Scourge vs. The Hero of Tython: Context and Circumstances

A commonly held belief is that Scourge and the Hero possess parity as of their fight in Act II due to them fighting to a “standstill” before Scourge broke off the fight. However, this stance is a product of missing context, and when we take a closer look at the location and events surrounding the fight we see that they are to Scourge's advantage.

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The Emperor’s Fortress is a Dark Side Nexus
The fortress the Emperor resided in was over a thousand years old and was where Vitiate stored the many artifacts which he collected over the years and was also noted to be a place of "dark side power" [source].As noted in the orange text in the quote below, places where "great evil or violence" occur and "are accompanied by the manipulation of the Force" have the potential to become sites permeated by the dark side. Kira states that she can feel the deaths of those who have tried and failed to infiltrate the Emperor's Fortress, which she wouldn't have noted if it wasn't a significant presence [source].As noted in the violet text in the quote below, if a powerful darksider (Vitiate and co.) operates in a specific place for a long period of time (a millennium) then that place can become a dark side nexus as well. The fortress was also home to Sith and a dark side entity identified as an “echo of the dark side” [source].As noted in the blue text in the quote below, dark side spirits such as this entity are known to inhabit places of dark power. Vitiate captured the dark entity and anchored it to his fortress, and as noted in The Dark Side Sourcebook, Sith spirits need a place of power to anchor themselves which means that the fortress is a place of power [source].

Video of the Entity:

Some areas, like some beings, are strong in the dark side. They resonate with corrupt energy. These places emanate evil and darkness, creating cold spots in the Force that disturb those who are sensitive to the energy that binds the galaxy together. For those who draw upon the dark side, these spots serve as wells of power that can sometimes be tapped for greater effect.

Dark side sites can be created in a number of ways. When acts of great evil or violence take place at a location and are accompanied by the manipulation of the Force, a dark side site can come into being. If a powerful darksider operates in a specific place for a long period of time, or if that darksider meets a violent end at a specific location, that place can also become imbued with the dark side.

Such a site feels cold and dark even on the brightest, warmest days. It radiates evil, casting shadows the way a glowrod casts light. While these dark side sites are few and far between, when one comes into existence it lingers, haunting the galaxy for many years. While the dark side sometimes permeates extremely large areas, in general a dark side site will be relatively small. A tiny cave, a ruined temple, an ancient battlefield, a crypt of some long dead Sith lord-these are the typical dark side sites that might be encountered. Sometimes an entire moon or planet might radiate with the dark side, as in the cases of Dxun and Korriban, but such sites are rare, in a few cases, a dark side spirit (see Chapter Six) might also haunt a dark side site.



Given the evidence, it's clear that the fortress is a place of considerable dark power that Scourge would've been empowered from while the Hero would've been hindered.

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The Hero Wasn’t Fresh
Prior to the HoT’s engagement with Scourge, he fought through Harrower assassins, Elite Imperial Guard, and Sith who would have been amped from the dark side nexus [source].The Harrowers - Vitiate’s personal assassins - were noted to be Lord Fulminiss’s most famous creation [source].The Hero noted that the Harrower’s were unlike any Sith he had fought before and Jomar Chul remarked that they are "abominations of the dark side" [source].Vitiate’s Imperial Guard were also noted to be extremely formidable, as they were deemed the “ultimate non-Force sensitive warriors” trained specifically to kill Force users. Even the “mightiest of Sith” laid down their lightsabers in acceptance of their death when confronted by Imperial Guardsman; members of the Dark Council feared the prowess of the Imperial Guard as well [source].Factor in that the Imperial Guard the Hero fights are distinguished as Elite relative to other Imperial Guard and that they are guarding the Emperor then it’s highly likely he is fighting the best of the best; not to mention that they were in close proximity to the Emperor who they can draw power from. The point being here is this: the Hero fought through the cream of the crop of the Emperor’s minions on a dark side nexus prior to engaging Scourge, which means the Hero would have been running on lower reserves going into the fight than he would if he were fresh while Scourge went into the fight completely fresh with a nexus amp to boot.

