The Star Wars sequel trilogy carried on the Skywalker Saga that first began in 1977 with Episode IV: A New Hope by featuring returning heroes and introducing a few new characters like Ben Solo, the son of Han Solo and Leia Organa Solo who was corrupted by the dark side of the Force to become the villainous Kylo Ren.
While Kylo Ren was a great new threat for the sequel trilogy to unite a new team of heroes against the dark side of the Force, the Star Wars franchise is filled to the brim with unforgettable characters that managed to make better villains than Kylo Ren.
10 Darth Maul Was A Sith Who Raised A Criminal Empire In Secret
The Sith assassin known as Darth Maul first displayed his villainy in Episode I: The Phantom Menace when he attempted to run down young Anakin Skywalker without provocation, though he wowed the audience with the reveal of his double-bladed lightsaber and fighting skills that took the life of Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn.
However, even after Darth Maul's apparent death, he was able to survive and build a new villainous life for himself in secret as the leader of the criminal organization known as the Crimson Dawn before he briefly took over Mandalore during the Clone Wars.
9 Lumiya Was A Powerful Dark Lady Of The Sith Out For Revenge
Shira Brie was originally an undercover Force-sensitive Imperial agent tasked with getting close to Luke Skywalker in order to either kill him or discredit him with the other rebels, though after she was shot down by Skywalker and horribly injured, Darth Vader was able to find her and rebuild her using a similar process that turned him into a cyborg.
She became Lumiya, Dark Lady of the Sith and fought many battles against Luke Skywalker over the years as she sought revenge on him for the damage to her body, though it wasn't until she encountered his young nephew that she truly was able to take revenge.
8 The Yuuzhan Vong Were Aliens Who Sought The End Of The New Republic
Following the elimination of the Empire and the formation of the New Republic in the Star Wars Legends collection of novels and comics that continued the expanded universe, an alien species known as the Yuuzhan Vong made their first appearance from outside the known galaxy to eradicate what they considered blasphemous users of mechanical technology.
The Yuuzhan Vong were a powerful and vicious enemy that nearly destroyed the New Republic due to their inability to be sensed by the force, their powerful bio-organic technology and religious extremism that further increased their strength through dedication to pain and torture.
7 Grand Admiral Thrawn Was An Imperial Who Became A Lasting Threat
Timothy Zahn's Heir to the Empire trilogy helped launch the highly popular Expanded Universe/Legends universe by not only continuing the story of the franchise's original characters but also introducing dangerous new threats like Grand Admiral Thrawn whose popularity would carry them through to the canon universe.
One of the few alien Imperial officers and the only one to amass his own powerful fleet in the post-Empire universe, Thrawn's battle strategies and ruthlessness quickly made him a dangerous and recurring threat that led to his debut on Star Wars: The Clone Wars that could tease his eventual live-action debut.
6 Moff Gideon Joined The Star Wars Universe In The Mandalorian
Disney+ launched the hit series The Mandalorian which took place after the events of the original trilogy as the New Republic attempted to retain order while Imperial warlords battled for control of the Outer Rim territories. Moff Gideon was introduced as a surviving Imperials left who attempted to hunt down the Force-sensitive Grogu in order to power his cloned Dark Troopers.
Moff Gideon also wielded the powerful Darksaber which he hoped would help him rebuild the Empire, though he lost the weapon when Din Djarin bested him in combat and locked him away to threaten the Star Wars universe again in the future.
5 Dark Jedi Joruus C'Baoth Was A Clone Who Could Control Other Clones
Clones have become a lasting element in the Star Wars universe following the creation of the Clone Troopers, though the technology was soon used for darker purposes by the Emperor who used it not only to clone himself but other powerful Jedi like Joruus C'Baoth, who became a Dark Jedi after he was artificially aged by the Emperor.
He was later used in Grand Admiral Thrawn's plans, though the cloning process made him insane while also giving him the ability to control other clones through his twisted use of the Force. C'Baoth even cloned a dark version of Skywalker named Luuke that he twisted into a Dark Jedi and set against the real Skywalker before the creator and the clone were both killed in battle.
4 Darth Bane Created The Sith Order That Eventually Took Over The Republic
The ongoing war between the Jedi and the Sith extends back generations before the Prequel trilogy and explored characters like Darth Revan and his abandonment of the Jedi Order that led to his corruption as a Sith Lord, whose teachings would have a great impact on a powerful disillusioned Sith known as Bane.
Tired of the constant infighting between the Sith, Darth Bane created the Rule of Two that restructured his new Sith Order which launched a lasting war against the Jedi Order that would ultimately lead to the birth of the Empire.
3 Darth Sidious Secretly Took Control Of The Senate To Become Emperor Palpatine
Supreme Chancellor Palpatine was a politician who managed to take control of the Galactic Senate of the Republic during a period of civil unrest that called for emergency power to be granted temporarily to deal with the growing threat of the Clone Wars.
However, Palpatine soon revealed that he was actually the secret Sith Lord known as Darth Sidious who had been manipulating events from behind the scenes to help him take power as Emperor Palpatine, leader of the Empire who would return to bring Kylo Ren under his wing in Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker.
2 Jacen Solo Was The Corrupted Son Of Han And Leia Known As Darth Caedus
The Expanded Universe/Legends connected storyline introduced an alternate take on the children of Han Solo and Leia Organa that introduced twins Jacen and Jaina Solo who were powerful in the Force and trained by their uncle at his Jedi Academy.
However, Jacen Solo suffered greatly after he was kidnapped by the Yuuzhan Vong which began his descent to the dark side that was furthered when he became the padawan of Lumiya. Jacen became Darth Caedus and hoped to rule the galaxy in order to save it, though he was killed in battle with his twin sister after murdering his aunt and Luke's wife, Mara Jade Skywalker.
1 Kylo Ren Modeled Himself After His Grandfather Darth Vader
While he first appeared as the youthful Anakin Skywalker who was prophesied to bring balance to the Force, he was eventually corrupted by Darth Sidious and rechristened as Darth Vader following his near-death at the hands of his former master, Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Rebuilt as a dark cyborg with powerful Sith abilities, Darth Vader quickly became the most intimidating threat in the Star Wars universe that inspired Ben Solo to follow in his grandfather's footsteps as the dark Kylo Ren after he was corrupted by Supreme Leader Snoke.