Darth Nihilus: The Sith Lord Who Consumed Planets

Who is Darth Nihilus?

Darth Nihilus was a Human male who rose to power as a Dark Lord of the Sith during the turbulent period after the Jedi Civil War. Before his transformation into a Sith Lord, he endured significant loss during the Republic’s war with the Mandalorian Neo-Crusaders. He survived the deployment of the Mass Shadow Generator superweapon in the war’s concluding battle on Malachor V, which enveloped the planet in a devastating spatial phenomenon known as a mass shadow.

Experiencing this overwhelming shadow, which nearly destroyed everything around Malachor, fueled Nihilus’s craving for Force energy. This affliction devastated his body, leaving him as a wound in the Force. He was discovered by Kreia, a former Jedi turned seeker of knowledge, who became the Sith Lord Darth Traya. She promised to show him how to satiate his insatiable hunger, and he accepted her offer to become her apprentice at the Trayus Academy on Malachor V. Over time, he rose to become one of the three Dark Lords leading the Sith.

Together, Darth Traya, Darth Nihilus, and Darth Sion formed a Sith triumvirate, with Traya leading them and each taking on unique titles, with Nihilus becoming the Lord of Hunger. As the apprentices trained, they grew in power and ultimately overthrew their master.

Sion defeated Traya in combat, while Nihilus drained her energy. Combining their powers, the two Sith severed her connection to the Force and banished her. Nihilus’s affliction intensified to the point where he had to rely on the dark side to anchor his spirit within his mask and armor to survive. He and Sion subsequently launched a purge of the Jedi, leading to the near-destruction of the Jedi Order.

Nihilus caused the destruction of Katarr in 3952 BBY, annihilating the Jedi present and consuming the Force energy of all life on the planet except for a single Miraluka woman, Visas Marr, whom he took as his apprentice.

A year later, Nihilus detected a presence growing in the Force and sent Visas Marr to eliminate it. This presence was a woman named Meetra Surik, a former Jedi exiled from the Order, who was on a mission to find the Jedi Masters who had survived the Purge. Assisted by Darth Traya, now known as Kreia, Surik was on a path to confront the Sith. When Marr confronted Surik, she was defeated and persuaded to embrace the light side.

Although Nihilus returned to the outskirts of known space, he was eventually tricked by Kreia into attacking Telos IV, aiming to consume the Jedi Academy there, only to discover it held no other Force-sensitives besides the headmistress.

During the ensuing battle, Nihilus was confronted by Surik, Marr, Mandalore the Preserver, and his Mandalorians. They engaged him in combat and ultimately killed him, while the Mandalorians planted explosives that destroyed his flagship, the Ravager. His armor containing his spirit was taken to Korriban, the Sith homeworld, where his spirit could be communed with through his holocron.

What Were Darth Nihilus’s Defining Characteristics?

Darth Nihilus was driven by an endless pursuit of power, but unlike many Sith Lords, he held little regard for the Sith Order itself. Nihilus viewed death as life’s ultimate purpose, and he saw power merely as a means to reach that end. His ruthless campaign against the Jedi demonstrated his aggressiveness and dominance, traits that left no room for any threat to his authority.

Once a Human with long black hair intricately braided and tied, Nihilus lost his physical form to the dark side. Only his spirit persisted, bound within his mask and armor. He fully embraced his monstrous, mysterious condition, instilling a profound terror in those who encountered him.

As he became an entity of pure intent, he lost all emotions, yet his bond with Visas Marr endured until their final confrontation. Although devoid of human empathy, his reaction to Marr’s betrayal revealed that he could still experience anger, especially when it involved his sole apprentice.

What Combat Skills and Force Abilities Did Darth Nihilus Possess?

Darth Nihilus fought in a one-handed, aggressive lightsaber style and possessed formidable Force abilities. His reliance on Sith teachings made him powerful temporarily, though it forced him to feed on Force energy regularly to sustain his strength. This dependency drove him to worlds rich in the Force, which he would devastate entirely to feed his hunger.

As his reach expanded, he could sense Force users across the galaxy and annihilate all life on entire planets, threatening all existence around him. Eventually, his hunger controlled him, compelling him to instinctively drain the life force of those nearby.

His very speech caused excruciating pain and death to those who heard it, and his followers were eventually enslaved to him. This power mirrored Darth Traya’s influence over others, a technique inferred by the Jedi Council to be a form of Force-based manipulation.

