In Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, Jedi Qui-Gon Jinn and his Padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi, make a startling discovery when they encounter Darth Maul. The Sith, whom the Jedi thought had been extinct for generations, had survived! In battle, Obi-Wan is able to defeat Maul, but Yoda reflects that when it comes to Sith, there are always two: master and apprentice. Unbeknownst to the Jedi at that time, they had only defeated the apprentice, and so it was only a matter of time before the hidden Sith Lord found a new recruit to join the Dark Side.
During the events of Episode II - Attack of the Clones, the Jedi discover that the apprentice position vacated by Darth Maul had been filled by ex-Jedi Count Dooku. Although Jedi Council member Mace Windu states that the former Jedi could never cause anyone harm, the many dirty deeds done by Dooku suggest otherwise! Sometime after leaving the Jedi Order over his loss of confidence in the Republic, Dooku was contacted by Darth Sidious and became the apprentice to the Sith Lord. As Sidious orchestrated his plans for galactic conquest, Dooku loyally served his Sith Lord, committing a number of atrocities in order to ensure Palpatine could seize control of the galaxy. As the figurehead of the Separatist movement, Dooku commanded the entirety of the Separatist Droid Army in countless battles throughout the Clone Wars, but that's only the tip of the lightsaber. Here are 20 dastardly deeds done by Dooku!
20 BETRAYED THE JEDI COUNCIL
Before being trained in the ways of the Sith as the apprentice of Darth Sidious, Dooku learned the techniques of the Light Side of the Force. When the Jedi detected his Force sensitivity as a youngling, Dooku was taken away from his home on Serenno and brought to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant for training.
Under the tutelage of Jedi Master Yoda, Dooku was trained as a Jedi Knight. However, Dooku eventually came to view the Republic as corrupt and question his role as a member of the Jedi. Eventually Dooku betrayed the Jedi Council, becoming apprentice to Darth Sidious and actively working against the will of the Jedi.
19 BETRAYED HIS APPRENTICE
The Sith adhere very closely to the Rule of Two: at any given time, there can be only two active members of the Sith lineage, master and apprentice. While Dooku was apprenticed to Darth Sidious, his master was aware that Asajj Ventress served his as an assassin, but Dooku concealed the fact that he was training her in the ways of the Dark Side.
But in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 3 episode "Nightsisters," Sidious recognizes how powerful Asajj has become, and orders Dooku to eliminate her. Dooku complies with the command and betrays Asajj with little hesitation.
18 SENT DROIDS TO DATHOMIR
Dooku's former apprentice Asajj sought revenge for her betrayal. After joining forces with Mother Talzin and the other Nightsisters on the planet Dathomir, Asajj orchestrated a plot to assassinate Dooku, but ultimately failed to defeat him.
After failing to assassinate Dooku, Asajj eventually returned to Dathomir. Enraged at his former apprentice's attempt at retaliation for his betrayal of her, Dooku orders General Grievous to take forces from the Separatist Droid Army to the planet and eradicate the Nightsisters in the season four Clone Wars episode "Massacre." Despite backup from undead reinforcements, the Nightsisters are unable to successfully repel the droid attack, and their destruction can be added to Dooku's list of sins.
17 BACKED QUARREN IN THE BATTLE OF MON CALA
The oceanic world of Mon Cala is home to two species: the Mon Calamari and the Quarren. In the season four Clone Wars episode "Water War," the Separatist Ambassador, Riff Tamson, stokes unrest between the people on the planet after the assassination of the King, Yos Kolina.
But Tamson wasn't causing unrest on Mon Cala of his own accord. It is soon revealed that the aggressive Karkarodon had been acting under orders from Dooku, who had promised Tamson dominion over Mon Cala once the Separatist Forces had conquered it. Dooku sent droid troops to aid Tamsen during the conflict, but the Republic took the day thanks to reinforcements sent by the Gungans of Naboo.
16 SEIZED CONTROL OF GEONOSIS
Without the tactical advantage afforded by swarms upon swarms of battle droid troops, the Separatist Droid Army would not represent a credible threat for the peacekeeping forces of the Republic. In order to give the Separatists the firepower they need to rebel against the Republic, the continued production of battle droid troops needed to be ensured.
By seizing control of the planet of Geonosis, Dooku was able to utilize the talents and production capability of the insect-like Geonosians to manufacturer battle droids and begin construction on a battle station. The Geonosians were unable to resist the temptation of the promises made by Dooku, but an alliance with a Sith is always ill-advised, and the species soon faced complete annihilation.
15 INTEGRAL ROLE IN DEATH STAR DESIGN
In addition to providing the resources and labor for the manufacturer of an immense number of battle droid troops, Dooku's work on Geonosis included the design and construction of the dreaded battle station and superweapon known as the Death Star. Designed as a technological representation of the force commanded by Emperor Palpatine, the Death Star possesses sufficient firepower to destroy an entire planet.
