Darth Baneis one of the most important characters in the entireStar Warstimeline, but what do we know about him in canon? Most of Bane’s story originates in theStar WarsLegendscontinuity, with many of the details of his origin story coming from Drew Karpyshyn’s legendaryDarth Banetrilogy of novels. Bane, however, actually originates in George Lucas’s outlines forStar Wars: Episode I -The Phantom Menace.
Darth Bane’s name was first mentioned inThe Phantom Menace’s novelization, written by Terry Brooks, based on a backstory provided by George Lucas. The purpose of Bane’s mention is to describe the history of the Sith, and why the Jedi think they are extinct. Much of this is similar to canon, but a lot is also quite different. Here’s everything we know about Darth Bane inStar Warscanon.
Darth Bane Lived A Thousand Years Before The Skywalker Saga
1000+ BBY
Darth Bane was a Sith Lord who was from the planetMoraband, also known as Korriban. He became a part of the Sith Brotherhood of Darkness, a group that led the fight against the Jedi during the Republic’s dark age. This was firmly within theOld Republic era, shortly before the reformations that marked the formal shift between the Old Republic and the Republic seen during the Clone Wars andHigh Republiceras.
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This was the era of the last of thewars between the Jedi and Sith, making it an incredibly tumultuous time.Bane served theSith Empire, and noticed that Sith greed and lust for power led to infighting, which made Bane realize a new way forward for the Sith. This realization is what eventually led to Bane’s most influential gift to theStar Warsmythos: theRule of Two.
Darth Bane Established The Rule Of Two
Always Two There Are, No More, No Less
In order to combat Sith infighting, Bane created the Rule of Two. This was a philosophy based on the ancient philosophy of a theoreticalDyad in the Force, where a single master and single apprentice could channel the dark side much more effectively than an entire Empire of Sith. The apprentice would need to eventually slaughter their master in order to keep the chain going.
The Rule of Two became incredibly prolific, with two Sith alone being a small enough group to go under the Jedi Order and Republic’s radar. This led to the Jedi believing that they had defeated Bane for good, while in reality the Rule of Two continued. It continued all the way up to Darth Sidious and Darth Vader, a master and apprentice duo that, interestingly enough, also ended with the apprentice killing the master – but for a reason that ended the Sith instead of continuing their Order.
A Lightsaber & Lightsaber Pike
As with many other Sith, Darth Bane wielded a lightsaber in combat. With his distinctive canon silver and gold armor, he had a silver and gold lightsaber, with a pure golden emitter and a classic crimson colored blade. This was a normal lightsaber, relatively simple for a Sith Lord of Bane’s ferocity. As with the Rule of Two, however, there was another.
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Bane also had alightsaber pike, a much longer-hilted weapon. Much like theDarksaber, this weapon had a distinctly knife-shaped blade, extending from an incredibly unique hilt. This could be wielded much easier with two hands, and the blade was orange and red. This weapon was modeled for his ghostly appearance inStar Wars:The Clone Wars, but was never actually shown.
The Jedi Wiped Out The Sith, & Ended The “Reign Of Darth Bane”
Elzar Mann Explains The Sith To Luke Skywalker
After the events ofThe Empire Strike Back, Luke Skywalker visits a location called the Living Sea of Gazian, where he communes with the consciousnesses of Jedi from the past. One Jedi named Elzar Mann, from the High Republic era, tells Luke about the history of the Jedi, and their defeat of the Sith Lord Darth Bane. In fact, Mann describes the Jedi as having “ended the rule of Sith Lord Darth Bane.”
This confirms that for at least some time, Darth Bane was in power. The specifics of the situation are not known, and this is another case of divergence from Legends.In canon, Darth Bane and his apprentice were likely in power over some sort of military force that was defeated by the Jedi, leading to them considering Bane and the Sith as extinct, with Bane being the “last” Sith Lord.
Darth Bane Was Killed By His Apprentice, Darth Zannah
The Heir Of The Sith
One key element of Bane’s Legends story is his young apprentice Darth Zannah, who he recruits from the planet Somov Rit in theDarth Banetrilogy. This has also been carried over into canon, but Zannah’s origins are not established in canon. We only know that she was indeed his apprentice, and killed Bane to take his title as Lord of the Sith.
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Zannah’s survival was not known to the Jedi after their wars with the Sith, and she was able to gain an apprentice of her own to continue Bane’s legacy. She was indirectly mentioned by Bane’s Sith spirit inThe Clone Wars, solidifying her place in Bane’s story. While Zannah’s name has been mentioned in some more dubious sourcebooks, it has never been directly mentioned in canon. Thus, it could change.
Darth Bane Seems To Have Died On Moraband, & His Spirit Lived There
The Clone Wars Season 6, Episode 13, “Sacrifice”
Bane’s mainStar Warscanon appearance is as aSith spiriton Moraband inThe Clone Warsseason 6. Yoda, on a vision quest given to him by the spectre of Qui-Gon Jinn, visits the ancient Sith capital, where he finds a tomb and the ghost of Bane. Bane tries to scare and threaten Yoda, but the Jedi Master resists the spirit voiced by Mark Hamill himself.
Darth Bane & The Origin Of The Sith Make No Sense After Clone Wars - Is It Possible To Fix This Star Wars Canon Continuity Problem?
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Based on the way that other Sith spirits work, it’s possible that Bane was killed on Moraband itself by Zannah. Sith spirits will often be cursed to haunt areas they were slain in, or objects that were significant to them. Bane was laid in the tomb Yoda visited on Moraband, meaning that there had to be someone to do it. Possibly Zannah, possibly other Sith cultists likeStar Wars' more recent addition, the Sith Eternal.
Darth Bane
One of the most important ancient Sith Lords, Darth Bane became convinced in-fighting among the Sith was the real reason they would inevitably lose - again and again - to the Jedi. He formulated the Rule of Two, a dogma that means there can only ever be two Sith at any time: one to wield power, and the other to crave it.
