Death Rates of the Sith Academy
If Star Wars: The Old Republic was to be believed, the death rates at the Korriban Academy are astronomical. Students are killed left, right, and centre by their overseers, each other, and the trials themselves. The issue is, that doesn’t make sense from any perspective. Korriban is supposed to be a prestigious academy where the best of the best go to train. Unless you’re going to take the worst possible interpretation of Sith and Imperial families, no one would send their children to a school where 5 in 6 students die.
With that in mind, here is my headcanon of how the Korriban Academy operates within regards to death and failure. This is a more forgiving headcanon in lieu with the idea that the Sith are an actual people and not the embodiment of stupid evil and cruelty for cruelty’s sake.
Before we begin, we must establish the demographics of the acolyte population: slave-caste and free-born. This distinction is important because both have radically different death rates as well as legal statuses within the Empire. Despite the Emperor declaring Force Sensitive slaves freedom and citizenship, they don’t get these rights until they complete their trials and graduate from the academy.
Acolytes in the academy are split into groups of six called a “coterie.” Six acolytes, six trials. After every trial, the acolytes are graded and the lowest graded fails. Between training with their coterie, they attend classes with the rest of the acolytes.
Now, there are three ways an acolyte can die:
Death by overseer is complicated.
For free-born acolytes, there is virtually no risk of execution. The only possible way a free-born acolyte can be legally executed by their overseer is if the acolyte was found guilty of a major crime, such as murder or treason. Even then, it’s an entire process involving the academy’s administration and the Sphere of Law and Justice.
Basically, if a free-born acolyte is to be executed by their overseer, they must have fucked up big time.
Slave-caste acolytes, on the other hand, have a harder time. Technically, they are slaves owned by the academy. Therefore, the Sphere of Law and Justice has no authority over them. Overseer’s only need approval by the academy’s administration to execute slave-caste acolytes.
What this freedom permits isn’t that much, in reality.
For free-born, acolytes who fail must leave the academy and re-enrol at a later date. When it comes to slave-castes, this freedom along with the general opinion on slave-castes, overseers have the option of just straight up executing those who fail. Those who aren’t executed are sent to Lord Spindrall to take care of.
How often execution is chosen depends on the overseer. For the most part, slave-castes have a good chance of surviving. However, there are many vindictive overseers who will always execute slave-castes who fail their trials.
Death by acolyte is the rarest of all. Not only is it illegal under all circumstances except the most extraneous (i.e. self defence or “service to the empire”), but it is difficult to get away with.
For free-born victims of acolyte on acolyte violence, there will be an investigation by the Sphere of Law and Justice as well as an internal review. Other acolytes will be investigated and, should the killer be found, the overseer has right of execution regardless of their birth.
If the victim is slave-caste, however? An investigation will only take place if the death was particularly suspicious. It is easier to get away with killing another slave-caste, but still rare for the opportunities are limited, planning is difficult, and the political and social ramifications are (while far more benign) still present. After all, it is still illegal.
Death by trial is the most common cause of death for free-born and the second most common cause of death for the slave-caste.
Despite this, death isn’t that common. The average coterie will lose one or two acolytes to the Valley, if they lose any. Slave-castes have the worst of it because they don’t have the same training that free-born have.
Death is also mitigated by services offered by the Imperial Military and the Imperial Reclamation Services. While they cannot help directly with an acolyte’s trial, the military offers aid against non-trial threats (such as k’lor’slug infestations) and the IRS offers equipment and information to explore the region. Nothing that will make their actual trial any easier, but enough that they won’t die before they get there.
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