Star Wars canon has confirmed the existence of a staggering 39 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. 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.
The origin of the Sith is shrouded in mystery, though they are known to have begun as a splinter sect of the Jedi 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.
39
Darth Andeddu
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.“
38
Darth Atrius
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 that 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.
37
Darth Bane
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 infighting 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 that Darth Bane’s canon story is a little different, with a throwaway reference suggesting he became Sith Emperor shortly before the Jedi defeated him.
36
Darth Caldoth
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.
35
Darth Desolous
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.
34
Exar Kun
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.
33
Exim Panshard
Adam Christopher’s Shadow of the Sith saw Luke Skywalker clash with a member of the Acolytes of the Beyond, a Force cult established by Palpatine to distract him from the Sith. The Acolyte Kiza wore the mask of an ancient Sith viceroy named Exim Panshard, and it was said to contain the primal screams of a hundred innocents slain for his pleasure. Panshard’s spirit possessed Kiza, and he proved to be a fearsome foe. Given Panshard called himself a viceroy, he presumably lived during the time of the Sith Empire, before the Rule of Two.
32
Felkor
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.
31
Gol The Wither-King
Officially named in the Star Wars Encyclopedia, Gol the Wither-King was encountered by Luke Skywalker when he discovered an echo of his essence trapped within the kyber crystal they had bled. Luke’s attempt to reverse the bleeding led to his confronting this Sith Lord’s memories, and he successfully redeemed him.
30
Darth Krall / Radaki
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.