Summary
- The dark Force powers of Sith Lords make them a threat even to skilled Jedi, as explored in the Skywalker Saga.
- Recent Star Wars media canonizes Sith Lords previously only found in Legends material, expanding the lore.
- Popular Sith Lords like Darth Maul, Darth Sidious, and Darth Vader have intricate stories explored across various Star Wars media.
Star Wars canon has confirmed the existence of a staggering 36 Sith Lords to date, with many drawn from the Expanded Universe. The heroes of Star Wars have long since learned not to underestimate the power of the dark side, something that will likely be explored in upcoming Star Wars TV shows like The Acolyte. The greatest villains of the galaxy – the Sith Lords – use the dark side of the Force to wreak havoc on a galactic scale. The dark side Force powers wielded by the Sith make them a threat to even the most skilled Jedi of the Council.
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The origin of the Sith is shrouded in mystery, though they are known to have begun as a splinter sect of the Jed dedicated to the Force’s dark side. The Jedi and the Sith have been at war for five thousand years, with each bringing the other to the brink of extinction on many occasions. But the shadow can never truly be dispelled, and the most powerful Star Wars Sith have overseen the rebirth of the cult at least three times in galactic history. Here are all the confirmed canon Sith Lords, including those responsible for reviving the dark order.
36 Darth Andeddu
One of the most powerful Sith Lords who began in Star Wars Legends.
Sometimes known as the Immortal God-King of Prakith, Darth Andeddu was one of the most powerful Sith Lords in Legends. Despite his Legends origin, he has been name-dropped several times in canon, with one of Palpatine’s Sith Legions in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker named after him. Amusingly, Andeddu is the subject of an ancient curse – “By Andeddu’s flames.”
35 Darth Atrius
One of Star Wars’ most mysterious Sith masters.
Little is known of the Sith Lord named Darth Atrius, who wielded a pair of crossguard lightsabers (similar to Kylo Ren’s) with such fury his rage tainted them in the Force. For millennia afterward, these two blades infected anyone who touched them with this same rage. One blade was destroyed by Luke Skywalker, and another by Darth Vader himself, who deemed its effects too unpredictable.
34 Darth Bane
One of Star Wars‘ most influential Sith introduced dark customs that lived on for thousands of years.
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First mentioned in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Darth Bane is the legendary Sith Lord who reformed the Sith Order after their defeat roughly 1,000 years ago. Darth Bane rightly recognized that the Sith’s tendency toward in-fighting was their greatest weakness, establishing the Rule of Two to limit this. In Legends, Darth Bane’s story was told in a stunning trilogy by Drew Karpyshyn; there is some evidence Darth Bane’s canon story is a little different, with a throwaway reference suggesting he became Sith Emperor shortly before the Jedi defeated him.
Darth Bane appeared in Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 6 when a fiery vision of the Sith Lord was encountered by Master Yoda on the planet of Moraband.
33 Darth Caldoth
Another formerly Legends Sith Lord made canon.
There are several legends based around Darth Caldoth, which may well have a degree of truth in them.
First mentioned in George Mann’s Dark Legends, and later canonized in Cavan Scott’s audiobook Dooku: Jedi Lost, Darth Caldoth was a Duros who specialized in the use (and likely creation) of dark side creatures. There are several legends based around Darth Caldoth, which may well have a degree of truth in them. In one, he sacrificed his apprentice Ry Nymbis using a ritual that turned him to stone; in another, the Sith Lord clashed with Nightsisters from Dathomir.
32 Darth Desolous
The Star Wars sequels were responsible for canonizing this Sith Lord, as with many others.
In Legends, Darth Desolous may well have been one of the fabled Lost Twenty, Jedi Masters who abandoned the Order; he made an appearance in Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, with Darth Vader’s secret apprentice Starkiller dueling him in a training program. Darth Desolous is one of many Sith to be canonized through Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker‘s Sith Legions, with each legion named after a different Sith Lord from history. The 44th Legion was named after Desolous.
31 Exar Kun
This Sith Lord has dark connections to a central Rebel Alliance base.
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One of Legends’ most dangerous Sith Lords, Exar Kun has been referenced several times in Star Wars canon. He is known to have based himself on Yavin 4, and the ancient Massassi temples occupied by the Rebel Alliance in the first Star Wars movie were likely built in his honor (as in Legends). Solo: A Star Wars Story featured a Sith artifact plundered from the temple of Exar Kun.
