Although Darth Vader was a formidable villain who wreaked havoc upon the galaxy, there are a number of other Star Wars Jedi who, had they fallen to the dark side, would have rivaled his threat level. Darth Vader is undoubtedly one of Star Wars’ most powerful Sith, likely beaten only by Palpatine by comparison. While few would have had Vader’s power, particularly as the Chosen One prophecy made clear that Anakin Skywalker was exceptional from birth, several Jedi could have been even more dangerous based on their unique positions and skill sets.

Raw power, after all, is not the only variable that makes a Sith Lord dangerous. Aspects of Anakin/Darth Vader’s story throughout Star Wars movies and TV shows prove that to be true. An obsession with revenge on Obi-Wan Kenobi, the suit that caused him daily pain and limited his mobility, and the love for his son that was ultimately able to turn him back to the light all made him slightly less dangerous. For that reason, these 10 Jedi, based on their unique situations, could have been just as dangerous as Darth Vader, if not more so.

10

Luminara Unduli And Her Padawan Could Have Done Significant Damage

First Appeared In: Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones

While Luminara Unduli isn’t largely considered one of Star Wars’ most powerful Jedi, she could have caused considerable damage. For one, Luminara was incredibly skilled in combat, which would have made her a threat to the Jedi who would surely have opposed her had she joined the dark side of the Force. However, Luminara’s Padawan, Barriss Offee, would have made her an even greater threat, particularly at the time. Even before Anakin fell, Barriss had become disillusioned enough with the Jedi that she was willing to bomb the Jedi Temple, killing multiple Jedi in the attack.

Barriss was only a young Jedi, though, and she lacked wisdom and true skill. Her anger led to a sloppy plan ending in her arrest. Had Luminara joined her, the two could have done much more harm and been much more dangerous. Luminara proved to have another crucial leg up on Vader, too. Even when she was a Jedi, Luminara was able to be cold and detached, seeming unconcerned when her Padawan’s life was in danger in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Especially on the dark side, she would never have been susceptible to the attachments that turned Vader back.

9

Kanan Jarrus’ Jedi Wisdom Would Have Made Him Incredibly Dangerous

First Appeared In: Star Wars Rebels

Introduced in Star Wars Rebels as one of the few Jedi survivors of Order 66, Kanan Jarrus was a powerful, skilled, and cunning Jedi. He successfully led a group of Rebels alongside ace pilot Hera Syndulla, and he managed to train a Jedi Padawan of his own at a time when—at least in the Empire’s mind—doing so should have been impossible. It’s also unclear what Kanan’s dark side self would have looked like, as he never seemed to toe that line even when temptations like the Sith holocron were directly in front of him.

However, Kanan’s position made him especially dangerous. Had Kanan turned, he could have acted as a spy for the Empire, tearing apart the Rebels from the inside out. Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith already revealed how dangerous it was for a Sith to manipulate and infiltrate the Jedi and the Republic. Presumably, Kanan could have done just as much damage to the Rebellion. However, he would have been an even greater threat because he could have helped identify and truly wipe out any remaining Jedi, including, perhaps, Ahsoka.

8

Ezra Bridger’s Brush With The Dark Side Proves The Threat He Would Have Been

First Appeared In: Star Wars Rebels

Like his Jedi Master Kanan Jarrus, Ezra Bridger would have in part been a grave threat because of his proximity to the Rebels, which would have granted him access to Rebel plots, other Force-sensitive beings, and the most important members of the Rebellion. Just as Kanan could have, this could mean Ezra being able to take down the Rebellion, wiping out the Empire’s only true threat. However, Rebels also showed how powerful a Sith Ezra could have been, as he began tapping into the dark side and gained a shocking amount of power.

Ezra also very easily could have joined Darth Maul, who tried to take him on as an apprentice in Rebels. Had he done so, the two could have been a considerable threat to both the Empire and the Rebels. Undoubtedly, Maul’s plan was to take down both and rule. As yet another aspect of Ezra’s dangerousness, he was the reason Grand Admiral Thrawn was removed from the main galaxy. Had Ezra been on the dark side, he could have instead teamed up with Thrawn, which would have been a serious threat.

7

Ahsoka Tano Could Have Followed In Her Master’s Footsteps

First Appeared In: Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Ahsoka Tano was a powerful Jedi in her own right, but her connection to Vader made her all the more dangerous. When the two faced off in Rebels, Ahsoka seemed to be the only person who broke him out of his almost trance-like state, as he said her name in Anakin’s voice when his mask broke. Conceivably, had Ahsoka offered to join him, the two could have overthrown Palpatine and ruled as Sith master and apprentice, returning to their Jedi dynamic. This would also make sense given that a Sith apprentice’s objective is always to overthrow the master.

Even further down the Star Wars timeline, though, Ahsoka could have been a major threat. In the New Republic Era, for example, Ahsoka was working to help Luke identify Force-sensitive children to join his Jedi Temple. Had Ahsoka instead been recruiting these children to the dark side, she could have become an extremely formidable opponent to act opposite Luke. At that point, Vader would have already passed on, meaning Ahsoka could have had control in a brand-new era.

6

Rey Could Have Joined Emperor Palpatine And Destroyed The Resistance

First Appeared In: Star Wars: The Force Awakens

While many may have found Rey’s incredible power in the Star Wars sequel trilogy controversial, it cannot be denied that she posed a serious threat. In fact, in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the brief appearance of Sith Rey with sharpened teeth was enough to prove that she would have been beyond menacing had she turned toward the dark. More than that, though, Rey had the power to wipe out the entire Resistance had she joined Palpatine. In fact, especially in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, she seemed to be one of the few things keeping the Resistance alive.

