"Baras is a serious man but a master of deception. Everything he does and says is calculated. He will attempt to trip you up, test your nature, get to the heart of who you are. Always take him seriously. And I mean always." Overseer Tremel once spoke these words of warning. Words of warning that hardly needed to be heeded. Aiming to become the infamous 'Voice of the Emperor' (the embodiment of the Sith Emperor circa 3950BBY), Darth Baras, like so many of the other Sith lords on this list, manipulated an apprentice of his to carry out his dastardly deeds. Sending his little minion to assassinate his own master, Baras was able to acquire the late Darth Vengean's seat on the Dark Council. Unfortunately, when you do nothing but send others to do your dirty work, those others begin to question the abilities of the master. This is absolutely the case with Darth Baras who was challenged by his former apprentice (having plenty of combat experience under his lightsaber belt taking care of Baras' problems). Not only did Baras fall in the duel, but he fell in front of the Dark Council. Justice of a kind.
"Whatever Jacen has become, he was a hero once. Jacen Solo saved the galaxy." Who is Jacen Solo, some of you may ask... and who would say such things about a Sith lord? Well, Jacen is the so son of Han and Leia. Surprise, this isn't Kylo Ren! And the above quotation is from the princess herself. Once a Jedi knight, Jacen did indeed save the galaxy from the Yuuzhan Vong. However, his determination to do anything to protect the galaxy just happens to also be what sent him into the depth of the dark side. Captured and tortured, Jacen slowly slipped to the dark side, eventually joining the Sith due to a vision of killing Luke Skywalker if he didn't submit. That being said, he then spent his time torturing and killing the rest of the Skywalkers. Before he slipped away to the dark side, he said "Why do I have to be strong? Someday I'll be able to go anywhere I want, or get anything I want, just by thinking about it—like Uncle Luke." It turns out that he was quite wrong. Working relatively unopposed as a Sith, and taking the mantle of Darth as Caedus, he engaged in battle with his twin sister, Jaina. Having already acquired a disabled foot, and lost an arm in a previous duel (a testament to his weakness), he chose in the end, to spare his sister as she came in for the kill. Opting to warn others of their imminent danger, Caedus failed to take revenge, and use his rage in death as a Sith truly should.
"I've been gutted, bled dry, jettisoned into space. I survived and grew stronger." Yes, and no. Those things did indeed happen, and as a result, Draahg became a cyborg, but ultimately this did not make him stronger (otherwise he wouldn't be on the list). Certainly he is stronger than both Darth Baras, and Vengean (his former masters, one of which he did kill). Order to, obsessed with the killing of the Emperor's Wrath (an incredibly powerful warrior), Draahg was repeatedly shown up, and gravely injured just as often. Unlike a true Sith, Draahg admitted defeat in a lightsaber duel against the aforementioned warrior, and with no exit strategy, was Force-pushed into a fire. Having to be rescued by his even weaker master, Darth Baras, Draahg was rebuilt into a cyborg. Thinking himself invincible, and not just because of his new mechanical parts (because he'd managed to narrowly escape death so many times, Draahg continued his pursuit of the Emperor's Wrath. Engaging, once again, in an ultimately futile fight, the Sith warrior made doubly sure that Draahg was indeed dead. Darth Draahg Maintained his obsession for vengeance, but ultimately failed to find the determination to win. What a... Draahg...
"Rage! Wrath! Vengeance! I've been dormant too long. I need outlets!" Well now, this sounds like a great start to an amazing story about an incredibly powerful Sith lord... However, given that she is the sister of Darth Baras, it might not be too surprising that lacking Force ability seems to follow suit in certain families. How... em-Baras-sing. Speaking of embarrassing, not only did Darth Ekkage spend most of her story arc time in captivity, but her death came fairly swiftly after her escape. Betraying her closest friends, just as did her brother, Ekkage made one too many enemies. At her escape from imprisonment, she was met with both a certain Sith warrior, and a Jedi master. Caring little for the Jedi master, she called the Sith warrior a fool for working with the light side. Mistake. The so-called fool was, of course, the Emperor's Wrath. Like so many others, Darth Ekkage stood no chance, and her engagement of both the Jedi, and the Sith led to her fairly quick defeat. But that wasn't enough. Not only was she weak in combat, but also in fortitude. She was defeated, allowed herself to be captured, and subsequently was executed. She took no one with her; no one in the... wr-Ekkage.
"I have been through death and conquered it. I have returned with my power multiplied. The dark side of the Force lives and manifests itself through me! I reach into the dark side now and send ripples through it to all who serve it— know that I live!" It is truly amazing, the incredible amount of arrogance inherent in the weakest of the Sith order. To be fair to Darth Krayt, he did rebuild the Sith order, and secreted it away on Korriban. However, he also did hide himself away in stasis to ensure his longevity, and hold on power... which seems at least a little bit weak. Discovering that there was a surviving Skywalker (Cade), Krayt took it upon himself to rid the universe of the family line, once and for all. However, along the way, he was stabbed, and hurled off a cliff. The fact that it was so easy to attempt murder on the Sith lord is sad, but to his credit, he did survive the wound, and fall. Healing up, and looking to renew the galaxy through a devastating war, Krayt once again went after Cade Skywalker... this would be his ultimate undoing, even with victory in his grasp. Unlike the most powerful Darth Bane, Krayt (in spite of his cowardly stasis), is too weak to withstand the long game.
