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When it comes to theStar Warsfranchise, not many fans focus their attention on the clothing that the characters wear. For a lot of people, many characters from the series either look incredibly cool or a bit dorky, and that’s about all the thought put into appearance. But unsurprisingly, the apparel featured inStar Warsis almost always significant, especially when it comes to the Sith.
The Sith have been at odds with the Jedi for years, trading wins across the course of the series. One thing that fans will notice as they comb through the rich history ofStar Wars, whether canon or not (despite most of the information stemming from the Legends continuity), is all the unique appearances of the Sith. They not only take great pride in what they wear, but what they choose to wear matters a lot more than most might expect.
5000 BBY (Possibly earlier)
Planet Founded
Moraband
Long ago, before there were only supposed to be two Sith in the galaxy at any point in time, the first Sith to rise to prominence didn’t resemble modern Sith at all. This era was known as the Old Sith Empire, back when the term"Sith" actually referred to a race of people. During this time, the Jedi who had turned their backs on the Light Side congregated and wound up dominating the Sith people, eventually merging into the culture. Due to the nature of those who would turn their back on the Jedi, the new Sith could be quite ostentatious.
Amongthe first of the Sith, those at the top of the order often looked and dressed like ancient kings. They wore vibrant, rich armor that gave them a glamorous air of wealth, as well as making them look battle-ready. This was all intentional, as the Sith hoped that their ornate garb would force others into jealousy, rage, or even a state of mental inferiority. As one might expect, that concept persevered into the future, even when the Sith transitioned to wearing simple robes. Despite wearing large pieces of decorative armor including headpieces, these Sith would still include robes in the design of their garb, even if it wasn’t the focal point.
Did The Sith Wear Armor?
Sith Clothing Types
While many Sith have included pieces of armor in their garb over the years, it wasn’t always common for them to don full suits of armor. The most notable example would be Darth Vader’s armor, which protected him from a variety of attacks while also acting as a life support system for his damaged body.Darth Vader might be the most recognizable example of Sitharmor inStar Wars, but he is far from the only one.
Back during the Old Empire, Sith would wear terrifying suits of armor, each one made to fit the needs or design preferences of the wearer. This resulted in sleek, aggressive, and intentionally scary suits that were intended to throw off whoever dared to stand before them in combat.The bombastic fighting style of the ancient Sitheven had them using their own suits of armor as weapons against their foes, which meant no Jedi could get too close for fear of being impaled by an armor spike.
Information on Sith armor can be harder to come by, but it can be far more deadly than meets the eye. Warb Null would become bound to his armor through twisted Sith magic, and that wasn’t necessarily unique to his situation. It may very well be the case thatthe Sith used Sith Alchemyto further enchant and enhance the armor that they would wear. This could allow them to become even fiercer in combat, or boost their connection to the Force.
Why Did The Sith Begin Wearing Robes?
Throughout the history of the Sith, it is clear that powerful robes have been a mainstay since the beginning. Even when an emphasis was placed on armor, many Sith were still known to wear their robes beneath the armor. This point is reinforced in the novelStar Wars: Darth Plagueisby James Luceno, whenexamining the words of Darth Tenebrous:
Where the Sith once wore armor, we now wear cloaks. […] For the present, the more covert we remain, the more influence we can have. Our revenge will be achieved not through subjugation but by contagion.
One major factor behind this is that long before Darth Sidious, the Sith would directly channel the Force into their robes during the process of their creation. This technique boosted the wearer’s connection to the Force, and in turn, made them a far more deadly opponent for anyone they had to face.
Despite all of this, simply wearing Sith attire didn’t make one a Sith/ Count Dooku made this clear in one of his most infamous quotes tothe Dark Side adept Asajj VentressinStar Wars: Clone Wars:
You wear the trappings of the Sith, you fight like the Sith, but this can be imitated, however. You lack a vital quality found in all Sith.
Later on during the Old Sith Wars, the Sith would add a new purpose to their robes: identity concealment. This seems to be where the practice of wearing a large hood that covers facial features began. From there, Sith robes would come in and out of fashion depending on who was the strongest in the order at the time and the needs of the ongoing events in the galaxy. The famed robes thatStar Warsfans know and love began rising in popularity or were derived from the robes worn during the New Sith Wars. Darth Sidious would later transition the robes even further to be the polar opposite of Jedi robes, likely intended as a slap in the face to the people he despised the most.
During Emperor Palpatine’s returnto prominence as the head of the Sith andhis imposition of the Rule of Two, robes became a much simpler affair, made of a simple black material. They may have still been enhanced with the Force, especially since Palpatine was also known to wear a red version of his robes while demonstrating immense skill and speed.
Star Warsis available to stream on Disney+.
Star Wars
Star Wars is a multimedia franchise originally created by George Lucas and Lucasfilm Ltd with the 1977 motion picture. The science fiction franchise follows the adventures of characters (both humanoid and alien) in outer space including those who can wield a mystical power known as the Force. Since the release of the original trilogy of movies, the franchise has expanded to include multiple films and branched out to other media like comics, video games, tv shows, theme park attractions, and more. The IP and Lucasfilm were sold to Disney in 2012.
