Darth was a title that preceded the moniker of a Sith Lord. Predating the history of the Rule of Two, it was used by ancient Sith such as Darth Atrius, Darth Caldoth, and Darth Noctyss. The Darth title was preserved through Darth Bane‘s reforms, spawning a thousand-year lineage that included Darth Zannah and Darth Plagueis. Darth Sidious was the culmination of generations of Sith leading to the rise of the Galactic Empire. As a Sith Master, Sidious bestowed the title of Darth on his three successive Sith apprentices: Darth Maul, Darth Tyranus, and Darth Vader.

«Darth» was a Sith title borne by the Sith Lords who harnessed the dark side of the Force throughout their galaxy-wide conflict with the light-affiliated Jedi Knights.^[4] The title, which roughly translated to «Dark Lord,»^[5] preceded a moniker that replaced the Sith Lord‘s original name. The Sith names of Sheev Palpatine, CountDooku, and Anakin Skywalker were Darth Sidious, Darth Tyranus, and Darth Vader, respectively.^[4] In at least two cases, the Darth title and the accompanying moniker were bestowed on the Sith apprentice by the Sith Master.