Darth Zannah Guide - Darth Bane’s Chosen Apprentice

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Darth Zannah was hands down a formidable Sith Lord. She existed during Darth Bane’s reign and later served as a Sith Lord after defeating her master – the natural and frequent repercussion of the rule of two. As a member of the Sith Order, she played a critical role in the Sith’s schemes to eliminate the Jedi Order and spread Dark Side across the Galaxy.

Furthermore, Zannah was the apprentice of the legendary Sith Lord, Darth Bane, and was highly respected within the Sith community for her slickness, strength, and mastery of the Dark Side of the Force.

Key Information

Sith Name: Darth Zannah

Alias: Rain

Home Planet: Somov Rit

Specie: Human

First Appearance: Jedi vs. Sith volume 1

Major Appearances:

Jedi vs. Sith (volumes 1-6)
Darth Bane: Rule of Two
Darth Bane: Path of Destruction

Physical Appearance – A Beauty That Truly Kills

Starting with her childhood, we see a skinny little girl with blond hair and a smile that could fool anyone into thinking she’s an angel. Back then, her hair was always messy, and she wore a loose white T-shirt and blue overalls.

But let’s not forget, as she grew older, she transformed into a beautiful gal with long, sparkling hair and a face that many found irresistible. She was often seen dressed in traditional Sith black robes, with a hood that concealed her face and metal gauntlets that protected her arms during her missions. And as she became more attuned to the Dark Side, Sith tattoos and body marks, similar to her master’s, started to appear on her face, showing her true devotion to her master and the Dark Side.

Overall, Darth Zannah was a striking figure with a regal and intimidating presence; after all, we don’t often see a powerful Sith Lord whose looks are also breathtaking.

Darth Zannah Personality

As a powerful Sith and Darth Bane’s apprentice, Zannah’s personality was characterized by her thirst for knowledge and power, which were the driving forces behind her every action. But that’s not all; her motivation toward Dark Side was so strong that she saved her master’s life so that he could further teach him the ways of the Dark Side, a fact she proudly admitted on planet Ambria.

But despite her freakish remarks, she did have a lot of respect for Darth Bane and placed his teaching and wisdom in high regard. Her loyalty to him was absolute, as she would stop at nothing to carry out his orders, evening if it meant killing her once best friend.

She also firmly adhered to the teaching of the Dark Side and carried on Bane’s “survival of the fittest” psychology. Thinking that the weak deserve to die and only the strong should live on; a true Darwinian advocate if you ask me. This also meant that she lacked sympathy towards others and mostly saw them as tools that should either be kept for later use or thrown away when they become useless.

But all these personality traits did prove quite helpful; after all, outwitting many intergalactic enemies and maneuvering one’s way through the treacherous world of the Sith is not child’s play.

Darth Zannah Abilities and Powers

Abilities-wise, not many Sith lords in Star Wars history hold a candle to Darth Zannah, even including her own master, lord Bane. So, to catch a glimpse of that power, let’s dive into the various unique abilities she has showcased throughout the franchise.

Sith Magic

Darth Zannah’s apprenticeship under Darth Bane really paid off in terms of her mastery of the Dark Side. She became so skilled that she even developed her own unique style of Dark Arts and sorcery, which was on par with some of the best Sith magicians, like Momin and Darth Vitiate.

Zannah was also a pro at getting into other Force users’ minds and making their worst fears come true, a display that can be noticed in the face-off with Cyndra, where Zannah drove Cyndra to the point of blinding herself. Also, she was able to perform cloaking magic, as she did in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant to get information on the Orbalisks.

Lightsaber Pro

Darth Zannah was also a highly skilled lightsaber combatant, with her cunningness and ingenuity evident in her fighting style. She was known to be a master of Soresu lightsaber forms, making her an expert in both attack and offensive fighting styles. In her final duel with her master, Darth Bane, Zannah was even able to defeat him by using a combination of her craftiness and her mastery of the lightsaber.

These skills could also be observed on planet Tython, where she was seen facing multiple Jedi at once in lightsaber combat.

Force Skills

This Sith Lord was also a real powerhouse when it came to the Dark Side of the Force. Even when she was still a young padawan, she was already showing off her Force skills, like when she managed to stop Darth Bane’s Thought Bomb attack by whipping up a Force shield around herself. And even when she went head-to-head with Darth Bane in a battle she didn’t hold back; we all witnessed some serious and impressive displays of mind control and Force lightning.

