Many have wondered what differs between the ways of the dark side and the ways of the Sith. Some believe they are one and the same. Others see no relation between them whatsoever. But the distinction may bear more importance that most Jedi suspect--it could mean the difference between life and death.

The Sith have existed for well over a hundred thousand years; the dark side has been a part of the universe since the beginning of time. Clearly, the Sith developed second in chronological progression, but did this wicked brotherhood grow out of the dark side, or did it share a comon philosophy with the dark side and join forces to increase the chances of bringing their mutual goals to fruition.

Little knowledge of the Sith's origins remains. In truth, Sith history before the reign of Dark Lord Naga Sadow a thousand years before the time of Ulic Qel-Droma and Exar Kun lies masked in shadow, hidden away by the dark siders during the Fall of the Sith Empire or destroyed in the war's aftermath by the Jedi. Only a few Sith strongholds were allowed to survive the purge, and from these the Jedi hoped to gain insight into the mysteries of Sith powers--they wished to discover the weaknesses of these dark magicks so that the Sith could never resurrect their fallen empire.

One artifact recovered from a remaining Sith library was the Holocron created by Naga Sadow himself. It detailed the nature of the Sith people, of their philosophies and teaching methods, and of their belief in the power of the dark side. From the Holocron's recordings the Jedi learned that at first the word Sith designated a species of sentients. Only later, as these people spread across the galaxy did the term Sith become associated more with their teachings and philosophies than with the species itself.

Though the Sith held great power, they were not united, preferring to remain in tribal "circles," bands of Sith led by one or more sorcerers who were responsible for the safety and protection of their charges. The Sith retained such a societal structure until the arrival of a fallen Jedi who took particular interest in their techniques for drawing power from the dark side.

This dark Jedi dominated the Sith people, though his methods of doing so were not recorded in Sadow's Holocron. He turned them into unwilling thralls, stealing their knowledge of sorcery and using it against them. This Jedi proclaimed himself the Dark Lord of the Sith, making him the first in a lineage that would plague the rest of the galaxy for untold millennia.

So, the question still stands: What is the relation between the Sith and the dark side?

The Sith developed and perfected the techniques of calling on the dark side, enabling them to create more and more complex powers once thought well beyond the grasp of mere sentients. The Sith simultaneously feed on and empower the dark side in a symbiotic relationship whose ties can never be severed.