Darth Bane
Darth Bane is a male literary character who features in Star Wars.
Contents |
Biography
Darth Bane was a Force-sensitive male humanoid who lived a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.
The Sith Order in his time was nearly equal in number with the Jedi Order; at the height of their power, the Sith's dominion had spread across the galaxy. However, the Sith were often fuelled by their own individual lusts for power, with squabbling Sith turning against their own in combat as standard practice.
One of the most infamous of the Sith Lords, Darth Bane was considered the founder of the modern Sith, who continued their quest for revenge, working in secret as they plotted their return to galactic dominance. Those plans continued through Darth Sidious, publicly known as Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine, who engineered the Clone Wars to gain more power over the Galactic Republic. He also manipulated the war—fought between the Republic and the Separatist Alliance—to make the Jedi compromise their ideals, as they served as leaders in the Grand Army of the Republic. Doing so would allow him to justify his eventual destruction of the Jedi Order. Sidious also had a personal protocol droid named 11-4D that he inherited from his Sith Master, Darth Plagueis, and the droid's memory bank retained information on the former strongholds of the ancient Sith Lords, such as Darth Bane's tomb on Moraband. During the war, in 19 BBY, Jedi Grand Master Yoda ventured to Moraband on a journey to discover the secrets of immortality. He entered Bane's tomb and encountered a fiery vision of the ancient Dark Lord. As part of Yoda's trial to learn the power of immortality, the apparition attempted to convince the Jedi Master to turn to the dark side. Yoda refused, remarking that Bane was dead and that what appeared before him was simply an illusion that had nothing to offer. Yoda's defiance banished the screaming specter back into the sarcophagus, while Yoda continued on his journey. The Jedi Master's travel to Moraband was eventually mentioned in a set of hand-drawn maps that were believed to be created by the Ithorian artist Gammit Chond, along with an illustration of Darth Bane's fiery specter. The maps were later restored and collected in the Graf Archive on the moon Orchis 2 at some point no earlier than 34 ABY.
Overview
Personality and attributes
In appearance, Darth Bane was a human male who possessed a imposing and formidable physical presence. Standing approximately two meters tall, he had pale skin and striking yellow eyes that reflected his deep immersion in the dark side of the Force. During the era of the Old Republic, he discarded the traditional robes of the Sith in favor of a heavy, ancient suit of battle armor. This armor featured a color palette of deep blue, gray, and red, accented with intricate gold etching that covered the majority of his muscular frame. His silhouette was defined by a large, distinctive helm that completely shielded his face, contributing to his reputation for inspiring fear in all who encountered him. In combat, he was known to wield a traditional red-bladed lightsaber with a silver and gold hilt, though he also possessed a unique lightsaber pike that featured a fiery-orange, knife-shaped blade. Even in death, his legacy was preserved through a colossal stone statue within his burial chamber on Moraband, which depicted him in this same ornate, high-tech plate armor.
He believed that strength should have dominance over weakness, developing this philosophy after his personal experiences and by studying ancient Sith documents. Having witnessed the destruction of the Sith and realizing the inherent loneliness that arose from serving the dark side, Bane saw that their infighting and greed had led to their downfall. To preserve the Sith as its last survivor, Bane adopted the Rule of Two, believing that limiting the number of Sith to one Master and one apprentice would allow the Sith to survive in secret so they could plot their revenge against the Jedi.
An ancient and legendary Sith Lord, it was Darth Bane who saw that the Sith traditions of old were ultimately a dead end. All too often, squabbling Sith in their bid for power upended carefully laid plans.
Bane enacted the Sith rule of two: there would be only two active Sith at one time -- a Dark Lord to embody the power, and an apprentice to crave it. These Sith would operate in the shadows, favoring guile and conspiracy to bring down their opponents rather than brute force -- that is, until it was time to rise and subjugate the galaxy.
Powers and abilities
Darth Bane was a human male who possessed a towering and muscular frame, reportedly standing approximately two meters tall. While his natural physiology did not grant him inherent supernatural abilities, his sheer physical strength and height allowed him to dominate opponents through raw power, which he later channeled into the brutal Djem So lightsaber form. He underwent rigorous self-directed training and studied ancient Sith documents, a process that transformed his body into a vessel of immense dark side energy and gave him striking yellow eyes. This intense immersion in the dark side, combined with his military background as a soldier, honed his endurance and physical discipline to the point where he could survive extreme conditions that would kill lesser beings. Over time, his constant use of the dark side and the toll of his training left his skin pale and his body hardened, reflecting the immense internal rage he used to fuel his combat prowess.
A Sith warrior renowned for his skills in lightsaber combat and the use of intimidation, Bane was an agile, strong, and skilled fighter. While he was a powerful Force wielder and possessed high intelligence, Bane lacked diplomatic skills.
Darth Bane wore ancient Sith armor in the colors of blue, gray, and red, which featured gold etching on it and covered most of his body.
Notes
- Darth Bane was created by George Lucas and Drew Karpyshyn where he featured in the setting of the Star Wars universe.
Alternate Versions
- In Star Wars Legends, Darth Bane appeared in the setting of the former Star Wars Expanded Universe reality. The Human male who would become Darth Bane was born as Dessel on the Outer Rim planet Apatros to an abusive miner named Hurst. Des, as he was nicknamed, was often bullied by his father and the other miners. Hurst blamed his son for the death of his wife, who had perished during childbirth. Hurst also took to blaming Dessel for his own miserable life on Apatros, and considered his son to be the bane of his existence—so much so that he took to calling him 'bane' frequently. At the age of sixteen, Dessel began to work in the cortosis mines of Apatros under the direction of the Outer Rim Oreworks Company. He learned to fend for himself, ignoring the threats and insults hurled at him by his father and the other miners, and grew into a muscular young man as he worked deep in the cortosis mines. One of Dessel's few friends was Groshik, the Neimoidian owner of the local cantina. Unknown to anyone, Dessel was Force-sensitive, and he occasionally felt the call of the Force's dark side. One day, when Dessel was eighteen, a drunk Hurst berated him until Dessel stood up to his father and challenged him to a fight. Irate, Hurst beat him until his ribs cracked, although Dessel withstood the pain without sound. That night, Dessel, filled with hate, envisioned his father dying by picturing a giant hand squeezing his heart. The next morning, Hurst was dead. Unknown to Dessel, he had used the Force to kill his father. After Hurst's death, his friends tried to continue with their harassment of Dessel, but the young miner now had the confidence to stand up for himself, and proceeded to best many of them in fights until they learned to leave him alone. On the fifth anniversary of Hurst's death, a man named Gerd—who had been friends with Hurst—decided that he would put Dessel in his place after verbally harassing him the same way Hurst once did. In a drunken stupor, Gerd attacked Dessel and attempted to gouge out one of his eyes. With a premonition granted by the dark side of the Force, Dessel severed Gerd's thumb with his teeth.
In other media
Television
Appearances
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars:
External Links
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