Black Sun was a criminal syndicate that came into prominence during the Clone Wars as the Jedi Order focused more on military affairs and less on law enforcement. Black Sun was allied with the Shadow Collective and its leader, the renegade Sith Lord Maul. The syndicate maintained bases on Mustafar and Ord Mantell and had many of the Falleen species as members.

A major criminal power, Black Sun dealt in illegal ventures like sentient-trafficking. While that activity was considered awful by others, members of Black Sun simply called it a «business venture.» Black Sun Guards were Falleen who served as on the ground foot soldiers and guardians for the syndicate.

Black Sun first appeared in the now-Star Wars Legends multimedia project Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire, released in 1996 as a novel, comic book, video game, and more. During the development of «Eminence,» the fourteenth episode of the fifth season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, it was decided that Maul would be given a base of power within the criminal underworld. Dave Filoni, the show’s supervising director, had remembered Black Sun from Shadows of the Empire, and knew that the Expanded Universe showed Maul as having fought against Black Sun prior to the events of Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace. With that, Filoni and his team opted to bring Black Sun into the show.