Oh look, another son of Han and Leia. It is almost as if they just cannot help but create evil spawn. Perhaps they simply should never have been together. Regardless, for those of you who have not yet see Force Awakens, stop reading now (though there just was a pretty decent spoiler anyway). For the sake of the film, one will stay away from any back story from comics, or novels here. This snivelling, whiny little brat likes to play pretend with a lightsaber, and with the Force. To be fair, Kylo Ren does not yet hold the title of Darth, but his lord Snoke will more than likely grace him with a fun title before his death. Ren's deceitfulness is seemingly wonderful, but clouded by his overwhelming insecurity as a Force user. One would like to think that the snivelling part of his character is all part and parcel with his deceit, but it seems fairly unlikely. Perhaps if he kept the mask on, kept his mouth relatively shut, and stopped whining about not be treated right...then maybe he'd be able to focus the dark side properly. Killing Han was a good start to that, but Ren needs to focus his hate, and use his fear and insecurity to his advantage. Hopefully the Rocky-esque montage of good and evil in the next Star Wars film, will give him that edge, before his final duel.
"I fight because that is what I was made to do and the Empire is the instrument through which I realize my purpose. The Empire is war made manifest. That is why it is perfect." In spite of just how devastating Darth Malgus does look, and how incredibly focused he is... or rather, was, on death and destruction, he fell more easily than expected. True, he did wipe out half of the High Jedi Council (and that is no meager walk in the galactic park), but he was then put on orbital security detail of Coruscant. True, he did defy these orders so that he could murder a Jedi apprentice whose master he had killed, but he was then held back by a lover. True, he did kill that lover, realizing that she was holding him back from his true potential with the dark side, but perhaps it was too little, and too late. Disillusioned with the Empire, Malgus disappeared to unclaimed worlds, slowly building a Sith army. As the Empire and the Republic made peace, Malgus came forward, declaring a new Empire. His reign was very short-lived however, as he was hunted down to his base, and defeated. Not killed though. Gone into hiding, Malgus was found out, and in spite of his war-waging, was easily captured, and subsequently frozen in carbonite: hardly a way for a Sith lord of any note to go.
"Fear. Fear attracts the fearful… the strong… the weak… the innocent… the corrupt. Fear. Fear is my ally." Surely there are readers who think there is no way that Darth Maul could possibly be weak. After all, he did kill the famous Jedi master Qui Gon Jinn. In all fairness, Darth Maul is exceptional when it comes to the martial arts. Having mastered the deadly, double lightsaber, there is no mistaking his ability with a blade. However, he was, almost immediately after killing Jinn, cut in half by then Jedi apprentice, Obi Wan Kenobi. Incredibly enough (though thankfully never touched on in the films), Maul survives this separation from his legs, fun bits, and bowels. Through his rage, he manages to survive, and fashion a robotic, spider-like base from which he can move about. Brought back to full mental working order by his brother Opress, the two made to exact revenge on Obi Wan Kenobi. How? Not by instilling fear into those who were powerful. No. By killing innocents; instilling fear into regular people. Clearly a coward, Maul misses his opportunity to kill Kenobi, and is captured himself. Shortly after escaping, his brother Opress is murdered by Darth Sidius, who then captures Maul, to use for his own purposes.
"Gaze upon me and see your doom! I am Darth Nyriss, Lord of the Sith. I am the conqueror of Drezzi, the destroyer of Melldia, and a member of the Dark Council!" Well, first off, the Dark Council is nothing to really write home about. It spits in the face of Darth Bane's rule of two, diffuses the power of the dark side, and proves the cowardice of those Sith involved. So right off the bat, Darth Nyriss is not off to a good start. At least she did have some degree of ambition: plotting to kill the Emperor, but she aimed to do so by way of co-conspirators within the Council. Now, one must be fair to Nyriss. She is indeed one of the more powerful Sith in terms of skill with a lightsaber, and in terms of Force lightning. Unfortunately, her unwarranted arrogance in working with so many other Sith is a greater downfall than the two previous qualities are boons. In her attempt to cast a dazzling array of lightning at the former Darth Revan (having turned back to the Jedi he once was), she is foiled by her true weakness. Absorbing the lightning, and sending it right back to her, Revan turns Darth Nyriss to dust.
"Darth Plagueis was a Dark Lord of the Sith so powerful and so wise, he could use the Force to influence the midi-chlorians to create life. He had such a knowledge of the dark side, he could even keep the ones he cared about from dying."... or so said the infamous Darth Sidious. However, caring for others is immediately the very first weakness of Darth Plagueis. And should he care enough about himself, it is clear that he did a poor job of keeping himself from dying. In spite of his study of midi-chlorians, it was greatly lacking and, having helped his apprentice reach the title of Supreme Chancellor, Plagueis hoped to be able to spend greater time in research. However, in spite of Plagueis' constant business and political dealings, gaining clout in ways other than the dark side, he never got to spend his time in study. Thinking he would sit safely as co-chancellor, Plagueis sought after political power and knowledge that was ultimately devoid of the true passion of the dark side. So obsessed with attaining eternal life, he failed to see the coming doom. His apprentice, the night before his election, killed him in his sleep. Who was his apprentice? Why the sinister Darth Sidious of course.
