Star Wars: Every Jedi Who Turned To The Dark Side

From Dooku to Ben Solo, here are the Jedi who turned their back on the light side...

Count Dooku Jedi
Lucasfilm / Del Rey / Aaron McBride

The life of a Jedi is a tough one. You're born with these incredible powers, but as a baby, you're ripped from your family. A middle-aged space-wizard shows up on your planet, and next thing you know you’re being raised by a bunch of monks. They don’t let you drink, or date, or use your Force powers to get revenge on that punk teenager who sold you fake death sticks.

You do get a lightsaber, and that makes up for a lot, but not everything. Because you know who else gets lightsabers? Sith Lords! And Sith Lords get to do all the fun stuff that stuffy-ass Yoda is always breaking your balls about.

We all have to admit that the dark side, while evil, is pretty damn appealing. You’re more powerful than any Jedi, you don’t have to repress your emotions, you get to use Force lightning. And, speaking strictly from a wardrobe perspective, flowing black capes beat out ratty bathrobes all day, everyday.

It’s no surprise that a few Jedi have fallen off the Light Side wagon from time to time. And the reasons for a Jedi’s fall from grace are varied. Some Jedi have terrible childhood trauma, others leave the order for political reasons, and some Jedi are just flatout dicks. Let’s talk about every Jedi who fell to the dark side.

10. Anakin Skywalker

Count Dooku Jedi
Lucasfilm

By now, we should all know the story of Anakin Skywalker. He was born into slavery on the planet of Tatooine. The circumstances of young Skywalker's birth are shrouded in mystery, but Anakin still ended up being one of the most powerful Force-sensitive beings in the universe.

His childhood wasn't the best; he was a slave, after all. But, he did find an avenue to escape his life as servitude. Early in his youth, Anakin set off on a career that could have been the most fantastic adventure of his life. He was fated to become one of the greatest Podracers the galaxy had ever known.

Anakin's budding career as a Podracer was cut short when two Jedi showed up on his planet and won young Anakin in a bet with his slavemaster. The two Jedi recognized Anakin as a powerful Force user. These Jedi were like, "Hey, check out this emotionally damaged child. Let's rip him from his mother's arms, give him a weapon, and teach him that emotional attachment is immoral."

Somehow, this brilliant plan blew up in the Jedis' face. Anakin turned to the dark side and made it his life's work to hunt down and kill all Jedi. Look, Darth Vader was a messed up dude. We all know that, but can we also agree that the Jedi kind of had it coming?

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John is a teacher and writer living in Texas. He spends far too much time watching Star Trek. Check out more if his work at artofnarrative.com