If you are a fan, there’s always a good time to discuss the Star Wars Sith Lords Whether you love the Skywalker Saga or all the animated tales of The Force, Star Wars is not complete without a swashbuckling Sith. And although the Skywalkers aren’t coming back to the screen, there will continue to be a lightsaber-wielding big bad around any dark corner.
Whatever series Disney+ brings us next, there will be a discussion about Sith Lords who could possibly show up to make things better. George Lucas created some badass personas among the Sith, but have you ever considered — dare I say, power-ranked, the Sith?
While many nerds can’t wait for another Star Wars brooding presence to hit the small or big screen, it’s time to settle the debate.
Here are the Top 10 Star Wars Sith Lords, power ranking style.
Author’s Memo: You may not be familiar with some of these names, so seeing who is number 10 may stun you like an intergalactic cattle prod. That said, this Top 10 Geek Vibes Nation list should show you one thing in particular–there is so much more yet to be unveiled on a screen.
If you disagree, feel free to share why. But, we encourage you to read up on the pantheon of evildoers among the Sith. There is an entire universe to behold that Star Wars fans have never conceived, so the future of whatever Lucasfilm develops for the masses will only serve to show the depth of a George Lucas storyline.
Star Wars is one of the most fascinating franchises ever to come to the movies. Furthermore, the Sith Lords have been the catalyst of our fandom. So, who do you think is the supreme Sith? Let’s find out.
10. Darth Vader
Consider this: If this Top 10 list of Star Wars Sith Lords starts with Darth Vader, imagine how ruthless the rest are. It’s hard not to romanticize Vader, but there are other Sith Lords who could destroy him, easily. The strange thing is when you compare him to others, Anakin Skywalker didn’t possess all the powers of the Dark Side as other Sith Lords.
Throughout canon, Vader didn’t take down any true Jedi or Sith. His presence was among the most intimidating. And he may be one of the most calculating military minds of the Sith. Nonetheless, Vader lacked the Dark Side force other Sith Lords mastered.
Turns out, he was more of a doting father than a dangerous Sith Lord. But who cares? He’s Darth effing Vader, and that’s alright with us! Even though he is number 10 here, he’s still numero uno in our dark little hearts.
9. Darth Malgus
Where are the Old Republic peeps? Without question, Darth Malgus is surely one of the most fearful Sith Lords to see and fight. He possesses some scary power. Imagine dueling The Flash in a swordfight. Yeah, good luck with that because that’s what Malgus has waiting for you. He’d slice you in two before you could blink.
Darth Malgus has an infamous reputation for bloodlust and ran through Jedi Masters like the fluorescent milk that Luke drank that went through his lower GI tract in The Last Jedi. Even his lightsaber had an intimating name–Ultrasabers Malice. Dang! Sure, Revan is the reason Malgus has no bottom jaw and wears the version 1.0 Kylo Ren mask, but he was a beast among all the Star Wars Sith Lords.
8. Darth Nihilus
And now, a strong shout out to all the KOTOR fans because this is your dude. Darth Nihilus was not a Sith Lord with feelings you could detect and manipulate. This Sith Lord was known as “The Lord of Hunger.” He could consume entire planets.
In fact, as a Dark Jedi, he encountered “a destructive spatial phenomenon known as a mass shadow.” It left him like Dracula, only sucking from the teet of The Force! From there, he became a “wound in the Force, more presence than flesh.”
How? His consciousness was bound to his badass mask and armor. They were imbued with his dark powers, so much so that his Force Ghost gained training in the ways of the Sith. Nihilus was a powerhouse. Watch Knights of the Old Republic, you’ll see.
7. Darth Traya
Step aside, Ahsoka Tano. Your inspiration is taking the stage. Darth Traya was, like many others on this list, a Jedi before she became a Sith Lord. She was Darth Revan’s and Darth Nihilus’ Sith Master.
Traya mastered Dark Side Force techniques so effectively that she used the Force to wield her lightsabers telekinetically. As in “Look mom, no hands!” Her mind was so powerful that she could see far into the future. Her diabolical strength and polarizing duality are where she found peace riding the fence between Light and Dark. Darth Traya was one of those Star Wars Sith Lords few were able to handle or compare.
6. Darth Bane
Darth Bane was around 1,000 years before The Clone Wars and remains one of the most influential of all the Star Wars Sith Lords. He created “The Rule of Two.” For many fans, the light bulb went off over your heads, and now you know. For others, here is “The Rule of Two.”
The Rule of Two states there would be only two Sith at one time, a master and an apprentice, guaranteeing that when the apprentice becomes powerful enough in the ways of the dark side to take the title of master, only then would they be worthy of the title.
This transfer of power would only take place when the apprentice takes their master’s life and finds a worthy student to repeat the cycle, this way the Sith will grow more powerful and still exist through the new master. Both master and apprentice were considered to be Sith Lords.Wookieepedia
Darth Bane also marked his place in Sith Lord history by establishing his own Sith Order. Bane wasn’t a fan of the old Sith Order by the Sith Council that existed back then, so he studied Darth Revan’s Holocron. From there, his mind and power grew. He demolished the old Sith Order and even the Old Jedi who tried to stop him. Bane had some serious game.