Had Rey decided to join Palpatine on the dark side of the Force and become a Sith Lord, she would have proven incredibly dangerous. Palpatine’s return was clearly precarious based on the decaying state of his clone body, and Rey could have either helped restore him to a greater state or killed him as he’d tried to demand of her and taken the throne. Either way, the Palpatine bloodline was incredibly powerful, and Rey would have been unimaginably dangerous had she joined her grandfather.

5

Mace Windu’s Skill And Willingness To Kill Showed His Dark Side Potential

First Appeared In: Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace

Although Mace Windu is certainly considered one of the ‘good guys,’ he made several decisions in the prequel era that demonstrate his willingness to kill if it means (in his opinion) destroying a threat. This most notably happened in Revenge of the Sith, when Windu independently decided Palpatine was too dangerous to be kept alive and tried to kill him, going against both the Republic and the Jedi way. It was for this very reason that Anakin finally had enough and decided the Jedi were evil.

Oddly enough, this wasn’t the first time Mace Windu had encouraged the Jedi to assassinate someone. In the novel Star Wars: Dark Disciple by Christie Golden, Mace Windu decided that Count Dooku, too, was becoming too dangerous. In that book, the Jedi even hired Asajj Ventress and sent her along with Jedi Quinlan Vos to assassinate him, yet again breaking the Jedi code. While assassinating Sith perhaps doesn’t exactly invoke the dark side, it shows how ruthless Windu was even as a Jedi; this would have become exponentially worse had he joined the dark side.

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4

Qui-Gon Jinn’s Defiance Would Lend Itself Well To A Dark Path

First Appeared In: Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace

Qui-Gon Jinn was an incredibly complex Jedi despite only having a brief stint in Star Wars during Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. However, even in that brief time, Qui-Gon demonstrated what devastating effects he could have had on the Jedi had he decided to go rogue. Qui-Gon was clearly stubborn and quite willing to break the rules. When the Jedi Council decided that Anakin Skywalker was too big a risk and would not be trained as a Jedi, Qui-Gon insisted that he would be, one way or another.

That decision really means that Qui-Gon was already very dangerous to the galaxy, even having been on the light side of the Force; in some ways, he introduced Darth Vader to the galaxy. However, Qui-Gon had also been trained by Count Dooku, who had himself gone rogue and become a Sith. It would make sense, especially given Qui-Gon’s willingness to defy the Jedi and go against the Jedi Way, for Qui-Gon to follow his master. Had he done so, the pair would have been nearly unbeatable; both were powerful, wise, and skilled.

3

Obi-Wan Kenobi Already Proved He Could Beat Darth Vader

First Appeared In: A New Hope

Obi-Wan Kenobi would have become one of the greatest threats to the galaxy had he turned to the dark side of the Force. Obi-Wan was highly respected in the Jedi Order for being such an intelligent, discerning Jedi, in addition to his extensive power with the Force. Alongside that, he was effectively the reason the Jedi carried on, as he brought Luke to Tatooine as an infant and watched over him. In that regard alone, Obi-Wan could have caused everything to crumble had he been fighting on the other side.

More than that, though, Obi-Wan proved twice that he could defeat Darth Vader. In Revenge of the Sith, although he left Anakin/Vader alive, Obi-Wan certainly won the battle on Mustafar, and he left Anakin almost entirely destroyed. In Obi-Wan Kenobi, he yet again allowed Anakin to live, but he had clearly come out on top. This was especially impressive, as Darth Vader was at his most powerful since he had been defeated on Mustafar, and Obi-Wan had been in exile for a decade, not using the Force.

2

Luke Skywalker’s Power Rivaled His Father’s

First Appeared In: A New Hope

Luke Skywalker was perhaps one of only two Jedi who was just as if not more powerful than Darth Vader in addition to being in a position that would have made him more dangerous to the galaxy. Although he had minimal training throughout the original trilogy, it’s clear from his cameo in The Mandalorian season 2 ending that, in his prime, he had unimaginable power. Unfortunately, that period of Luke’s Jedi path is depicted minimally on screen, as it comes after Return of the Jedi and before Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

However, it’s apparent that had he turned to the dark side during that time, he could have been incredibly destructive. Indeed, had Luke wanted to join the First Order, initiate his own dark side regime, or work alongside Kylo Ren or Palpatine, he would have been unstoppable. The Resistance was already in such a vulnerable, weakened state, and the Sith had clearly risen back to power. Truly, had Luke made different choices, he might have actually ended the Jedi, as even Rey and Ben Solo united could not have stopped him.

1

Yoda Was The Single Most Powerful Jedi At A Crucial Time

First Appeared In: The Empire Strikes Back

For centuries, Yoda was one of the most powerful if not the single most powerful Jedi in the Jedi Order. He also served as Jedi Grand Master toward the end of the Jedi Order’s history. Had he decided to turn to the dark side, the amount of destruction he could have caused is perhaps immeasurable. Not only did Yoda possess incredible strength with the Force, but he also led the entire Order. This gave him access to essentially every Jedi during that period, and they all trusted him and his judgment.

For that reason, Yoda would surely have been more dangerous to the galaxy than Darth Vader. While, again, Vader is more powerful than many of the Jedi on this list, circumstances and other factors must be taken into account when considering who would have been the most dangerous to the galaxy. While, thankfully, these 10 powerful Jedi stayed on the light side of the Force, had they fallen to the dark side, they would have rivaled even Darth Vader in terms of Star Wars’ most dangerous villain.

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