Darth Bane

Darth Bane is a fictional character in the Star Wars Expanded Universe. He is first mentioned in the novelization of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, and is thereafter consistently referenced in Expanded Universe material. He is a major character in the Jedi vs. Sith comic book series, and the protagonist of the novels Darth Bane: Path of Destruction, Darth Bane: Rule of Two and Darth Bane: Dynasty of Evil.

In the Star Wars universe, Darth Bane is an extremely powerful Sith lord who lived 1000 years before the timeline of the films. He resurrects the Sith Order after destroying its corrupted remnants, and institutes the "Rule of Two" that would later aid it in taking over the galaxy 1000 years later in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.

Bane's backstory is established in Darth Bane: Path of Destruction by Drew Karpyshyn. He is born as Dessel on the planet Apatros, the son of a miner named Hurst. An abusive alcoholic, Hurst blames the boy for the death of his wife in childbirth, and often calls him the "Bane" of his existence. His father takes him into the mines at a young age, and the boy is bullied and abused well into adulthood. He is powerful in the dark side of the Force, and subconsciously uses this power at first.

After he kills a Republic Navy ensign in self-defense, Bane flees Apatros and joins the armies of the Brotherhood of Darkness, a band of Sith Lords. His instinctive use of the Force (which he initially believes to be a myth) brings him to the attention of the Sith Lord Kopecz. Dessel is sent to the Brotherhood's Academy on Korriban to be trained in the ways of the dark side. Dessel (who renames himself Bane) becomes a star pupil after killing another student in cold blood. In particular, he attracts the attention of Sirak, the top student at the Korriban Academy.