11 Star Wars Characters in Canon & Legends Who Would Have Been a Better Sequel Trilogy Villain Than Palpatine

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11 Star Wars Characters in Canon & Legends Who Would Have Been a Better Sequel Trilogy Villain Than Palpatine

THE Star Wars resurrected sequel trilogy Emperor Palpatine as a last-minute villain, but many other characters in the saga could have served as a better antagonist. When Supreme Leader Snoke was shockingly killed in Star Wars: The Last Jedithe upcoming film was put in a difficult position when it came to selecting its villain. The filmmakers could have stuck with Kylo Ren, who assumed full command of the First Order, but the lack of another suitable replacement would have ruled out the possibility of Ben Solo’s redemption.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Abrams’ solution was to reveal that Palpatine survived his apparent death in Return of the Jedi. By making him the true mastermind of the First Order, the Star Wars the sequel trilogy had a villain who could pose a serious threat and tie into the previous one Star Wars films. Unfortunately, Somehow the Palatine’s return created more problems than it solvedand 11 characters of Star Wars Canon and Legends demonstrate how the final big bad of the sequel trilogy could have been so much better.

11

Another Snoke clone

Keep the main villain consistent

Although Snoke’s death was a surprising twist upon first viewing It was also disappointing that the sequels’ biggest villain was killed off so early without being fully developed. The closest viewers came to an explanation was the revelation that Palpatine created Snoke on Exegol, but that raised even more questions that were never answered. It’s unclear whether Snoke was a failed experiment who went off on his own or if he was Palpatine’s puppet all along.

This could even explain why Snoke looked and acted a little differently in The Last Jedi compared to The Force Awakenswith two or more Snokes working together at all times.

However, the other Snoke clones seen in Exegol’s tanks also present an interesting alternative to The Rise of Skywalker. Instead of Palpatine’s return, the film could reveal that there was another Snoke clone, preserving his shocking death while maintaining some consistency between films. This could even explain why Snoke looked and acted a little differently in The Last Jedi compared to The Force Awakenswith two or more Snokes working together at all times.

10

Tsavong Lah

Warmaster of the Yuuzhan Vong


Warmaster Tsavong Lah prepares to duel Jacen Solo while his Yuuzhan Vong warriors watch the Star Wars: The New Jedi Order book series.

If the sequel trilogy wanted to bring back a character from Star Wars In the Legends timeline, one of the most intriguing choices would be Warmaster Tsavong Lah. The Yuuzhan Vong were the villains of Star Wars: The New Jedi Order book seriesa warrior race from beyond the galaxy that tried to conquer everything in its path. While there were several excellent Yuuzhan Vong characters, Tsavong Lah would be an especially good villain, as he was essentially The New Jedi Order equivalent to Darth Vader.

Many viewers felt that the First Order’s War of Resistance was too similar to the original trilogy, so having the Yuuzhan Vong invade the galaxy would shake things up. It may even be revealed that the Yuuzhan Vong were one of the reasons Palpatine was obsessed with building superweapons, recalling how he used them as an excuse when recruiting agents in Legends. Tsavong Lah would also be a good rival for Ben Solo, just as he was for Jacen Solo in The New Jedi Orderand sequels could adapt the moment Jacen defended his mother from Tsavong Lah.

9

Exar Kun

The spirit of an ancient Sith Lord

Another character from Legends who would be a good villain in the sequel trilogy, and who still exists in the canon, is the Sith Lord Exar Kun. A Jedi who lived 4,000 years before the Star Wars films, Exar Kun fell to the dark side and discovered the knowledge of the ancient Sith Lords. He waged war against the Jedi and the Republic, but was inevitably defeated and his spirit was trapped in the Massassi Temples on Yavin 4. Thousands of years later, Exar Kun tried to convert Luke Skywalker’s Jedi students to the dark sidebut they managed to banish him for life.

Some canon Star Wars Reference books have mentioned Exar Kun, so it wouldn’t be too difficult to adapt a version of his story. Instead of finding Palpatine, Kylo Ren could find Exar Kun’s trapped spirit on Exegolwhich promises to help him crush the Resistance once and for all. However, Exar Kun would gain control over Kylo Ren’s mind, as he did with Luke’s students in Legends, until Rey and Leia managed to free themselves. Ben and Rey would end the film bonding, with the spirits of past Jedi helping to banish Exar Kun.

