As powerful as Luke Skywalker It could be that there are some Sith Lords who would give you a run for your money. The son of the Chosen One, Luke Skywalker inherited all of his father’s power. He was strong enough in the Force that Palpatine sensed his growth and considered him a potential apprentice. Despite all his power, however, Luke’s training was much less thorough than Anakin’s; he only began learning the ways of the Force at age 19, and at best only had a few months under Yoda’s tutelage.
Still, that doesn’t mean Luke is a pushover for even the most powerful Sith Lord. He dedicated his life to learning the secrets of the Jedi – not just the ways of the previous Jedi Order, but the powers and abilities they lost. He mastered skills from other Force cults, demonstrating Fallanassi powers in Star Wars: The Last Jedi as he projected himself across the galaxy. Here are the top ten Sith Lords who are in danger of overpowering him… and our predictions for how he would win anyway.
6
Palpatine
The first of these Sith Lords is, of course, Emperor Palpatine himself. The greatest of all Sith Lords, Palpatine confronted Luke in Return of the Jediand would have killed him if not for Darth Vader’s intervention. Still, the resurrected Palpatine wasn’t exactly eager for a rematch; there’s a reason he didn’t begin his First Order plan until after Luke exiled himself to Ahch-To. He remained afraid of Luke’s return, believing it could spell his doom.
Palpatine was certainly more powerful than Luke during the Dark Times, because he appears to have personally harvested the resurgent power of the dark side of a galaxy bent on corruption. But Luke has something Palpatine doesn’t, I hope, and the Jedi inspired everyone around them to believe that even the power of the Empire could be defeated and Darth Vader could be redeemed. This hope is Luke’s secret weapon, and Palpatine has no defense against it.
5
Darth Bane
A thousand years before the events of the Skywalker Saga, Darth Bane – one of the most powerful Sith Lords of all time – reformed his order around the Rule of Two. Little is known about Bane in canon, but Legends tells much more about his origin and backstory, and reveals just how dangerous he was. Many even believed that Darth Bane was the Sith version of the Chosen One – the Sith’ari (this idea is canon, but naturally only to the extent that Palpatine believed it to be his realization).
Darth Bane was a fearsome warrior, and his knowledge and experience in battle – not to mention his seamless integration of lightsaber combat with Force powers – would likely overwhelm Luke. Interestingly, however, Bane shared Luke’s greatest weakness; he had not been trained in the ways of the Sith since birth, meaning he was less familiar with their subtleties. Luke’s exposure to other Force traditions would likely help him defend himself against Darth Bane, and It’s easy to imagine Fallanassi’s tricks giving him an advantage.
4
Exar Kun
An ancient Sith Lord who enslaved the Massassi tribes of Yavin 4, leading to the construction of the beautiful moon temples, Exar Kun was one of the most powerful Sith Lords in Legends. In fact, he was able to defeat death in a way, preserving his spirit in the temples his slaves built, and found Luke years later – when the Jedi Master claimed those temples for his new Jedi Praxeum. Kevin J. Anderson Jedi Academy Trilogy positioned Exar Kun as the Devil to Luke’s Messiah figure – and Kun nearly killed Luke in battle.
Luke still won in the end – because of the influence he had on other people’s lives. Luke’s Jedi students combined their power in the Force, dispelling Exar Kun’s shadow from the Massassi temples, and he returned to full health. Again, it is Luke’s influence on others that is really his secret power; he inspires others to be the best they can be, and they step forward and fight alongside him or even on his behalf.
3
Lumiya
The Sith Lady Lumiya was Palpatine’s rival in Star Wars Legends, a powerful and dangerous Sith with very personal ties to Luke Skywalker. She was particularly known for using a lightsaber whip, a weapon recently canonized in The Acolyte and traditionally associated with the Sith. Lumiya defeated Luke in their first encounter and continued to challenge him as her power grew.
But Luke’s battles with Lumiya allowed him to demonstrate another of his main attributes; your ability to adapt. The Jedi Master created a second, shorter shoto blade to aid him in his rematch against Lumiya. This allowed him to combine offensive and defensive strategies, and he was able to overpower the Dark Lady of the Sith. Luke was ultimately the death of Lumiya.
2
Darth Zannah
Darth Bane’s apprentice, Darth Zannah, has only been mentioned in canon – but enough is known about her to know that she would be a real challenge for Luke. After all, this was the Sith who defeated Darth Bane. In Legends, Darth Zannah was a powerful Sith sorceress who could even summon tendrils of pure darkness to consume her enemies. Luke would find himself surprised by dangerous abilities he had never encountered before, and she would have a solid chance of beating him.
But again, Lucas’ adaptability should not be underestimated. In Star Wars canon, Luke encountered the spirits of Sith Lords from the ancient past who had powers he didn’t understand – and he discovered how to overcome them. Luke’s unshakable belief that darkness cannot overcome light would be his greatest strength in a confrontation with Zannah, and he would certainly dispel her shadows.
1
The stranger
The Sith Lord known as the Stranger made his debut in The Acolyteand he lived a hundred years before the Skywalker Saga. He has been shown to be powerful enough to defeat entire teams of Jedi, aided by lightsaber-resistant cortosis and a trick lightsaber that can catch his enemies by surprise. The fundamental problem, however, is that all these tricks only work once; as seen with Lumiya, Luke has the adaptability to figure out how to respond to the Stranger on a second encounter.
Legends Luke Skywalker is familiar with cortosis, meaning he would realize what he was dealing with very quickly; the canon version of the character is equally knowledgeable and likely wouldn’t be surprised for long. Meanwhile, the Stranger’s signature trick – his ability to get inside his opponents’ heads, affecting the blows of their blades – wouldn’t work on someone with Luke’s mental discipline. Luke may falter on a first date, but he will ultimately triumph.