30 Felkor
Felkor remains one of Star Wars’ most mysterious Sith Lords.
Little is known of the Sith Lord named Felkor. His likeness was chiseled in the rock faces of Exegol, and he was famous enough to be recognized by Kylo Ren, who had studied ancient Sith texts (as noted in the junior novelization of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker). Star Wars could soon reveal more about Felkor via Rey Skywalker’s New Jedi Order movie, given the character’s connections to Exegol, Palpatine, and Kylo Ren.
|
Confirmed Upcoming Star Wars Movies |
Director |
Estimated Release Dates |
|---|---|---|
|
The Mandalorian & Grogu |
Jon Favreau |
May 2026 |
|
Rey Skywalker’s New Jedi Order |
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy |
December 2026 |
|
New Republic Movie |
Dave Filoni |
December 2027 |
|
Dawn of the Jedi Movie |
James Mangold |
2028-2030 |
29 Darth Krall / Radaki
An ancient, infamous Jedi turned Sith Lord.
Darth Krall (real name Radaki) is one of Star Wars’ infamous Lost Twenty, fallen Jedi Masters who became Dark Lords of the Sith. This powerful Sith Lord lived circa 2,500 years before the Star Wars prequel trilogy and was noted for winning the Battle of Wasted Years and taming the Nightmare Conjunction. Darth Krall was one of the Sith who allied with a race of carnivorous plant creatures called the Drengir, but naturally, he betrayed them and trapped them in stasis.
28 Locphet
Another of Exegols seemingly famous Sith Lords.
There’s some evidence the Sith Lord Locphet was known as a very powerful Dark Lord. His likeness was carved into the walls of Exegol – and he was famous enough to be recognized by Kylo Ren. The mysterious Sith cult known as the Acolytes of the Beyond appears to have honored Locphet, with Darth Vader’s manservant Vaneé issuing thanks to him in a prayer-like manner.
27 Darth Maul
An iconic Sith Lord who has spawned countless fantastic stories.
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A Zabrak who hailed from Dathomir, Darth Maul was forged by Palpatine as an assassin to be used against the Jedi and subsequently discarded. Darth Maul’s mission to kill Qui-Gon Jinn went badly wrong in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, however, when he was believed to have been killed by Obi-Wan Kenobi. Maul survived, only to learn he had been discarded by his former master.
This storyline was explored throughout Star Wars: The Clone Wars‘ timeline, with Maul becoming a crime lord in a bid to ruin his former master’s plans once and for all. Maul sought revenge against the Sith for decades, surviving Order 66 and exploring the downfall of the Empire in Star Wars Rebels. Unfortunately for both Maul and the audience who came to revere his character, the former Sith Lord’s plans came to ruin when his revenge consumed him, and he was slain on Tatooine by Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Maul’s storyline was teased to continue in live-action via a cameo at the end of Solo: A Star Wars Story but has since failed to come to fruition.
Darth Maul
Palpatine’s apprentice, Darth Maul was nothing more than a tool to winnow down the ranks of the Jedi ahead of Darth Sidious’ true plans. Discarded after he was defeated by Obi-Wan Kenobi on Naboo, Darth Maul swore revenge against all those he blamed for his past struggles – Jedi and Sith alike. Maul tended to operate within the shadows, running various syndicates, and even established himself as a true rival for Palpatine on at least one occasion. He was eventually killed by Obi-Wan in a duel on Tatooine.
Created By George Lucas Cast Ray Park , Sam Witwer First Appearance Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace Died Star Wars Rebels Movies Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace , Rogue One: A Star Wars Story TV Shows Star Wars: The Clone Wars , Star Wars Rebels Expand
26 Mindran
The Rise of Skywalker continues to be a conduit for many Star Wars Sith Lords.
Tie-ins to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker introduced several Sith Lords to canon. One of these was Mindran, whose likeness was carved into the rocks of Exegol. He was recognized by Kylo Ren, who had studied many ancient Sith texts.
25 Darth Momin
Star Wars’ most interesting Sith Lord had abilities linked to Vader himself.
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Considered a heretic even among his own, the Sith Lord Darth Momin had a unique understanding of the Force that led to some terrifying discoveries. He learned to manipulate the flow of time itself, creating superweapons that could even imprison a Sith. Interestingly, Momin also discovered how to control the flow of the dark side through architecture.
