“I’ve seen evil take many forms: the Sith, the Empire, and now the First Order.” -Maz Kanata
This line from “Star Wars: Episode VII” has haunted me since the blu ray of the movie came out. If the Sith were in hiding until the construction of the Galactic Empire, and were in pitifully reduced numbers compared to might of the Empire and the First Order, what Sith was Maz referring to?
We know that she has lived for over a thousand years before the Battle of Yavin (BBY), but how much more is unclear. It is very unlikely that she ran into any Sith since Darth Bane implemented the rule of two, as it dictated that there were only two Sith in the entire galaxy at any given time.
Given the context of the quote, it seems like she was referring to a time when the Sith were a major power in the galaxy. This would predate Darth Bane, as his Sith Order was destroyed by the Jedi Order in the new canon, with Bane being the sole survivor.
According to the new canon, Bane’s order dissolved approximately one thousand years prior to the Clone Wars. Using the date of “The Force Awakens” as 34 ABY, we can calculate Maz’s birth year as at least 966 BBY. If we use the Battle of Geonisis (22 BBY) and the formation of the Galactic Empire (19 BBY) as markers for the Clone Wars, we can put the end of Bane’s order approximately between 1022 and 1019 BBY, though it is possible that the math could be off as we are working with an approximate difference in years.
Long story short, it is very likely Kanata was alive prior to the rule of two, and was able to see real Sith power in action.
But was Bane’s order impressive enough to be compared to the Galactic Empire and First Order? I think not. According to the official sources, his order was weak. The “Clone Wars” episode Bane debuted in went to great lengths to draw parallels between Bane’s order and the Jedi Council. Both were shells of their former selves who lost their way after thousands of years of dogma, weakened to the point where a single war could wipe out their entire way of life.
At least that’s the impression you get from the official canon, which loosely follows the EU history of events. In the EU canon, the century of 1100 BBY was a radical one. Around 1100 BBY, an event known as the Republic Dark Age took place that signaled the collapse of the Republic (according to “The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia”). During this time, a new incarnation of the Sith Empire (sometimes referred to as the “New Sith Empire,” as established by Darth Ruin) began gobbling up former Republic territory, and grew at a vicious rate.
This generation of Sith were also far less stable than their ancestors. Treachery ran rampant in their ranks, as they had no clear leader until 1010 BBY when they united under a leader named Skere Kaan (keep in mind in the EU the extinction of Bane’s order took place in 1000 BBY, at the hand of Bane himself). They grew in number, but not in unity, and eventually tore each other apart. It was not the Jedi that killed the Sith, the Sith killed each other.
I do think that Kanata was referring to a Sith Empire, but not necessarily one of the ones from the EU. I think that there was definitely an Empire before Darth Bane’s day, but it wasn’t the one directed by Skere Kaan. If the Jedi wiped them out, then the Republic Dark Age probably never happened, and the Sith never grew to the size where their organization became unsustainable.
That being said, was any incarnation of the Sith Empire capable of committing atrocities greater than or equal to those committed by the Galactic Empire and First Order? Hell yes. The Sith Empire might not have been a very strong organization overall, but they sure understood cruel and unusual punishment. In “Knights of the Old Republic,” Sith Alcolytes had to kill their peers in order to reach apprenticeship.
They might’ve been disorganized and divided, but if Kanata saw any incarnation of the Sith Empire, it would be an experience that she would never forget.
Mitchell Chapman 