Abeloth: The Dark Star Wars Force God That Was Hated By Jedi & Sith
It's not often that you see the Jedi and the Sith team up for a common cause in the "Star Wars" universe. Most of the major conflicts in the franchise are the result of the two rival orders going at it, and peace of any kind never lasts long. However, there is a point deep in the old "Star Wars" Expanded Universe (aka the "Legends" timeline) when agents of both the light and dark sides had to team up to defeat an even greater danger: Abeloth, the Bringer of Chaos, a dark god of the Force.
If you've never heard of Abeloth before, don't sweat it. As one of the last major villains in the old EU before Disney officially wiped the timeline clean, she's not as well known as other arcs like Palpatine's resurrection, the rise of Darth Caedus, or the Yuuzhan Vong. Abeloth came after all of that, mainly featuring as the main villain in the "Fate of the Jedi" novel series, which ran from 2009 to 2012 — the same year that Lucasfilm was sold.
So who is Abeloth? Well, that's kind of a complicated question. Though she's not a Sith, she is a pure entity of the dark side — one with ties to some of the oldest Force beings in the known "Star Wars" universe. She also gets dangerously close to taking over the galaxy before ultimately being defeated by a united front from Jedi Master Luke Skywalker and Darth Krayt.
The origins of Abeloth
Abeloth's origin story isn't entirely clear, in part because her arc was never fully finished and in part because everything about her is shrouded in myth in the old canon. What we do know is this: While a mortal being, she came to dwell amongst the Ones, also known as the Force-Wielders of Mortis. These three ancient beings — the Father, the Daughter, and the Son — are still canon in the Disney "Star Wars" timeline, as they're introduced in "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" and are referenced again in "Star Wars Rebels." the "Fate of the Jedi" novels were released while "The Clone Wars" was still airing, so the two storylines were made to overlap.
In the EU, it's revealed that Abeloth took on the mantle of the Mother and became part of the "family" of the Ones. However, her mortality led her to pursue dangerous power so that she might stay with them forever. This quest ultimately corrupted her, forcing the Ones to imprison Abeloth, as she was too powerful to be destroyed. Imbalances in the Force would allow her to escape, but it was never long before the Son and the Daughter returned to put her back in her cage.
Because the Ones all die during their encounter with Anakin Skywalker during the Clone Wars, however, they aren't around to keep Abeloth in check during the life of Luke Skywalker. The next time that a major disturbance allows her to break free during the reign of Darth Caedus, she's finally able to get away, as no one in the galaxy can stop her.
Abeloth vs. Luke Skywalker and Darth Krayt
The "Fate of the Jedi" novels see Abeloth rise from her prison and worm her way into the center of galactic politics. At first, she's simply a powerful entity on the fringes of the galaxy, struggling to regain her full power through the Force. Her influence causes a number of Luke Skywalker's Jedi knights to go mad, and his mission to stop her leads him to the Lost Tribe of Sith — a group that had remained hidden in the galaxy while gathering strength.
A series of battles ensue, with Luke forming a tenuous alliance with the Lost Tribe and their Sith warriors. But of course, being Sith, this faction proves an unstable ally, and several members betray the union to either join or try to take control of Abeloth. Seeking a more subversive method of victory, Abeloth disguises herself as a senator and uses her powers of Force persuasion to become the head of the Galactic Alliance — the successor to the New Republic in the EU. From there, she takes over Coruscant, the site of her last stand.
"Fate of the Jedi: Apocalypse" details this final battle, with Luke leading his Jedi and other allies to liberate Coruscant from Abeloth and her Sith loyalists. In the end, it takes the combined efforts of Luke, his son Ben, and the Sith Lord Darth Krayt — one of the other major villains of the Legends timeline — to defeat Abeloth.
Could Abeloth ever return to the Star Wars canon?
For now, Abeloth's story is over. Like so many pieces of the old "Star Wars" Expanded Universe, she was wiped from the canon when Disney acquired the franchise. However, the last several years have seen many EU storylines return in new forms. That means it's possible that a version of Abeloth could be made canon once again.
Through the "Mandalorian" universe and the sequel trilogy, Disney has already incorporated several major EU plots. Kylo Ren's dark side reign evokes Darth Caedus, who himself is the son of Han Solo and Leia Organa Skywalker in Legends. We've also gotten the Palpatine resurrection arc from the "Dark Empire" comics and a version of Timothy Zahn's "Heir to the Empire" storyline with Grand Admiral Thrawn in "Ahsoka."
In short, Disney seems to have no qualms about redoing old EU stories. But Abeloth is still pretty far out there. "Fate of the Jedi" came so late in the Expanded Universe that it's not nearly as well remembered as other arcs like the Yuuzhan Vong War. There's material that's way more popular from the EU that Disney would probably be more inclined to adapt first. The strongest argument for Abeloth to be brought back is that she would provide some closure on the Mortis storyline — something that still exists in the current canon. The nature of the Ones has remained completely mysterious in the Disney timeline, and bringing Abeloth back would provide the perfect excuse to explore them further. Perhaps she could be the villain in Rey's upcoming "New Jedi Order" film.