Star Wars canon has confirmed the existence of a staggering 36 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, something that will likely be explored in upcoming Star Wars TV shows like The Acolyte. 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 Jed 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

One of the most powerful Sith Lords who began in Star Wars Legends.

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

One of Star Wars’ most mysterious Sith masters.

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 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

One of Star Wars‘ most influential Sith introduced dark customs that lived on for thousands of years.

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 in-fighting 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 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

Another formerly Legends Sith Lord made canon.

First mentioned in George Mann’s Dark Legends, and later canonized in Cavan Scott’s audiobook Dooku: Jedi Lost, 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

The Star Wars sequels were responsible for canonizing this Sith Lord, as with many others.

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

This Sith Lord has dark connections to a central Rebel Alliance base.

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 Mᴀssᴀssi 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

A mysterious SIth Viceroy

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

Felkor remains one of Star Wars’ most mysterious Sith Lords.

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

Star Wars’ most mysterious Sith Lord is found in a comic book.

Officially named in the recent Star Wars Encyclopedia, Gol the Wither-King was encountered by Luke Skywalker when he discovered an echo of their 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. Writer Charles Soule initially hinted there was a reason the Sith Lord’s name was held back, but it’s unclear what that reason was.

30

Darth Krall / Radaki

An ancient, infamous Jedi turned Sith Lord.

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.