8

Lumiya

The Dark Lady of the Sith

When discussing Star Wars Villains from legends with a connection to Luke Skywalker and a talent for manipulating Solo children, few characters were as skilled as Lumiya. Originally Imperial Agent Shira Brie, Lumiya was sent by Darth Vader to infiltrate the Rebel Alliance and find a way to harm or kill Luke Skywalker.. She did this by proclaiming romantic feelings for him and then faking her death by piloting her fighter in front of Luke’s laser blasts. Luke was devastated, believing he had killed the woman he loved, and was temporarily disgraced until Shira’s true nature was later revealed.

After a series of encounters that left her scarred and damaged, Shira swore revenge on Luke. She received dark side training and cybernetic enhancements from Vader, and after he and Palpatine were killed, she declared herself the Dark Lady of the Sith. Decades later, Lumiya successfully converted Jacen Solo to the dark side as Darth Caedus before she is killed by Luke. Having a personal history with Vader and the Skywalker family would make Lumiya the perfect villain to manipulate Ben Solo in canon, just as she did with Jacen in Legends.

7

Kylo Ren

Commit to Ben Solo’s Dark Side

Of course, while the sequel trilogy had plenty of great Legends villains to choose from, in the end Star Wars episode could have compromised Kylo Ren as the main antagonist. This was the original plan in the first draft of the Star Wars: Duel of the FatesColin Trevorrow’s version of Episode IX before leaving the project in 2017. Kylo Ren and General Hux, now Chancellor Hux of Coruscant, would have shared leadership responsibilities for the First Order, with Kylo Ren seeking knowledge of the dark side and Hux leading military forces against the Resistance.

Although having Kylo Ren as the main villain made his redemption much more difficult, Trevorrow’s script showed that committing to his villainy was a viable option. Kylo Ren would have died fighting Rey in Mortismaking his fate even more tragic and distinguishing his story from Darth Vader. Alternatively, Ben Solo could be redeemed in the end, defeated but still alive to possibly make amends for his crimes in the future.

6

The Knights of Ren

Ben Solo’s redemption would cause his order to intervene

If the filmmakers wanted Kylo Ren as the initial main villain, but also wanted a Ben Solo redemption, then the reins could have been handed over to the Knights of Ren. After years of being praised and insinuated, the Knights of Ren were criminally underutilized in The Rise of Skywalkerbarely doing anything until the end, when they were easily defeated by Ben Solo. Colin Trevorrow Duel of destinies the script treated them a little better, but having them as the main villains could have developed them and provided the ultimate challenge for a redeemed Ben Solo.

Although developing all six characters from the last film would have been a challenge, Star Wars the comics presented a solution. Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren by Charles Soule and Will Sliney showed what the Knights of Ren were like before Ben Solo took overled by a man named Ren. Focusing on just one new character, while still having good chemistry with the other Knights of Ren, would have allowed the final threat to be a group of villains instead of just one.

5

Darth Krayt

A perfect villain to unite the saga

Regarding a group of villains, another powerful leader and Sith Lord was Darth Kryat, who served as the perfect final villain for the Legends timeline. Once a Jedi named A’Sharad Hett, Krayt was the main villain of Star Wars: Legacy by John Ostrander and Jan Duursemaset more than 130 years later Return of the Jedi. What made Krayt such a perfect villain for this era was how his story connected to the Skywalkers and was shaped by almost every era of the Expanded Universe up to that point:

  • He was raised as a Tusken Raider on Tatooine and later as a Jedi Knight during the prequel era.

  • He learned about Anakin Skywalker’s dark side, but chose not to report it to the Jedi Council.

  • After surviving Order 66, he was trained by the holocron of an Old Republic-era Sith Lord.

  • He dedicated himself to killing Darth Vader and the Emperor, but Luke Skywalker intervened before he could.

  • He was captured by the Yuuzhan Vong, who implanted organisms that threatened to take control of his body.

  • He used Darth Caedus’ actions during the Legacy era as a distraction while he created his own Sith Order.

