Sith Lords
There are dozens of canon Jedi in the Star Wars universe. Opposing them stand the canonical servants of the Dark Side of the Force: The Sith. While many Sith Lords in Star Wars are mentioned, only six are detailed in canon: Bane, Plagueis, Sidious, Maul, Tyranus, and Vader. In addition to these Sith Lords, there are a number of other fallen Jedi, apprentices, and dark Force users.
- Learn more about Sith Teachings
Looking for a particular Sith Lord in Star Wars? Click the links below to jump to...
All Known Sith Lords in Star Wars
Darth Bane
First Appearance: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (TV Series)
What he is known for: Creating the Rule of Two (that there may only be one Sith Master and one Apprentice)
Character History: Little is known about Darth Bane as much of his backstory has been classified as part of the Legends of the old Extended Universe. What is known is that he was a member of an elite group of Sith known as the Brotherhood of Darkness. Back when there were as many Sith as Jedi, Bane observed that the Sith would frequently betray each other and often fall to chaos. This is why, after all the other Sith he was aware of died, Bane established the Rule of Two and decided that he would only take on one apprentice. It is unclear at this time the secession of Sith Lord from Bane to Plagueis.
Darth Plagueis
First Appearance: Mentioned in Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
What he is known for: Teaching Darth Sidious the ways of the Dark Side.
Character History: Almost no history is currently available for Darth Plagueis. Darth Sidious does reveal that Plagueis was a master of using the force to extend his lifespan, which may explain Sidious' apparent longevity.
Darth Sidious
First Appearance: Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back
What he is known for: Planning the downfall of the Jedi Order and the Republic, Ruling the Galatic Empire.
Character History: Sheev Palpatine was born on the planet Naboo approximately 84 years before the Battle of Yavin. Palpatine got involved in politics at a relatively young age and quickly became a Senator representing the planet in the Galatic Senate. Some time in this window he was apprenticed by Darth Plagueis in the way of the Dark Side of the Force. Palpatine would kill his master at some point prior to Episode I and take on Darth Maul as an apprentice. He is considered to be the most powerful Sith Lord in many centuries.
Darth Maul
First Appearance: Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace
What he known for: Killing Qui-Gon Jinn, Leading a failed rebelion against Darth Sidious.
Character History: Trained by the powerful Sith Lord Darth Sidious, Darth Maul is an agile, and deadly Sith capable of wielding a double-bladed lightsaber. Darth Maul's first task was to assassinate Queen Amidala, but was stopped by her Jedi escorts. In the ensuing battle, Maul killed Jedi Qui-Gon Jinn before being cut in half by young Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi. Maul endured the terrible wound and remained a shadowy force and rival of Darth Sidious for years afterward. Darth Maul's story has no canonical ending and he remains at large in the post-Clone Wars galaxy.
Update: Darth Maul was recently revealed to still be alive in a Star Wars Rebels season 2 trailer confirming his survival in a period within a few years of A New Hope.
Darth Tyranus
First Appearance: Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones
What he is known for: Betraying the Jedi, Being one of the public leaders of the Separatists.
Character History: Count Dooku was trained as a Jedi by Yoda. He later took on Qui-Gon Jinn as an apprentice. After Qui-Gon died, Dooku left the Jedi Order and became Count of his homeworld Serreno. Approached by Darth Sidious, Dooku became a lord of the Sith and orchestrated the Seperatist movement. Dooku was heavily involved in the Clone Wars. At the battle of Geonosis he defeated Anakin and Obi-Wan, but fled from Yoda. Anakin killed Dooku three years later during the Battle of Coruscant, a move that was planned by Darth Sidious.
Darth Vader
First Appearance: Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope
What he is known for: Being the Emperor's Right Hand, Killing the Emperor.
Character History: Darth Vader was born Anakin Skywalker, a slave on the Outer-Rim Planet of Tatooine. As a child he was gifted in pod racing and droid repair. Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jin met Anakin while seeking to repair a Naboo Royal Starship. Very early on, Qui-Gon noticed the boy's knack for mechanics and incredible problem solving abilty, as well as an incredibly high aptitude for the Force, and concluded that he was the one spoken of in an ancient prophecy. Sadly, due to the manipulations of Darth Sidious, Anakin would grow into a powerful Jedi just to fall to the Dark Side. In an attempt to destroy his fallen padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi cut off Anakin's limbs and left him to die in a volcano on the planet Mustafar. After Kenobi left, Sidious saved the broken Jedi and he was reborn as Darth Vader.
Apprentices, Dark Side Users, and Inquisitors
While not necessarily Sith Lords, these followers of the Dark Side have all, in one way or another, had their lives molded by the Sith masters.
Asajj Ventress
First Appearance: Star Wars: The Clone Wars
What she is known for: Being a constant threat to the Republic over the course of The Clone Wars.