"There is no passion… there is solely obsession. There is no knowledge. There is solely conviction. There is no purpose. There is solely will. There is nothing… Only me." Well, there is indeed an incredible amount of arrogance to be found in Darth Ruin, but given his name, one has to wonder if it is in anyway warranted. One might say it ended up being the... Ruin of him. Especially considering his own personal creed is a horrible bastardized version of the Sith Code. Once a Jedi master, one could stop the argument right there, but Darth Revan was also once a Jedi (and then again a Jedi after much slaughter). Betraying his oath to the Jedi, Ruin recruited fifty others from the light side to start a new war against the Jedi Order. Banding together the remaining Sith clans, along with his fifty turned Jedi followers, Ruin would seem to have a great deal of success ahead of him. Unfortunately, his incredible deal of ignorance, his lack of power, and his absolute single-mindedness, was his downfall. The Jedi didn't manage to kill Darth Ruin. Oh no... his own followers became his ruin.
"When you have lived centuries, you see that everything is a pattern that grows out of itself. Sometimes you can no longer see the trees, only the roots. It is the smallest part of the price of immortality." Scourge is, in some ways, quite powerful. However, his willingness to work alongside the Jedi in order to take down the Emperor, is certainly a blow to his badassery. It is even worse than that. He was deemed to be immortal, given his insatiable gorging on the Force. Once the Emperor's Wrath, Scourge became the Hero of the Jedi Order. He did not just conspire with the Jedi in order to rid the galaxy of the Emperor... he became a worthy ally of the Jedi, and continued to be so for quite some time. It is amazingly unbelievable, but here is the big kicker... Scourge was awarded the Republic's Cross of Glory for his role in stopping the Emperor's plans. So a Sith was granted an award from the Republic for aiding them in bringing down the Emperor of the Sith... weak.
"I am your life. I am your death. You have passed your final test without flinching. I name you Darth Talon and you will now be one of my Hands— My own personal assassin. Henceforth, you will take orders only from me— report only to me." This is what Darth Krayt said to Talon upon her rise to the title of Darth... though, if she was actually strong, and not just deadly striking from the shadows, she might have given herself that title, and not waited for a master to bestow it upon her. And her weaknesses are nowhere near as subtle as her cowardice as an assassin either. She followed Darth Krayt with full loyalty, even after his death. Present at Krayt's fall, Darth Talon spread the remaining members of the One Sith (what a ridiculous name) across the galaxy, still following orders to infiltrate governments over many planet systems. Ever working from the shadows, Darth Talon could not even be bothered to take the leading mantle after her master fell (allowing the mantle to go to Darth Nihl). From beginning to end, Darth Talon has only ever been a secondary character, too weak and cowardly to step up, and fight for power.
"The force is strong with this one." Yes, yes, everyone will have an intense opinion about this entry, but it is true. In spite of his wonderful cameo in the latest Star Wars film... actually... that cameo does sort of prove the point. All Darth Vader has ever been able to do, at least with regards to the film franchise, is Force push, Force pull, and Force choke. Yeah, he uses his lightsaber every once in a while as well, but that's about it. In spite of this unfortunate fact, Vader has been made out to be an uber character in all manner of video games, and has been voted top villain in film history many years over. It might hurt some people's feelings to say this, but it seems to be that Vader's reign of terror is simply thanks to an amazing first impression. His ability to instil fear is great, make no mistake, but so too is his ability to follow orders, and his ability to be a very stoic attack dog. Given how poorly he was portrayed in episodes one through three, it's a nice change of pace to go back to the matured, and stoic Vader... but one does wonder what happened to the hot-head. It seems Vader broke after the passing of Padme, and everyone knows he has a soft spot for his kids... so... yup... Darth Vader makes the weak list.
"The Brotherhood of Darkness was nothing but a twisted perversion of the Jedi Order, a dark parody of the very thing we stood against." Truer words never spoken. And as it happens, these words were spoken by one of the very strongest Sith lords of all: Darth Bane. Kaan (who never dared to take the title of Darth) was in part responsible for dividing the power of the Sith. Opening a school for the Sith on the planet of Korriban, Kaan dissuaded students from study of the archives, so as to focus students on banding together as an army to destroy the Jedi. Once Darth Bane (who gave himself the title) opened his mind in the archives of the school, there was no one to stop him, as he turned his back on the Sith. Though through deception, Bane gathered together all of the Sith (including his former teacher and lover) into a cave. Bane promised to stay away, as a show of obedience to Lord Kaan (though he did give Kaan a bit of Sith sorcery to kill the Jedi). Well Kaan, willing to simply trust Bane (thanks to his weak will), ended up killing every Sith, and one hundred Jedi, all with one clap. That might make him seem strong, but it was Bane's deception that gave Kaan the means, and Kaan fell along with all the others.