at the marriage of Bastila Shan and Revan. And Bastila's pregnancy could not please them at all. The Jedi calmed down only after an unspoken peace was concluded between the council and the rebellious family - Revan stops expressing his “heretical thoughts” about the Force aloud to the Jedi, and the Jedi stop grumbling publicly about their family relationships.

Revan watches a holotape of his wife and son

The situation changed again after the Great Purge, carefully arranged for the Jedi order by the Sith Triumvirate. Especially Darth Syon then succeeded in reducing the Jedi population.

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

Although the Ovair weren't exactly a Jedi family. Or rather, not Jedi at all. For at least four generations, the family worked in secret for the Sith Empire, being Emperor Vishate's most valuable agents in Republic territory.

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

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

master Niko Diat with a baby

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

But 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 they pleased, where they wished, the Order's Council reintroduced 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 order's rules, unbreakable upholder of tradition, and so on and so forth... was willing to share a bed with a man. In her case, it was Jace Malcom, a veteran warrior and commander of the famed Ravager Special Forces unit. The result of their closeness was the birth of Taron Shan, the future legend of SIS (Republic Intelligence). Such were the immaculate grandmasters of the order, preaching one thing but in reality ... doing “this very thing” with some kind of martinet. However, most of the 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 performing deadly missions behind enemy lines.

Newborn Theron and his mother Satil Shan

But not only Satila had a bad conscience. During this period, several more Jedi are known to have loved each other and were forced to hide their feelings. For example, the knights Liha Narezz (Nautolan) and Jomar Chul (Zabrak).

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

In search of "hazing", the Jedi Masters of this period did not disdain to secretly spy on students and force other students to spy on classmates. In particular, Jedi Master Yollo resorted to the services of informers.

Sometimes the Jedi ban on marriage led to very backfire 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 about 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 end the long feud between the houses. It would seem that everything turned out as well as possible - a happy family and a long-awaited peace. But when the news of Nomar's intentions reached the Jedi Council, the masters forbade the young Padawan from marrying. Forced to choose between the order and his beloved, Nomar nevertheless chose the order. Dom 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, adjusting to the changed circumstances. These circumstances were the start of the New Sith Wars (NSW) that followed the Fourth Great Schism. For almost a thousand years, in a series of long and bloody wars, Jedi and Sith enthusiastically slit each other's throats across the galaxy.

During the NSV, some rules were safely consigned to oblivion or temporarily canceled 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 and give in marriage. Jedi Lords were free to marry, and their titles were usually 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 evidence of the fallacy of traditional Jedi views on the inadmissibility of affection, love and marriage. Hereditary Jedi Lords were such prominent figures in the history of the order as Valentine Farfalla and Rolan Hoth.

Quinlan Vos and Khaliin Hentz

Shortly after the end of the EAR, culminating in the decisive victory of the Army of the Light at the Battle of Ruusan, the Jedi went back to their old ways, banning marriage. As they say, our song is good, start over.

Although this time the matter was not limited to marriages. The Jedi Council invited the members of the order to voluntarily give up the titles and ancestral estates, castles and other material goods that were family property. As expected, not all Jedi liked this "offer", 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 far known sexual route, wanting to see those who invented the Jedi 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 Tholme

But the nature of living beings cannot be abolished by artificial rules and regulations. Many of the Jedi of this period had love affairs, ranging from mild infatuation to long-term love and even marriage, played away from the eyes of the members of the Council of the order.

One of the most famous examples is the love story between Tholme and T'ra Saa. I must say, it was a very, ahem, interesting relationship, because Tholme 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 in bed by Malvina and Pinocchio does not seem something strange in the science fiction genre. In their attitude, the phrase "he was passionate and ardent, 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 a voluminous chest, 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 look. It was not difficult for her to "inflate" the desired part of the body to pleasant, for Tholme, volumes. It is a completely understandable and reasonable step for a woman, even if made of solid wood.

The relationship between the Nautolan Kit Fisto and the Twi'lek Aayla Secura is also worth mentioning. True, in their case, things did not 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 example of such a relationship is the love between Jedi Master Quinlan Vos and Separatist agent Khaliin Hentz. Another secret alliance that led to the birth of a child is the love between 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 aforementioned 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.

For Ki-Adi-Mundi, an exception was made based on the characteristics of his race. The fact is that the Cereans valued men very much, since they were born much less than women. The average ratio was 1:20, which is why a typical Cerean village, in terms of sex ratio, sometimes resembled a chicken coop. This feature of the race led to the absence of a monogamous family in Cerean society. Polygamous marriages were considered the norm.