Darth Zannah Complete Story

In the light of Star Wars: Legends, Darth Zannah’s story is spread over several different comic book series. So to give you a better glimpse of the Sith in her early childhood and her rise to the level of Darth Bane, let me give you a recap of the events that transpired in her lifetime.

The First Rain

Zannah, aka Rain, had a pretty rough childhood growing up on the planet Somov Rit with her three cousins. And things took a further wild turn when she and her cousins were scouted by the Jedi Order and taken to Ruusan to train and serve as future Jedi Troops.

Unfortunately, their arrival on Ruusan was met with a war between the Jedi and the Brotherhood of Darkness, causing their shuttle to crash. And during this chaos, Zannah fell from the ship but was rescued by a green ball-like creature, Bouncer, named Laa. Fortunately, the two quickly hit it off; after all, Laa’s telepathic abilities were really hard to ignore.

As they explored Ruusan together, they stumbled upon a destructive Force storm created by the Sith. But Zannah’s Force powers suddenly kicked in, and she was able to create a protective shield, which eventually made her realize that she is not any ordinary child, ushering in her journey to become a Jedi.

The Blood Starts To Seep In

Sometime later, it was revealed that the Force Lighting attack corrupted all the Bouncers on Ruusan, who started meddling with the minds of the Jedis that we still fighting the warriors of the Dark Side. Consequently, Jedi troops were tasked to kill the Bouncers on sight.

Unfortunately for Zannah and Laa, as soon as the order was passed, they came in contact with two Jedi warriors who instantly killed Laa, leaving Zannah heartbroken and alone. But then, something Dark transpired, and she unleashed all her Force powers, and in a spur of a moment put an end to the life of the Jedis responsible for killing her only friend.

But as Zannah came to her senses, trying to make sense of what she had done, her destiny took another wide turn, and she finally crossed paths with Darth Bane. The latter, impressed by Zannah’s abilities, offered her an apprenticeship, which the grieving Zannah accepted without much thinking, hoping to give herself a new purpose in life.

A Twisted Mind In The Making

After coming under Bane’s apprenticeship, Zannah followed him everywhere through the ruined planet of Ruusan. During their traverse, she asked Bane to slow down at several instances, however, he took that opportunity to tell Zannah that she needed to use the Force and harvest its power if she planned to keep up with him; after all, he was a proponent of the idea that the weak should be eliminated and only the powerful deserved to live.

During their travel, Bane and Zannah drew closer to the battlefields, which were flooded with blood and countless lifeless bodies. At one point, they came across some scavengers who were looting the bodies of dead Sith. Bane rushed in and took care of them but spared two. And when Zannah asked the reason behind that, he explained that killing without purpose is meaningless. These words were etched in the little girl’s mind, and while still confused, she was eager to learn more about the Dark Side.

Bane then took Zannah to a cave where, out of a stroke of luck, they ran into Zannah’s cousin Darovit. This was the first moment Zannah showed her Sith mindset, as she rejected their old friendship, even claiming that she wasn’t Rain anymore.

But Darovit refused to accept what she had become and out of rage attacked Darth Bane, but Zannah quickly stepped in and used the Force to blow off his right hand. However, Zannah chose not to take Darovit’s life. This reminded Bane of his sparing the scavengers, and he grew even more confident of Zannah being the right choice for his apprentice.

Rain’s First Trial

Now, leaving Darovit behind, the duo boarded Bane’s ship and were ready to depart Ruusan. Or at least that’s what Zannah had first thought as she started to awe over the size and beauty of the craft. But things took a turn when Bane dropped a bombshell – he would be leaving Zannah behind on Ruusan to complete her training, wherein she had to get to Onderon within 10 days.

Following her master’s words, Zannah started walking on Ruusan’s plains aimlessly trying to find ways to Onderon. And as luck would have it, she soon came across a family with a spaceship. She then grabbed the opportunity to ask for a ride to Onderon, however, kept herself from unveiling her identity following Bane’s orders.

But while these circumstances seemed perfect for Zannah, things were about to get messy, literally. She found a blaster in the ship and accidentally fired a shot, killing one of the kids. However, instead of feeling any remorse, her Dark Side kicked in and she went on a killing spree and slaughtered the entire family – talk about payback!

The Real Training Begins

After Zannah had passed her first trial, Darth Bane started her official training. He wanted to teach her how to control her emotions and use them to tap into the Dark Side. Therefore, they moved to Ambria and set up camp near Lake Natth so the Rebels wouldn’t suspect their presence.

