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A common point of debate among Jedi and their dark counterparts was the strength that laid behind the dark side. A major claim of darksiders was that the stronger, darker emotions that fueled their power also lent them an edge over other Force users. The Jedi, and other groups who held to the light often claimed that the dark side was a shortcut to power, but also to suffering and destruction. It is true that many darksiders noticeably advanced in their command of the Force following their conversion, like [[Darth Caedus]]. Many were in fact capable of incredible feats of destruction, such as causing [[Primus Goluud|stars]] to go [[supernova]], the [[Devastation of Katarr]] and [[Force storm (wormhole)|Force storms]], powers that seemed incomprehensible for a single being to wield.<ref name="JvS">''[[Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force]]''</ref><ref name="Sacrifice">''[[Sacrifice]]''</ref><ref name="TOTJ:DLOTS1:>''[[Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith 1: Masters and Students of the Force]]''</ref><ref name="KOTOR2" /><ref name="DarkEmpire" /> The Sith often claimed that the Jedi were weak and foolish for not tapping into the dark side, which they considered to be the stronger side of the Force. While the dark side did provide for a more visual display of power, such as Force Storms, the Jedi were capable of the same amount of power, but could not apply it in such terrible, destructive ways. However, these powers came with a price. Abilities such as Force storm and the unique variant of [[Force drain]] employed by Darth Nihilus required extraordinary immersion in the dark side, and the practitioners of such dark powers invariably suffered terrible physical degradation. Darth Sidious for example aged very poorly as the dark side consumed him from within. When Sidious returned from his death at the hands of Anakin Skywalker, his power in the dark side was seen to be so potent that the cloned bodies he inhabited were quickly consumed by the simple act of housing Sidious's spirit. His incredible power, combined with the fact that the clones were not as suitable for housing his essence as his original body had been, meant he had to [[Transfer essence|transfer]] his spirit into fresh clones very frequently. Darth Nihilus presented what was perhaps the most extreme example of this issue. As his power grew, he became so consumed by the dark side that his physical form was eventually destroyed, forcing him to encase his spirit in his armor.
A common point of debate among Jedi and their dark counterparts was the strength that laid behind the dark side. A major claim of darksiders was that the stronger, darker emotions that fueled their power also lent them an edge over other Force users. The Jedi, and other groups who held to the light often claimed that the dark side was a shortcut to power, but also to suffering and destruction. It is true that many darksiders noticeably advanced in their command of the Force following their conversion, like [[Darth Caedus]]. Many were in fact capable of incredible feats of destruction, such as causing [[Primus Goluud|stars]] to go [[supernova]], the [[Devastation of Katarr]] and [[Force storm (wormhole)|Force storms]], powers that seemed incomprehensible for a single being to wield.<ref name="JvS">''[[Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force]]''</ref><ref name="Sacrifice">''[[Sacrifice]]''</ref><ref name="TOTJ:DLOTS1:>''[[Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith 1: Masters and Students of the Force]]''</ref><ref name="KOTOR2" /><ref name="DarkEmpire" /> The Sith often claimed that the Jedi were weak and foolish for not tapping into the dark side, which they considered to be the stronger side of the Force. While the dark side did provide for a more visual display of power, such as Force Storms, the Jedi were capable of the same amount of power, but could not apply it in such terrible, destructive ways. However, these powers came with a price. Abilities such as Force storm and the unique variant of [[Force drain]] employed by Darth Nihilus required extraordinary immersion in the dark side, and the practitioners of such dark powers invariably suffered terrible physical degradation. Darth Sidious for example aged very poorly as the dark side consumed him from within. When Sidious returned from his death at the hands of Anakin Skywalker, his power in the dark side was seen to be so potent that the cloned bodies he inhabited were quickly consumed by the simple act of housing Sidious's spirit. His incredible power, combined with the fact that the clones were not as suitable for housing his essence as his original body had been, meant he had to [[Transfer essence|transfer]] his spirit into fresh clones very frequently. Darth Nihilus presented what was perhaps the most extreme example of this issue. As his power grew, he became so consumed by the dark side that his physical form was eventually destroyed, forcing him to encase his spirit in his armor.