Character History: Originally a Jedi, after her master died Ventress turned into an assassin. Trained in the ways of the dark side by Count Dooku, Asajj Ventress yearned to be considered a true Sith, but such status wasn't allowed under the Sith's Rule of Two. Ventress fought with twin red-bladed Lightsabers, and clashed with Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker many times.
Quinlan Vos
First Appearance: Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
What he is known for: Quinlan had superb tracking abilities due to his ability to pull memories of past events from objects.
Character History: Quinlan Vos became a Jedi relatively late in life while helping the Republic during The Clone Wars. Vos was always one to handle things his own way, which caused some friction between him and his fellow Jedi. Known for his excellent tracking skills, Vos was sent on a mission to hunt down Count Dooku, but along the way he fell in love with Asajj Ventress. Forced to choose between being a Jedi and being with Asajj, Vos chose love and fell to the Dark Side of the Force.
Mother Talzin & The Nightsisters
First Appearance: Star Wars: The Clone Wars
What she is known for: Being Darth Maul and Savage Opress' mother, Head of the Nightsisters during the Clone Wars.
Character History: Mother Talzin was a powerful wielder of strange Dark Side sorcery and the spiritual guide to the group of assassins and sorcerers known as the Nightsisters. While usually taking a neutral stance on galactic politics and selling the Nightsisters services to whomever could afford them, Talzin spent much of her life (and afterlife) plotting revenge against Darth Sidious for making her think she would be his right hand and instead taking her son Darth Maul from her and raising him as his apprentice.
Savage Opress
First Appearance: Star Wars: The Clone Wars
What he is known for: Earning Count Dooku's trust so his mother (Talzin) could strike, Helping his brother (Darth Maul) recover and create a base of power.
Character History: Savage Opress started as a member of the Nightbrothers, but managed to earn Count Dooku's trust enough to become one of his enforcers. During this time Dooku also took him on as a secret apprentice, teaching him knowledge of the Dark Side. Unknown to Dooku, Opress was actually an agent of his mother, Talzin, and used this time to feed her information about Dooku's activities and to locate his brother, Darth Maul. After finding his brother, Opress would help him plan revenge on Dooku and Sidious, but would ultimately fall in battle against Sidious. Opress was accepted as an apprentice of Darth Maul's under the invocation of the Rule of Two and thus might arguably be considered a canonical Sith Lord.
The Grand Inquisitor, Fifth Brother, Eight Brother, and Seventh Sister
First Appearance: Star Wars: Rebels
What he is known for: Hunting Force users for Darth Vader, Wielding a unique lightsaber.
Character History: Not much is known about the Grand Inquisitor. During the early years of the Empire, Darth Vader would send the Inquisitor to investigate reports of possibly Force users. This job led him to clash with Kanan Jarrus and his allies on more than one occasion. The Inquisitor finally fell in a duel with Kanan. When Darth Vader learned of his death, the Sith Lord called on the other two canon Inquisitors, The 5th Brother and the 7th Sister, to hunt down the Rebels. Vader also dispatched the Eighth Brother to pursue Darth Maul.
Pong Krell
First Appearance: Star Wars: The Clone Wars
What he is known for: A fallen Jedi embittered by war.
Character History: Pong Krell was a Jedi general in the Clone Wars. Disillusioned by visions of the rise of the Empire, Krell choose to renounce the Jedi, ally with the new order, and become Count Dooku's apprentice. He turned against his men and sewed chaos. Krell was eventually captured by Clone Troopers and executed.
Barriss Offee
First Appearance: Star Wars: The Clone Wars
What he is known for: Bombing the Jedi temple
Character History: Barriss Offee became jaded with the role of the Jedi in the Clone Wars, and lashed out with a destructive terrorist attack. Jedi Ahsako Tano took the fall, but was ultimately vindicated through the actions of Anakin Skywalker. Offee believed that the Jedi had become corrupted by the war and were themselves the oppressors of the galaxy.
Kylo Ren
First Appearance: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
What he is known for: Big bad in Episode 7, renewing the power of the Dark Side in the galaxy, leadership of the Knights of Ren.
Character History: Kylo Ren is the son of Han Solo and Leia Organa and the genetic grandson of Darth Vader. Obsessed with Vader's legacy, Ren is an acolyte of Supreme Leader Snoke, a likely Dark Side force user. Ren is also leader of the Knights of Ren, a mysterious organization of unknown motivations and composition. Trained by Luke Skywalker, Ren abandoned the teachings of the light in favor of Snoke's seduction to the Dark Side. An ally of the First Order, he is extremely strong in the Force.
Supreme Leader Snoke
First Appearance: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
What he is known for: Master of the First Order and giant mysterious hologram guy.
Character History: Very little is known of Snoke. He seduced Kylo Ren to the Dark Side, can feel the Force, and summons Kylo Ren home stating that it is time "to complete his training." He is a scarred holographic figure in a black robe commanding the respect of both Ren and General Hux.