Disney+ Star Wars series The Acolyte has introduced a formidable new Sith baddie, the Stranger — but how does he rate against the order’s strongest? Who exactly are the most powerful Sith Lords in Star Wars history?
Related: What Is a Sith in Star Wars?
After consulting a bunch of movies, TV shows, books, comics, and video games, we’re confident we know who the cream of the Sith crop are. Read on for our unranked roundup of top-tier Sith Lords, and find out if your fave made the cut!
Note: This list focuses exclusively on Sith — that means no Nightsisters, Knights of Ren, or whatever the heck Supreme Leader Snoke is. It also only covers “official” Sith Lords, not off-the-books apprentices and assassins (sorry, Asajj Ventress fans). Oh, and don’t expect to see any pre-Disney, “Star Wars Legends” canon characters, unless they’ve been fully reintegrated into the current continuity.
10. The Stranger
First up on this list of the most powerful Sith Lords is the Stranger (or as some fans like to call him, “Darth Teeth”). This may seem a little premature given the Stranger’s barely arrived on the Star Wars scene, however, he’s already displayed a lot of Dark Side mojo. We’ve only seen him in action in one and a bit Acolyte episodes, and he’s already killed a bunch of Jedi despite being wildly outnumbered. His saber technique is on point, while his telekinesis skills are strong enough to send groups of opponents flying and allow him to enable flight-like levitation. Indeed, as Jedi Padawan Mog Adana observes in The Acolyte Season 1, Episode 6, the only thing holding the Stranger back is his “erratic” skillset.
Related: A Brief History of What Lightsabers Can’t Cut Through in Star Wars
9. Darth Maul
When we’re first introduced to Darth Maul in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, his skills as a lightsaber duellist stand out more than his raw Force ability. Sure, his lightning-quick swordplay and high-flying acrobatics clearly require Dark Side juice. But it’s not exactly “most powerful Sith ever” stuff. That comes later, in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series. Here, we learn that Maul’s strength in the Force kept him alive after Obi-Wan Kenobi sliced him in half at the end of The Phantom Menace. We also see the horn-headed Sith (or ex-Sith, by this point) haul around entire starships, and, in the follow-up series Star Wars Rebels, unleash some impressive mind whammies.
8. Darth Zannah
Darth Zannah got her start in Star Wars Legends stories since scrubbed from official canon. Lucasfilm has since filled in some of the blanks, however, we don’t know a lot about her. That said, it’s possible to estimate her power levels — and they’re high. After all, the modern Sith Order’s founder, Darth Bane, trained her, which speaks volumes (Bane had a strict “no scrubs” policy). Plus, according to legend (and Legends), Darth Zannah assumed the Dark Lord of the Sith title after defeating her master in a one-on-one showdown. It takes a pretty major player to bump off Darth Bane!
7. Darth Tyranus/Count Dooku
Count Dooku once went head-to-head with Master Yoda and held his own. That should tell you everything you need to know about how powerful the aristocratic Sith Lord is. What’s more, he trounced Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker (both among the most accomplished Jedi ever) back-to-back moments earlier. True, Anakin outclassed Dooku in their Revenge of the Sith rematch — but only by tapping into the Dark Side himself. Dooku also deserves props for the sophistication of his Force techniques, as well as their raw power. This is a Sith Lord who doesn’t just blast people with Force lightning; he tosses them around the room at the same time!
Related: The Acolyte: Do The Stranger and Osha Visit a Key Star Wars Sequel Trilogy Location?
6. Darth Momin
Of all the most powerful Sith Lords in Star Wars history on this list, Darth Momin’s brand of might is easily the most unique. Yes, he can cast Force Lightning and swing a lightsaber (he even crosses blades with Darth Vader, a first-rate duellist). But where Momin’s true power lies is in making stuff — evil stuff. The ancient Sith invented Force-fuelled weapons capable of freezing time or wiping entire cities off the map. In terms of Dark Side military science, nobody else has come close. Sure, one of Momin’s creations eventually backfired on him, but even then, his consciousness survived — further demonstrating this Sith Lord’s power.
5. Darth Krall
Darth Krall is another of this list’s Sith Lords we don’t have a ton of intel on. He’s only appeared properly once, in an issue of the Star Wars: The High Republic comic book series. However, what we learn about Krall there (and in the Dooku: Jedi Lost audiobook) is enough to convince us he’s one of the Sith Order’s all-time heavy-hitters. Not only did Krall carve his way through the Battle of Wasted Years (a big deal, apparently) but he tamed something called the Nightmare Conjunction. We don’t know exactly what a “Nightmare Conjunction” is, but we’re guessing it takes a lot of power to wrangle one!
4. Darth Bane
Darth Bane survived the Sith Order’s near-extinction. In fact, his survival is the only reason the order wasn’t wiped out entirely. This required two things: cunning and power, both of which Darth Bane has buckets of. Heck, this guy was considered a powerful Sith Lord at a time when there were more than just two Sith at any given moment. He was particularly handy with a lightsaber, but Star Wars canon also acknowledges his broader arsenal of Dark Side abilities. And if you’re still not convinced, chew on this: to kick off the 1000-year-long line of modern Sith that culminated in Darth Vader, Bane would’ve needed to be an equally powerful customer in his own right, right?
Related: Who Was the First Sith Lord in the Star Wars Canon?
3. Darth Plagueis
As Supreme Chancellor Palpatine tells Anakin Skywalker in Revenge of the Sith, Darth Plagueis’ Dark Side abilities eventually became so strong, literally the only thing he feared was death itself. And according to Sith legend, he conquered that fear — literally. That’s right: Darth Plagueis was such a powerful Sith Lord that he discovered the secret of eternal life. Admittedly, his brand of immortality wasn’t foolproof. His apprentice, Darth Sidious (aka Palpatine) murdered him in his sleep. Still, using the Force to create life is more than enough to put Plagueis leagues above other Sith Lords.
2. Darth Vader
Darth Vader never fully lived up to his potential as a Sith Lord. While Star Wars lore has gone back and forth on whether Vader’s physical transformation sapped some of his strength, he’s never quite the unbeatable juggernaut you’d expect the Chosen One to be. Yet it ultimately doesn’t matter. Vader’s literally off-the-charts Force potential is so great that he’s the most accomplished underachiever in a galaxy far, far away. Only a handful of people stand a chance against him in a lightsaber duel. His telekinesis — from interstellar stranglings to impenetrable shields — is just as jaw-dropping. Frankly, the thought of Vader being any stronger is downright scary.
1. Darth Sidious/Emperor Palpatine
It’s no secret that Darth Sidious serves as the Star Wars universe’s stand-in for the Devil. So, it’s fitting that the strength of his Dark Side powers is downright diabolical. As seen in The Rise of Skywalker, Sidious can cripple starships (plural!) with his Force lightning. He also juggles Senate Chamber pods like rubber balls in Revenge of the Sith and performs freaky Sith magic in Clone Wars and Rebels. And that’s not even touching on his tremendous skills as a duellist. But, really, it all boils down to this: Darth Vader is afraid of Sidious. Now that’s power.
And there you have it: the most powerful Sith Lords in Star Wars history. To see many of them in action, check out the Star Wars collection on Disney+.
Published: Jul 29, 2024 04:30 am