Lit Who were the "coolest Villains" in the EU?

We all know about Darth Vader, but aside from his appearances, who were the coolest villains of the EU? Both in look as well as just overall.

Also, post pictures when possible!

 

Nom Anor.

He had big spikey boots. He looked like Skeletor. He got **** done. He followed rules that made sense but wasn't afraid to question authority. He shot poison out of one eye. He was a master of disguise. He couldn't always command authority like Vader did but he wasn't afraid to uplift the table if he saw he had a bad hand.

Also he made sense. Like you listen to his internal monologuing and it's like, "Hmm. Everyone else in this series is crazy-go-nuts, but this not-Skeletor guy actually has half a brain."

 

Darth Caedus

 

How about... Darth Krayt?


Cool design. Starts off being one of the few successful Sith to actually take over the known galaxy. Mysterious, but his as we learn more about him it doesn't diminish him. Starts off wanting to bring order to the galaxy, before he dies. Founded a new Sith. Trusts his closest friend to help him fight his disease. Is betrayed and killed (after being stabbed by an Imperial Knight, fried by a Jedi possessed by a founder of the Sith, pushed off a cliff, then fried by his closest friend)... but doesn't truly die, learns how to heal his body so he's stronger than ever, abandons his dream of order only to embrace chaos/pain/death/destruction. Only after he's impaled by a Skywalker and his body thrust into a star for good measure does it seem like he's truly gone.











Honorable mention, though he can't really count because he's a movie character... Darth Maul. Particularly in TCW. Once you get over the fact that he somehow survived, he's a surprisingly good villain. If Maul and Dooku had been combined for the PT, Darth Vader would have had a serious competitor for coolest villain. TCW showed us how Maul could have been the kind of leader Dooku became, though of course in his own style. Maul, while always looking cool (and wasn't a Vader wannabe or some space orc), finally proved he wasn't some mindless killing machine but a true Dark Lord of the Sith.

 

Darth Caedus, Abeloth, Exar Kun, Darth Vader, Tsavong Lah, Darth Plagueis, Count Dooku

 

He was even cooler than DARTH VADER! It says so on the back cover of every single LOTF book.

 

Darth Traya, Thrawn

 

Explain?

Also, Vader and Dooku can't really count, but you can explain why something they did in the EU gives their EU portrayals an honorable mention (like I did with Maul above). Plagueis can count, as long as it goes beyond what's said in the movies into the more EU-exclusive stuff.

Please explain. See above.

 

Did it seriously??

 

JJ Abrams and Dave Filoni

I have to say the Yuuzhan Vong, particularly Tsavong Lah and Nom Anor. Other interesting ones were the One Sith, specifically Krayt, Nihl and Wyrrlock. I'd love to read about what happened to the Nihl-Talon dream team. They can't have been killed off screen since that 'all Sith are dead, Imperial Knights become Jedi' ending was a rushed one because of the announcement. Just like I doubt the original plan for Legacy-War was for it to end with a sudden battle over Coruscant. I liked the Lost Tribe because they weren't 'full' villains. They weren't creepy take over the Galaxy types, they were obsessed with beauty and appearance. There's a lot of missed opportunities to go with them, but in the end they just decided to make them Abeloth's pets, which disappointed me. The bulk of them are likely still alive on Kesh, would like to see continued stories about them in the Legendsverse as well.

I'd have to place it like this;

Yuuzhan Vong > One Sith > Lost Tribe

As for characters;

Nom Anor (this guy is practically Petyr Baelish as a Vong) > Tsavong Lah > Darth Krayt > Darth Wyrrlock. Aside from Vestara who wasn't much of a villain by the end of it, there were no big recognisable Lost Tribe Sith, like I said most just ended up Abeloth's slaves.