Nihilus mastered many dark side abilities. He used a twisted version of the Sever Force power to betray Darth Traya, stripping her of the Force and expelling her from the Sith. He could also manipulate starships using the Force, as demonstrated when he pulled the Ravager from Malachor’s mass shadows and held its wreckage together through sheer will.

Nihilus also preserved his consciousness within his armor, a feat later studied by Darth Krayt through his holocron. His skill set included Force scream, Force plague, Farsight, Force resistance, Dark rage, Force whirlwind, and a dark variation of Force healing.

Additionally, Nihilus wielded Sith alchemy, enabling his followers to bend creatures to their will during the second battle of Onderon. His Force reach was so vast that he could target entire star systems if he chose.

What Weapons and Armor Did Darth Nihilus Use?

Darth Nihilus wore distinctive black robes and armor, merging his spirit with them after his physical body decayed. His white mask, marked with red stripes above the eye slits, covered his face, while his armor enveloped his entire form. The mask featured brown embossed details, splitting it vertically into two halves.

To maintain his hunger for consuming worlds, Nihilus commanded a fleet from his flagship, the Ravager. These vessels, torn from Malachor V’s wreckage, were damaged and held together by Nihilus’s will. He allowed only minimal shielding to preserve an atmosphere on board, and his fleet was crewed by slaves twisted physically by his dark influence.

Darth Nihilus’s Lightsaber

Darth Nihilus wielded a self-constructed lightsaber with a red crystal, which was destroyed aboard the Ravager following his duel with Meetra Surik.

The Mask of Darth Nihilus

The Mask of Darth Nihilus was a significant piece of armor that Nihilus bound to himself through the Force to maintain a semblance of physical form. Darth Nihilus was one of the few survivors of the Mass Shadow Generator’s activation on Malachor V’s surface during the final battle of the Mandalorian Wars. This event left him with an insatiable hunger for the Force, which eventually began to erode his physical body. To preserve himself, he bound his spirit to his armor, robes, and mask using the dark side.

In the end, during the First Jedi Purge, Nihilus met his end aboard his flagship, the Ravager, where he was defeated by Meetra Surik, alongside Visas Marr and Mandalore, Canderous Ordo, leaving his mask as a dark reminder of his time as the Lord of Hunger.

The mask, now a Sith artifact, was said to encourage wearers to self-destruct for greater power. Infused with Nihilus’s dark energy, the ghostly white mask granted those who wore it the ability to wield the Force as a Sith apprentice might. Later, it was rediscovered on the planet Volik, aboard the wreckage of the smuggling ship Nashuaga.

How Did Darth Nihilus Become a Sith?

The Human male who would later be known as Darth Nihilus lived during the end of the Mandalorian Wars, a galaxy-wide conflict between the Mandalorian Neo-Crusaders and the Galactic Republic.

Amidst the war, he lost everything—his family, friends, and even his will to live. He was on the planet Malachor V during the final battle in 3960 BBY, when Jedi General Meetra Surik ordered the activation of the Republic’s Mass Shadow Generator. The superweapon annihilated nearly everyone on the planet’s surface and in nearby space.

The future Dark Lord survived the devastation caused by the generator, though he was left trapped on Malachor by the artificial mass shadows and disabled fleets surrounding the planet. Emotionally overwhelmed by his losses, he took on a darker persona to survive.

As a result of the shadows’ effects, he was afflicted with an insatiable “hunger” for Force energy. Without intending to, he drained the life force of another survivor. Although he found the experience unsettling, it temporarily eased his emotional agony and illness. However, his hunger quickly returned, growing more intense each time he fed.

What Was the Sith Triumvirate, and How Did Nihilus Fit Into it?

Following the death of Darth Malak at the end of the Jedi Civil War in 3956 BBY, the Sith Empire fractured, with its followers vying for power in many factions. Eventually, the man was discovered by the Sith Lord Darth Traya, who sensed his presence as a wound in the Force.

Traya explained that his hunger was fueled by the Force itself and offered to teach him to consume entire worlds to satisfy it. He followed her to the Trayus Academy on Malachor V, where he trained alongside another Sith apprentice.

In time, he took the name Darth Nihilus, while his fellow apprentice became Darth Sion, forming a Sith Triumvirate with Traya at its head. Nihilus adopted the title “Lord of Hunger.”

Darth Traya regarded Nihilus’s consuming hunger as a potential threat to the Sith’s larger goals. Nevertheless, she taught him how to harness it, making him stronger temporarily.

