The Definitive Ranking of All the Villains in the Star Wars Saga Films
By Buckie Wells
1. Darth Vader / Anakin Skywalker
Okay, it’s exactly who you thought it would be. But I really think Anakin deserves a separate slide of his own.
For the most part, I believe Anakin Skywalker (just by watching the movies) was corrupt before he even got close to Emperor Palpatine. Before he hid behind a helmet and stood as the most feared figure in the galaxy, Anakin Skywalker was a reckless and defiant young Jedi.
Further, his motivations in the early films, while sympathetic, are rather sinister. His judgment was especially clouded, often by his own fear. Though Palpatine sent Darth Vader to the Jedi temple to kill everyone, including the younglings, it wasn’t the first time that Anakin killed children. Prone to lashing out, Anakin became enraged easily and struggled to quell his own arrogance.
Throughout most of the prequel films, members of the Jedi council even anticipate Anakin’s fall from grace. After Anakin’s awful rant about sand, the destruction of the Jedi, and his defeat on Mustafar, Darth Vader’s role in the original trilogy is diluted. In A New Hope, he’s little more than a guard dog. But once Tarkin is killed, Vader takes point on the search for Luke Skywalker and the rebel base.
Of course, Luke manages to redeem this much more subdued version of his father. However, we all have to remember that Anakin Skywalker / Darth Vader killed a lot of people before he died on the second Death Star.
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So, there you have it! The definitive ranking of all the villains in the Star Wars saga films. Of course, there other villains in the Star Wars canon, but these are the most popular to mainstream audiences. How would you rank these bad guys? Is there anyone who could beat Darth Vader? Let us know in the comments below!