[darth_newmacer]

While I was watching Revenge of the Sith at my local theater, it hit me last weekend.... What's a Sith?

I mean, when i think of Sith I insticntively think of Darth Vader... but what are they?
Did Lucas come up with them or did some EU writer come up with the idea( and Lucas liked it and ran to hell with it?)... I mean, I always thought of the Sith to be a bad idea, just in the PT (since they aren't even mentioned in the OT, I think) I mean, so what there are sith and sith lords right?
Like Asaaj Ventress (or however you spell her name...) she's a sith and Count Dooku (or Darth Tyrannus) is a Sith "Lord", correct?
And these Sith, they're just like Jedi, right? A counter-part... (I actually know a little about these guys due to my playing of KOTOR, a great game by all means!)
But in the PT, I never understand them... I've also wondered what the friggin tile "Darth" means... I always assumed it had to do with the Sith "tribe", you know? The tribe that uses "Darth" as their title, kinda like Gang colors or Sir/Senor/Mr./Don, you know a different title for a different "tribe"... is this right?
And why is it that in ROTJ, darth Sidious, who never gets called that after ROTS, doesn't tell Luke to join the Sith? He only mentions the "dark side of the force" which is the same thing right? If you use the dark side, you're a sith, maybe not a sith "Lord" but you're in the club, correct?
Also I heard, when you kill a sith apprentice "Lord" I guess you would call it, you become the new apprentice right? Thats why in ROTJ, the emporer states: Take your father's place, and fufill your destiny of some shit like that...
So, was Obi-Wan sith, or not because he controlled his rage?

Finally, why do the sith need revenge, if they have obviously not been obliterated, they were obvoiusly kept alive through the ages, it not like they were completely wiped out... you know like the Jedi, who in the end ceased to be useful, all their hope was on a farm boy if you think about it! That revenge thing I never got, shit! My family didn't even know what the hell a sith was! I'm here looking for knowledge about these sith, who were never explained, but play the hugest role in the saga, but are never mention in the OT!!

I'm out...

[LiocModnar]

Have you consulted the SW Databank entry? It seemed to provide a decent starting point.

With only the OT to go on, I'd always associated Darth as a bastardised Dark. Using Lucas's generally uninspired naming strategy, we get Dark Father as the evil overlord of the galaxy. When other Darths showed up with the PT I noticed Darth and Lord were used pretty interchangeably. Some days those cigars really are cigars.

[Darth Player]

Another Lucas loophole made worse by the events of the PT. If you consider that fruit Michael Flattley considers himself "Lord of the Dance" it implies that he's the best dancer and anyone else dancing is subserviant to his "Lord" status.

Similiarly, Darth Vader was described as Lord of the Sith, and therefore commanded a legion of the Sith, but the PT F-ed this up, so he's really master of himself, a la George Costanza of Seinfeld fame, "Master of his own domain".

Palpatine had the successors to the one Sith apprentice lined up in the wings pretty early when they'd take over, he goaded Anakin for a number of years, taking him into his confidence until the time came that they'd duke it out, and one would either remain or become a new Apprentice to Palp's Master. With Luke, he didn't have a lot of lead time to turn him, so he deserved to get thrown down the shaft in ROTJ. How Vader thought Palps woudn't know of his "ingenious" plan to overthrow Palpatine together is beyond me. The complete 180 he does during the Endor scene that he "must obey (my) master" also doesn't make sense when he goaded his son to join him and overthrow Palps.

This post has been edited by Darth Player: 18 July 2005 - 07:55 PM