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The Fight
Personally, I’ve always found the interpretation of the fight itself to be a bit strange as almost everything besides the line from the mission description paints the picture of the Hero having the upper hand. In one of the dialogue options, the HoT claims that he is winning the fight and Scourge makes no effort to rebut. Keep in mind that Scourge was also on his knees just prior to when the HoT claims he is winning [source].Later, when the HoT reencounters Scourge in the hanger after their duel, the HoT challenges him to a duel again and Scourge defers when he says “Destroy me, and the galaxy dies”[source].Even if you don’t buy the HoT having the upper hand, the most charitable interpretation still paints the Hero as superior. If Scourge truly was fighting the Hero to a standstill he was doing it on a dark side nexus against an opponent who had just finished fighting through the Emperor’s most elite forces[source]. A "standstill" doesn’t necessitate an even contest either, it’s a situation or condition in which there is no movement or activity at all and this lack of activity is due to the arrival of other members of the strike team. Take away Scourge's advantages and he would have been the clear inferior.

Now, Scourge makes the claim that he could have killed the Hero on Quesh (which takes place roughly a few weeks before their fight in the fortress) but hesitated and some would argue that this in conjunction with Scourge knowing that the Hero is the key to stopping the Emperor would mean that Scourge wasn't going all out against the Hero (note that Scourge said on Quesh and not the fortress) [source].However, Scourge was leading a large military force against the Hero and a small number of soldiers so he was likely referring to the overwhelming tactical advantage he had over the Hero rather than being the better combatant [link to the events on Quesh]. As for Scourge potentially holding back in their fight, I think it's fair to say that the Emperor would have known if Scourge was jobbing the fight and would have instantly become suspicious, which would have potentially put an end to Scourge's 300-year long scheme to overthrow him. Scourge had to execute his plan perfectly in order to avoid the gaze of the Emperor and anything that would have jeopardized his plan would have been out of the question. It should also be noted that Scourge was willing to wait even longer for the Jedi from his vision to appear if that Jedi didn't happen to be the Hero, which implies that he would have no qualms with killing him if it came to that (note that in the picture Scourge's dialogue varies at what point of the story you are in, so the line in reference to defeating the Emperor only appears if you beat the Emperor before you have the conversation with Scourge) [source]. Also, what would be the point of Scourge holding back against the Hero if Vitiate was just going to blast the Hero anyways if Scourge lost?

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Conclusion
To put it concisely, the Hero fought through a considerable number of the Emperor's most elite forces specifically trained to kill Jedi and then at the very least fought Scourge to a standstill if not possessing the upper hand before the rest of the strike team arrived all while on a powerful dark side nexus. Therefore, Scourge does not possess parity with the Hero as of their fight in Act II.

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cool blog praxis. u should do more blogs tbh

lorenzo.r.2nd wrote:cool blog praxis. u should do more blogs tbh

Thank you.

Look this is off topic and as usual solid work Praxis, but I must ask; is there any reason that the forum is moving to all the colored text? I feel like I'm trying to read a rainbow spectrum, strains my eyes. If this is like a whole thing, I'll do it, I'm just curious, thanks.

Blame MP and Ant tbh.

NotAA3 wrote:Blame MP and Ant tbh.

Praxis wrote:

lorenzo.r.2nd wrote:cool blog praxis. u should do more blogs tbh

Thank you.

nice post also :DDD

inhabit places of power, not "inhibit"

I did upvote this, and it's a great explanation for why people should give the Hero of Tython more credit

but most people who aren't TORies will say "hurr durr he didn't kill anyone with feats or prequel scaling; this changes nuffin"

Geistalt wrote:inhabit places of power, not "inhibit"

Thanks for pointing the typo out. Fixed.