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Conversely, while the dark side could provide it's practitioners with destructive capabilities beyond that of light side practitioners, it fell short of the light side when it came to true healing. While the dark side could be used to improve one's vitality and repair one's body as the light side could, the results of utilizing the dark side in such a manner were almost always temporary. Nearly all dark side based healing based powers worked only so long as the practitioner actively channeled the dark side, and whatever malady the power was meant to treat often returned in full force the moment they ceased to do so. Darth Bane's and Darth Vader's use of dark side healing abilities present a few good examples. In Bane's case, while he was at one point able to hold off the effects of [[Synox|a deadly poison]] by strengthening himself through the pain and suffering of others, he still required the assistance of the healer [[Caleb]] to actually cure himself.<ref name="DB:PoD" /> Vader was capable of using the dark side to heal the necrotic and useless tissue of his lungs to the point where he could operate in standard atmospheric conditions, but he had to maintain intense concentration on the dark side to do so. If his hate abated or his concentration slipped, his lungs returned to their injured state.<ref name="ShadowsOfTheEmpirenovel">[[Shadows of the Empire (novel)|''Shadow of the Empire'' novel]]</ref> The case of Darth Sion presents the most extreme usage of this power, with both it's greatest strengths and weaknesses showcased perfectly. Sion was capable of using the dark side to hold his broken, clinically dead body together by feeding off the extreme pain that such an existence constantly caused him. This pain fueled his rage, and as such his strength in the dark side, which permitted him to hold his body together through increasingly violent traumas. If near to a dark side nexus like [[Malachor V]], he became essentially unkillable. However, the instant he was convinced to let go of his hate and anger by [[Meetra Surik]], his body gave out and he died.<ref name="KOTOR2" /> The light side, on the other hand, could provide accelerated healing in a permanent, biologically sustainable fashion. However, there are a few dark side practitioners who have demonstrated the ability to heal themselves in a more permanent fashion. Count Dooku, for instance, was able to purge his body of a deadly biological weapon during a negotiation with Jango Fett after the latter attempted to use it to extort him. [[Darth Plagueis]] was able to use his [[Midi-chlorian manipulation|midichlorian manipulation]] technique to permanently regenerate nearly all of the wounds he sustained at the hands of [[Maladian]] assassins, even decades after the incident. However, Plagueis was the only know user of this ability, which did not use the energies of the dark side to directly heal the subject in any case.<ref name="Darth P">''[[Star Wars: Darth Plagueis]]''</ref> Additionally, it is not known whether Dooku utilized the dark side specifically to heal himself, or if he drew on his Jedi knowledge to do so.<ref name="Jango Fett: Open Seasons">''[[Jango Fett: Open Seasons]]''</ref>
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Conversely, while the dark side could provide it's practitioners with destructive capabilities beyond that of light side practitioners, it fell short of the light side when it came to permanent healing. While the dark side could be used to improve one's vitality and repair one's body as the light side could, the results of utilizing the dark side in such a manner were almost always temporary. Nearly all dark side based healing based powers worked only so long as the practitioner actively channeled the dark side, and whatever malady the power was meant to treat often returned in full force the moment they ceased to do so. Darth Bane's and Darth Vader's use of dark side healing abilities present a few good examples. In Bane's case, while he was at one point able to hold off the effects of [[Synox|a deadly poison]] by strengthening himself through the pain and suffering of others, he still required the assistance of the healer [[Caleb]] to actually cure himself.<ref name="DB:PoD" /> Vader was capable of using the dark side to heal the necrotic and useless tissue of his lungs to the point where he could operate in standard atmospheric conditions, but he had to maintain intense concentration on the dark side to do so. If his hate abated or his concentration slipped, his lungs returned to their injured state.<ref name="ShadowsOfTheEmpirenovel">[[Shadows of the Empire (novel)|''Shadow of the Empire'' novel]]</ref> The case of Darth Sion presents the most extreme usage of this power, with both it's greatest strengths and weaknesses showcased perfectly. Sion was capable of using the dark side to hold his broken, clinically dead body together by feeding off the extreme pain that such an existence constantly caused him. This pain fueled his rage, and as such his strength in the dark side, which permitted him to hold his body together through increasingly violent traumas. If near to a dark side nexus like [[Malachor V]], he became essentially unkillable. However, the instant he was convinced to let go of his hate and anger by [[Meetra Surik]], his body gave out and he died.