In the spirit of Star Wars month, the May Top 5 is Star Wars themed. I could have taken this many different routes. I actually thought about ranking the top five of the 11 films. While Empire Strikes Back is my favorite, I enjoy the rest of them so equally that it just wouldn’t work. I chose the top 5 Star Wars villains because everyone always picks their favorite Jedi or droid. The villains I selected go beyond the films. There are far more villains than you think when you include the animated and Disney+ series and all the books. So here we go.
- Darth Vader – because he was the first. When he emerges on the Tantive IV, you just knew he was evil.
- Darth Maul – Ray Park makes this character amazing. Spoiler alert: Maul’s story goes beyond The Phantom Menace.
- Grand Admiral Thrawn – any Star Wars fan worth their salt knows this Chiss Imperial military genius.
- Palpatine – I almost didn’t include the Emperor; until Rise of Skywalker. He deserves to be here.
- Asajj Ventress – Dooku’s apprentice. Ventress is the best Sith apprentice. She is the Ahsoka of the Sith.
Honorable Mentions
There are so many villains to choose from. So much so there are enough for honorable mentions. The first of which is Moff Gideon (from The Mandalorian). He almost made it into the top 5, despite his debut status. The casting of Giancarlo Esposito to portray Moff Gideon is so perfect. The next honorable mention comes from The Clone Wars animated series; Cad Bane. Let’s be honest, bounty hunters are the best part of Star Wars and Cad Bane is among the coolest. I have been a Cad Bane fan since his first appearance in The Clone Wars.
Who are some of your favorite villains from the franchise?