5. Darth Revan
Easily one of the most feared Star Wars Sith Lords, Revan is also one of the most popular, namely if you have played the video game “Knights of the Old Republic.” More than four millennia before the Skywalker Saga, Revan brought his militaristic mind (that would rival Alexander the Great) and recruited as many Jedi as he could to the Dark Side.
In fact, he was so renowned throughout the galaxy for his brute force, he was known as “Revan the Butcher.” Dude had a rep, largely because of how he pummeled the Republic to submission and brainwashed the Jedi. Like, all of them. Look at his mask. See anything? Kylo Ren loved his granddaddy but Revan was his mentor. Much like he was for Darth Malak, his apprentice, whom he killed.
4. Darth Plagueis
This phallic-cranium Sith Lord wasn’t feared for his saber play. In fact, he was dubbed “Plagueis the Wise” because he knew everything about the Force. That is probably why he was obsessed with immortality. His studies showed him immortality was possible within the Dark Side of the Force. He did everything he could to achieve that state of being.
Although Plagueis was not so good at dueling, he was a devious, cerebral Sith. That mental acuity made him a threat to everyone. If you were thinking of a plan, Plagueis considered it first. And, to help entice you on this odd-looking Sith, wait until Disney+ reveals The Acolyte. The new series timeline is supposed to take place 100 years before Han and Chewie joined the Rebel Alliance. Its big baddie will be Plagueis.
Oh yeah, that’s the series we will probably get a juicy origin story of his star pupil. The young Padawan becomes a famous grandfather we all came to know quite well in the Skywalker Saga. This story should be great.
3. Marka Ragnos
Easily one of the most intimidating Star Wars Sith Lords, Marka Ragnos is a devasting power from the first Sith Empire. In fact, his Force ghost was more powerful than some Sith Lords or Jedi were in the flesh.
How? Marka Ragnos was a Sith-Human hybrid. The Dark Side exudes from his presence, which was sparked by a Dark Jedi who fled the Republic after the 100-year Darkness. Ragnos went unchallenged for an entire century. His dueling power with a one-of-a-kind “Sith sword” was that awesome.
That’s why Marka Ragnos is one of the most fabled Sith Lords in history. In fact, Ragnos’ Force Ghost was said to be even more powerful than most Jedi. He managed to keep his spirit alive for many thousands of years after his death, being one of the first Force ghosts ever — Jedi or Sith.
2. Darth Sidious
Vader knew him as “Master.” We know him as “Emperor.” Plagueis, as we just learned, knew him as “Padawan.” And Rey knew him as “Pops.” To showcase how twisted this cantankerous old fart was, “The Emperor” Sheev Palpatine wasn’t only the student of Darth Plagueis; he was also his murderer (while he was sleeping).
Karma Force seemed to follow Sidious around because all his Padawan’s kept dying in his services. Maul? Dead in battle. Dooku (Tyrannus)? Dead in defense. Vader? Dead by Force Lightning. Kylo Ren? Death by wooed from the Light Side.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, Sidious activated Order 66, a clone army created to kill every single Jedi. He ravaged the Republic and created the Galactic Empire. And, like his master, he figured out a way to cheat death, as we saw in The Rise of Skywalker. The man earned his evil street cred and will always be a supreme Sith Lord anywhere in the Star Wars galaxy.
1. Exar Kun
You may not know his name, but trust, he is the GOAT among Star Wars Sith Lords. Exar Kun was easily the dude. He was the inspiration for most things evil in the Force. Just look at his lightsaber. And you thought Darth Maul created that.
He was once a part of the Jedi Order, and he was considered the standard. Kun couldn’t even choose an apprentice without the drama. He walked into a Jedi Council meeting, killed Supreme Chancellor Sidrona, and took Ulic Qel-Droma with him. Surely, as fate would have it, the apprentice kills the master.
But this was Exar Kun.
Following his “death,” Exar Kun used everything he knew about being a Sith Lord and separated his spirit from his body before he died. And he remained like that, more powerful than ever, for a few millennia. Living and killing that long into the afterlife?! Who else could do that?
That’s Sith Lord beast mode–one we desperately need to see on a screen soon.
All images courtesy of Lucasfilm LTD./The Walt Disney Co.
Since he saw ‘Dune’ in the $1 movie theater as a kid, this guy has been a lover of geek culture. It wasn’t until he became a professional copywriter, ghostwriter, and speechwriter that he began to write about it (a lot).
From the gravitas of the Sith, the genius of Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, or the gluttony of today’s comic fan, SPW digs intelligent debate about entertainment. He’s also addicted to listicles, storytelling, useless trivia, and the Oxford comma. And, he prefers his puns intended.
