Summary
Here are the best dark side warriors inStar Warscanon, ranked according to the threat they pose. According to Palpatine, the dark side is the pathway to countlessForce powers- many of which would be considered unnatural. The acolytes of the dark side must never be underestimated, not least because their very presence darkens the Force, making it harder for a Jedi to fight.
There have been countless dark side villains inStar Warslore, but rather less since Disney rebooted the canon in 2014, rendering many old stories “Legends.” Still, the ones we have seen are truly formidable, and many are wonderfully well-developed as characters to boot. Here are the top 10 dark side villains inStar Warscanon, chosen by virtue of their character and ranked by threat level.
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10Iskat Akaris
A key member of the Inquisitors
Few of theImperial Inquisitorswill make this list, simply because many of them serve as disposable grunts for Darth Vader. One major exception is Iskat Akaris, the Thirteenth Sister, whose story is fleshed out in Delilah S. Dawson’s canon novelInquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade. While there may be redemption for Inquisitors like Reva or Barriss Offee, there’s no salvation for Iskat, eventually cut down by Darth Vader himself because she dared fall in love with a fellow Inquisitor.
Something about Iskat’s nature draws her to the dark side, perhaps hinting she is a member of the Legends Sith species, notable for their blood-red skin. She was apoor fit for the Jedi, chafing under their rules, and found freedom in the brutality of the Clone Wars -a fact that earned her Palpatine’s personal attention. Iskat was recruited almost immediately after Order 66, and continued to serve the Empire until she was finally killed by Darth Vader.
Sabine Wren’s brutal rival
Shin Hati
The mysterious Shin Hati was recruited by Baylan Skoll as a Dark Jedi Padawan. Like her master, Shin operated within the shadows until the Mandalorian era, when the duo took on a job for Morgan Elsbeth - one that took them to the distant planet Peridea. Shin is now stranded on Peridea as is the woman who has become her rival, Sabine Wren.
Baylan Skoll’s apprentice, Ivanna Sakhno’s Shin Hati is completely in the dark as to her master’s true purpose. She traveled with him to Peridea, receiving mixed messages about his plans for her, and was ultimately cast aside when he wandered off into the Peridean sunset. Shin lacks Baylan’s power and skill - she was effortlessly bested by Ahsoka Tano - but she’s notable for her ferocity.
There’s a fascinating chemistry between Shin Hati and Ahsoka’s Padawan, Sabine Wren (played by Natasha Liu Bordizzo). It seems to have been hate at first sight (or, many think, something more), with the two unable to tear their eyes away from one another during their many duels.If this is what Shin is like when she starts a vendetta, then she’s not someone you want to cross- and if it’s something more, then herAhsokaseason 2 story could be thrilling.
8Kylo Ren
The grandson of Darth Vader
Kylo Ren cuts an impressive figure, introduced as a brutal villain inStar Wars: The Force Awakens. Dark and imposing, he venerates Darth Vader, and he wields a sinister, crackling crossguard lightsaber that makes him stand out from the crowd. Unfortunately for this ranking, though, he simply isn’t committed enough to the dark side of the Force to number among the most dangerous. The death of Han Solo should have bound him to the darkness, but Han’s sacrificial love corrupted this ancient Sith ritual.
Every now and again, though,there are flashes of greatness from Kylo Ren that show just how dangerous he really should have been. One of the best is the opening scene ofStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, where he effortlessly cut through a wave of Mustafarian cultists. If he’d ever truly signed up to the dark side, he’d have been a terrifying foe indeed.
Ahsoka’s nemesis is a skilled combatant
Baylan Skoll
A mysterious and enigmatic Jedi Master, Baylan Skoll survived Order 66 and took on Shin Hati as his apprentice. He operated in the galaxy’s shadows for years, only emerging when he took on an assignment for the Imperial Morgan Elsbeth - a mission that took him to the distant planet Peridea. There, he continues to advance his own mysterious agenda.
Played by the late Ray Stevenson inAhsoka, the dark Jedi Baylan Skoll is a force to be reckoned with. He’s still something of a mystery, and his entire agenda on the distant planet Peridea is unknown, likely meaning Lucasfilm will be forced to recast the role forAhsokaseason 2. What is clear, though, is that Baylan is an absolutely ferocious combatant - he successfully defeated Ahsoka Tano, coming within a hair’s breadth of killing her, andshe ran away rather than endure their rematch.
Baylan is notable for his orange lightsaber, which he uses to devastating effect. It appears to be a modified blade akin to the “Great Lightsaber,” heavier than a normal weapon and only usable by the most physically powerful warriors. He uses it like a broadsword, its weight crushing his opponents' blades beneath it. Baylan Skoll is not to be underestimated.
6Count Dooku
A fallen Jedi with a ruthless streak
One of the greatest villains of theStar Warsprequel trilogy, Count Dooku earned himself a reputation for his tremendous swordsmanship. He was a master of thelightsaber formknown as Makashi, one used by only the most proficient combatants, and this meant he was a match for almost any Jedi in the order - andthat’s before he became a Sith. Dooku worked in the open for over a decade, taking advantage of his reputation as a former Jedi, using his homeworld of Serenno as a power base from which he founded the entire Separatist movement.