At first, Ki-Adi-Mundi's father was reluctant to give his son to the Jedi. The Jedi Order, who wanted a promising apprentice, had to compromise by allowing Ki-Adi-Mundi to marry after puberty and continue the lineage. 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 rest of the Jedi, who could only dream of this.

Ki-Adi-Mundi and his wife

In listing Jedi of varying degrees of eccentricity, it would be a mistake not to mention Thrace Cho Lim. This diminutive woman was a contemporary of Mace Windu and one of his few close friends. Their friendship was not hindered even by Thrace's unorthodox views, her fashionable dressing style and complete disregard for the strict orders of the order. Thrace was known for her amazing abilities to heal with the help of the Force, she was a good diplomat and an inquisitive researcher.

Tracia took only girls as students, which is why she expectedly provoked the appearance 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.

Thrace also had other quirks. For example, she openly violated the trademark Jedi vow of celibacy. The Jedi have had sexual intercourse numerous times while on missions in various parts of the galaxy. The number of those who shared a bed with her is incalculable. The result of "Jedi friendly sex" was the birth of several sons and daughters. But that's not all, Tracia got married several times.

The Jedi in general, and the council in particular, looked sideways and bewildered at the whole affair, grumbling angrily, but doing nothing. Fortunately for them, the loving healer rarely visited the capital, preferring to seek adventure in her soft spot far beyond Coruscant. This circumstance could not but please the Council of the order. As you know, a bad example is contagious. The further Thrace was from the temple, the less influence she had on the fledgling Padawan minds.

In 29 BBY, her adored student went missing. Even Obi-Wan and Anakin, known lovers of sticking their noses into all unlocked cracks, failed to find Vergere. When both returned to Coruscant and revealed that Vergere had been kidnapped by an unknown race, Thrace packed her things and quietly left without explanation. History is silent on how the Council of the Order reacted to this. But, probably, their collective opinion sounded like this: "What a pity that she finally left." Nobody saw her again.

Thrace Cho Lim

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

Obi-Wan's first love, as a Padawan, was a red-haired girl named Serasi, whom he met while on a mission to Melida Daan. The love interest in the girl was one of the reasons that prompted Obi-Wan to temporarily leave the order and even draw a 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 order rules prevented their relationship from developing into something more.

Next in line was another blonde, the Mandalorian Duchess Satine Kryze. But this time it didn't work out either. Although during the Clone Wars, relations 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-Padme couple, there were several other cases when the prohibition of love relationships backfired on the order in the most unpleasant way.

One of the more interesting examples was the fate of Padawan Raik Muun. In the last decades of the Galactic Republic, this girl studied at the Jedi Order Academy in Almas. For the time being, her fate was cloudless - a good potential in the Force, a diligent attitude to study, excellent lightsaber skills ... 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 Lausirk. 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 was not 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 was not Nek, for whom she probably still had warm feelings, but Master Kirlokk, the head of the academy. It was this Wookiee who made the final decision about her exile. The opportunity presented itself during a peace conference held on a luxury liner hovering in orbit around the planet Rennock. Ryke launched T'salak onto the ship, which she managed to find on Cularin and force them to bend to her will. The creatures killed Kirlokka and badly wounded several knights.

Talent and perseverance allowed Raik to complete his training on his own, becoming a powerful force user, although he did not really know how to control his gift. When Raik heard that the Jedi had been outlawed and the Purge had begun, she hurried to Coruscant to get her revenge on her offenders before others did. But instead of the long-awaited battle with the Jedi, Raik faced Valin Draiko. 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.

Raik was enrolled in the Inquisition, becoming Draco's apprentice. The couple turned out perfect. Raik was very talented, but unrestrained, insecure and poorly in control of her gift. Draco, on the other hand, was a skilled and determined warrior, with a consistent approach to solving any problem. He sometimes lacked the emotionality inherent in Raik. Thus, the advantages of one compensated for the disadvantages of the other. Ex-Jedi-turned-pair of Inquisitors, Valin and Raik faithfully served the Galactic Empire, hunting down fugitive Jedi across the galaxy.

Remember! Don'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 of those who strongly rejected the restrictions of the order, following the ancient Jedi traditions. These members of the order were called the Altisian Jedi, after their leader, the 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 they looked at the Old Believers in our history. It seems to be the Jedi, but it seems to be some kind of near-Jedi sect. The council of the order had not really decided what to do with the Altisians.

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

Luke and Mary's wedding

With the demise of the Jedi Order during Order 66, all existing rules and taboos perished. Jedi survivors of the Purge were not prevented from marrying. However, they practically did not use the sexual freedom that had fallen on them.