Nihilus periodically consumed entire worlds, giving in to his hunger each time, which only made it grow stronger. His powers expanded with each feeding, eventually surpassing his master’s. Diverging views on how to eliminate the Jedi Order drove a wedge in the Triumvirate, with Sion and Nihilus wanting a direct approach, while Traya favored a slower, more calculated strategy.

By 3955 BBY, the two apprentices combined forces to confront and overpower Traya, using a combination of their powers to drain her of the Force before banishing her.

Without Traya, the Sith factions fractured once again, and the two remaining Dark Lords pursued the extermination of the Jedi in different ways. Sion hunted Jedi relentlessly, while Nihilus, now commanding a large fleet, traveled the galaxy’s fringes, seeking sources of Force energy to satisfy his hunger.

His flagship, the Ravager, was one of many vessels he had ripped from Malachor’s mass shadows and led to these sites of power to consume the Force. Over the next four years, Nihilus and Sion unified the Sith once more to bring them under their control.

Nihilus’s obsession with the dark side and his hunger consumed his physical form, forcing him to contain his spirit within his armor to avoid death. By anchoring his consciousness in his mask and robes, he continued to use his Force abilities despite lacking a physical body, becoming a being of pure intent. He also created a holocron that contained much of his knowledge of the Sith.

Who was Visas Marr, and How Did She Become Darth Nihilus’s Apprentice?

The Trayus Academy, under the leadership of Sion and Nihilus, continued to produce numerous Sith Lords, assassins, and marauders. These Sith spread destruction across the galaxy, and those who were near Nihilus found their Force energy drained, which boosted his followers’ power and taught them how to sense potential targets across vast distances.

In 3952 BBY, Jedi Master Atris convened a large gathering of Jedi on the Miraluka colony world of Katarr, hoping to lure and destroy a dark presence she had sensed. Nihilus, drawn by the concentration of Force energy, approached Katarr.

When he arrived, he unleashed his ravenous hunger, which obliterated the planet’s entire surface and annihilated everything touched by the Force, including many prominent Jedi Masters. Although Atris herself was absent, the massacre significantly weakened the Jedi Order.

Walking amidst the desolation on Katarr, Nihilus found a lone survivor: a wounded Miraluka named Visas Marr. He placed her in a deep sleep and brought her aboard his ship, the Ravager. When Marr awoke, she confronted Nihilus, asking why he had spared her life. Instead of answering, he shared his vision of the galaxy as he saw it—a chaotic realm filled with beings disconnected from the Force and each other.

This vision blinded Marr’s ability to see through the Force and scarred her empty eye sockets. Accepting his offer, she became his Shadow Hand, forming a powerful Force bond with him that strengthened them both, though it also created a vulnerability they could exploit in battle.

What Led to Darth Nihilus’s Defeat?

Nihilus eventually allied with General Vaklu, a separatist leader on the planet Onderon who sought independence from the Galactic Republic. By supporting Vaklu’s cause, Nihilus hoped to bring Onderon under his influence and establish a Sith stronghold there. Vaklu’s second-in-command, Colonel Tobin, served as Nihilus’s contact on the planet.

Nihilus also established a base on Dxun, Onderon’s moon, within the tomb of the ancient Sith Lord Freedon Nadd. Inside this dark nexus, his followers conducted rituals intended to sway the Onderonian Civil War in Vaklu’s favor.

Elsewhere in the galaxy, events leading to Nihilus’s ultimate downfall were unfolding. Atris, intent on drawing Nihilus into a trap, orchestrated the return of Jedi exile Meetra Surik in 3951 BBY. Atris broadcast Surik’s location across the galaxy, and Darth Sion pursued her to the Peragus Mining Facility.

The facility was destroyed in the ensuing conflict, resulting in the loss of a crucial fuel supply for the Telosian Restoration Project, which strengthened secessionist movements across the Republic. Surik, now under the guidance of her former master Kreia (Darth Traya, who had renounced her Sith identity), began searching for the few remaining Jedi Masters to take on the Sith Lords.

Sensing a growing disturbance in the Force, Nihilus sent Visas Marr to confront its source: Meetra Surik. Instead, Surik defeated Marr and persuaded her to turn against Nihilus. Meanwhile, Nihilus continued his rampage, devouring entire worlds to fuel his insatiable hunger.

