Darth Bane

A towering figure in Sith history, Darth Bane fundamentally reshaped the dark side’s approach to power through ruthless pragmatism and strategic brilliance. Born into poverty on the mining world of Apatros, he discovered his Force sensitivity whilst working in the cortosis mines, where his natural aggression and cunning soon manifested as formidable dark side abilities. His transformation from downtrodden miner to Sith Lord began when he joined the Sith Academy on Korriban during the New Sith Wars.

Bane’s most significant contribution to galactic history was his creation of the Rule of Two, a doctrine that would govern the Sith for the next thousand years. Disgusted by the infighting and weakness he witnessed amongst the Brotherhood of Darkness, he orchestrated their complete destruction at the Seventh Battle of Ruusan through a devastating thought bomb. This calculated genocide eliminated nearly all Force-users on both sides, leaving him as the sole surviving Sith Lord.

From the ashes of the old order, he established his revolutionary philosophy: there would be only two Sith at any time—a master to embody power and an apprentice to crave it. This system ensured that each generation would grow stronger through conflict, whilst maintaining absolute secrecy from the Jedi. He passed this wisdom to his apprentice, Darth Zannah, whom he trained rigorously in both lightsabre combat and Sith sorcery.

Though he met his end on Ambria in a final confrontation with Zannah, his legacy endured through the hidden Sith lineage that would eventually produce Darth Sidious and the fall of the Republic.