Who Was the First Sith Lord in the Star Wars Canon?

While Disney+ Star Wars series The Acolyte gives fans a new insight into the Sith’s history, it doesn’t delve into the order’s founding. So, who was the first Sith Lord, according to Star Wars canon?

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Who Is the First Sith Lord in Pre-Disney Star Wars Canon?

According to Star Wars‘ legacy Expanded Universe continuity, 12 fallen Jedi Knights founded the Sith Order. Known collectively as “the Exiles,” their ranks included Ajunta Pall, XoXaan, Remulus Dreypa, Karness Muur, and Sorzus Syn – all of whom became legendary Sith Lords. As Pall was the Exiles’ leader, he was the first Sith Lord to assume the Dark Lord of the Sith mantle. This also made him the head of the original Sith Council.

The Sith Council ruled over the Sith Empire, which in EU lore, initially consisted primarily of an actual alien species called “the Sith.” The Sith Empire worshipped Pall and his pals as gods and later built the Sith Lord tombs dotted around the Sith Order’s EU homeworld, Korriban. Notable ancient Sith Lords who followed the Exiles included Marka Ragnos, Naga Sadow, Freedon Nadd, and Exar Kun.

Where does Darth Bane fit into all of this? Despite his pivotal place in Sith history, the guy behind the order’s “Rule of Two” arrived on the scene several thousand years too late to claim OG founder status. Indeed, Darth Bane wasn’t the first Sith, but rather one in a long line of Dark Lords of the Sith who steered the Dark Side outfit over the years. That said, given the Sith Order has been destroyed and revived on multiple occasions, the EU incarnation of Darth Bane technically qualifies as the modern Sith Order’s creator.

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Who Is the First Sith Lord in Post-Disney Star Wars Canon?

When Disney acquired Lucasfilm in 2012, the latter hit reset on Star Wars canon. Everything apart from the Star Wars movies and the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series – so, basically the entire Expanded Universe – was relegated to non-canonical “Legends” status. Ajunta Pall and the Jedi Exiles? All wiped from continuity. Who replaced them as Star Wars‘ first Sith Lords? An as-yet-unnamed male Jedi Knight, who succumbed to the Dark Side millennia before the Clone Wars.

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It’s all a bit vague, so here’s hoping Lucasfilm will flesh out this corner of the Star Wars canon soon. On the plus side, the Sith Order’s more recent history is more clearly defined. Thanks to Darth Bane’s spectral cameo in The Clone Wars, he’s still very much part of official lore. What’s more, he’s still the brains behind the “Rule of Two” and (by extension) the modern Sith Order.

The Acolyte Season 1 is currently streaming on Disney+, with new episodes dropping Tuesdays.