Sith holocron / Legends A Sith holocron was a device used by Sith to store information . Typically , they required use of the dark side to activate . Characteristics . Sith holocrons were immediately identifiable with respect to Jedi holocrons , as they were usually pyramidal in shape , and etched with strange symbols and ancient hieroglyphs . Inscriptions usually lined the bottom of the device , and various dark incantations were found all over the smooth surface . At the holocron ' s apex rested a black crystal , used to power the holocron ' s store of information . The design of the holocron was not the only way to discern its affiliation : Sith holocrons emitted a dark presence , creating tremors in the Force upon activation . It took a great deal of willpower for a Jedi to access the dark devices , and some of the more inexperienced Jedi often felt sickly or fell ill merely laying their gaze upon one . Internally , however , Sith holocrons worked in much the same way as a Jedi holocron . The black crystal of the Sith holocron was made up of intricate lattices and vertices , capable of storing massive amounts of information , as well as the holocron ' s Sith gatekeeper . The holocron was able to capture the appearance and cognitive networks of the holocron ' s owner , and transform this into a three - dimensional hologram . This gatekeeper acted as a guide through the holocron ' s store of information , as a search and recovery engine with a more personal touch . These gatekeepers could relate stories from the holocron ' s archives to events in the life of the one who activated the holocron . Unlike their Jedi counterparts , the Sith holocron gatekeepers did not always restrict information that might be too advanced and dangerous for a user , allowing them unlimited access to its entire dark side repository . Though this isn ' t always the case . Darth Bane was once limited by the Holocron of Heresies , who refused to teach him the technique he sought due to Bane ' s inability to learn a few techniques that came before it . In the end it all depended upon its creator , and how much they would choose to share . Construction . The process by which holocrons were created was a very difficult one . In the days of the old Sith Empire , holocrons were prevalent among the Dark Lords just as Jedi holocrons were among Jedi Masters . Many rare materials had to be gathered , and much meditating on the will of the dark side was necessary to focus the Sith Lord ' s power . By the time of the Great Jedi Purge , nearly all records containing information regarding the creation of holocrons was thought to be lost . But in the centuries before , the knowledge was apparently still available , should one happen to find it . Darth Bane was one such individual . Bane had tried unsuccessfully for years to store his own essence within a holocron , but when his apprentice presented him with the possibility of finding the secrets on Tython , he set out immediately for that world . On the planet Tython he acquired the holocron of an ancient Dark Lord of the Sith , the Shi ' ido changeling named Belia Darzu . Darzu was very knowledgeable in the construction of holocrons , and recorded within the lattices of her own holocron , Darzu explained in depth the required steps one must take to successfully construct the pyramidal Sith holocron . Crystal matrix . As the Shi ' ido form of Belia Darzu explained , the process can take months to finally perfect , though sometimes a holocron could be created within the short span of a few weeks . Each was unique to its creator ; one who sought to fashion their own Sith holocron could not use another as the blueprint by which they followed to make their own personal holocron . The inner components were composed of intertwined filaments and strands , forming a crystal matrix that must be fine tuned to prevent device failure . Rare crystal was used in the workings and tunings of the intricate network that would store potentially infinite data . Each holocron matrix had to meet stringent specifications , usually requiring thousands of precise alterations and adjustments on a subatomic level . Only through the power of the Force could one ensure that each crystalline strand was properly aligned . Rituals of Invocation . Once the crystal matrix inside the holocron was successfully constructed , the creator could then focus on the outer designs of their holocron . Ancient Sith symbols were etched onto the device , and then imbued with dark side power in what were known as the Rituals of Invocation . This ceremony was paramount in maintaining the matrix ' s stability after it was infused with dark side energy . Again , the symbols must be unique to the individual , and simply copying the glyphs from another holocron will only result in failure . The device will fall in on itself into a pile of crystal - dust . These spells were incredibly painstaking , both mentally and physically . But should this be performed before the Rite of Commencement , the power trapped within the symbols will fade , and the network will degrade to the point of being unable to sustain the crystal matrix . Rite of Commencement . To trap one ' s essence within the capstone , they must invoke the Rite of Commencement . Due to its complexity , only the most powerful Sith Masters were capable of performing the elaborate ritual . When the Sith Lord ' s cognizance was successfully trapped within , a wealth of dark side knowledge and lore could be stored within the almost limitless lattices and networks of the holocron . The cognitive network then served as the teaching element , and also stabilized the interweavings of the holocron . Without the network in place , the device would disintegrate within days . Capstone . All Sith holocrons had capstone s , wherein the creator must capture their own cognitive essence before the fine - tuning stages . This prevented the cognitive network from degrading , and only then could one truly begin to create their own holocron . The capstone was a black crystal , housed within the center of the device . It was a vital part of a Sith holocron ' s construction . It served the dual purpose of both an energy source for the device as well as a " home " of sorts for the gatekeeper , or the cognitive essence of the holocron ' s creator . History . Sith holocrons originated from secrets shared with the Sith King Adas by Rakata n soldiers trying to gain the trust of the Sith ruler . Adas made a holocron based