Star Wars had many other works apart from the movies before Disney’s acquisition. Among them was a continued story set after Episode 6. One of the biggest villains is Darth Krayt, whose origins date back to the Clone Wars.
Which character is it about? Before Disney’s acquisition, the Star Wars universe was also expanded beyond the films. There were games, books, and comics. Hence, the character Mara Jade and the evil being Abeloth originate from there.
An important character in Star Wars Legends is Darth Krayt, previously known as A’Sharad Hett. Like Anakin Skywalker, Hett was also born on Tatooine. He was the son of a legendary Jedi Master and lived with the Tusken Raiders.
In his youth, he became the Padawan of Ki-Adi-Mundi and later the Dark Lady
. He was knighted as a Jedi Master and fought as a general during the Clone Wars. However, his righteous path changed when he met Anakin Skywalker.
The First Step on the Path to the Dark Side
During the Clone Wars, Hett encountered Anakin Skywalker and learned that the young Jedi had killed the Tusken Raiders out of rage. In a moment of anger, Anakin attacked the Tusken Jedi, but Hett was able to overpower him. In a personal moment, Hett removed his mask and calmed the Jedi.
Hett kept the brutal killing of the Tusken Raiders to himself, believing Anakin could control his own feelings.
Hett was one of the few Jedi to survive after Palpatine’s takeover of the Senate and Order 66. To hide, he traveled back to Tatooine and continued to live as a leader of a Tusken tribe. When Hett’s tribe in Tatooine attempted to raid Owen Lars’ farm, he encountered Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Against him, he lost and was sent into exile, forced to leave Tatooine. During the fight with Obi-Wan, he also learned that Anakin was now Darth Vader. As a result, guilt grew that made him susceptible to the dark side.
During his exile, Hett worked as a bounty hunter until he found a Sith Holocron on a planet. There, he was trained by the spirit of the ancient Sith Mistress XoXaan in the dark side, driven by feelings of revenge.
The Rise of Darth Krayt
Much time passed during his training. By the time he completed his training, the Battle of Endor had already ended. He traveled to an unknown planet, where he was captured and tortured by the Yuuzhan Vong, an alien race. Hett learned that they wanted to wage war against the new Republic of Luke.
He escaped from captivity but did not warn the New Republic, which led to the Yuuzhan Vong War. During his captivity, he concluded that the galaxy needed to be unified again, but according to his own terms.
While the New Republic was at war, Hett, now called Darth Krayt, founded the new Sith Order. In doing so, he changed the most important rule of the Sith.
The Rule of One
For a long time, the Sith lived by the Rule of Two.
This rule was established by Darth Bane, who wanted to end the internal wars within the Sith Order. There was one Master and one Apprentice. Darth Krayt changed this and introduced the Rule of One.
In his new order, there is one Sith Master at the top. That would be him. Below him, there are several power-sensitive apprentices or Sith who band together for a common goal. Through this, Darth Krayt seeks to ensure blind obedience.
He Achieved What All Sith Want
Darth Krayt and his many followers became a significant threat to the new Jedi and the Republic. Although he fought alongside Luke against the being Abeloth, his efforts were always aimed at seizing power. He succeeded in that. Darth Krayt managed to defeat the Jedi and establish a new Galactic Empire.
Due to his power abilities, he lived significantly longer than other characters and even over a hundred years after Episode 6, regularly fighting against descendants of the Skywalkers.
Ironically, what happened to him is what happens with all Sith Lords: One of his loyal apprentices betrayed and killed him. Although he was resurrected, he was ultimately killed by Cade Skywalker, who lived 125 years after Episode 6.
How can one read the story of Darth Krayt? He appears as a supporting character in individual stories, including Clone Wars comics or the Kenobi book by John Jackson Miller. His main time as a villain can best be experienced with the Star Wars Legacy comics. Unfortunately, it’s relatively difficult or quite expensive to obtain some volumes (via youtini.com).
Will we ever see Darth Krayt in the current canon? That is quite unlikely. While Disney likes to draw on aspects from Legends works, since the story of Darth Krayt is conceived as a continuation of Episode 6, Disney will likely not reference it.
Disney has already provided its own sequel with their films. They are also quite active with series related to the Star Wars universe. Although not all fans like this: “Even Harry Potter is more Star Wars than this nonsense” – The latest Star Wars from Disney hits a negative record