When the Jedi caught wind of the battle droid factories on Geonosis, they invaded the planet and shut down production. Unfortunately, Dooku was one step ahead of his former allies and ensured the plans for the Death Star remained concealed so that the construction of the battle station could be successfully completed.
14 TORTURED QUINLAN VOS
In the novel Dark Disciple by Christie Golden, the Jedi Council weighs the crimes committed by Dooku and ultimately judges him to be guilty. The Council determines that the former Jedi had committed capital offenses, and dispatches Quinlan Vos to complete the assassination.
Vos joins forces with Dooku's former apprentice Asajj in order to achieve his goal. Asajj provides Vos with training in the Dark Side of the Force, utilizing techniques she learned as a Sith as well as knowledge gained thanks to the teachings of the Force-using witches, the Nightsisters. But when an attempt on Dooku's life goes awry and Vos is captured, Dooku subjects Vos to unbearable torture in an attempt to corrupt him and seduce him with the Dark Side!
13 SUPPLIED FORCES FOR BATTLE OF CHRISTOPHSIS
In the season two Clone Wars episode "Cat and Mouse," Senator Bail Organa is in need of delivery of supplies to the people of Christophsis, a planet under Separatist control. Unfortunately, a Separatist blockade surrounds the planet, preventing the much-needed supplies from being delivered. It is soon discovered that Admiral Trench, a ruthless commander who had supposed perished years earlier, was in command of the Separatist Fleet.
As commander of the Separatist Forces, Dooku is responsible for the blockade around the planet. While many of the tactics utilized by the Separatists are questionable, preventing civilians from receiving supplies is one of the more loathsome acts undertaken during the Clone Wars.
12 DELETED KAMINO FROM THE JEDI ARCHIVE
In Episode II - Attack of the Clones, Obi-Wan Kenobi follows a trail of clues in order to solve a mystery. One of the mysteries he uncovers concerns the planet of Kamino, which had been inexplicably removed from the supposedly comprehensive Jedi Archives on Coruscant. When he consulted Jocasta Nu, the Jedi who oversaw the records, she declared that if the planet was not in the archive than it must not exist.
Eventually, Obi-Wan discovered that Kamino did exist and that the reason it was missing from the Jedi Archives was that Dooku had deleted it in order to obscure the creation of the clone army.
11 BARGAINED WITH PIRATES ON VANQUOR
In the season one Clone Wars episode "Dooku Captured," Dooku crashes on the planet Vanquor while being chased by Anakin and Obi-Wan. Unfortunately for Dooku, his crashed craft is seized upon by the legendary pirate Hondo Ohnaka.
Desperate to escape the desolate planet, Dooku immediately begins negotiating with Hondo and his crew, eventually striking a deal with the scoundrel to ensure he's able to leave Vanquor before night falls and the Gundarks begin searching for their dinner. But pirates, like Sith Lords, cannot be trusted, and Dooku soon finds himself captured by Hondo and held for ransom rather than enjoying the agreed-upon rescue!
10 RECLAIMED TITLE OF 'COUNT'
When Dooku was taken from his home planet of Serenno, the Jedi made it clear to his family that the youngling was ceding his claim to the title of Count as well as the associated wealth, which he would have otherwise inherited when he reached the appropriate age.
Upon the discovery that he had been denied such a large inheritance, Dooku became enraged at what he had been denied. When he left the Jedi Order, Dooku reclaimed his title and family fortune, but afterward, he largely disappeared from the galactic eye. While many assumed that he had retired to live in luxury with his reclaimed wealth, he had actually been taken on as a Sith apprentice by Darth Sidious.
9 LOYAL SERVANT TO HIS SITH LORD
When he turned his back on the Jedi Council and the Republic, Dooku became apprentice to the Sith Lord Darth Sidious. As the apprentice to Sidious, Dooku assumed the name Darth Tyrannus and engaged in a plethora of nefarious machinations and dirty deeds! Essentially serving as a shadow figurehead for his Master and leading the Separatist Forces in open rebellion against the Republic, Dooku frequently consulted his Master via hologram and complied with his every command.
Perhaps Dooku's only betrayal of the trust Sidious bestowed upon him came from the training of his own apprentice, Asajj, but when his Master questioned her presence, Dooku did not hesitate to turn his back on her.
8 BATTLED HIS FORMER MASTER
Before turning his back on the Jedi and giving in to the Dark Side, Dooku studied under Jedi Master Yoda, eventually attaining the rank of Master and taking on Qui-Gon Jinn as a Padawan. But after he betrayed the Jedi Council and began utilizing the ways of the Sith, it was only a matter of time until he faced off against his former Master.
