Star Wars Had One Sith Lord Who Wasn't Evil - And That's Important
Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) once said, "only a Sith deals in absolutes," but there are some cases where a Force practitioner bucks this convention, with one of the greatest examples being Darth Vectivus.
Darth Vectivus's first appearance is in the 2006 book "Legacy of the Force: Betrayal." Popping up as a Force Ghost, Darth Vectivus spoke with Nelani Dinn and explained that not all Sith are actually evil, with his living life providing a template to avoid such corruption. What set Darth Vectivus apart from his fellow Sith Lords is that he always had a strong moral compass and always wanted to do what is right to maintain life.
Before ascending to the rank of Sith Lord, Darth Vectivus was an administrator on a remote mining colony that happened to contain a tremendous amount of Dark Side energies. Most other Sith Lords would have done everything in their power to harness the reservoir for their own nefarious means. Darth Vectivus, on the other hand, was able to perceive how the Dark Side was making the civilian populace aggressive and closed down the mining operation because he didn't want the workers to suffer.
Seeking to understand what was going on, Darth Vectivus began to research the Dark Side of the Force, and was eventually trained by an unnamed Sith Lord. Of course, he hasn't been the only character to toe the line between sides of the Force, and it seems that's a concept the "Star Wars" franchise is longing to explore further.
The Force isn't binary -- it is a spectrum
Although never featured in the movies, Darth Vectivus is part of the now non-canonical Star Wars Legends Universe. But that doesn't mean there's zero chance of Darth Vectivus appearing in "Star Wars" canon eventually – after all, just look at Grand Admiral Thrawn in the upcoming "Ahsoka" series.
That said, if Darth Vectivus does ever make the jump to contemporary "Star Wars," it should serve as a lynchpin in the franchise's exploration into the shades between good and evil. "Star Wars" has briefly toyed with these ideas before – like with characters in the "Knights of the Old Republic" video games – but the concept has yet to be fleshed out in any significant "Star Wars" films or TV series.
Does Darth Vectivus' pursuit of knowledge – even into the depths of the Dark Side – automatically make the character evil? In the eyes of the Jedi order most fans are familiar with; yes. But there's a whole lot of wiggle room between two polar opposites, and Vectivus exists as at least one example of a Sith Lord who didn't use power to dominate. There is certainly the potential that sooner or later, there might be a 'good' Sith somewhere along the line once again. And if they do appear, it'll be interesting to see how closely they follow in Vectivus' footsteps..