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The Star Wars universe has no shortage of diverse, compelling, and formidable characters for the heroes to defeat. From arms-dealing crime lords to conniving Sith masters, it’s difficult to anticipate what obstacles might be placed in the protagonists’ paths next.
As the narrative continued to unfold, it was revealed that many villains were as just as intelligent as they were powerful (if not more so). By identifying the movie’s smartest adversaries, we can better understand how they combined wits with underhanded tactics in order to enact their will and make their darkest fantasies come true.
10 Kylo Ren Acted With His Emotions & Ultimately Amounted To Nothing
At first, Kylo Ren was introduced as a formidable villain who was powerful enough to freeze blaster shots in place. However, his incompetence was quickly made known through his failures to convert Rey and his violent outbursts of rage.
Having murdered Han Solo and Snoke, Kylo’s indecision made him a menace to both sides of the war. Luckily for him, his death at the conflict’s conclusion meant that he would never have to answer for his atrocities against his family and the new rebel alliance.
9 Jabba The Hutt Was A Strong Organizer But Too Overconfident
As one of the most powerful Hutts in the series, things looked bleak for the heroes after Jabba froze Han and enslaved Leia. Even Luke Skywalker was cast into the rancor pit and almost executed for his impudence.
In the end, however, Jabba’s entire palace came crashing down through a single action by R2-D2. Additionally, since his comrades were only interested in his money, no one was there to prevent him from being asphyxiated to death by his own slave.
8 Krennic Was The Director Of The Death Star Project
Krennic was the director of the Death Star project and a high-ranking officer in Palpatine’s fledgling military. In spite of his (ultimately successful) mission, his incompetence was demonstrated time and again through Jyn’s interference.
Not only had her father placed a critical design flaw in its blueprints that Krennic failed to notice, but his outpost was also stormed and temporarily overrun by a small band of rebels. His inability to rally the stormtroopers or defend his bastion illustrates how unworthy he was of his office.
7 Grievous Was The Elusive Commander Of The Separatist Forces
As the leader of the Separatist forces, General Grievous was a reasonably gifted commander. He managed to capture Anakin and Obi-Wan before their exciting clash at the bridge of a separatist flagship, nearly re-procuring Palpatine in the process.
Although Grievous is powerful, his pride has been a consistent and debilitating weakness. When Obi-Wan ambushed him during the battle for Utapau, he ordered his droids to stand down since he wanted to dispose of him personally. Should he have placed the success of his mission before his own ego, Grievous and his army could have ripped the Jedi limb from limb.
6 Dooku Was The Successor Of Maul & A Former Jedi
Count Dooku was skilled enough to earn a place as Palpatine’s newest apprentice after the failure of Darth Maul. In addition to being a commander at the battle for Geonosis, he managed to defeat both Anakin and Obi-Wan before escaping Yoda’s justice. He was also responsible for grooming General Grievous into a bloodthirsty killing machine.
Despite his flawless military record and presentation, Dooku isn’t without flaw. He failed to speak up when Anakin was on the verge of killing him, a decision that cost him his life.
5 Dryden Vos Was A Ruthless Crime Lord & Rugged Survivor
Without any force sensitivity or lightsaber training, Dryden Vos had to survive through the merits of his intelligence alone. Nonetheless, he managed to thrive as a leader of the Crimson Dawn for many years, having procured valuable relationships with both the Galactic Empire and other elements of the criminal underworld.
Without Qi’ra’s meddling, Dryden would have easily managed to kill Solo in their final altercation. In the end, he was revealed to be a vassal of Darth Maul’s will.
4 Darth Maul Was Tenacious, Resilient, & Adaptable
Darth Maul was one of the prequel series’ most ruthless Sith. Through technology and determination, he managed to track down Qui-Gon, Kenobi, and Anakin, nearly running over the latter with his vehicle.
During the battle for Naboo, Maul cleverly used the palace’s natural defense systems to separate Kenobi from his master in order to dispose of the Jedi individually. Although Maul was ultimately defeated, he survived his injuries and returned to haunt Kenobi many years in the future. In this regard, Maul has much more resilience and creativity than many of his Sith peers.
3 Jango Fett Managed To Deceive & Escape From Obi-Wan
Jango Fett is one of the series’ best examples of a competent and adaptable bounty hunter. Having briefly managed to convince Obi-Wan of his innocence, he escaped from him on Kamino and fled to Geonosis.
While Kenobi may have put a tracker on his ship, he was still captured by the Separatists shortly after his arrival on the droid planet. Jango’s ability to outmaneuver him is especially impressive when considering that he has no force sensitivity or lightsaber skills to speak of. Unfortunately for him, no one expected a Jedi raid, especially in such vast numbers.
2 Darth Vader Was The Unstoppable Will Of The Emperor
Darth Vader was the apprentice and enforcer of Palpatine throughout the events of the original trilogy. His accolades are as numerous as they are impressive, including the capture of Princess Leia, the carbonizing of Han Solo, and the first defeat of Luke Skywalker.
In every instance, Vader combined power with intelligence to outmaneuver his adversaries. He utilized the environment to his advantage, ensuring that his victims had nowhere to run and forcing a confrontation they had no possibility of winning. The Sith was even smart enough to realize that Palpatine was using him, prompting his betrayal at the end of the series.
1 Palpatine Caused Galactic Wars & Destroyed The Jedi Order
Emperor Palpatine was easily the most intelligent villain in the franchise, having been responsible for its worst atrocities. He pitted the Republic against the Separatists to cause the Clone Wars, corrupted both Anakin Skywalker and Kylo Ren, and used Order 66 to eradicate nearly every active Jedi.
Palpatine even managed to outsmart death itself, as proven through his return in the sequel series. It was eventually revealed that he had been controlling Snoke the entire time and masterminding the First Order’s most heinous crimes.
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