How Big Was The Sith Empire?

Since the inception of the galaxy, the most prominent organizations have been the Jedi and the Sith. 

It is well known that the Jedi Order had around 10,000 members. That was until Order 66 when the Sith stormed the Jedi Temple and annihilated 99% of the Order.

On the other hand, the Sith Order also faced carnage at the hands of the Jedi. Naturally, the Sith had to rebuild themselves after that point. Which poses the question, how big was the Sith Empire?

So without further ado, let’s take a trip to the dark side and answer this question. 

How Big Was The Sith Empire?

Now, the Sith Empire started small with the original species, the Sith Purebloods. They’ve had a rocky ride and had to adapt to unforeseen changes, but still, their Empire was able to grow exponentially. 

Fuelled by their thirst for power and the darkness surrounding them, the Sith were able to form an intensely powerful empire. 

Which, at its peak, ruled over 120 worlds. This period, when the Sith were at their prime, was known as the Golden Age of the Sith. 

This was the period when the Sith Empire was at its most stable and powerful. That was until the failure of the Great Hyperspace War when the Sith underestimated the power of the Jedi. 

The Jedi held their own against their enemy, thereby ending the Golden Age of Sith.

How many soldiers did the Sith Empire have?

Setting aside the massive reach of the Sith Empire, they did have quite a lot of soldiers. All residing under the moniker of the Imperial Army, the Sith Empire’s soldiers were split into multiple subgroups. 

Of course, each subdivision of the Imperial Army would have its own soldier count, but the army as a whole has around 20,000 to 40,000 soldiers. With such an impressively high number, it’s no wonder the Imperial Army was a force to be reckoned with. 

What Was The True Sith Empire?

The Sith Empire, which was formed after the Great Hyperspace War, was often referred to as the True Sith Empire. This was a massive reconstructed empire that ruled over thousands of star systems throughout the galaxy. 

After the war, the survivors fled to escape the wrath of the Republic and the Jedi. These survivors wandered throughout the galaxy until they found a new place to settle, all under the leadership of Darth Vitiate. 

The refugee Sith settled on Dromound Kaas twenty years after fleeing the original Empire and began rebuilding their depleted Empire.

Under the watchful eyes of Darth Vitiate, the Empire established its capital, Kaas City, and worked to regain the strength it once had. All with the goal of defeating the Republic in war once more.

How Many Sith Empires Were There?

As we can see, the Sith Empire experienced some turbulent times, which prompted them to pivot and create multiple Empires. This caused many in the Star Wars community to question how many Sith Empires there were. 

To that end, it seems that there were four Sith Empires, and we will be taking a look at each of them. 

1. The True Sith Empire

The True Sith Empire was briefly touched on above. As we already established, this Empire was formed in the aftermath of the Great Hyperspace War of 5000 BBY.  

This war was a result of the Dark Lord of the Sith, Naga Sadow’s failed attack on the Republic. After they were ultimately defeated by the Jedi, the few remaining Sith went on to create the True Sith.

The survivors fled and wandered space aimlessly until Darth Vitiate guided them to the forgotten world of Dromound Kaas. There they rebuilt the Empire and prepared for a future war against the Republic. 

2. The Galactic Empire

Simply called the Empire, this was an autocratic governmental body that replaced the Galactic Republic after the Clone Wars. The Empire was ruled by Darth Sidious, who was known to the public as Galactic Emperor Palpatine. 

Under Palpatine’s stern hand, the Empire rose to power with the promises of peace. All the while, taking advantage of the anti-Jedi, anti-droid notion. 

In comparison to the centuries-long reign of the Republic era, this regime lasted a mere two decades. During that time, the Empire unleashed its rage upon the Jedi, effectively purging the majority of the Order. 

3. The First Order

The First Order was a reclusive military faction that trained during the New Republic Era. The Order was ruled by the dictatorship of Supreme Leader Snoke and his second-in-command, Kylo Ren. 

Eventually, the members of the First Order were able to stop training in secret and dominate the galaxy at large. The First Order preached ideals that were in stark contrast to that of the New Republic’s. 

Whereas the Republic shied away from militarism and strove to be more democratic, the Order promoted militarism as well as authoritarianism. 

4. The Final Order

Last but certainly not least is the Final Order, also called the New Empire, which had the largest fleet. The Final Order was composed of star destroyers that were notorious for killing planets. 

Led by Darth Sidious, the Final Order’s objective was to bring the galaxy into the submission of the Sith Empire’s reign. 

The Final Order comprised an army of Sith Troopers and armed Star Destroyers, all led by Dark Lord Palpatine. Together they were capable of destroying entire worlds. 

Conclusion

The Sith Empire was one of the most prevalent organizations there were. It was filled with dedicated soldiers and Force-users who wanted to see the Empire gain ultimate power. 

Of course, the Empire did not have smooth sailing. Their growth was not exactly exponential. 

More often than not, the Empire would reach a certain point in their power play, then they would ultimately be knocked back down by the Jedi or Republic. 

Still, the leaders of the Empire were dedicated to their mission. Therefore, they opted to create new factions and rebuild the Empire whenever they needed to. So much so that the Sith Empire had four known divisions. 

Those were the True Sith Empire, the Galactic Empire, the First Order, and the Final Order.