Star Wars: 10 Most Powerful Sith Lords

The Jedi may be the ancient protectors of the galaxy far, far away, serving the Republic for millennia with their mastery of the Force, but if you want to talk true power, you need to go a little darker.

The Sith as we know them are defined by Darth Sidious and his production line of apprentices, but the order had been around for about 5000 years before the Galactic Empire (and the species that started it all even longer than that), and in that time there's been some of the highest midi-chlorian counts you can imagine (that won't be a running thread, I promise).

There's a question of canonicity with all this - most of Sith history comes from comics and novels written in the 1990s, which was moved into a separate, "Legends" continuity by Disney in 2014 - but let's just go with it because it's a) quite fun regardless and b) too complicated without starting splitting hairs.

So, give into your hate and step into Star Wars history to discover the ten most powerful Sith Lords.

Honourable Mentions - Kylo Ren/Snoke...

Neither is explicitly a Sith Lord (although there’s the possibility of ascension or a secret identity respectively), but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Kylo Ren and Supreme Leader Snoke.

Ren (born Ben Solo) is a straight-up Darth Vader fanboy, desperate to emulate his grandfather, and there’s every chance he may exceed him; in The Force Awakens he did was Anakin never could, killing a beloved family member willingly, meaning his Force energy is increasingly dark.

Snoke, on the other hand, is… erm… well we don’t actually know. He may actually be someone who appears later on this list, or some extra-galactic presence influencing events, or even an enemy of the Sith. Regardless, he’s very knowledgeable of the Dark Side and, as Ren’s master, is one of the most powerful Dark Force users.

...Also Darth Maul

Yeah, Darth Maul ain't in here. He's certainly a skilled fighter, but doesn't really show all that much to make him stand out (and what does comes after his run-in with Obi-Wan on Naboo in The Clone Wars and Rebels, after which he's lost the Sith mantle). So, sorry about that.

On the face of it, it’s easy to believe Dooku when he says to Yoda he is “more powerful than any Jedi”. He was able to manipulating the landscape of Galactic politics from a focal position, creating two massive armies under false guises, all while keeping his true Sith identity a secret. A portion of that comes from basic political maneuvering, but being able to pull the wool over Sifo Dias', the wider Jedi Order's and the Separatists’ eyes is a major Force coup.

Add to that an immense yet carefully restrained fighting style, seeing him able to take on multiple Jedi at once (and even hold his own against power-bundle Yoda), and it’s clear he’s a force (pun not intended) to be reckoned with.

However, what stops him being in the top tier is that he was ultimately blinded to his true part in the plan; he’s a figurehead placeholder who ceases to be important the moment he succeeds, at which point Sidious’ primed apprentice can step up. Surely he should have realised Palpatine only had eyes for Ani?