Then began Zannah’s first task; Bane ordered Zannah to lure a local critter into their camp without hurting it or setting a trap. However, let’s not forget that the critters were immune to mind control; thus, Zannah had to try a different approach. She started meditation near the camps of the creatures until one of them was curious enough to come near her. And in doing so, she started to lure it into their camp. But when she proudly told Bane about her success, he told her to throw it into a stew. That day she realized her mistake of getting too close to a “tool.”

Fast forward three years, Zannah had started her lightsaber training, where she focused on her offensive abilities while practicing her Soresu form. By fourteen, Zannah was also building her own dual-blade lightsaber with a smaller blade to match her quick and aggressive style. Not to mention, by that time, Bane had acknowledged her mind-control powers and mastery of Sith spells but warned her not to use them against him, unless she wanted some dire consequences.

Shaping Her Master’s Plan

Now, let’s skip to Zannah’s 20th birthday. On that day, she was tasked with carrying out secret missions for Darth Bane, as his armor was blown in a fight. One of her missions involved infiltrating a rebel group on Serenno called the Anti-Republic Liberation Front. Posing as Rainah, she seduced one of the group’s top members, and used her mind manipulation skills to convince the group to attack the former Supreme Chancellor Tarsus Valorum, the predecessor of Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum. Unfortunately, or fortunately, the attempt failed, resulting in the death of several rebels.

This failed attempt resulted in the capture of Zannah by the surviving members of the group, but, being a Sith Lord, she defeated them both easily, even forcing one of the detainers to gouge out her own eyes. However, unexpectedly, Hetton, the group’s leader, was impressed by Zannah’s show of power and offered her the secrets of the Sith Holocron in exchange for her master’s location.

Zannah agreed to his enticing offer, knowing that Bane would want the Holocron, and led Hetton and his minions to Bane’s location. Be that as it may, Bane easily defeated Hetton’s minions, but Zannah had to face the punishment for the actions she took without the permission of her master. However, she was eventually pardoned when she convinced her master that she only wanted what was best for him.

Infiltrating The Jedi Stronghold

After claiming the information on the Holocron, Zannah’s next mission was to acquire info on her master’s wrecked Orbalisk armor – an armor which was actually a symbiont and fed on the Dark energy of its host – while also learning how to remove it from Bane’s body. To fulfill this mission, she impersonated a Padawan while also projecting a Light Side aura with a spell, and snuck into the Jedi Temple on Coruscant to access their archives. The Jedi archives had all the info she needed on the Orbalisks; however, to get exactly what she needed, she had to spend hours sifting through thousands of articles and books on Sith history.

But things didn’t go as she planned. After spending countless hours in the Temple, Zannah’s disguise went downhill. And just when she thought she had the information she needed, her childhood friend, Darovit, showed up and spoiled the party by revealing that the Jedi were on to her.

Hearing that, Zannah headed back to Tython to furnish whatever she learned on her mission to Coruscant, while also bringing Darovit along with her.

The Master And Apprentice In The Battle

This union of the master and apprentice was interrupted when Zannah sensed a new presence in Tython’s atmosphere and realized she was being followed. Knowing that, Zannah, Darovit, and Bane quickly retreated inside the Fortress of Tython, where they positioned themselves in a medium size room with only one entrance. But before they knew it, the room’s door burst open, and the fight between the Light Side and the Dark Side began.

Zannah engaged two Jedis and tried to hold them off. And lucky she, one of her opponents was slow and clumsy, whom she used to her advantage to slow down the other fighter. After some time into the fray, Zannah completely turned the tide of the battle by casting a spell that sent her opponent into a state of pure fear. She then directed her blows toward her master’s adversaries and was even able to take out one with a lethal attack from behind. However, during the battle, Bane was struck by his own Force lightning and became unconscious, and was unable to witness the phenomenal talent of his apprentice.

Claiming The Darth Title

After the battle on Tython, Zannah was in a tight spot as she desperately wanted to save Bane. She tried to ask Darovit to heal him, but that didn’t pan out. So, with no choice left, she took Bane to a healer named Caleb, on Ambria. But the healer was also no help as he refused to heal Bane unless Zannah had surrendered to the Jedi. Consequently, in despair, Zannah had to send a message to the Jedi Order about their location.

After sending the message, Zannah had a long conversation with her master, during which the latter gave Zannah the title of Darth, claiming this was his end. But Zannah refused to accept this and devised a plan to save both. When the Jedi arrived, Zannah used her cloaking spell to hide and made Darovit attack the Jedi instead. But unfortunately, Darovit got killed in the process.