on Rakatan design and presumably the art of holocron making originated among the ancient Sith from this . The pull and allure of the Sith holocron was strong , which the Jedi Historian Atris discovered as she collected holocrons that slowly turned her to the dark side . As of 3996 BBY , only one known Sith holocron existed , having been captured by Odan - Urr during the Great Hyperspace War ; half a century later , Atris kept scores of them in the Telosian Jedi Academy . The holocron captured by Odan - Urr was said to contain information dating back to around 100 , 000 BBY . Most of the Sith holocrons were created long before the Clone Wars , and as of the Battle of Geonosis , the Jedi Archives on Coruscant contained most of the only surviving Sith holocrons in the galaxy . These devices were locked away to all but the most senior Jedi — in fact , most of the Jedi in the Temple did not even know Sith holocrons resided in the building . The holocrons were kept in case the Jedi would ever face the threat of the Sith again , whereupon Jedi Masters could consult the holocrons for ideas on how to defeat the Dark Lords . However , the Sith holocrons were not as safe as the Archives Director believed : Jedi student Lorian Nod was able to steal a Sith holocron from the Archives , though the theft ended in the recovery of the holocron and Nod ' s expulsion from the Jedi Order . Count Dooku stole at least one Sith holocron from the Jedi Temple during the Coruscant Insurrection . The remaining Sith holocrons in the Temple at the end of the Clone Wars were forgeries according to Darth Sidious , but Sidious had his apprentice Darth Vader recover them nonetheless . Several ancient Sith holocrons were kept by Darth Plagueis and were presumably inherited by Darth Sidious . Another Sith holocron was created by Darth Andeddu , an ancient Sith Lord . This holocron was recovered during a competition between Quinlan Vos and Tol Skorr for Count Dooku during the Clone Wars , while Quinlan was allied with Dooku . It contained much dark side knowledge as well as a red lightsaber crystal embedded in its core , used to power Darth Andeddu ' s own Sith lightsaber . The holocron itself was kept by Tyranus while the red crystal was used in Quinlan Vos ' s lightsaber for a brief time . A Toydarian named Zippa tried to sell Lorn Pavan a cubical holocron in 32 . 5 BBY that Pavan suspected was a Sith holocron , but as the deal fell through , this was never confirmed as a Sith holocron . While on a training mission on Ragoon VI with Anakin Skywalker , Obi - Wan Kenobi found a Sith holocron dropped by Granta Omega . It was first mentioned by a bounty hunter who immediately killed himself afterwards . When Kenobi found the holocron , he activated it , and after seeing several seconds of extreme suffering and destruction , he shut it off . When he mentioned it to his Padawan , Skywalker immediately became nauseous and started sweating from the potency of the dark side . Kenobi later handed the holocron over to Yoda at the Jedi Temple . In 18 BBY Anakin Skywalker , now Darth Vader , gazed at a Sith holocron in the same hospital in which he had surgery after his duel with Obi - Wan Kenobi . He was overseen by ex - Jedi Ferus Olin , who felt waves of nausea after glimpsing the holocron . In 1 ABY a spacer discovered a Sith holocron among ancient ruins on the volcanic world of Mustafar , which was once the home of many Jedi and the site of a large battle between Jedi and Sith . Sometime between 1 BBY and 0 BBY Jabba the Hutt found a holocron . It is unknown how he obtained it , but it is rumored that he gave up half his criminal empire to get it , and sell it to the Galactic Empire for twice his profit . Unfortunately the transaction never occurred because Tyber Zann interfered and took the Holocron from Jabba with the help of his lieutenant , Urai Fen . After Zann was captured and put to work in the Kessel Prisons , the holocron was hidden away . After escaping , Zann was able to learn ( from Fen ) that the holocron was in fact of sith creation , and contained information that was only accessible to a wielder of the Dark Side . Zann and Fen traveled to Dathomir and liberated several Nightsister prison camps in order to secure the services of the Nightsister Silri . After Silri informed him that the holocron contained " useless information " , Zann later decided to plant a tracking device in the holocron and let it be " stolen " by the bounty hunter Bossk so he could locate the Emperor ' s personal archives on Coruscant . While Zann and Fen conducted a raid on the archives , Silri , charged with guarding their escape transport , slipped into the archives and stole the holocron . The trio were barely able to escape the archive ' s defenses and the Dark Side Adepts that guarded the location . After a battle over Kuat , which was staged between the Zann Consortium and Rebel Alliance against the Empire , and a double - cross by Zann against the Alliance , Zann captured the Emperor ' s new flagship - the Eclipse - that was still under construction . While gloating over his victory , Silri , who had accompanied Zann and Fenn into battle , used the holocron and the Eclipse ' s computers to locate an army of Sith soldiers frozen in carbonite within a secret vault . Lumiya , Dark Lady of the Sith managed to obtain Adas ' s Sith holocron . In 130 ABY , Sith Lord Darth Krayt possessed not only the holocrons of previous Sith Lords Bane , Nihilus , and Andeddu , but was also known to have recorded his own . In this holocron he recorded entries relating how he caused the fall of the Galactic Alliance and restored the Empire as the dominant galactic power . Prior to the formation of the New Sith Order , Krayt , in his previous persona of A ' Sharad Hett , discovered the holocron of XoXaan , one of the first Sith Lords . Behind the scenes . Although not seen in the film , during production of " " , the film ' s propmakers made three holocrons for its : a Jedi holocron , a Sith holocron , and the Great Holocron . One Sith holocron was known to contain the phrase " In umbris potestas est " . It is a phrase meaning " In the shadows , there is power " . Sith and Jedi holocrons were present in the video game version of " " . Jedi holocrons granted the player experience bonuses and unlockable lightsaber crystals and alternate costumes , while Sith holocrons were merely power - ups , granting the player temporary invincibility , limitless Force energy , or a similar bonus .