My Top 10 Favorite Star Wars Villains

I’ve often considered the Star Wars series to have some of the most memorable characters of all time, and I'm at the half way point in counting down my top 30 favorites. Last time I counted down my 10 favorite Star Wars girls, now it's time to highlight the villains. I'll only be singling out the ones featured in either the movies or the TV shows, and my arrangement of them will be solely based on how their represented through those forms of media. 

My only other conditions are that there wont be any female villains, sense I already disused them on my last countdown. Also, these characters weren't selected out of popularity, or any objective view point, these are just my own personal favorites, and how they each resonate with me. So, with that said, here are my personal top 10 favorite villains from the Star Wars universe.   

#10 Count Dooku 

Kicking off my list is the role that introduced me to one of my all-time favorite villain actors ... Christopher Lee. He has it all, the presence, the mannerism, the intimidation, and always owns every scene he's in. I will admit, it's really the quality of the actor that makes him stand out, as I always found the character a little underutilized in the movies. With that said, other avenues in the "Star Wars" franchise, including the animated shows like "The Clone Wars" and "Tales of the Jedi" have fleshed him out into a well rounded antagonist. In the movies, he was an okay character, who's main appeal came from a great actor in the role ... in the expanded universe outside the movies, Count Dooku earned his mantel as one of the great "Star Wars" villains.  

    

#9 Jango Fett 

While this armored bounty hunter doesn’t reach the same heights as Boba Fett, he at least functioned as more of a character in the plot of the movie, which is definitely a plus, and something that even his predecessor lacked. Plus, he has some of the best action scenes in the series, proving to hold his own against a Jedi master in a heated battle. Debuting in “Star Wars 2: Attack of the Clones”, Jango Fett proved once again that the bounty hunters are some of the best villains that Star Wars has to offer, and that extra bit of coolness always goes a long way.

#8 The Grand Inquisitor

Standing tall at number eight on my list is The Grand Inquisitor, who made his debut as a main villain in the TV series “Star Wars Rebels”. With the evil Empire securing its grip on the galaxy, Darth Vader dispatches the Inquisitor as his personal assassin to hunt down, and eliminate all surviving children of the force, and he’s apparently quiet effective at getting his point across. 

This character is awesome right off the bat, especially when voiced by Jason Isaacs, the same talent who played Lucius Malfoy from the Harry Potter series ... you just can’t go wrong there. As you’d expect, Jason Isaacs supplies the character with a deliciously evil performance, making every one of his actions seem disgustingly wicked. Other appearances of the character in shows like the live-action "Obi-Wan Kenobi" series have admittedly been less impressive, but the animated version of the character has his place among my favorites.   

#7 Grand Admiral Thrawn

After the conclusion of the original Star Wars trilogy, the very first novels of the expanded universe known as “The Thrawn Trilogy” came into play. The titular Grand Admiral Thrawn was the main antagonist of these books, and has sense become one of the most beloved characters in the expanded universe. I was first introduced to him as one of the main threats of the TV series “Star Wars Rebels”, but after words I dug up every comic, novel and video game associated with the character. Even without his expanded material, his presentation in both the animated and live-action TV shows would have Thrawn rank among my favorites. 

Unlike other villains in the Star Wars universe, Thrawn has a certain respect for both his adversaries and peers. He loves art, he isn’t driven by his ego, and while he’s ruthless, his actions are very unique, yet devastating. This isn’t a villain who lashes out and attacks in full force, instead he’s more calculated, strategic, and his greatest weapon is his intelligence. Despite being a more laid back and chill adversary, he still has a commanding presence, and will always be a fan favorite of the expanded universe.  

      

#6 Boba Fett

Good old Boba Fett ... ever sense he first appeared in “The Star Wars Holiday Special”, this mysterious masked bounty hunter has become one of the biggest cult icons of all the Star Wars characters, as well as launched countless video games, comic books and novels. Had I included his expanded media, he would have ranked among my top three without question. 

Still, even when going by the movies and TV shows, he's that fun extra villain who dose little, yet always leaves an impression. His story has also expanded through the different TV spin-offs, and has given him more layers. Not even George Lucas himself could have predicted the cult fandom that would grow with Boba Fett, and now, he's arguably one of the greatest supporting villains of all time. 

#5 Jabba the Hutt

Next on my list is the most disgusting villain in the galaxy. It's the massive space slug who rules his own criminal empire with an iron fist. Jabba the Hutt made his first appearance as a main villain in “Star Wars 6: Return of the Jedi”, and has sense made appearances in other Star Wars movies and TV shows. This is a different kind of villain, as he doesn’t have any fighting capabilities, and doesn’t look like much of a threat on the surface, but he’s always large and in charge when confronted by his enemies. It’s the way he rules, and dominates that makes him a threat to our hero’s. He’s a fun gross-out creature, with the most unique design of any villain, and he’s got one of the greatest evil chuckles I’ve ever heard.