Although Obi-Wan and Anakin are unable to best Dooku in battle on Geonosis in Episode II - Attack of the Clones, Yoda arrives at the last moment to challenge his former Padawan. Dooku does not hesitate to turn his lightsaber against his former Master, demonstrating just how far the ex-Jedi has fallen.
7 CATALYST FOR UNREST IN THE GALACTIC SENATE
As the face of the Separatist movement, Dooku stoked the embers of discontent smoldering in the Galactic Senate. By providing the temptation to turn their back on the Republic in order to achieve personal benefit, Dooku seduced many planets away from democracy and convinced them to join his cause. As more planets joined the Separatists, the movement gained credibility, and confidence in the ability of the Republic to maintain order continued to erode.
It was this unrest that allowed Palpatine to seize control of the Republic and rise to become Emperor, ultimately dissolving the Senate and becoming the unilateral authority over the galaxy.
6 ORDERED JANGO FETT TO ASSASSINATE PADMÉ
When Senator Padmé Amidala returns to Coruscant to take part in a crucial vote in Episode II - Attack of the Clones, it is only the sacrifice of a loyal handmaiden that allows her to survive an explosive assassination attempt! This attempt on her life is followed by another attempt soon after. While Anakin and Obi-Wan give chase, the culprit is silenced before she can reveal who hired her for the job.
Obi-Wan eventually discovers that Jango Fett had orchestrated the assassination attempts under orders from Dooku, who had been begun working with Jango when his genetic material was used as a blueprint for the creation of the Clone Army.
5 SEVERED ANAKIN'S ARM
One of the most commonly repeated motifs in the Star Wars galaxy is the loss of a character's right limb. In Episode IV - A New Hope, Pando Baba loses his right arm when he menaces Luke in the Mos Eisley Cantina, and Luke severs a wampa's right arm before losing the arm himself in Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back. But in Episode VI - Return of the Jedi, Luke attempts to sever Darth Vader's right arm only to discover that someone beat him to it!
Vader's right arm is prosthetic thanks to the injuries he sustained in battle with Dooku on Geonosis in Episode II - Attack of the Clones -- just one more dirty deed done by Dooku!
4 HIRED THE PYKE CRIME SYNDICATE
The Pyke Crime Syndicate was one of the notorious criminal syndicates that operated outside of the law in the fringes of the galaxy. By controlling the production and distribution of the illegal substance spice, the Pykes were able to exert control over the shadowy corners of their territory and engage in any number of dirty deeds.
When Jedi Sifo-Dyas was sent to investigate their doings, Dooku told the Pykes that Palpatine would grant them special privileges in the spice trade in exchange for the Jedi's assassination. The Pykes accept the offer and Dooku honors the transaction, as evidenced by the Pyke soldiers seen guarding the Kessel Spice Mines a decade later in Solo: A Star Wars Story.
3 ORCHESTRATED CREATION OF CLONE FORCES
After he ordered the Pyke Crime Syndicate to assassinate Sifo-Dyas, Dooku assumed the identity of the late Jedi Master and traveled to the planet of Kamino, where he arranged for the creation of the Clone troopers. On top of being genetically modified to be more easily commanded, Dooku ensured the Clone troopers had clandestine subdermal implants that would turn them against the Jedi when they heard the phrase "Order 66."
While the creation of the Clone army was part of the plans Palpatine had for his galactic takeover, their development was overseen by Dooku and would not have been possible if not for his involvement.
2 HOLONET PROPAGANDA CAMPAIGN
As the face of the Separatist Movement, a key element of Dooku's efforts involved undermining the confidence people had in the Republic. One way that he accomplished this goal was a steady supply of propaganda sent out over the Holonet. By spreading the word of his Independent Movement for Self-Determination, Dooku gained more support for the Separatist cause.
Much of Dooku's propaganda attempted to erode the faith people had in the leadership of the Republic. As if this weren't bad enough, the Commission for the Protection of the Republic was formed to combat these propaganda efforts, an internal organization that would go on to commit terrible atrocities in the name of Imperial protection.
1 TOO TRUSTING OF HIS MASTER
Episode III - Revenge of the Sith opens with a battle in the skies above Coruscant: Separatist forces, under the command of Count Dooku, have staged an attempt to capture Palpatine. Unaware that Palpatine commands Dooku and orchestrated the ersatz kidnapping himself, the Jedi play into the Sith Lord's hands and take Dooku into custody.
As Anakin holds his lightsaber to Dooku's throat, Palpatine commands the Jedi to execute the Separatist leader. While Dooku assumed that his Sith Master would not betray him, he was too trusting of Palpatine. Anakin complies with the order and takes another step closer to replacing Dooku as Sith apprentice to Darth Sidious.