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Dark Side
The dark side of the Force, also known as Bogan,[2] regarded as the dark side of the Unity by the Sorcerers of Tund,[3] and called the shadow by the Knights of Ren,[4] was one of two ways of channeling the Force.[1] To tap into the power of the dark side was to indulge in raw emotions such as passion, anger, and hatred. The dark side was greed, the fear of change, and the inability to let go. By holding on to things, one became angry and hateful, which in turn led to suffering. Those who were unable to conquer their dark side were devoured by it.[5] The Sith were Force-sensitives well known for serving the will of the dark side and being the mortal enemies of the Jedi, who served the will of the light side of the Force.[6][7]
Dark Side
The dark side was associated with the night. As with the light side, it was an integral part of all living things, and as the shadow of the soul, the dark side had to be continually overcome by sentients to walk the path of the light; indulging in the dark side led to imbalance.[8] The dark side was not more powerful than the light side; it was an easier, albeit destructive, path. Failing to resist the temptation of darkness would allow the dark side to dominate one's destiny,[1] although redemption was always a possibility.[9]
Anakin Skywalker, gifted in the Force,[6] succumbed to the seduction of the dark side because of his refusal to let go of his attachments. Skywalker was attached to his mother and his wife, and the possibility of their deaths caused him to rebel against the natural course of life and the Force itself, seeking power in his fear of losing his loved ones and becoming a hateful, disfigured cyborg and an agent of evil.[5][10]
The dark side was often given into because it tempted its possible users; even the Son,[12] a Force wielder who embodied the dark side,[13] was unable to resist it.[12] Farmer Kaeden Larte, who had previously seen her friend Ahsoka Tano use the light side of the Force, felt as though the dark side was unnatural and wrong upon seeing the Sixth Brother use the Force choke ability.[14]
The dark side of the Force was defined as anger, fear, aggression[1] and a lust for power. It was stated that the Sith referred to the dark side as "dark" because it was secretive. The Sith kept their knowledge and identities secret because they believed it would make it easier for them to impose order.[11]
The dark side was selfishness and possession, interlocked with the fear of loss that gave rise to anger and hate and brought suffering to those on whom its power was unleashed and who embraced it alike. As noted by former Dark Acolyte Asajj Ventress, those who followed the dark side were never satisfied, always desiring more than what they gained.[15] In fact, Grand Master Yoda stated that giving into fear, anger and hate was a path to the dark side.[6] Yoda believed that, once one started down the dark path, it dominated their destiny forever.[1] Nevertheless, a return to the light side was always possible.[9][16]
In 19 BBY,[17] Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi confronted his former Padawan, the fallen Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, on the volcanic planet of Mustafar. Skywalker had turned to the dark side, creating the persona of the Sith Lord Darth Vader, and believed himself capable of overthrowing his Sith Master Darth Sidious.[5] The duel between Kenobi and Vader resulted in a stalemate,[18] although Vader refused to concede despite his former master gaining the high ground.[5] The dark side filled his senses with rage and hubris, causing Vader to ignore Kenobi's warning as he attempted another attack.[18] Vader was consequently disarmed by Kenobi's counterattack, losing the Skywalker lightsaber and his organic limbs in the process. As a result, he nearly burned to death on the banks of the lava river.[5]
The trap of the dark side was that whatever one selfishly gained through it, it was never enough. The Sith were butchering each other, victims of their own greed, which led to their defeat and near destruction during their wars against the Jedi.[21] Darth Sidious' ultimate desire was to use the powers of the dark side to alter the universe itself.[22] Anakin Skywalker, who initially only wanted the power to defeat death out of attachment to his wife, ultimately developed the desire to rule the galaxy and make things the way he want them to be.[5]
Although Jedi were taught to follow the light side of the Force, the dark side was seductive, and one had to be at calm, at peace, to be passive in order to have a clear mind and thus, a clear judgment, to be mindful of thoughts and feelings.[1] Thus, they could avoid falling to the dark side. Even a Jedi raised in the traditions of the Jedi Order for years could be corrupted by the lure of the dark side in certain situations.[5] Despite this, while the Jedi often described the dark side as a "quick and easy path,"[1] drawing upon its power did not come with ease or without cost to those who possessed strong compassion and were not used to drawing upon feelings such as hatred.[source?]