Count Dooku’s leadership of the Separatists proves just how dangerous he really was. An inspirational leader, he successfully forged a coalition of planets and organizations willing to wage war against the Republic. There were no lines he would not cross - whether it involved betraying former friends or committing acts of genocide. Dooku only appears comparatively low on this list because he had a fascinating degree of naïveté, never realizing Palpatine was going to betray him - even though he knew this is the way of the Sith.
5Darth Maul
Far more cunning than Palpatine believed
The galaxy believed Darth Maul’s story had ended on Naboo, inStar Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, when he was cut down by Obi-Wan Kenobi. In reality, Darth Maul survived - fueled by hatred, becoming a cybernetic creature before he was restored by the magick of Mother Talzin. Maul dedicated himself to revenge against those who had wronged him, and plagued both Obi-Wan and Palpatine;his former Sith Master even came to view Darth Maul as a rival.
Darth Maul’s true strategic genius lies in the fact that he survived almost all the Dark Times, drawing together five crime syndicates into a cartel with the potential to overthrow the Empire itself; he failed, buthis protégé Qi’ra almost succeeded in destroying the Sith in Maul’s name. Darth Maul may not be the most powerful dark sider on this list, but his strategic cunning saw him almost destroy enemies who were far more powerful than him, proving just how dangerous he really was.
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4Mother Talzin
The greatest of the Nightsisters
Only the most powerful dark siders can be considered rivals of Palpatine himself. The Sith Lord so feared Mother Talzin that he orchestrated her death - and the attempted genocide of herNightsisters of Dathomir- before the end of the Clone Wars. He knew Mother Talzin’s dark side magick meant she could benefit from the dominace of the dark side as well, andhe feared her successfully overthrowing his dreamed-of Empire.
Ahsokarevealed the magick of the Nightsisters is far more ancient than anyone had ever believed; the Dathomiri originate from a distant galaxy, and there’s some evidence all the secrets of the Sith were wrested from the leftovers of their ancient intergalactic empire.The Sith never managed to learn all the secrets of Nightsister magick, though, meaning it’s almost impossible to predict what Mother Talzin can do. This makes her one of the most formidable dark side threats inStar Warslore.
3Darth Bane
Creator of the Rule of Two
It takes a very powerful being indeed to recreate the Sith. Recognizing the competitive nature of the dark side as an inherent weakness, Darth Bane encouraged the destruction of the Sith armies before establishing theRule of Two. This masterplan preserved the secret of the Sith for a thousand years, culminating in Palpatine’s emergence as the fulfillment of everything Darth Bane had dreamed of.Bane was truly the master of the long game.
In Legends, Darth Bane wasn’t just a schemer; he was also a powerhouse, even donning Orbalisk armor that rendered him almost immune to injury for a time. Ironically, the orbalisks cost Darth Bane as much as they benefited him, because he gradually lost his skill - depending on brute savagery rather than combat forms. It’s possible he’d have lost his sense of vision altogether, and allowed his existence to be revealed to the Jedi; fortunately for the Sith, his apprentice Darth Zannah manipulated events against him.
2Darth Vader
The Dark Lord of the Sith
Darth Vader has been played by 14 different actorsover the decades, but he’s most commonly associated with Sebastian Shaw, James Earl Jones, and - most recently - Hayden Christensen himself. Born the Chosen One, Darth Vader should have been the most powerful Sith Lord of all time, buthis potential was reduced when he was defeated by Obi-Wan KenobiinStar Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. Darth Vader’s cybernetic parts reduced his ability to call on the Force.
That didn’t make him any less dangerous, though. Darth Vader redeveloped his lightsaber form to compensate for his cybernetic limbs, and he adopted an unusual dual-phase lightsaber that made him unpredictable in conflict. He may not have been able to channel Force lightning, but he manifested so many other Force powers, proving himself by even taming cosmic kaiju-like creatures and riding them across the stars.
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1Palpatine
The man who brought down the Jedi
The greatest villain of the entire Skywalker Saga, Palpatine essentially became the dark side personified - a rapacious, consuming force who sought only to dominate and destroy. Darth Bane may have reinvented the Sith Order, but Palpatine - played so well by Ian McDiarmid - considered himself to be their culmination. “I am all the Sith,” he sneered at his granddaughter Rey inStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
There has never been a Sith Lord as dangerous as Palpatine, and the entire galaxy hopes there never will be again. A Machiavellian masterplanner, Palpatine was the architect of Order 66, and he ruthlessly recreated the galaxy in his own image. He created a regime where it was only possible to survive by embracing the darkness, and then he personally reaped the reward.Only Luke Skywalker’s redemptive love for his father could defeat Palpatine, proving him to beStar Wars' greatest - and most dangerous - dark side villain.
