Highlights
- Leontyne Saresh: Ruthless chancellor of the Galactic Republic with little concern for her people and disruptive tactics in her quest to crush the Empire.
- Darth Thanaton: Hypocritical Sith Lord who plots against the protagonist through manipulation and trickery, relying on cunning and ruthless techniques.
- Darth Baras: Power-hungry Sith who sees others as pawns, betrays and kills to further his own ambitious plans of becoming the Emperor's Voice.
Across its multitude of story arcs, Star Wars: The Old Republic has no shortage of charismatic and intimidating villains. Whether they are powerful Sith that draw their power from the Dark Side of the Force, corrupt politicians, or simply ruthless criminals willing to do anything to get by.
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The player will face many of them across the progression of their story, and with some of them, the player can decide their fate. Many of those villains left an impact and were memorable for the community, evoking feelings ranging from hate and fear to admiration for their charisma and elaborate schemes.
10 Leontyne Saresh
The radical chancellor
Leontyne Saresh became the chancellor of the Galactic Republic, and she quickly proved to be a ruthless leader. Her disdain for the Empire and a desire to crush it at all costs can seem appealing to Republic patriots, but she quickly became a nuisance.
Saresh’s ruthless tactics and blind desire to decimate the Empire led to her disrupting important operations, such as the battle against Vitiate on Ziost. She also shows little concern for the people under her rule and is more than willing to send them to the front lines, as seen on Makeb.
9 Darth Thanaton
A hypocritical Sith Lord
Thanaton serves as the main antagonist for the Sith Inquisitor class story. He is known to be a staunch follower of Sith Traditions despite his past as a slave. He plots against the protagonist but is often too cowardly to face them in fair combat, instead relying on tricks and lies.
Thanaton attempted to manipulate the Inquisitor into taking on dangerous tasks that he expected would result in his death. Despite not being too outwardly intimidating, his cunning and ruthless techniques make him a dangerous opponent for the young Sith.
8 Darth Baras
A power-hungry fraud
While Baras is often seen as a comedic character by the community due to his short temper and memorable moments, the scale of his plans cannot be overlooked. Like any Sith, he treated those around him as pawns to further his goals and had no trouble betraying and killing those who outlived their usefulness.
As the deuteragonist turned main antagonist in the Sith Warrior story, Baras is the protagonist’s master who eventually turns against them. His plans were very ambitious, as he was eager to earn the title of the Emperor’s Voice and rise above the Dark Council.
7 Arcann
A tyrannical Prince
The main antagonist of the Knights of the Fallen Empire expansion, Arcann, is the son of Emperor Valkorion. He and his twin brother, Thexan, led a ruthless assault on Republic and Imperial worlds before returning to their homeworld of Zakuul. Arcann made multiple attempts to kill his negligent father, one of which ended with him accidentally striking down his brother instead.
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Eventually, Arcann ascended to the throne and became the Emperor. Despite his short temper and rash decision-making, Arcann is still a powerful and ruthless individual who managed to bring both the Empire and the Republic to their knees.
6 Vaylin
The bloodthirsty princess
Sister of Arcann and daughter of Valkorion, Vaylin is a major antagonist in Knights of the Fallen Empire and Knights of the Eternal Throne. Her raw, untamed power was impressive even as a child, which made her own father lock her away and torture his own daughter in an attempt to chain her.
This torture was also what transformed Vaylin into a merciless killer. Much like her brother, she is a cruel tyrant with no concern for anyone else, but she is also more prone to random and chaotic acts of cruelty. Combined with her incredible power, Vaylin makes for a very dangerous villain.
5 Hunter
A sadistic agent
Hunter stands out among the many other villains because he does not seem exceptional... initially. He is a smug and arrogant spy from the Imperial Agent class story who is skillful at his job, but he does not possess the ability top control the Force, nor does he hold any leadership position. Still, he managed to be intimidating via other means.
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During the story, the Imperial Agent gets conditioned to respond to a keyword that forces them to obey whoever said the word. Multiple characters use it, but Hunter is the one who does it most often and with the most glee and satisfaction. His having such control over the player's character will no doubt make him memorable to anyone who goes through the story.
4 Revan
The ultimate hero and villain
Even those who have never played any old Republic games have likely heard Revan’s name. He is an ancient hero known for winning the Mandalorian wars and later saving the Republic from invading Sith forces after his redemption. When he appears in SWTOR, the ancient hero is past his prime.
He spent 300 years in the Emperor’s prison, making him ruthless and willing to commit genocide towards anyone with Sith blood. He will stop at nothing to destroy the Emperor, even if this means killing millions of innocents. Despite his tragic nature and well-intentioned goals, he is a threat to the galaxy and ends up as an antagonist.
3 Darth Malgus
The False Emperor
One of the most well-known Sith Lords from SWTOR, Darth Malgus is the star of the Deceived trailer as he leads an assault on the Jedi temple, ruthlessly killing everyone in his way. He is a powerful Sith who seeks to rid himself of any weakness, a quest that leads him to kill his beloved.
Malgus has shown himself to be an incredibly skilled warrior bold enough to challenge even the Emperor. After manipulating both the Republic and the Empire, Malgus claimed the throne and declared himself a new Emperor, causing both sides to turn their attention towards him.
2 Darth Jadus
The emotionless mastermind
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A Sith Lord from the Imperial Agent story, Jadus makes an impression by how detached he is. Unlike many other Sith, he doesn’t give in to his emotions and doesn’t succumb to anger, instead preferring a calm, methodical approach. His intelligence and strength are without peer, as he is called to be “the second to the Emperor.”
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Throughout the story, Jadus fakes his death to command a terrorist network from the shadows, eventually leading to his ultimate plan of destroying the Dark Council’s power base and becoming one of the most powerful lords in the Empire. Whether he succeeds depends on the player.
1 The Emperor
A god beyond comprehension
The main antagonist of many stories in the game and the driving force behind most events, a man known by many names such as Vitiate, Valkorion, and Tenebrae, earns his rightful spot as the most intimidating antagonist. He has shown himself to be a man with incredible power and absolutely no care for those beyond himself.
Some of the worst things he's done include consuming all life on multiple planets, creating tyrannical empires that start wars across different eras, abusing his own children and twisting them into monsters, and rising from the dead. Out of all the beings in Star Wars, the Emperor came closest to achieving immortality and godhood, making him the most intimidating villain.
