With the recent announcement of three new films, the Star Wars cinematic universe has been injected with life as fans everywhere look forward to these projects. Thanks to The Mandalorian infusing a fresh perspective to a galaxy far, far away, there's more reason to expect great things in the coming years. But at its core, Star Wars has always been a never-ending battle between the forces of good and evil, primarily the Jedi and Sith. We shine the light on the latter and see which Sith Lord reigns supreme over all the others.
Star Wars: The most powerful Sith Lords, ranked
5. Darth Bane
Before the Sith existed in the form everyone knows, that of a master and an apprentice, a significant number was counted amongst their order. Add a set of beliefs opposite to those of the Jedi and you've got a powder keg exploding again and again. After losing several wars and massive infighting amongst themselves, the only Sith Lord to escape from this period is Darth Bane, the creator of the Rule of Two.
But Bane isn't just famous in Star Wars lore for this particular rule. In fact, the Sith Lord is well-known for combining his deadly skill with a lightsaber and inducing great fear in his enemies in battle. Add his leadership and strategic military mind, and you've got a Sith Lord that has covered all bases. With him as the first Sith to experience and define the Rule of Two, it only makes sense for the said order to survive hundreds of years without being detected by the Jedi.
4. Darth Plagueis
Skipping almost a thousand laters from Darth Bane and his Rule of Two is Darth Plagueis. Dubbed the Wise by many, this particular Sith Lord is well-known to Star Wars fans as Shiv Palpatine's master. More than that, he's also known to be the one to instill that deep yearning to obtain eternal life in the future Darth Sidious.
In the little we know of Plagueis, this Sith Lord is more experienced in dealing with science and boasts a deep understanding of the Force. Even though he didn't attain the goal of living forever, as his apprentice did, Plagueis' vast knowledge about these subject matters elevates him far from most other figures in the Sith Order. Plus, training someone to take over the entire galaxy must mean that he's no pushover when it comes to the most powerful Sith Lords in Star Wars history, justifying his addition to this list in the process.
3. Darth Revan
Although the other four entries in this list have appeared in canon or have been mentioned, Darth Revan stands out as the lone Sith Lord from Legends. Right before Disney purchased Star Wars from Lucasfilm, there were years' worth of stories that revolve around the periods before and after the main trilogy. As it stands, Revan is part of those stories that are not deemed canon by the official Star Wars timeline. Nevertheless, his absolute mastery of the Force, paired with how he uses the lightsaber, made him a force to be reckoned with in years past.
Back in the day, Revan was known to use both the Light and Dark Side of the Force. Doing so gave him different abilities few Force-users wielded at the same time, such as Force Lightning and Force Sense. With both a red and purple lightsaber in his hands, it's no wonder Darth Revan ended a good number of Sith, Jedi, and Dark Jedi during his time. It remains to be seen whether someone at Lucasfilm and Disney can give the fan-favorite Sith Lord time to shine somewhere in the cinematic universe's future projects.
2. Darth Vader
Keeping control of the entire galaxy isn't for the faint-hearted, nor the weak in power. In these two areas, Star Wars fans can count on Darth Vader to have immense courage in spades, not to mention being the most gifted Force-user in the history of the franchise. What started out as the Chosen One in Anakin Skywalker was slowly twisted by the then-Supreme Chancellor Palpatine to become his new Sith apprentice. And even though his battle with Obi-Wan Kenobi severely depleted his athleticism and lightsaber skills, Vader's impressive mastery of the Force still makes him a Sith Lord deserving of fear and respect.
After that said battle with his former master, Vader took some time to familiarize himself with the cybernetic limbs making up the majority of his body. Even with the former explosiveness gone, Palpatine's apprentice still overcame all the odds to help his master keep the whole galaxy subservient to the Empire. His possession of the highest midi-chlorian count in Star Wars history is reason alone to place Vader this high in the most powerful Sith Lords ever.
1. Darth Sidious
As mentioned earlier, maintaining control of the galaxy is no easy feat. Of course, the harder course of action is to conquer it first. Shiv Palpatine, secretly known as Darth Sidious, managed to overcome all obstacles to conquer everything by diligently and wisely playing the long game.
Unlike most Sith Lords, Sidious meticulously devised the Clone Wars and played both sides to ensure he came out on top. That feat alone requires vast patience, knowledge, cunning, and skill, a combination of traits Palpaltine possesses in spades. His ability in battle is also impressive as Sidious managed to hold his own against the likes of Yoda and Mace Windu and win over those famed Jedi Masters. But above all, the fact that he managed to bring the Sith to the top of the food chain and almost eliminate the Jedi Order are feats that place him right at the head of the table when it comes to the Sith's most powerful figures.
It remains to be seen whether there'll be new additions to this list when the upcoming films premiere in the coming years. In any case, these five Sith Lords definitely have what it takes to be called the most powerful in any argument.
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