What is the Motivation of the Sith?

In everything, there is good and evil. The light and dark sides, if you will. And, of course, George Lucas’ Star Wars universe is no different. 

The whole idea behind the Force is that it must be balanced for harmonious living to take place. 

Thus, even though the force is balanced in and of itself, there was a division of beliefs that formed the light and dark sides. 

Their contrasting viewpoints of what it meant to be in tune with the Force naturally led to both sides butting heads. Usually, as a result of the light side thinking their way was the right way and the dark side being wrong, or vice versa. 

Because of this, both sides erected their own organizations to train in their specific belief systems. The Galactic Republic on the light side had the Jedi Order and the Galactic Empire on the dark side had the Sith Order. 

It is now well known that the Jedi focus on becoming one with the light side of the Force through the maintenance of a clear mind and a tranquil, empty vessel. 

Therefore, they reject anything that threatens that. Such as; emotions, attachments, and anything else that could drag them to the dark side.

It’s clear that the Jedi’s main motivation is calmness and peace, to ensure a strong footing on the light side. The Sith, on the other hand, are the polar opposites of the Jedi. 

Given how different their beliefs are, what is the motivation behind the Sith?

This is a great question that will be answered throughout this article. 

What are the Motives of the Sith?

To begin with, who are the Sith? 

Well, the Sith are the dark side equivalent of the Jedi. On one hand, the Jedi believed in the tranquility of the mind, steering clear of all emotions and personal attachments.

Whenever they do feel emotions the Jedi use meditation to acknowledge said emotions. From there, they think about what effects these emotions may have on them and then release those emotions so that they could return to being empty vessels for the Force. 

Comparatively, the Sith believe in holding on to emotions such as hatred, anger, and jealousy. They use that to fuel their everyday lives, as well as the way they use the Force. 

These force-users are notorious for their red lightsabers, general aggression, and devotion to the dark side. 

What’s more, the Sith are driven by their need to harbor as much power as possible. In essence, they want to be the most powerful organization in the galaxy.

What do the Sith fight for?

Given that their motive is to be the most powerful organization in the galaxy, the Sith’s main goal is to gain control of the galaxy. 

They want to rule with passion, greed, and their own selfish ambitions, which is everything the Jedi stand against. 

But why do they want this control over the galaxy? Well, Palpatine believed that by ruling the galaxy, he would have power over the politicians, military, and every Force-user that lived within the galaxy. 

This falls perfectly in line with what the Sith want to accomplish. To ensure that all Sith fall in line with this mission, they have a set of rules they adhere to. 

These rules, such as, “Peace is a lie, there is only passion,” and “Through passion, I gain strength,” are housed in the Sith Code.

Why did the Sith Want to Destroy the Jedi?

Apart from wanting to simply gain power over the galaxy, the Sith had a deeper reason for wanting to eradicate the Jedi. 

In Star Wars: Legends, it’s shown that the Sith were a faction of the Jedi who wanted to explore the dark side of the Force. Of course, this did not sit well with the rest of the Jedi, which prompted the exile of these rogue Jedi. 

The Sith race eventually settled on Korriban and began to grow in number. Over time, the Jedi Order began to see the Sith as a disgrace and acted toward their plan of genocide, in what was known as the Great Sith Purge. 

From that point on, the Jedi order worked on getting rid of the abomination that was the Sith. In retaliation, the Sith rebuilt their order and dedicated the rest of their lives to the destruction of the Jedi Order. 

Then a vicious cycle of the Sith and Jedi fighting against each other ensued, with both sides having their respective moments of victory. After the Jedi Purge, came another Sith Purge, and so the cycle continued. 

When Palpatine eventually came around, he too was dedicated to the corruption and annihilation of the Jedi as revenge for their multiple executions of the Sith. 

Were There Any Nice Sith?

The Sith are taught to be anything but nice. They hold fast to the absence of the traditional concepts of good and evil. Thus, there is no “good” Sith.

Even so, there are some Sith that have a seemingly strong moral compass. One, notably “good” Sith was Darth Vectivus. He was known as the “good Sith Lord who did no evil.”

Instead of working in the pursuit of absolute power over the entire galaxy, Vectivus was more interested in learning about the Order’s lineage. 

In addition to his pursuit of knowledge of the Sith’s history, Darth Vectivus was the head of a mining operation. 

Despite being ruthless in his career, he still had an ethics code that allowed him to remain balanced. 

In the end, Darth Vectivus peacefully passed away, surrounded by the people he loved. 

Conclusion 

Upon further analysis, it seems as though the Sith and all that they do is merely retaliation for the Jedi’s inability to accept their curiosity. 

In the beginning, the conflicting viewpoints between the Jedi and the Sith led to the Jedi seeing their way as the right and only way. 

Ergo, the Jedi made the first move due to their disagreement with the Sith wanting to explore the dark side. 

Since then, it has been an ongoing battle between them and the Sith. From that point on, the Sith have been on the hunt for complete power over the galaxy. 

Even so, there are some Sith who don’t care about eternal power and simply seek out knowledge, just like Darth Vectivus. 

Although he was brutal when conducting business, he was still compassionate. Which, in comparison to his Sith counterparts, is rare.

Still, despite there being nice Sith who were mainly focused on knowledge, the Order had common goals that motivated them. They wanted freedom in the Force, revenge on the Sith, and for the Empire to reign supreme over the galaxy.