DuringStar Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2, players will come across three Sith Lords:Darth Traya, the Lord of Betrayal(known as Kreia), Darth Sion (Lord of Pain), and Darth Nihilus (Lord of Hunger). Players will learn about these characters throughout the game, but because they are so in-depth, it’s easy to miss a few details.
Darth Nihilus, physically perhaps, is one of the strongest Sith Lords in theStar Warsfranchise. InKnights of the Old Republic 2, he represents the power of the Sith and the ultimate goal for the Jedi Exile, until Kreia’s plans are revealed. This works so well because, in many ways, Darth Nihilus and the protagonist Jedi Exile are two sides of the same coin. If someone chooses the Dark Side inKOTOR 2,they essentially follow the same path as Nihilus.
RELATED:Knights of the Old Republic 2 Receives Hotfix for Game-Breaking Bug
Star Wars: KOTOR 2 – Two Wounds in the Force
Darth Nihilus’ origins are only really hinted at before Malachor V, which is the same with the Jedi Exile. Players know she followed Revan in the Mandalorian Wars, but few details exist before that. Likewise, all players really know about Nihilus' origins is that he was a human male Sith Lord, having lost everything during the Galactic Republic’s war with the Mandalorians. He was on Malachor V when the Mass Shadow Generator went off, and likeKOTOR 2’s Jedi Exile, the experience turned him into a Wound in the Force.
The Jedi Exile will slowly reconnect with the Force throughout the events ofKOTOR 2, choosing to return to the light or follow the path to the Dark Side, but it manifested a little differently in Nihilus. His wound made him crave Force energy, so befitting his title Lord of Hunger, he would essentially devour the Force. This affliction painfully ravaged him—until Darth Traya would take him as an apprentice and teach him how to feed his endless hunger. Under her, he would become amore powerful Sith Lordand a unique one at that—losing his body and becoming a “living,” hollow entity.
His power would soon grow rapidly, while so would the Exile’s some years later. Whereas she would reconnect with the Force one way or another, he would take it, eat it, bend it to his will. He and Darth Sion would eventually betray Traya, as allSith Lords do to their Masters eventually, and he would sap her of her energy beforeKOTOR 2takes place. Together, Sion and Nihilus would cut her off from the Force. The Exile believed the Jedi did this to her at first, which is not true, and it goes back to how this action was taken by Nihilus in a way.
RELATED:The Parts of Star Wars KOTOR Games That Haven’t Aged Well
KOTOR 2: The Exile and Nihilus Walk The Same Path Down the Dark Side
Nihilus would literally fold into himself, binding his spirit within his mask and armor, and the same happens metaphorically to the Exile inKOTOR 2. He would begin devouring worlds, being sopowerful in the Forcethat he would raise a fleet from the wreckage of Malachor V—all destroyed ships—to assist him. There is some resemblance of this with the exile too.
Though she quickly forms connections through the Force, her Dark Side path inKOTOR 2sees her abuse them all for her own gain. Nihilus devours; she takes. She manipulates those around her, as she folds into herself, and from the dark side and the word Jedi does the same to her allies like the Mandalorians and the Republic at times. Nihilus manipulates death; she manipulates life. The two would meet, and no matter how these two Wounds in the Force differ, the Exile gains the upper hand.
There’s one more detail worth mentioning:KOTOR 2’s Visas Marr. While Nihilus is said to feel nothing, this is not true for Visas Marr, and her betrayal hurts him so. The betrayal of Kreia reflects this, as well as other potential betrayals throughout the game. In short, both in their lust for power will face betrayal time and again, and it will sting.
Canonically, it’s worth mentioning that the Jedi Exile returns to the light and retakes the Jedi title. In this way, she and Nihilus are two sides of the same coin. She heals; he dies. Her Wound in the Force is filled with connections; his consumes him whole. The exile is able to forgive herself for what happened on Malachor V; his spirit is forever attached to it. But there’s no denying how easily the Exile could have become Nihilus, since that is a viable option in aKOTOR2 Dark Side playthrough.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2is available on Mobile, PC, Switch, and Xbox.
