Thyrsian The Thyrsians were a subspecies of the Near - Human Echani originating from the Inner Rim world of Thyrsus , defined by their differing culture and almost polar - opposite appearance to the Echani . Thyrsians were also known for their role in the development of the Force pike . The Sun Guard Sith cult arose from the Thyrsians . Biology and appearance . Thyrsians shared few obvious physical similarities with their Echani , though the two subspecies were widely considered cousins due to the Thyrsian appearance being a diametric contrast to that of the Echani ; with the species known for their dark hair and skin , rather than the white skin and eyes that defined the Echani . It was believed that the Echani were the result of Arkanian experimentation with the Human genome , a theory also applied to the Thyrsians as a subspecies . Society and culture . Thyrsus had long been culturally distinct from the rest of Echani society , maintaining their own stubbornly independent beliefs and traditions that often ran in direct contrast to Echani culture . Thyrsian society was patriarchal , eschewing the female council that governed the Six Sisters . In combat , Thyrsian warriors were known to favor heavy armor and weapons , such as the Force pike , over the light armor and weaponry favored by the Echani . As with all Echani , Thyrsians were regarded as excellent warriors , and excelled at reading even the smallest cues of body language through the Echani ' s kinetic communication style . The Thyrsians were known as a spiritually restless people . Thyrsians followed a monotheistic solar religion , differing from the lunar religion of the Echani , and Thyrsian military units often wore emblems of the stylised red suns of Thyrsus on their armor . Over one hundred years before the Imperial Period , the Sun Guard developed a fixation on a prophecy of a messiah figure known as " the son of suns " , attracting the attention of the Order of the Sith Lords , who exploited a widespread belief among the Thyrsians that the Sith were the subject of the prophecy to convert the Sun Guards into Sith cultists under the command of Darth Plagueis , and later Darth Sidious . History . Though nominally part of the Six Sisters , a confederation of six worlds dominated by the Echani , the Echani population of the sun - baked world of Thyrsus differed in appearance from their Echani cousins , and were considered by Echani Command to be stubbornly independent . Thyrsians first emerged onto the galactic stage in 1154 BBY , waging a war of independence against Echani Command during the Bengali Uprising . Though Bengali returned to Echani rule less than a century later , the Thyrsian Sun Guard continued to wage a string of crusades against the Echani until Thyrsian independence was confirmed with the Pact of Almera in 899 BBY . After the cessation of hostilities between the two Echani cultures , the Sun Guard warriors that evolved from the ranks of the Thyrsian special forces largely abandoned Thyrsus and soon became military rivals of the similarly seminomadic Mandalorians , and the two would clash in numerous battles and wars . Most famously , the two warrior cultures participated in the battle for Sintheti in 402 BBY , when the two groups were hired by rival claimants to the Horned Throne , with the battle between the two lasting for three years . The Sun Guard eventually fell under the influence of the Order of the Sith Lords . During and after their service to Darth Plagueis , Darth Sidious used the Sun Guards as sentries , mercenaries and assassins . Darth Sidious later ordered Count Dooku to task his executor Asajj Ventress with the elimination of the cult . During the Clone Wars , rogue factions within the Sun Guard were hired by various peoples conquered by the Confederacy of Independent Systems - aligned planet Emberlene , resulting in the destruction of the world . Thyrsian society was divided by the rise of Emperor Palpatine . Most Thyrsians were strong supporters of the Emperor , and saw the Royal Guard as the successors to the Sun Guard , with many Thyrsians winning renown as elite members of the Imperial Army and cloning templates for the Empire ' s Stormtrooper units . Force - sensitive Thyrsians , particularly members of the Sun Guard , became candidates for the Imperial Shadow Guard . However , many Thyrsians contended that the Sith had misled them , and sought to revive the Sun Guard . Thyrsus became an isolationist world after the Emperor ’ s demise , with the Thyrsians resisting the entreaties of various Imperial warlords as well as the New Republic .