The dark rituals on Dxun were interrupted when Surik, along with Mandalore the Preserver and his Mandalorian clan, launched an attack, killing Nihilus’s followers before the ritual was fully completed. Simultaneously, Surik intervened in the Onderonian Civil War, siding with Queen Talia and helping defeat Vaklu and his forces, effectively thwarting Nihilus’s plans for Onderon.

Darth Nihilus’ Death

Following these events, Colonel Tobin informed Nihilus of a Jedi Academy on Telos IV—a ruse devised by Kreia to lure him there while she prepared Surik for a final confrontation on Malachor. Nihilus, driven by his hunger, approached Telos IV with his mindless servants and Sith warriors, only to face an ambush by the Republic Navy and Mandalorian allies.

The Battle of Telos IV unfolded both on Citadel Station, orbiting Telos, and in space. Though Nihilus soon realized the Academy was devoid of Force-sensitives apart from Atris, he attempted to consume Telos’s energy regardless, driven by his insatiable need.

Nihilus’s flagship, the Ravager, was soon boarded by Mandalorians led by Mandalore, with Republic forces covering their advance. Surik and Marr joined Mandalore, placing proton bombs throughout the ship. Colonel Tobin, physically corrupted by Nihilus’s dark powers, tried to stop them but ultimately yielded, realizing Onderon could suffer the same fate as Telos if Nihilus prevailed.

In the final confrontation, Nihilus attempted to drain Surik’s Force energy, but her unique ability to draw upon surrounding Force energies prevented this, leaving Nihilus momentarily vulnerable. Though he appeared nearly invincible, Marr disrupted their Force bond, weakening Nihilus enough for Surik and her allies to strike him down.

Before departing, Marr removed his mask to see the face of the one who had scarred her, just as the bombs detonated, destroying the Ravager and the remaining Sith fleet. Nihilus’s armor, containing his spirit, was later interred on Korriban, where he remained bound to the dark side nexus.

What Was Darth Nihilus’s Legacy in the Galaxy?

After Nihilus’s defeat, Meetra Surik traveled to Malachor V for a final encounter with Kreia, completing her own training by confronting her former Sith mentor. During this encounter, Surik also fought and defeated Darth Sion, persuading him to relinquish his suffering and allow death to take him.

Although the Sith Triumvirate was destroyed, the Sith Order continued to exist. Following Nihilus’s passing, a new Sith Lord emerged, taking control in secrecy as the Galactic Republic began to stabilize. Similarly, the Jedi Order was rebuilt with the aid of Visas Marr and other Force-sensitive companions of Surik.

In 3681 BBY, another major conflict erupted—the Great Galactic War—bringing the Sith Empire into battle against the Republic. In the aftermath, an uneasy truce between the Sith and Jedi gave rise to the Cold War in 3653 BBY, a period marked by tension and sporadic skirmishes. In the years that followed, replicas of Nihilus’s mask and cowl became popular among galactic citizens as symbols of fear and intrigue.

Darth Nihilus’ Holocron

Darth Nihilus’ holocron—a device containing his teachings and a means to commune with his spirit—survived the centuries and was eventually acquired by the crime lord Diago Hixan. Hixan kept it hidden on Tatooine within the Lightspring cavern. The Sith Vaverone Zare, learning of the holocron’s existence, sought to claim it for the Sith Empire. She enlisted the help of a smuggler, later known as the Voidhound, but concealed the holocron’s true significance.

However, the smuggler aligned with the Galactic Republic, warning Jedi Knight Nariel Pridence of Zare’s plan. Pridence attempted to retrieve the holocron but was captured by Hixan. Aided by the smuggler, she ultimately defeated both Hixan and Zare, ensuring the holocron would remain out of Sith hands.

Before the rise of the Galactic Empire in 19 BBY, Jedi Master Bodo Baas recorded three conflicting accounts of Nihilus’s death in his holocron: one suggesting he was slain by Brianna, a companion of Surik who was on the surface of Telos IV; another claiming that Visas Marr was his killer, and a third stating that Nihilus had killed Marr.

Centuries later, the Sith Lord Darth Krayt, founder of the One Sith Order, encountered Nihilus’s holocron on Korriban. In 137 ABY, Krayt accessed the holocrons of Nihilus, Darth Andeddu, and Darth Bane, seeking guidance on halting the deterioration of his body due to Yuuzhan Vong biotics. Although Nihilus spoke only in an indecipherable Sith language, all three holocrons united in their condemnation of Krayt, deeming him unworthy of the Sith mantle for his deviation from traditional Sith doctrine.

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