In creating the New Jedi Order (NOD), Luke Skywalker did not fetter his followers with the unreasonable restrictions of the old order. "Militant virgins" with the light side of the Force on their whole heads are finally a thing of the past. Their place was taken by the younger generation, who were not afraid to experiment in everything from the methods of using the Force to marriage.

Many NOD Jedi, even before the start of the Vong invasion, had families and children. Luke was one of them. Although it is worth noting that Luke often doubted the correctness of the relationship with Mara. At times, Luke felt that marriage might lead him to the dark side. Luke's moral anguish on this score can be read in the novel "Survivor's Quest" (in Russian translation "The Way of the Survivor").

Ulic Qel-Droma and Nomi Sunrider

According to the author of this article, the ban on the establishment of relations between members of the order that go beyond friendly and strict celibacy was the greatest mistake of the Jedi. After all, in addition to mental and physical rest, which prevented the appearance 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 were born much more often with the gift of the Force than without it.

Although at the same time it is worth recognizing that in some ways the Jedi were still right. 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 domestic problems returned the poor fellow to the "dark side".

The Galactic Empire, the resident evil from the Star Wars universe, is often compared to the USSR. Several books have even been written on the subject in the United States. Like, George Lucas, creating a terrible Empire ruled by the Sith, was inspired by the gloomy news from the Soviet Union. But in fact, these two powers do not have much in common. And parallels can only be drawn at a stretch.

Emblem of the Galactic Empire

evil empire

It all started with a small mistake. In March 1983, US President Ronald Reagan called the USSR the Evil Empire. These famous words of the American leader quickly spread around the world, became winged and left their place in history. Associations with "Star Wars" arise almost immediately. After all, the Galactic Empire is difficult to perceive otherwise than as an Evil Empire. But here we must 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. What's more, two months after Reagan's speech, Episode Six, the film that ended the classic trilogy, had its world premiere. There is an opinion that Reagan managed to watch the Sixth episode before the big premiere. If so, then the president was more 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 Empire of Evil

Sith Lord

Matches

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 high-ranking military men who are the main caste in the Empire. Because the Empire is constantly at war and tries to keep both its population and 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 a kind of pinnacle of the military, economic and technological power of the Empire, a kind of analogue of a hydrogen bomb or intercontinental ballistic missiles. The Empire loses a Star in Episode 4, but has a new Star in Episode 6.

The Sith don't stand on ceremony with their neighbors either. And if they need something from them, then they simply produce an occupation. This is what Darth Vader does to Cloud City in Episode 5. He is not going to conquer it, he brings in troops to dictate his terms. And here the parallel with the Soviet Union is also obvious.

Another clear similarity is the behavior of leaders. Emperor Palpatine, aka Lord Sidious, is the most powerful man in the galaxy. Moreover, his power is not only the power that 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 person obsessed with his own safety. A giant guard, a special guard of destroyer escorts 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 an impressive guard that creates a distance between the guarded and the rest of the world. This is a psychological technique that was used in the Soviet Union for many years. The leader is guarded by a regiment of guards, 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 exaggerations. There is some similarity between military uniform Soviet military and imperial officers. Both powers adhere to the "use force to intimidate" principle.

Differences

For starters, here's what's important. IN " star wars» The empire is fighting rebels, idealists and fighters for freedom and democracy. In the Soviet Union, an uprising was basically impossible. Because the huge repressive machine worked day and night to suppress dissent. Any protest was choked on the root and simply had no chance to develop into something more than simple discontent. The Sith Empire apparently also had to have such a repressive machine. But she is not. More precisely, it certainly exists in the face of the military command. But this machine does not crush the protest in the bud, it eliminates the consequences. Or rather, 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 is, of course, there, but somewhere there. In Star Wars, it is not present in any form. The Soviet Union in every possible way demonstrated to the world the “happiness” of Soviet citizens. Achievements of the national economy, labor exploits, the best athletes in the world, outstanding figures of culture and science. The Empire just doesn't have it. No demonstration of general happiness. No doctrine of universal equality. The Empire is for the Emperor, everything for the sake of his power. Sidious doesn't even hide it. The Sith Lord is probably the most honest dictator in world history and culture.

Finally, the third. Sidious has no management elite (other than 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 manage it. He does not confer with his comrades, he simply gives orders. He has neither Suslov, who is in charge of ideology, nor Kosygin to create the appearance of 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. A parliamentary democracy centered on an elected chancellor. This chancellor was the future Emperor. And one day, in an emergency, he received emergency powers, which he never resigned from himself. 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 turning the republic into a personal empire.