The Star Wars saga’s Sith are best known for their title of Dark Lord of the Sith (or Sith Lord or Darth), but these infamous dark side users have a large variety of ranks and sub-factions throughout the canon and Legends continuities. In the context of the Star Wars movies themselves, there are only ever two Sith Lords at a time – mandated by the Sith Rule of Two. Before the Rule’s implementation, there were many Sith with various titles, and throughout the history of the Sith, there have been numerous splinter cults.
In Legends, the Sith Lords appropriated their name from the Sith species of Korriban. It was on this remote world that a group of former Jedi who had fallen to the dark side of the Force settled, conquering the planet’s inhabitants. These Dark Lords of the Sith formed their own religion with different philosophies and traditions from the Jedi, though they continued to use lightsabers. The canon and Legends continuities reveal that the Sith have had many different titles and splinter factions throughout their long and brutal history.
How To Watch Star Wars Movies In Order
Here is how to watch all Star Wars movies and TV shows chronologically and in order of release, and how each fits into the Star Wars timeline.
18 Darkseekers (Canon)
Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #24
As revealed in Star Wars: Doctor Aphra # 24, by Alyssa Wong and Minkyu Jung, the ancient Sith had a group known as the Darkseekers. These Sith were tasked with finding other dark side cults, wiping them out, appropriating all their dark side knowledge, and removing any trace of their existence. This grim lore from modern Star Wars canon explains why the Sith are the most powerful and prominent dark side users in the galaxy, though some groups managed to survive their genocides, such as the Knights of Ren and the Nightsisters.
17 Sith Knights (Legends)
Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds: Clone Campaigns
While the title of Knight is most famously (and frequently) used by the Jedi, Sith Knights exist exclusively in the Legends continuity. Sith Knights are rare, combat-focused Sith who are more formidable than Sith Apprentices but not quite Sith Masters yet. There is little information about Sith Knights, other than the title’s earliest use being in the Old Sith Wars era and the title returning during the Clone Wars via Count Dooku’s Dark Acolytes.
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith is the sixth film in the Star Wars franchise and chronologically the third in the Skywalker Saga. Set three years after the events of Attack of the Clones, Anakin Skywalker is tasked with keeping an eye on Chancellor Palpatine while other Jedi battle across the galaxy. In the background, however, a mysterious Sith lord begins to make their move to destroy the Jedi once and for all.
16 Emperor’s Hands (Legends)
Heir to the Empire
A secret group of dark side agents of Emperor Palpatine, the Emperor’s Hands were trained as Sith and some were Sith in all but name. Palpatine had many Emperor’s Hands, though each was convinced they were the only one as they carried out covert missions for their Emperor. The most famous Emperor’s Hand is Luke Skywalker’s eventual wife Mara Jade, who eventually renounced both Palpatine and the dark side, becoming a Jedi in the New Jedi Order.
15 Shadow Hands (Legends)
Star Wars (Marvel Comics)
The ancient title of Shadow Hand denotes a Sith who serves as a monarch’s second in command; it predates Darth Bane’s Rule of Two. The title would be used during the reign of the Galactic Empire as a loophole, allowing a Dark Lord of the Sith to functionally have Sith apprentices without breaking the Rule of Two. Darth Vader’s most famous Shadow Hand was Lumiya, who became a genuine Dark Lady of the Sith and re-established the Sith after her master’s death.
14 Sith Assassins (Canon & Legends)
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
The various Sith Orders have employed Sith Assassins to covertly capture or kill their enemies. The term “Sith Assassin” can describe a genuine Sith who uses stealth against their targets, a dark side user who is not an official Sith, or even a non-Force sensitive who is simply working for the Sith. One Sith Assassin, Ochi of Bestoon, played a pivotal role in the sequel trilogy era of modern Star Wars canon by murdering Rey’s parents.
13 Dark Force/Prophets of the Dark Side (Legends)
Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II & Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith
The ancient Sith Lord Darth Millennial disagreed with Darth Bane’s Rule of Two, leading him to flee his master, Darth Cognus, to form his own Sith counterculture on the nightmarish world of Dromund Kaas. There, Millennial formed the Dark Force, a Sith-like cult that followed similar philosophies to the Brotherhood of Darkness (the iteration of the Sith that immediately preceded Darth Bane’s lineage). The Dark Force eventually became known as the Prophets of the Dark Side, who would pledge themselves to the service of the proper Sith Order during the reign of the Galactic Empire.
How An Entire Planet Of Sith Hid From The Jedi For 1,000 Years
An unconventional Sith Lord, Darth Millennial, created a Sith splinter religion on a forgotten, nightmarish world, staying hidden from the Jedi.
12 Sith Alchemist (Canon & Legends)
Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
Some Sith Lords were also designated Sith alchemists in both canon and Legends, due to their use of ancient dark side techniques to create and corrupt. The most famous examples of Sith Alchemists are Darth Plagueis and Darth Sidious (Palpatine), who belong to both the canon and Legends continuities. Legends-exclusive Sith Alchemists include the ancient Sith Freedon Nadd said that Naga Sadow while modern Star Wars canon has Albrekh, who served the Knights of Ren.
11 Sith Sorcerer (Legends)
Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi
The Sith are known to use the dark side of the Force in a seemingly endless list of nightmarish ways, including what is referred to as “Sith magic,” whose practitioners are known as Sith Sorcerers. Sith magic is comparable to the “magic” powers of the Nightsisters and other Witches of Dathomir, only far more powerful. Ancient Sith Sorcerers include the Sith illusionist Aleema Keto while the most famous modern example in canon and Legends is none other than Palpatine himself.