The Student’s Apprentice

After the wild events on Ambria, Zannah and Bane went incognito as wealthy merchants on a planet of Outer Rim territories, Ciutric IV. And during their downtime, Zannah started feeling like she was ready to take the Sith throne, but she just couldn’t bring herself to fight her master. While this was a noble thought if you ask me, to Bane, this was an alarming situation.

But before things could get any messier between the two, Zannah was sent to another plant, Doan, in the Outer Rim territories to investigate the mysterious death of a Jedi negotiator. But after finding the killer, who turned out to be a Dark Jedi named Set Harth, Zannah took him on as her own apprentice. She started teaching him everything she learned from Bane and even hinted at wanting to take him on in a fight for the title of Sith Lord.

Zannah vs. Bane – The End Game

During her mission to the Outer Rims territories, Darth Bane was abducted by the Doanians, and the most anticipated master-student battle had to wait until Zannah saved Bane from his kidnappers. In this rescue, she found out that Bane was trying to find ways to become immortal. This revelation made Darth Zannah discern that she had to stop her master before he could further violate the “Rule of Two.”

And thus, after Bane’s successful rescue, one of the most nail-biting and awaited battles began with some of the most powerful Force attacks ever witnessed in the Star Wars Universe. Both the master and apprentice fought fiercely, but in the end, Darth Zannah got the upper hand and was able to cut off Darth Bane’s hand, forcing him to lie on the ground in pure agony. But this wasn’t the end of Bane. He used his essence transfer technique to move his consciousness into Zannah’s body. But, fortunately, Darth Zannah was able to overpower Bane’s spirit, putting an end to the legacy of the creator of the “Rule of Two.”

Darth Zannah Famous Words

“I can use my powers to conjure up your worst nightmares and bring them to life before your eyes. I can drive you mad with fear, shred your sanity, and leave you a raving lunatic for the rest of your life.”

“This is the way of our Order. An individual may die, but the Sith are eternal.”

“All Rain’s asking for is a chance! Please?”

“I’m a killer, too.”

“You can’t die yet. There’s so much more you have to teach me!”

Darth Zannah Guide: Final Thoughts

All in all, Darth Zannah was a force to be reckoned with in the Galaxy. Her cunningness and ingenuity, thirst for knowledge and power, and unwavering loyalty to Darth Bane made her a formidable opponent for the Jedi Order. And her steadfast adherence to Dark Side ideals, and her lack of sympathy for others, further made her one of the most feared Sith lords in Star Wars history.

And all this etched her legacy into the annals of Star Wars lore, serving as a reminder of the power and influence of the Sith in the galaxy. So, whether you love her or hate her, there’s no denying the impact that Darth Zannah had on the Star Wars universe; after all, you don’t often see the twisted relationship of love and keeping up with the Joneses between a master and his apprentice.

Frequently Asked Questions

Question: Is Darth Zannah A Good Person?

Answer: To put it in Layman’s terms, Darth Zannah is definitely not a good guy, but rather a Sith.
To explain it further for new Star Wars fans, the Star Wars Universe consists of two major factions, the Jedi and Sith. The Jedi follow the Light Side of the Force, promoting peace, justice, and patience. On the contrary, the Sith follow the Dark Side, embracing power, fear, and aggression, which is the group Zannah falls into for her cunning and ruthless actions.
Although it is worth mentioning that Darth Zannah, when young, dreamt of becoming a Jedi and even joined a scouting team to train as a Jedi. And at that stage, she was so obsessed with becoming a Jedi that she even tried to take her own life when Laa, her Bouncer friend, told her that she could never join the ranks of the warriors of the Light Side.

Question: Who Won The Duel Between Darth Bane And Darth Zannah?

Answer: With the promulgation of the “rule of two,” it was evident that Darth Zannah, being the apprentice of Darth Bane, would engage in a power struggle for the title of Dark Lord of the Sith after her training was complete.
Being a young and fully trained warrior of the Dark Side, Darth Zannah emerged victorious in her duel with Darth Bane, and after killing her master took on a new apprentice of her own.

Question: Is Darth Zannah The Only Female Sith Lord In The Star Wars Universe?

Answer: Darth Zannah is definitely not the only female Sith lord in the history of Galaxy, but instead, there existed many female Sith Lords and apprentices in the Star Wars universe, including Asajj Ventress, Lumiya, Darth Talon, Darth Traya, etc., demonstrating the fact that gender does not determine one’s ability to harness the Dark Side of the Force and become a powerful Sith.

Looking for more interesting readings? Check out:

Darth Zannah Guide – Darth Bane’s Chosen Apprentice