The Star Wars Legends timeline established that a Sith Lord who nearly rivals the power of Palpatine was – in a way – present in A New Hope. The Sith Lord in question also exists in the new Star Wars canon, as does his connection to a key location in A New Hope‘s final act. Since the Legends continuity became an alternate timeline in 2014, the current Star Wars canon has used it as a source of inspiration for its new properties. In some cases, whole portions of the Legends timeline are brought into the new canon, and this powerful ancient Sith Lord is no exception.
While Palpatine is deservedly seen as the most powerful Sith Lord in the Star Wars franchise, there are a few who arguably rival his power. One such Sith Lord is Exar Kun, who was introduced in Kevin J. Anderson’s Star Wars: The Jedi Academy Trilogy and played a major role in the Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi comics. Exar Kun is not only renowned for his astounding feats with the dark side of the Force but also for his use and popularization of the double-bladed lightsaber, which became even more famous as the signature weapon of Darth Maul. Kun also has a fascinating connection to A New Hope.
A New Hope Introduced The Massassi Temples Of Yavin 4
The Rebel Alliance’s highly sought-after hidden fortress in A New Hope was located on Yavin IV. The massive stone temple that the rebels converted into their base once belonged to the Massassi, an ancient subspecies of the Sith whose name would go on to be co-opted by the Sith Order. The Massassi themselves were first mentioned in Marvel’s Legends-era Star Wars comics (one of the earliest Legends properties in the Star Wars franchise) and would be further expanded on in other Legends stories, like the Tales of the Jedi comics. Moreover, the Massassi built the Great Temple (and future rebel base) to worship the ancient Sith Lord Naga Sadow.
It was Naga Sadow who led an army of loyal Massassi to Yavin IV, where they constructed the Great Temple. Sadow also further mutated the Sith offshoot species, making them even deadlier by empowering them with the dark side of the Force. Even after Sadow was betrayed and killed by his Sith apprentice, Freedon Nadd, the Massassi remained on Yavin IV, but their history on the jungle moon would come to an end with the arrival of Exar Kun, who enslaved the Massassi, forced them to construct more temples, and drained their life to empower himself, leaving few survivors.
Star Wars Legends Linked The Sith Lord Exar Kun To Yavin 4
Exar Kun, while one of the deadliest Sith menaces of the Old Sith Wars era, would meet his end on Yavin IV – and more than once. Kun’s experimentations with the dark side allowed him to separate his dark essence from his body, but his ritual was interrupted by a team of Jedi, resulting in his physical body’s destruction and his chaotic Sith spirit remaining trapped on Yavin IV. The dark side spirit of Exar Kun lay dormant on Yavin IV, outliving even Palpatine following his deaths at the Battle of Endor and Operation Shadow Hand, but he would wreak havoc on Luke Skywalker’s fledgling New Jedi Order.
Even while trapped on Yavin IV, Exar Kun’s spirit was extremely dangerous and destructive, influencing the minds of those he could reach into and corrupting people like Gantoris and Kyp Durron to the dark side. Luke’s students, with the help of Luke Skywalker and the spirit of Exar Kun’s former Jedi Master Vodo-Siosk Baas, defeated the disembodied Sith Lord, sending him back to the chaos of the dark side forever. Exar Kun’s fate is, notably, similar to that of Palpatine himself.
Exar Kun’s Yavin 4 Connection Is Still Possible In Star Wars Canon
In the current Star Wars canon, Exar Kun is confirmed to exist in some form thanks to an Easter egg in Solo: A Star Wars Story. Moreover, the Sith Lord Naga Sadow, his army of Massassi slaves, and their creation of the Great Temple on Yavin IV also carried over into the new canon, albeit in broad strokes. Exar Kun has yet to be tied to Yavin IV and the future rebel base in A New Hope, but the necessary lore to connect this terrifying Sith Lord to the iconic Yavin IV temple exists in the current Star Wars canon.
