Luke Skywalker only faced a few dark-side foes in the Star Wars movies, but he has defeated multiple Sith Lords and Dark Jedi across Star Wars canon and Legends. Between Luke’s onscreen duels with Darth Vader, the early Star Wars comics began giving him other Force users to fight, a trend which continued as the Expanded Universe explored the era after Return of the Jedi. When the EU was rebranded as Legends in favor of a new Star Wars canon, stories published under Disney added even more dark side users that Luke faced on his journey to become a Jedi.
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With all these tales combined, Luke has fought Sith, Dark Jedi, warlords, holograms, clones, former students, family, and more. Each encounter challenged Luke differently, either by pitting him against a physically superior opponent or tempting him to give in to the dark side to achieve victory. Many of Luke’s duels came at great cost, but he also learned something valuable that made him a better Jedi and helped those in need. Luke has now triumphed over 15 Sith and dark side users in Star Wars canon and Legends, but future projects are sure to reveal even more.
15 Darth Vader
Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi
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One of the most well-known Sith Lords that Luke Skywalker defeated in canon and Legends was his father, Darth Vader. However, Luke would likely not consider physically besting Vader his triumph, but rather his refusal to give in to the dark side and sparing his father’s life.
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Choosing love for his family, upholding the best aspects of the Jedi, and putting faith in others truly allowed Luke to defeat the Sith.
Choosing love for his family, upholding the best aspects of the Jedi, and putting faith in others truly allowed Luke to defeat the Sith. That faith in his father inspired Anakin Skywalker to return to the light and save Luke’s life, committing one final act of good before becoming one with the Force.
14 Cronal/Lord Shadowspawn/Blackhole
Star Wars: Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor (Legends)
Lord Cronal went by many names during his service to the Empire, known as “Blackhole” when he served Palpatine and later “Shadowspawn” when he became a warlord fighting against the New Republic. The recently promoted General Luke Skywalker managed to defeat Cronal’s forces on Mindor, but only at the cost of overwhelming death, causing Luke to resign from the New Republic military out of guilt.
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Cronal’s various identities originally appeared in separate stories as different characters, but they were later retconned to be the same person.
Later operating under the name “Perek,” Cronal attempted to infect Luke’s cybernetic hand with a dark side technique called Mechu-deru, but Luke survived and defeated Cronal for good.
13 Darth Maul Hologram
Star Wars Tales #17 “Phantom Menaces” (Legends)
Sometime during the New Republic era, Luke traveled to Iridonia to negotiate new trade routes to the Outer Rim. However, he was suddenly attacked by a solid-state hologram of the late Darth Maul that could physically interact with objects, forcing Luke to engage him in a lightsaber duel. Luke tracked down the source of the hologram, a scientist who had recovered Maul’s body and kept his brain alive, which Luke shut down. Maul’s return and updated backstory in Star Wars: The Clone Wars contradict much of this tale, but the overall story may still be “canon” within the Legends timeline.
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12 Emperor Palpatine
Star Wars: Dark Empire (Legends)
Before Palpatine returned in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, he was the villain of Star Wars: Dark Empire by Tom Veitch and Cam Kennedy. Six years after Return of the Jedi, Luke discovered that Palpatine had survived by transferring his spirit into a clone body, consolidating power in the deep core to strike back at the New Republic.
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Luke temporarily turned to the dark side and became Palpatine’s apprentice, but with Leia’s help, he broke free of the Emperor’s influence and defeated him. Palpatine would return again in Dark Empire‘s two sequels, where he was defeated for good.
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11 The Dark Side Elite
Star Wars: Dark Empire II (Legends)
The Dark Side Elite was a group of seven powerful warriors who served Palpatine and his Dark Empire, proving a challenge for Luke and his allies. Thankfully, Luke helped redeem one of their members, Kam Solusar, who became one of Luke’s Jedi students. Each time a member of the Dark Side Elite was killed (often by Luke and Kam) Palpatine would appoint a new candidate to bring the number back to seven. Luke, Kam, and their allies eventually defeated or captured the remaining members, and with Palpatine’s final death, the time of the Dark Side Elite was finally over.
10 Brakiss
Star Wars: The New Rebellion (Legends)
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Brakiss was a former student of Luke’s who fell to the dark side and became the apprentice of another fallen Jedi, Kueller. Luke eventually defeated him and pleaded with his pupil to return to Yavin 4, which Brakiss declined. However, Brakiss did give his old master Kueller’s location, allowing Luke and his New Republic allies to defeat the warlord. Brakiss returned years later as part of the Second Imperium, led by what appeared to be the resurrected Emperor Palpatine. Unfortunately, Brakiss only learned just before his death that this was a ploy by Palpatine’s Royal Guards to attract followers.
9 Lumiya
Star Wars: Legacy of the Force – Sacrifice (Legends)
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Lumiya was a servant of Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader during the Galactic Civil War, tasked with infiltrating the Rebellion and killing Luke. Along the way, Luke fell in love with her and was tricked into thinking he’d shot her down, a crime he was later cleared of. This left her seriously injured, and after receiving cybernetic replacements, Lumiya embraced her new identity as Dark Lady of the Sith. She returned decades later and converted Luke’s nephew, Jacen Solo, to the dark side. Jacen killed Luke’s wife, Mara Jade Skywalker, and Luke killed Lumiya when he believed she was responsible.