10 Inquisitors (Canon & Legends)
Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II & Star Wars Rebels
Armed with fear, surprise, and distinctive red-bladed lightsabers, the ruthlessly efficient Imperial Inquisitors are fanatically devoted agents of Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader in the canon and Legends continuities. While not official Sith themselves, Inquisitors embraced Sith philosophy and fighting techniques as they helped the genuine Sith hunt down Order 66 survivors. While modern Star Wars canon Inquisitors, like the unnamed Grand Inquisitor are limited in how formidable they can become, the Legends continuity’s Inquisitors can become exceptionally powerful, with the Inquisitor Jerec being a likely candidate to replace Darth Vader at the Emperor’s side if Vader were to die.
9 Sith King (Canon & Legends)
Book of Sith: Secrets from the Dark Side
In the Legends continuity, the term “Sith King” initially referred to members of the Sith species who reigned as King. Later on, Kings who were also Sith Lords, such as King Ommin of Onderon, would use the title as well. The modern Star Wars canon refers to its own version of King Ommin, though it is unknown if the title Sith King has the same meaning in the newer continuity.
8 Sith Emperor (Canon & Legends)
Star Wars: The Old Republic & Star Wars: Legacy
The rulers of ancient Sith Empires in both Star Wars continuities were known as Sith Emperors, though the term had fallen out of favor by the end of the New Sith Wars. The title would technically be used once again by Emperor Palpatine, who qualifies as a Sith Emperor by leading the Galactic Empire. Darth Krayt of the Legends continuity’s Legacy era would use the title as well, as the leader of the One Sith and a new Galactic Empire.
7 Sith Spy (Legends)
Star Wars: The Old Republic
Similar to Sith Assassins, Sith spies were Legends-exclusive agents of the various Sith factions. Like Sith Assassins, they could also be genuine Sith or simply employed by them. Most famously, Sith spies served the Brotherhood of Darkness in the New Sith Wars, though most were killed when Skere Kaan’s Thought Bomb detonated. The few survivors were hunted down and killed by Darth Bane and Darth Zannah during their collective reign as Dark Lords of the Sith.
6 Shadow Collective (Canon)
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
While mostly comprised of criminals like the Pyke Syndicate and terrorists like the Death Watch, the modern Star Wars canon’s Shadow Collective was led by two former Sith: Darth Maul and Savage Opress. The Shadow Collective sought to overthrow the genuine Sith Lords – Palpatine and Count Dooku – and topple both the Galactic Republic and Separatist Alliance (with both secretly under Palpatine and Dooku’s control). While a deadly combatant and manipulator, Maul was woefully outmatched by the true Sith.
5 Dark Side Elite (Legends)
Star Wars: Dark Empire
As far as Palpatine was concerned, the Rule of Two had served its purpose once he destroyed the old Jedi Order and established the Galactic Empire. Not only did Palpatine and Darth Vader have numerous unofficial Sith serve them during the Star Wars original trilogy era, but Palpatine even continued this practice after returning from the dead and leading the Dark Empire – his aptly-named secret contingent of the Empire. Palpatine’s dark side underlings within the Dark Empire were known as the Dark Side Elite.
4 Sith Eternal (Canon)
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
A cult of Sith-worshippers headquartered on the ancient Sith world of Exegol, the Sith Eternal is comparable to Legends’ Dark Empire and Dark Side Elite. Not only were the Sith Eternal instrumental in bringing Palpatine back from the dead in modern Star Wars canon, but they also formed his deadliest military force. They combined with the First Order to become his Final Order, threatening the entire galaxy.
3 Reborn (Legends)
Star Wars: Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
While only affiliated with the Sith in the loosest possible sense, the Empire Reborn (a sub-faction within the unified Imperial Remnant) created a fighting force of warriors known as Reborn, who were artificially given the power of the dark side. Members of the Empire Youth program were brought to the Force Nexus in the Valley of the Jedi on Ruusan, where they were granted considerable Force empowerment and armed with lightsabers. While formidable, the Reborn were no match for the Jedi Knights of the New Jedi Order, whose training and discipline far outclassed theirs.
2 Shadowtroopers (Legends)
Star Wars: Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
A far deadlier variant of the Reborn, Shadowtroopers were quiet, focused, warriors who could successfully use advanced dark side abilities and were skilled enough lightsaber duelists to be challenging opponents for fully trained Jedi Knights. Adding to their lethality, Shadowtroopers wore black armor made of cortosis, a rare mineral that allowed them to resist lightsaber blades, protecting them from their more skilled Jedi opponents. Despite their powers and gear, the Imperial Remnant’s Shadowtroopers were all killed or captured by the New Jedi Order during their attack on the Jedi Praxeum.
1 Disciples of Ragnos (Legends)
Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
A Sith cult that worshipped the ancient Sith Lord Marka Ragnos, the Disciples of Ragnos was a deadly threat to the New Republic a decade after the Star Wars original trilogy. The Disciples of Ragnos siphoned residual Force energy from specific locations throughout the galaxy, plotting to use it to resurrect Marka Ragnos from his tomb on Korriban. The cultists, some of whom were referred to as “New Reborn,” were skilled opponents but ultimately no match for the Knights of Luke Skywalker’s New Jedi Order.