#4 The Emperor 

Emperor Palpatine has been the big threat in just about every Star Wars movie, has appeared countless times in TV shows, and he’s still the greatest threat the galaxy ever faced. I’m not sure how to adequately describe a perfect movie villain, but I certainly know it when I see it. Personally, I think that Ian MacDiarmid’s performance as The Emperor is one of the greatest villain performances of all time ... right up there with Bela Lugosi as Dracula. 

He just has this really evil presence, and everything he says in that quiet voice, which just gives me chills. There’s a lot of mystery to this character, as we don’t know that much about him, and I love it when there’s a mystique to a villain. It just makes them so much more interesting. He’s also very calm and collected, like he’s in complete control of the game, and that just makes him feel all the more threatening. 

#3 Darth Maul

Redeeming himself as one of the greatest villains in the Star Wars cannon is Darth Maul ... a villain with a face that would be fitting for your darkest nightmares. Maul made his first appearance in the 1999 motion picture “Star Wars 1: The Phantom Menace”, and while he initially got many people excited, he unfortunately got cut-short before he could leave a real impact. Thankfully, the 2008 TV series “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” brought him back from the dead, and gave him the chance to shine as the menacing villain that he was always meant to be. 

Voice actor Samuel Witwer supplies Maul with a deeply chilling voice, and a lot of class. His design is fantastic, and it was just a real treat to finally see what this bad-boy is made of. This portrayal of the character was so successful that he took on a life of his own, appearing in further animated TV shows, live-action cameo's, he got his own graphic novels, and was given a more fleshed out back story in the expanded universe. He might have been taken from the movies before his time, but his life continues to grow in all the spin-offs, TV shows, Star Wars literature, and he’s found a place among my personal favorite villains that the series has ever created. 

#2 Darth Vader 

Well, here he is ... arguably one of the all time greatest ... if not the all time greatest movie villain ever. Without question, Darth Vader rains supreme, and is absolutely my  favorite character to originate from any of the movies. Right from the first movie, he’s intimidating and a powerful enemy, with one of the sharpest designs I’ve ever seen. 

That awesome helmet, long cape, red light-saber and the voice of James Earl Jones, it’s just perfect. Throw in a complex story of him going from a tragic fallen hero, too evil galactic conqueror and then in the end he becomes a hero again, and you got yourself an A+ bad guy. This was the first time I ever found myself caring for a villain, and with that bit of emotional depth, and back story mixed with his awesome look and design, that’s the perfect ingredients for one of Hollywood’s best villains, and my personal favorite character from the Star Wars film series. So ... why is he not on the number one spot? Well, I also view Vader as a hero in his own right, and every other list probably has him at number one. As such, I'm going against the norm, and awarding the number one spot to my actual favorite "Star Wars" villain ... but first. 

Before I reveal my #1 pick, here are some Honorable Mentions...

Kylo Ren

Governor Tarkin

Hondo 

The Son

General Grievous

                                           
#1 Cad Bane

Let’s make this list a bit more interesting, as I just wouldn’t be honest with myself if i didn't give the top spot the galaxy’s greatest, and coolest bounty hunter. That’s right, Boba Fett is only second rate in comparison to Cad Bane. Premiering in the TV series “Star Wars: The Clone Wars”, Cad Bane was the surprise villain that no-one saw coming, and completely stole the show. He has such as awesome design, with those blood red eyes, the cowboy attire, and that big black hat. 

It's all very reminiscent of Lee Van Cleef, A.K.A Angel Eyes from "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly". Likewise, his voice is downright chilling, and probably the most distinct voice to go with any villain from the show. In general, the villains of the Star Wars universe typically come off as menacing and powerful, but they never seem to be having fun with what they do. In the case of Cade Bane, he loves every second of what he does, as he always has that wicked smirk, and always making remarks with dark sense of hummer. You also wouldn't expect him to be much of a challenge against the Jedi, yet he always takes control of every situation he’s in. 

He fights dirty, and can hold his own against two Jedi masters in hand to hand combat. Even when apprehended, he still acts cool and collected, like he’s got a plan up his sleeve. His greatest weapon is his intellect, as he's proven resourceful, calculating, ruthless, and knows a hero's weakness. Yet, despite all that, Bane even has a reserved sense of honor, as he teaches his superiors  ... "If your going to kill someone, you do it like a man!" From his menacing voice, to his wicked charm, to his awesome look, to his laid back and slimy personality, and his methods of raising the stakes ... Cad Bane may not have been featured in any of the movies ... but he is absolutely my favorite "Star Wars" villain.   

      

Thanks for reading my countdown, and stay tuned ... a count down of my last 10 favorite Star Wars hero's is up next. 

To Be Continued ...