There were some dark side users who used it for benevolent motives, not just selfishness and greed. Darth Plagueis used it to immortalize the beings he loved,[5] Dooku wanted to use it to destroy the corrupt Republic and bring a just new galactic order,[10] the Son deceived himself saying he wanted the best for the galaxy,[23] and Anakin Skywalker before becoming Darth Vader wanted to save his wife by studying Plagueis.[5]
Relying on anger, fear, hatred, and bitterness, the dark side of the Force granted certain abilities that wielders of the light side had no access to, such as possession[24][25] and the ability to manipulate Force visions.[21] To use the dark side was to let anger and hatred for someone wash them away entirely, allowing the individual to be filled with anger and hate and the desire to cause pain and suffering.[26]
Most dark side powers were purely offensive in nature, such as Force lightning. Dark side power could also be used to alter life and could, according to legend, be used to manipulate midi-chlorians to create life or keep someone from dying.[5] The dark-side historian and Sith cultist Yupe Tashu told Wedge Antilles on Akiva that some Sith Lords were able to siphon the Force from their captives in order to extend their own lives for centuries beyond their natural expiration.[29] Dark side abilities were considered by some to be "unnatural."[5]
The Jedi emphasized that using the Force to hurt or destroy was of the dark side; although the Jedi sought to defend others by disarming the enemy, the line on how far they would go was always blurred, so it was crucial for them to keep their mind clear. Luke Skywalker was tempted by the dark side when he attacked his father in fear of losing his sister just like Anakin Skywalker pledged loyalty to Darth Sidious in fear of losing his love.[30] Jedi Padawan Ezra Bridger drew upon his fear, anger and hate to summon a massive fyrnock to attack the Grand Inquisitor for fear of losing his friends.[31]
The power of the dark side was penetrating and pernicious. The Jedi Temple was built on top of an ancient Sith shrine and, unbeknownst to the Jedi, the power of the dark side seeped upwards through the Temple from the shrine, slowly weakening the Jedi over a millennium.[22]
If the presence of the dark side was significantly powerful, nearby Force-sensitives often feel the sensation of cold. This happened on several occasions to Ezra Bridger and Kanan Jarrus in the presence of Darth Vader, and also occurred when Luke sensed the dark energy emanating from the Cave of Evil on Dagobah.[1][32] Extensive use of the dark side could leave an entire planet corrupted by its energy. Dathomir was one such place that was heavily steeped in the dark side.[15] This could also resonate through physical objects physically associated with individuals with a strong dark side presence,[33] such as that of Darth Momin and his mask. Momin's mask corrupted nearby beings and turned them into mindless killers.[34]
When the Jedi Order's attempt to infiltrate the Nihil marauders failed in the skirmish on Xais, Jedi Master Avar Kriss,[36] even though she had supported the plan,[37] took it as proof that the Jedi and others who deemed themselves servants of the light side could not afford to hide within shadows. She deemed that to be the territory of their enemies and something the Jedi needed to rise above. As such, their next attack, the Battle for No-Space, was a direct assault against the Nihil.[36]
In contrast to the Jedi who adhered to the ways of the light side,[39] the Sith were devotees of the dark side of the Force. Desiring power at any cost, the Sith practiced the ways of hate, deception, and ambition in order to harness the energies of the dark side.[40]
Darth Sidious believed that the source of his dark side power was the universe beyond the edges of the known galaxy.[29] Darth Vader saw the dark side as strength and believed he embodied its power.[41]
Lord Momin saw the dark side of the Force as a higher power[38] Specifically, Momin believed in the creation of art that glorified the dark side, which could, in his view, grant the artist eternal life.[38] Such extremist views led to both Jedi and Sith holocron chroniclers' neglect of Momin.[42] When Momin's spirit restored his body and dueled Vader, he decried the modern Sith by claiming they had failed the dark side to focus on destroying the Jedi, but Momin himself was then killed by Vader.[33]
As dark-side wielders who thrived in a lawless environment,[46] the Knights of Ren held beliefs that were diametrically opposed to the traditions of the Jedi Order.[4] According to Supreme Leader Snoke of the First Order, the Knights' disregard for rules granted them flexibility and the freedom to act as they pleased, whereas the Jedi, in Snoke's view, were rigid due to their code. Despite Snoke's perception of the Knights' strength,[44] Jedi Master Luke Skywalker observed that they lacked discipline and proper training,[4] and possessed only the most basic skills of the dark side.[46] 041b061a72