Star Wars: The High Republic Phase II is proving why the Death Star was the ultimate Sith superweapon. Thousands of years ago, a schism among the Jedi led to the creation of the Sith. The Sith swore themselves over to the dark side of the Force. Where Jedi seek to serve the will of the Force, the Sith aim to corrupt it, using it to their own selfish ends.
This is perfectly illustrated by the Sith approach to kyber crystals. Sith “bleed” kyber crystals, turning them red and infusing them with the dark side; this is the reason Sith lightsabers are red, rather than the various colors used by the Jedi. What is more, since ancient times the Sith have created superweapons of tremendous destructive potential. As Yoda observes in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, many of the most fearsome superweapons have been powered by kyber. The Death Star is the most infamous of them all, constructed by Palpatine as the ultimate symbol of the Empire’s might. The Death Star may not be the most destructive Sith superweapon – it is far exceeded by Starkiller Base, seen in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. But Star Wars: The High Republic Phase II is revealing why it should be considered the most potent Sith superweapon in another sense.
The kyber powering the Death Star’s superweapon was largely drawn from the planet Jedha, a world rich in the Force that was introduced in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Star Wars: The High Republic Phase II, set 350 years before the events of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, is revealing just how important Jedha was to the galaxy. Known as the galaxy’s Kyber Heart, it was a sacred place to almost every Force tradition in the galaxy. In fact, Jedha was regularly the site of Convocations, where Force adherents gathered to discuss their beliefs and explore the nature of the Force. The Sith transformed a holy place into the power source of its most destructive superweapon, using it to destroy the planet Alderaan.
The Kyber Heart Of The Galaxy Became The Symbol Of Palpatine’s Empire
The story of one convocation is being told in Cavan Scott’s Star Wars: The High Republic series. It stars Jedi Vildar Mac, a troubled member of the Order who has been sent there by the Jedi to participate in this convocation, and he will likely find his peace as he interacts with different traditions such as the Guardians of the Whills and the Sorcerers of Tund. This story shows Jedha at its height, a center of peace and harmony in the galaxy.
It is frankly shocking to see the Sith turn such a beautiful symbol into nothing more than fuel for their weapons. No doubt the desecration of Jedha served as a warning to every single Force cult across the galaxy, telling them just how insignificant the Empire considered their beliefs to be. Tarkin showed no caution when he chose to test the Death Star on Jedha in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, destroying it with the Death Star superlaser powered by its own stolen heart. That Death Star really was the ultimate demonstration of the Sith’s evil in Star Wars.
