Who Is the Most Evil Star Wars Villain in All the Galaxy?

During each era of the Star Wars™ galaxy, the Force always seeks balance. With every shining light, a shadow conceals its opposite side. No light can exist without the dark. Whether it’s the High Republic™ or the Clone Wars™, the galaxy is endlessly pulled into two directions.

In honor of Sideshow’s Monsters and Villains event, we’re delving into the dark side. When it comes to evil plans, the villains of Star Wars certainly know what they’re doing. It’s never a dull moment for all that rebel scum. Plus, Marvel will soon be launching a Darth Maul™ comic series and Star Wars: Tales of the Empire™ looms in the distance with a May 4 premiere date. So there’s no better time than the present to rank the top 5 most evil plans from Star Wars villains.

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Barriss Offee

Life as a Jedi Padawan™ is quite challenging. Obey your Master without question. Adhere to a strict code that sometimes undermines your own values and culture. Embark on dangerous missions with little information. Such is the way of life for many Jedi™ — many, but not all. Some Jedi warriors rebel against their teachings and the results are mixed. Most end up as cautionary tales like Barriss Offee™.

During the Clone Wars, Barriss was the Padawan of fellow Mirialan™ Luminara Unduli™. She ascended to the rank of Jedi General under the guidance of her respected Master. However, along the way, Barriss became disillusioned with the Order. In her eyes, the Jedi lost their way. War had caused them to turn their back on the light.

Barriss Offee Betrays Ahsoka Tano

As the galactic war escalated, Barriss removed herself from the frontlines. She provided expert medical care to wounded soldiers returning to the Jedi Temple™. Over the years, she had also befriended Ahsoka Tano™, a fellow Padawan who rose up through the ranks alongside her. Eventually, Barriss reached her limit. Something had to be done. She orchestrated a nano-droid bombing of the Jedi Temple™, disguising herself as Asajj Ventress™ in the process so that Ahsoka would be framed for the attack. This betrayal led to Ahsoka leaving the Jedi Order for good. The rest of Barriss’ story will be told with Morgan Elsbeth™ in Tales of the Empire — shedding further light onto their descent into darkness.

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Darth Maul

Back when Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace™ debuted, Darth Maul was shrouded in absolute mystery. Who was this menacing Sith apprentice™? Even to this day, Maul remains an enigmatic figure in Star Wars mythos. His homeworld, Dathomir™, suffered immensely at the cruel hands of his own Master, Darth Sidious™. Yet he remained a willing pawn in Sidious’ dark plans. Behind the iconic red and black tattoos, what drove Maul? Vengeance.

Ultimately, Darth Maul (and later just Maul once he was abandoned by his Master) served his own self-interest. Classic villainous motivation yet his two Dathomorian™ hearts burned with a flame so intense that he acquired rivals as easily as General Grievous™ collected lightsabers™.  When he suffered defeat by the blade of Obi-Wan Kenobi™, and Sidious took on a new apprentice, Maul was torn in two. Literally — Kenobi sliced him in half. Only his all-consuming rage enabled him to cling to the last threads of life. But sanity was out of the question.

Maul Takes Over Mandalore

Enlisting his brother Savage Oppress™, Maul set out to build his own empire. If Sidious no longer needed him, then he would find power another way. Together, the two Nightbrothers™ conquered the warrior planet Mandalore™. They overthrew Duchess Satine by installing the Death Watch™, a sect of Mandalorians™ entrenched in the ways of warfare. Maul built up the Shadow Collective™, a sprawling network throughout the criminal underworld, and instated the Mandalorian Super Commandos™. Eventually, his own pride proved to be his downfall in a soul-shattering final duel with Obi-Wan. Legend has it that Maul’s scream still echoes throughout the sand dunes.

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Moff Gideon

Though the Force is a mystical system within the galaxy, there’s certainly science behind the “magic.” Over the years, many have sought to understand how and why certain individuals possess a deeper connection with all living things. The most well-known research points to midi-chlorian™ counts, a biological component that can be tallied and correlated with use of the Force. The higher the count, the more powerful the Force user.

