The 15 Best Dark Side Characters In Star Wars, Ranked By Threat Level

Summary The dark side warriors pose an immense threat with countless Force powers considered unnatural by Palpatine.

Dark side acolytes must not be underestimated as their very presence darkens the Force and hinder Jedi fighting.

The top 10 dark side characters in Star Wars canon boast formidable qualities, each uniquely well-developed as threats.

Here are the best dark side warriors in Star Wars canon, ranked according to the threat they pose. According to Palpatine, the dark side is the pathway to countless Force 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 in Star Wars lore, 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 in Star Wars canon, chosen by virtue of their character and ranked by threat level.

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10 Iskat Akaris

A key member of the Inquisitors

Few of the Imperial Inquisitors will 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 novel Inquisitor: 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.

Buy Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade from Amazon

9 Shin Hati

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. Created By Dave Filoni Cast Ivanna Sakhno TV Shows Ahsoka

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 her Ahsoka season 2 story could be thrilling.

8 Kylo Ren

The grandson of Darth Vader

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Kylo Ren cuts an impressive figure, introduced as a brutal villain in Star 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 of Star 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.

7 Baylan Skoll

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. Created By Dave Filoni Cast Ray Stevenson TV Shows Ahsoka

Played by the late Ray Stevenson in Ahsoka, 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 for Ahsoka season 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, and she 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.

6 Count Dooku

A fallen Jedi with a ruthless streak

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One of the greatest villains of the Star Wars prequel trilogy, Count Dooku earned himself a reputation for his tremendous swordsmanship. He was a master of the lightsaber form known as Makashi, one used by only the most proficient combatants, and this meant he was a match for almost any Jedi in the order - and that'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.

5 Darth Maul

Far more cunning than Palpatine believed

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The galaxy believed Darth Maul's story had ended on Naboo, in Star 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, but his 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.

Related Darth Maul Was Palpatine's Greatest Mistake Before Return Of The Jedi Darth Maul was left for dead after Star Wars' The Phantom Menace, but his survival helps Palpatine learn from his mistake for his new apprentice.

4 Mother Talzin

The greatest of the Nightsisters

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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 her Nightsisters 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, and he feared her successfully overthrowing his dreamed-of Empire.

Ahsoka revealed 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 in Star Wars lore.

3 Darth Bane

Creator of the Rule of Two

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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 the Rule 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.

2 Darth Vader

The Dark Lord of the Sith

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Darth Vader has been played by 14 different actors over 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, but his potential was reduced when he was defeated by Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star 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.

Related Darth Vader Used A Forbidden Lightsaber Technique To Defeat Jedi Opponents Lightsaber battles have been common since Star Wars began, but many may not know that Darth Vader often used a forbidden technique to defeat Jedi.

1 Palpatine

The man who brought down the Jedi

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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 in Star 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 be Star Wars' greatest - and most dangerous - dark side villain.