Krayt being a by-product of all Star Wars the timeline would make him the perfect final villain for the sequels, with a few changes to his story. His strategy of using other Sith as distractions while he gathered his forces is similar to Palpatine’s strategy in The Rise of Skywalkermaking it easier for him to fill the same role. More significantly, Krayt’s One Sith abandoned the Rule of Twowhich would allow for an army of Sith and maintain the prophecy of the Chosen One, causing the ancient Sith Order to end with Return of the Jedi.

4

Grand Admiral Thrawn

The villain many EU fans were hoping to see

Not all Star Wars villains must be Force users or masters of hand-to-hand combatas proven by characters like Grand Admiral Thrawn. Introduced in Timothy Zahn Star Wars: Heir to the Empirewhich relaunched the Expanded Universe in 1991, Thrawn was a tactical genius, which made him a ruthless opponent of the New Republic. After discovering the lost Katana Fleet and the Emperor’s cloning cylinders, he nearly managed to cripple the New Republic through a brutal military campaign.

Since Star Wars Rebels had already brought Thrawn back into canon, his return in The Rise of Skywalker was a popular fan theory. The film could have revealed that Thrawn spent decades building a fleet in the Unknown Regions after he disappeared in Star Wars Rebelsa clone army would bring the story full circle by tying into the prequel trilogy. Having a non-Force user as the main villain would also make Thrawn stand out, going head to head with Kylo Ren, as he did with the shadowy Jedi Master Joruus C’Baoth in the Thrawn trilogy.

3

Darth Maul

George Lucas planned to do this

Another villain who could have closed the saga full circle and almost appeared in the sequel trilogy is Darth Maul. In plans for George Lucas’ sequel trilogy, Maul would have become the godfather of crime in the galaxysimilar to your return in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. How Maul Didn’t Get Much Screen Time Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom MenaceMaking him the final villain of the sequel trilogy would have given him more time in the spotlight and connected to the first chronological film.

Maul’s surprise appearance a year earlier at the end of Solo: A Star Wars Story it would also have served a purpose and been followed on screen. After spending decades building a criminal empire in the shadows, Maul would come out of hiding and take the Resistance and the First Order by surprise, seeking to destroy both factions and rule the galaxy himself. Maul’s philosophy about forgetting the past in Star Wars Rebels would appeal to Kylo Renwhile his story about being taken from his parents would affect Rey.

2

Abelote

A powerful villain for the grand finale of the saga

The Rise of Skywalker sought to raise the stakes by having a fleet of 10,000 planet-destroying Star Destroyers, but as Darth Vader said, “The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant compared to the power of the Force.” No Star Wars The villain would embody this feeling better than Abeloth, a terrifying dark side entity who first appeared in the Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi series. Abeloth was once known as the Mother and lived with the Mortis Force godsbut after she was consumed by a dark power, she was trapped for thousands of years.

She eventually escaped and wreaked havoc on Luke Skywalker’s New Jedi Order, joining the Sith along the way. Abeloth would have been a perfect villain to seduce Kylo Ren and the First Order with the promise of powerand its destructive potential would be the greatest threat in the saga. Colin Trevorrow Duel of destinies would have had Rey and Kylo go to Mortis, so that could be where they discovered Abeloth. It could also be revealed that Abeloth influenced one or both sides of the war from the beginning, just as he did with the Jedi and Sith in Legends.

1

Baylan Skoll

A man trying to end the cycle of war

Baylan Skoll may not have been created before The Rise of Skywalkerbut Ahsoka the first season shows how he could have been the perfect sequel trilogy villain. Common themes throughout the sequences include legacy, overcoming the past, and the cycle of war. This would make him the ideal villain for the saga’s grand finale, since Baylan’s entire motivation revolves around ending the never-ending cycle between light and dark..

Unlike Palpatine, Baylan is not a standard Dark Side villain who embraces power for its own sake. He is willing to hurt others to get what he wants, but he believes his actions will reshape the galaxy for the better and he has his own code of honor. In a trilogy that explored the dichotomy between dark and light, Baylan would attract Rey and Kylo Ren, leaving them at odds. Emperor Palpatine may have ended up as the final villain of the Star Wars sequel trilogy, but it’s still fascinating to consider whether other characters would have been better.

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