Naturally, those seeking power have tried to manipulate midi-chlorians. Enter Moff Gideon™. This Imperial officer survived the fall of the Empire yet remained loyal to Palpatine™. That should tell you all you need to know about this ongoing enemy of The Mandalorian™. Once Gideon’s true goal was revealed, however, he rivaled even Palpatine with a knack for insidious evil plans.

Moff Gideon Tries to Have It All

Credit where credit is due. As far as evil plans go, Moff Gideon’s mission is impressive in its ingenuity. Essentially, he wanted to take a page out of everybody’s book. Like his revered Emperor, Gideon used cloning as a means of amassing his own army. While Gideon’s Dark Troopers™ were top-notch killing machines, he knew that in the end he could only trust himself, hence the cloning. But he didn’t stop there. He stole beskar armor™ and the Darksaber™, a sacred Mandalorian relic, to forge a nightmarish battle suit. Still, his most heinous crime was attempting to exploit The Child’s high midi-chlorian count and infuse that Force sensitivity into his own clones. And he would have gotten away with it too if it weren’t for Din Djarin™, Grogu™, Bo-Katan Kryze™, and their allies.

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Grand Admiral Thrawn

After Palpatine’s (first) downfall, countless followers scrambled to take the Emperor’s place. But one Imperial remnant rose above the rest as the heir to the empire: Grand Admiral Thrawn™. Darth Maul was feared for his strength and Moff Gideon for his science, but Thrawn had a more sinister weapon. It was something Palpatine himself could admire and that was sheer cunning. Nobody threw together a military takeover quite like Thrawn.

In addition to his mental acuity, Thrawn held strategic benefits for Palpatine. As a native of the Unknown Regions™, the furthest reaches of the galaxy, Thrawn could wrangle forces into or out of obscurity. Perfect for hiding loyalists and bringing arcane knowledge into the mix. After all, Thrawn did eventually employ the Nightsisters™ to do his bidding.

Why Stop at One Galaxy?

Once Thrawn established control of Hera Syndulla’s™ homeworld, he moved on to Lothal™. But the Ghost Crew™ stood in his way time and time again. Thanks to Ezra Bridger’s™ bravery and the purrgils’ intergalactic migration, Thrawn was whisked away to a separate galaxy. Others would have admitted defeat but not Thrawn. He conspired to construct a hyperspace ring capable of intergalactic travel. A device like that, in the wrong hands, could lead to intergalactic colonization and exploitation. And yes, you guessed it, Thrawn’s hands are the wrong ones, indeed.

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Darth Sidious

Bet you expected to see Darth Vader™ here in the top spot. Well, he is — but only with his Master. After all, Darth Sidious played the long game better than anyone else in the galaxy. He turned a promising Jedi Knight into every star system’s most feared figure. It takes a real villain to craft such a formidable, horrific weapon. There’s not a shadow of a doubt that Darth Vader is the most easily recognized, inherently powerful villain in Star Wars.

But he wasn’t the man with the plan. Without the Emperor’s manipulation, Vader never would have risen from the pits of Mustafar™ to be Dark Lord of the Sith™. For that reason alone, Darth Sidious takes the top spot. Still need convincing? Then let’s consider the full scope of Sidious’ legacy.

Darth Sidious Topples Galactic Democracy

Planets rise and fall in prominence. Alliances bloom and wither over time. Even criminal underworlds thrive on the baser aspects of life. Yet throughout it all, democracy remains a constant. Where others saw strength, Shiev Palpatine™ saw opportunity. In typical Sith fashion, he killed his Master for knowledge. Then, he secretly grew an entire clone trooper™ army designed with a genetic kill switch against the Jedi. He tricked the entire Senate into believing a vote for Imperialism was a vote for security. Palpatine’s lies were the seeds of destruction. Under his rule, corruption became the norm. To this day, his very memory plagues new heroes like Rey™ and inspires would-be villains to uphold his twisted ideals.

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In your opinion, who is the most evil Star Wars villain? Let us in on your evil plans when you join the conversation with other Star Wars fans over at Sideshow Social Network or in side.show/geekgroup, and don’t forget to Let Your Geek Sideshow!