Kevin J. Anderson, Dario Carrasco, et al.: The Golden Age of the Sith
Of all the literature of the EU, The Golden Age of the Sith (GAOTS) is the earliest “record” of the Republic and the Sith’s history, dating back 5,000 years before the Battle of Yavin (BBY). It’s a five-part comic mini-series from Dark Horse Comics, though an intro issue, #0, was published first.
The events take place on Cinnagar, a city on Koros, one of seven planets in the newly united Koros system, ruled by Empress Teta. Other locations include Korriban and other Sith planets in what is currently known as the Corporate Sector in the Outer Rim, just south of the Hydian Way.
The story follows brother and sister Gav and Jori Daragon, in their desperate effort to chart a new hyperspace path to facilitate trade to other systems. Their ship, the Starbreaker 12, is being repaired. Because they’re impoverished, they have no way to pay for it. In a last-ditch effort to earn money, they steal their own ship from the repair dock, and set random hyperspace coordinates to explore. This leads them to Korriban, which is ruled by the Sith Empire.
On Korriban, Marka Ragnos, the recently deceased Dark Lord of the Sith has just been interred. Two of the Sith Lords argue about who should take the Dark Lord’s place. Ludo Kressh and Naga Sadow each feel that he is the rightful “heir.”
It’s my understanding that the apprentice replaces the Dark Lord if the latter is killed by the former or by some other means. Granted, that applies to the Sith who fall under the two-Sith rule. GAOTS doesn’t indicate how the new Dark Lord is chosen, nor does it reveal how Ragnos died. However, these questions are answered in Christopher McElroy’s Time Tales.
After the Daragons land and are questioned, the Sith divide themselves into two camps:
- Kressh’s, who believe that the pair’s arrival is an omen of an impending Republic invasion; and
- Sadow’s, who insist that the Daragons represent an opportunity to expand the Sith Empire.
The siblings are imprisoned, pending execution, upon which the Sith Lords agree.
I enjoyed reading about how the Sith and the Republic (through the Daragons) regained contact. It was interesting, too, to see what the now-extinct Sith species looked like. When the Dark Jedi were banished from the Republic centuries earlier, having fought with the Light Side Jedi, some interbred with the Sith natives, who they enslaved. Many of their descendants had tremendous Force power and interestingly, all of the Sith Lords were men.
In GAOTS, members of the Sith species are dark pink/light red in color, and have what looks like a mustache dangling from either side of their mouths and tapering to a point. Instead of facial hair, this “mustache” looks like cartilage. Some of the fallen Jedi’s offspring, such as Ludo Kressh, look exactly like this. Others, namely Naga Sadow, is a combination of Sith and human–the Sith features aren’t as pronounced. What I’m not sure about is whether or not Kressh is descended from a Dark Jedi. Sadow boasts that he possesses Jedi blood, but Kressh makes no mention of this with relation to his own heritage.
The Massassi, a warrior species the Sith use as an army of sorts, look just like the Sith except that their eyes are yellow and lack an iris and pupil. In Time Tales, McElroy claims that the Massassi race was the result of the Dark Jedi’s experiments on the Sith. However, this isn’t explicitly stated in GAOTS.
As for the ancient Jedi, they are composed of many species I have yet to encounter in the EU literature I still haven’t read. The older model of lightsabers they wield aren’t cordless; rather, they are attached to a charger worn on their utility belts. Also, battle meditation is utilized and isn’t a Force power rarely found in Jedi (as BioWare’s game KotOR would have you believe).
When the Jedi scholar Odan-Urr discovers how to harness this power, he teaches the method to Memit Nadill, Empress Teta’s Jedi advisor. Together, the two Jedi immobilize the guerilla forces on Kirrek, thus liberating the last planet to unite with the other six in the Koros system.
The fashion in this era is similar to the Greco-Romans’ and Egyptians’: sandals that strap up and around the calves, gold accessories (headdresses, jewelry), garments resembling togas, and so on. This was a bit jarring because it differs from my own perception of Republic clothing style, primarily cloaks and robes. However, my perceptions are limited to the Clone Wars Era and beyond, so certainly styles could have been drastically different. In designing the attire, Dario Carrasco, Jr., was obviously influenced by our own ancient civilizations. As such, it doesn’t seem like the events take place in a galaxy far, far away.
Overall, I liked reading about the Old Republic’s history. However, I don’t care much for the art. I don’t like the clothing or the ships, some of which resemble the Vikings’. There are too many details for my taste, in terms of lines. Still, for anyone interested in this era, it’s a good read.