Darth Momin was able to preserve his consciousness in his mask after death, and millennia later it found its way into the hands of Palpatine and Darth Vader. Vader had Darth Momin’s spirit create his castle on Mustafar, but Momin attempted to use the vergence to resurrect himself; he was easily defeated by Vader, and his mask was abandoned on Mustafar for years, eventually destroyed by the Knights of Ren.
24 Naga Sadow
Naga Sadow is yet another Sith Lord canonized by Exegol’s intriguing architecture.
A formidable Sith Lord in Star Wars Legends, according to Jedi lore Naga Sadow led the Sith Empire during the Great Hyperspace War against Empress Teta and the Jedi Order. Some in-universe myths suggest the Massassi of Yavin 4 built their temples under Naga Sadow’s direction, with the Massassi believing him to be a god. Naga Sadow’s likeness was seen carved in the rock walls of the Sith temple of Exegol in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
23 Neer
Neer lived alongside other Sith Lords and created weapons capable of causing infighting among the Jedi.
According to the Star Wars: Force & Destiny sourcebook Nexus of Power, Neer was an ancient Sith Lord who lived sometime before the days of Naga Sadow. He was responsible for crafting a gauntlet powerful in the dark side, one that could even turn Jedi against one another. It was taken to the Jedi world of Ossus, and it was lost after the Cron Supernova.
22 Darth Nihilus
An iconic video game character became canon with Star Wars Episode IX.
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Introduced in the classic Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic games, Darth Nihilus was a wound in the Force, more of a malicious presence than flesh and blood. Although this legendary Sith Lord has not been overtly mentioned in canon, his likeness can be seen carved as a statue on Exegol in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Hopefully, it will not be long before he’s explicitly named.
21 Darth Noctyss
Darth Noctyss’ unique sickle-shaped lightsaber resurfaced millennia later in Adam Christopher’s novel
Shadow of the Sith…
The story of Darth Noctyss is told in George Mann’s anthology Dark Legends, a book of in-universe myths; this particular narrative has gradually made its way into canon, however, suggesting it has a basis in truth. Darth Noctyss is one of many Sith who sought the secret of immortality on the planet Exegol, a world where the boundary between life and the netherworld of the Force is unusually thin. Darth Noctyss’ unique sickle-shaped lightsaber resurfaced millennia later in Adam Christopher’s novel Shadow of the Sith, used by Palpatine’s agents as a weapon against Luke Skywalker.
20 Ommin
A Sith Lord who possesses interesting canon links to Emperor Palpatine himself.
Another important Sith Lord in Legends, Ommin is surprisingly important in Star Wars canon as well. Rae Carson’s novelization of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker confirms a harness designed for Ommin was reused by Palpatine to support his cloned body. Interestingly, in Legends he was associated with the planet Onderon, an important world in canon given it is the homeworld of freedom fighter Saw Gerrera. The dark side creatures created by the Sith on Onderon in ancient times were canonized in Cavan Scott’s audiobook Dooku: Jedi Lost.
19 Darth Phobos
Yet another of Palpatine’s Sith Legions was named after a former Legends Sith Lord.
The Sith Lord Darth Phobos was introduced in the PlayStation-exclusive version of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, a terrifying opponent for Darth Vader’s secret apprentice. Little is known of the canon version of Darth Phobos. She has only been name-dropped in reference books surrounding Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, with a Sith Legion named after her.
18 Darth Plagueis
The Sith Lord who arguably kickstarted the Star Wars prequels remains an incredibly formidable dark side figure.
The SIth Lord who trained Palpatine, Darth Plagueis was first mentioned in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. One of the most skilled Sith Lords of all time, Darth Plagueis is famed for rediscovering the forgotten power of Essence Transfer – the key to immortality. Darth Plagueis’ story – and his death at the hands of his apprentice, Palpatine – was told in James Luceno’s novel Darth Plagueis, one that is not considered canon anymore; some of the details have already been contradicted in canon, so his tale is ripe for future exploration.
Darth Plagueis appears in The Acolyte, an upcoming Disney+ show taking place before The Phantom Menace.
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17 Darth Quellus
Literally the darkest of Sith Lords, Quellus subjugated a prominent Star Wars race.
According to in-universe legends that likely contain some truth, Darth Quellus was a powerful Sith Lord who – millennia ago – was sent to the Twi’lek colony of Aaloth. He conquered the planet by subjecting it to horrific darkness, cursing candles to literally burn black. Even the sun was blackened under Darth Quellus’ power. The Sith Lord was unable to triumph and fled after suffering burn injuries.