<ref name="KOTOR2" /> The light side, on the other hand, could provide accelerated healing in a permanent, biologically sustainable fashion. However, there are a few dark side practitioners who have demonstrated the ability to heal themselves in a more permanent fashion. Count Dooku, for instance, was able to purge his body of a deadly biological weapon during a negotiation with Jango Fett after the latter attempted to use it to extort him. [[Darth Plagueis]] was able to use his [[Midi-chlorian manipulation|midichlorian manipulation]] technique to permanently regenerate nearly all of the wounds he sustained at the hands of [[Maladian]] assassins, even decades after the incident. However, Plagueis was the only know user of this ability, which did not use the energies of the dark side to directly heal the subject in any case.<ref name="Darth P">''[[Star Wars: Darth Plagueis]]''</ref> Additionally, it is not known whether Dooku utilized the dark side specifically to heal himself, or if he drew on his Jedi knowledge to do so.<ref name="Jango Fett: Open Seasons">''[[Jango Fett: Open Seasons]]''</ref>
It was also noted by [[Jedi Master]] [[Yoda]] that the dark side was quick to aid a Force-user in combat, often to great effect. [[Asajj Ventress]], a young Dark Jedi, was able to fend off three Jedi, kill one, and pull another to the dark side during the [[Mission to Ruul|Deception on Ruul]]. During her [[Rescue on the Tranquility|rescue]] of [[Viceroy]] [[Nute Gunray]] from [[Galactic Republic|Republic]] custody, Ventress was able to kill numerous [[clone trooper]]s, cripple the ''[[Tranquility]]'', and escape both [[Luminara Unduli]] and [[Ahsoka Tano]]. Darth Sidious called upon the dark side and was able to quickly [[Showdown on Coruscant|slay]] three [[Jedi Council]] members and persuade Anakin Skywalker to assist him in killing the fourth. Skywalker himself, as Darth Vader, was able to kill many Jedi single-handedly during [[Operation: Knightfall]] and the subsequent [[Great Jedi Purge]]. Luke Skywalker utilized the power of the dark side to defeat Darth Vader during their final duel, drawing on his rage to bolster his combat effectiveness for a short time. Jacen Solo, after his transformation into Darth Caedus, proved able to essentially stalemate [[Grand Master]] Luke Skywalker during a lightsaber duel, despite Skywalker's overwhelming power in the Force. The combat prowess exhibited by these individuals may have been the result of a lack of moral restrictions darksiders placed on themselves. When in battle, however, the dark side itself lent to their ferocity and determination.<ref name="TESB" /><ref name="J:MW">''[[Jedi: Mace Windu]]''</ref><ref name="CoD">{{TCW|Cloak of Darkness}}</ref><ref name="ROTS" /><ref name="TFUn">[[The Force Unleashed (novel)|''The Force Unleashed'' novel]]</ref><ref name="ROTJ" /><ref name="Inferno">''[[Inferno]]''</ref>
It was also noted by [[Jedi Master]] [[Yoda]] that the dark side was quick to aid a Force-user in combat, often to great effect. [[Asajj Ventress]], a young Dark Jedi, was able to fend off three Jedi, kill one, and pull another to the dark side during the [[Mission to Ruul|Deception on Ruul]]. During her [[Rescue on the Tranquility|rescue]] of [[Viceroy]] [[Nute Gunray]] from [[Galactic Republic|Republic]] custody, Ventress was able to kill numerous [[clone trooper]]s, cripple the ''[[Tranquility]]'', and escape both [[Luminara Unduli]] and [[Ahsoka Tano]]. Darth Sidious called upon the dark side and was able to quickly [[Showdown on Coruscant|slay]] three [[Jedi Council]] members and persuade Anakin Skywalker to assist him in killing the fourth. Skywalker himself, as Darth Vader, was able to kill many Jedi single-handedly during [[Operation: Knightfall]] and the subsequent [[Great Jedi Purge]]. Luke Skywalker utilized the power of the dark side to defeat Darth Vader during their final duel, drawing on his rage to bolster his combat effectiveness for a short time. Jacen Solo, after his transformation into Darth Caedus, proved able to essentially stalemate [[Grand Master]] Luke Skywalker during a lightsaber duel, despite Skywalker's overwhelming power in the Force. The combat prowess exhibited by these individuals may have been the result of a lack of moral restrictions darksiders placed on themselves. When in battle, however, the dark side itself lent to their ferocity and determination.<ref name="TESB" /><ref name="J:MW">''[[Jedi: Mace Windu]]''</ref><ref name="CoD">{{TCW|Cloak of Darkness}}</ref><ref name="ROTS" /><ref name="TFUn">[[The Force Unleashed (novel)|''The Force Unleashed'' novel]]</ref><ref name="ROTJ" /><ref name="Inferno">''[[Inferno]]''</ref>