The Star Wars franchise is known for its epic space battles, gripping storylines, and of course, iconic characters. Some of the most popular characters in Star Wars are powerful Jedi warriors who risk their lives to protect the galaxy by harnessing the power of the Force. However, throughout the Star Wars saga, there were many Jedi who decided to turn to the dark side.
Not all Jedi who turned to the dark side became Sith, but those who did were some of the most formidable opponents that the Jedi Order has ever faced. This evil organization and its members are masters of the dark side of the Force and use it for their own personal gain and to harm others. These iconic characters were blinded by their hatred and seduced by the power and incredible abilities that the dark side of the Force granted them and became some of the most unforgettable villains in movie history.
7 Asajj Ventress
Asajj Ventress is a fascinating character who had one of the best arcs in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. She was trained as a Jedy by Narec, a powerful Jedi Knight who sensed the Force in her. Unfortunately, after Narec was murdered, Ventress turned evil because of her anger and her strong desire for revenge.
Ventress' journey to the dark side started after she became a Sith acolyte and was trained by the infamous Sith Lord Count Dooku. However, she eventually managed to find her own path and rejected the dark side, and became an independent bounty hunter instead.
6 Barriss Offee
Barriss Offee is another Jedi Padawan who started her journey as a heroic character and used her powers to bravely fight against the Sith. Offee always enjoyed studying ancient Jedi texts, but she soon became obsessed and disillusioned with the Jedi Order and its leadership and believed that they lost their way.
While she was led by good intentions, Offee still committed horrible crimes, including planning the bombing of the Jedi Temple. Offee never became Sith, but her twisted mindset led her down a dark path, and ended up betraying not only the Jedi Order but her closest friends.
5 Count Dooku
Star Wars is one of the best space opera movies with plenty of intriguing villains, and one of them is Count Dooku, aka Darth Tyranus. Dooku was one of the most known Jedi Knights who trained under Yoda but eventually turned to the dark side and became a Sith Lord.
Similarly to Barriss Offee, Doku had his own strong sense of justice, and after getting disillusioned with the Jedi Order, he decided to leave it and joined the dark side. Dooku's own extremist ideals led him down the dark path, and eventually was unable to resist the seductive power of the dark side.
4 Quinlan Vos
Quinlan Vos is one of the most complex characters in the Star Wars universe and was a powerful Jedi Master who bravely wielded his green lightsaber. While Vos was trained as a Jedi, he had a thrilling and unusual journey during which he met a rogue Jedi and other characters who worked on the fringes of the Jedi Order.
Unfortunately, after Vos was captured during one of his missions, he was brainwashed and tortured, which caused him to turn to the dark side. However, his story is also inspirational since after the Jedi order rescued him from the Sith, Voss managed to find his way back and redeemed himself.
3 Kylo Ren
Kylo Ren, aka Ben Solo, is among the most iconic movie villains who have tragic backstories. The young Ben Solo was a Jedi-in-training who ended up seduced to the dark side by a powerful Sith Lord, Snoke, who manipulated the young boy's feelings.
Soon he became Kylo Ren and joined the First Order, and used his skills to restore the Galactic Empire. While Kylo Ren committed many atrocities and murdered many innocents, including other Jedi, he eventually found redemption when he sacrificed himself to save Rey and helped defeat the evil Sith Lord Palpatine.
2 Revan
There were many powerful Jedi Knights and Jedi masters in Star Wars, but a few became as infamous as Revan. He was a Jedi Knight who eventually became a Sith Lord who also formed a Sith Empire that declared war against the Jedi Order as well as the Galactic Republic.
Revan fought in the wars against the Mandalorians, and he became obsessed with defeating them at all costs. He started using brutal methods and lost the support of the Jedi Council. Soon he was captured by the Sith, who erased his memories and turned him into a Sith Lord. However, Revan's is another story that ended on a high note since he eventually returned to the light and helped defeat the Sith Empire.
1 Anakin Skywalker
Anakin Skywalker, aka Darth Vader, is no doubt the most famous Jedi who turned evil in the Star Wars Universe. Anakin was a highly emotional young man with a desire for power and recognition. He was also a Jedi Knight who believed that he deserved to become a Master, but the Jedi Order didn't agree with him.
Unfortunately, because of his own failings, his desire to save Padme, and the manipulation of Darth Sidious, Anakin turned to the dark side. He believed it was the only way to save the ones he loved as well as the entire galaxy. After he became a master of the dark side of the Force, Darth Vader acquired surprising powers that allowed him to commit some of the most despicable things and murder millions of innocents.