8 Darth Caedus
Star Wars: Legacy of the Force – Inferno (Legends)
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After joining the Sith and killing his Mara Jade, Jacen Solo left his old life behind and became Darth Caedus. He later attempted to forcefully convert his cousin, Ben Skywalker, to the dark side, but Luke arrived and engaged his former student in a fierce lightsaber duel.
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After seriously injuring Caedus, Luke gained the upper hand with Ben’s help, and they chose to spare his life so they wouldn’t give in to the dark side. Caedus was eventually killed by his twin sister, Jaina Solo, but she believed that Jacen had returned to the light in his final moments.
7 The Lost Tribe Of The Sith
Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi (Legends)
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Although the Sith appeared to have been defeated with the death of Darth Caedus, Luke’s New Jedi Order was soon opposed by the Lost Tribe of the Sith. Descended from a group of Sith who crash-landed on a remote planet 5,000 years earlier, the Lost Tribe escaped their confinement and planned to reconquer the galaxy for the Sith. Their members clashed with Luke on many occasions but formed a temporary alliance with him to defeat a common enemy. Despite this, their ultimate goals were incompatible, and the Lost Tribe was defeated and forced to retreat to their world.
6 Abeloth
Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi (Legends)
An ancient dark-side entity connected to the Force gods of Mortis, Abeloth was freed from her captivity and began influencing the Jedi and the Sith. She afflicted the youngest members of Luke’s New Jedi Order with a mental illness that drove them mad, while the Lost Tribe of the Sith eventually allied with her.
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Luke fought and defeated Abeloth more than once, but he knew she would inevitably return. He dispatched a group of Jedi known as the Ten Knights to find the Dagger of Mortis, giving future Jedi a way to kill her for good.
5 Spirit Of The Grand Inquisitor
Star Wars (2020) #6 (Canon)
One of the first dark side opponents Luke defeated in canon was the spirit of the Grand Inquisitor, whom Vader charged with protecting a Jedi outpost on Tempes. The Inquisitor tried to unbalance Luke by noting the tragic fate of the Jedi and Luke’s incomplete training, but Luke gained the upper hand and committed to staying on the Jedi path. The Inquisitor later begged Vader to release him, but the dark lord insisted he was a tool that would continue to serve. Luke returned to the Rebel Alliance with a new yellow lightsaber that helped give the rebels hope.
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4 Gol
Star Wars (2020) #43 (Canon)
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A more recent addition to the Star Wars canon is Gol, first appearing as an unnamed Sith Lord whose essence Luke encountered in a kyber crystal the Sith had bled. After they had dueled, Luke managed to redeem Gol by confronting his memories and reversing the kyber crystal bleeding. Writer Charles Soule hinted at a reason for the Sith not being named in the comic, and his identity as Gol was revealed in Star Wars Encyclopedia: The Comprehensive Guide to the Star Wars Galaxy.
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3 Ren And The Knights Of Ren
Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren #2 (Canon)
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While the Knights of Ren were used sparingly in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, their history was expanded in the Star Wars comics. Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren #2 featured a flashback where Luke, Ben Solo, and Lor San Tekka traveled to a Jedi outpost to retrieve valuable artifacts, but they were ambushed by the Knights of Ren. After dispatching the other knights, Luke engaged their leader, Ren, who ultimately decided it was better to leave with their lives. Sadly, Ren offered Ben a chance to join them, which he accepted years later after destroying Luke’s Jedi temple.
2 Kiza (Possessed By The Spirit Of Sith Viceroy Exim Panshard)
Star Wars: Shadow of the Sith (Canon)
Originally a member of the Acolytes of the Beyond, Kiza later donned a mask that caused her to be possessed by Exim Panshard, a long-dead Sith Lord. She followed his orders and eventually confronted Luke, who learned more about her past and engaged her in a duel. Luke finally killed Kiza and destroyed the mask, freeing her from the control of the Sith.
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1 Kylo Ren
Star Wars: The Last Jedi (Canon)
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The final dark side user that Luke ever faced directly was his nephew, Ben Solo, who had become Kylo Ren. Luke arrived on Crait and distracted Kylo long enough for the Resistance to escape, deactivating his lightsaber and giving Kylo an opening.
However, when the blade passed through Luke’s body, Kylo realized he had been tricked by a Force projection as Luke disappeared. Although the technique cost Luke his life, he finally owned up to his failure with Ben and stopped him purely with knowledge and defense, embodying what it means to be a Jedi in Star Wars.
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Luke Skywalker
The son of Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala, Luke was brought up on the desert planet Tatooine. Initially mentored by Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luke fired the fateful shot that destroyed the Death Star, and he became a rebel hero. Despite the fears of Obi-Wan and Yoda, Luke’s faith in his father was proved well-founded when Vader returned to the light. With the Emperor defeated, Luke dedicated himself to bringing back the Jedi; his first attempt ended in tragedy due to Palpatine’s manipulations, but Luke’s legacy lives on in Rey.
Created By George Lucas Cast Mark Hamill , Grant Feely First Appearance Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope Died Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi Alliance Jedi Race Human Movies Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope , Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back , Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi , Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens , Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi , Star Wars: Episode IX- The Rise of Skywalker TV Shows The Mandalorian , The Book of Boba Fett , Obi-Wan Kenobi Franchise Star Wars Expand