- Exar Kun, a Sith Lord from Star Wars Legends, introduced the double-bladed lightsaber.
- The Great Temple on Yavin IV, the Rebel Alliance’s base in A New Hope, was built by the Massassi in honor of Sith Lord Naga Sadow.
- Current Star Wars canon hints at Exar Kun’s dark deeds and ultimate defeat on Yavin IV.
Emperor Palpatine has long been considered the most powerful Sith Lord in the Star Wars universe, but there may be another formidable figure lurking in the shadows. Star Wars Legends, an alternate timeline beloved by fans since 2014, introduced a Sith Lord named Exar Kun. First appearing in Kevin J. Anderson’s Star Wars: The Jedi Academy Trilogy and later in the Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi comics, Kun stands out among Sith with his unparalleled mastery of the dark side. He also created the double-bladed lightsaber, which would famously be wielded by Darth Maul.
The story of Exar Kun is intertwined with the events of A New Hope. The iconic stone structure housing the Rebel Alliance’s base on Yavin IV was originally a temple built by the Massassi, a subspecies connected to the Sith lineage. The Massassi, devoted followers of Sith Lord Naga Sadow, built the Great Temple on Yavin IV in his honor.
After the arrival of Exar Kun, the Massassi’s history took a darker turn. Kun forced the Massassi to build even grander temples and drew upon their life force to augment his strength, causing only a few to survive his rule. His dark reign came to an end on Yavin IV, where a team of Jedi confronted him, causing a devastating event. Kun’s dark spirit was trapped on the planet after being separated from his body by the Jedi’s intervention.
In current Star Wars canon, there are hints of Exar Kun’s existence. For example, Solo: A Star Wars Story contains a reference to the Sith Lord. Naga Sadow, the Massassi, and the Great Temple on Yavin IV are also acknowledged in the new narrative. However, the connection between Exar Kun and the future rebel base on Yavin IV has yet to be explicitly mentioned. There are several intriguing possibilities for exploring this Sith Lord’s connection to the iconic temple in future Star Wars stories.