Abeloth was kind of.. 'eh' interesting I guess, I like the idea of a monstrosity like that being manifested in a location like the Maw, but again it wasn't handled well as with everything FOTJ/LOTF because they turned her into a political villain when she should've remained an Eldritch Abomination that the Jedi/Lost Tribe have to handle, leaving the whole government intrigue plot on Coruscant as it's own separate deal. Caedus, I reckon, would've been an interesting villain if he and LOTF/FOTJ era Daala were one character. There's a cease fire, but the Jedi can't quite remove Jacen as Chief of State, so he remains as the anti-Jedi guy and he's removed not through an epic Jedi coup but because the Senate gets tired of his constant spending on the GAG with the war over.

 

It depends solely on if you believe the ROTS novelization to be canon or not, hence my inclusion of it as Legends material as many of its parts don't coalesce with the final product. In the EU from the Plagueis novel to the ROTS novelization we see a man who witnesses the corruption of the Republic and the decline of the Jedi, and his disillusionment coupled with his lust for power makes for an interesting novel to me. Stover's prose for Dooku shows a powerful misguided idealist who honestly believes he can change the galaxy by aligning himself with the Sith, and rule as a benevolent despot over a people who lack his pedigree, his skill with a lightsaber, and knowledge of the force. His characterization is tragic and the twist as shown by his death at Anakin's hands when his entire life is revealed to have meant nothing, is nothing short of a tragedy brought on by his own foolishness and avarice.

Darth Plagueis fascinates me for the reason that he's unlike any of the Banite order other than perhaps Darth Bane at the genesis of founding the Banite Sith. He utterly wants to do away with the pointless infighting, and wants to understand the force on a scientific and on a much more profound level than merely the spiritual. Plagueis the wise was the first Sith to tilt experiment with Midichlorians, utterly alter the nature of the force itself by tilting it to the darkside in a Sith ritual, profane the force by controlling life and death with his research into the darkside, and his backstory and involvement into Sidious's rise to power shows a Sith who was a visionary. He's one of the most powerful Sith to ever exist, and his mere existence caused Naboo to experience his longest Winter when he visited, he caused a massive tremor in the force upon his death, and even Sidious was hesitant to face him due to how the power of Hego Damask. He's simply one of the most engaging and profound characters in Star Wars.

I will probably differ from many posters who dislike Troy Denning's work in the Dark Nest trilogy/LOTF series, but I can see Caedus as a logical outcome as to what happened to Jacen Solo. While I share with my fellow EU brethren's lament as to how Caedus was treated by Denning through the novels, I honestly believe his darkness and his desire to make a peaceful galaxy set him apart from other "Sith". The Vong war, losing his brother/Vergere, Vergere's teachings, and his constant exposure to death and destruction irrevocably changed a brilliant man, into an bitter idealist who wanted to change the galaxy if it meant leaving a million bodies in his wake. While we can bicker about how Denning's poor transition into a Sith for Jacen, or how inconsistent he is as a fighter, Jacen ranks among the most powerful Sith lords in history, one of the greatest Lightsaber duelists, and is a well loved EU character.

The Dark times comics/Empire at war comics, Rise of Darth Vader novel, and the EU aspects of the movie novelizations portray Vader as a powerful but wayward Sith. He desires power but the wounds he suffered in becoming the machine create an interesting juxtaposition in Vader, on one hand you have the manifestation of the Empire's might, and on the other a man with a tortured past. From barely getting used to his suit in Rise of Darth Vader, to killing the remnant of the Jedi Order in the Purge, to sitting at Tarkin's Side watching the destruction of Alderan; Vader vacillates between evil and good upon realizing the identity of his son in the Marvel comics. He's easily in the top 5 most powerful Telekinetic force users in the mythos, the icon of our franchise, and regarded as one of the most powerful Sith. I can't really add much else to Vader that others haven't already stated

Tsavong Lah, Abeloth, Exar, and without going any further into my TLDR post, are all just well written characters. Abeloth's power and desire to be loved put her as a massively misguided entity of the force, and Exar is a badass Swordsman/Sorcerer all in one who was the most powerful Sith up until the advent of Vitiate, Darth Plagueis, and Sidious. Luke regarded Exar Kun as the most powerful manifestation of the darkside alongside the Emperor (which implies he's more powerful than Vader), and Tsavong Lah is an honorable if not gullible Vong who was interesting to read about in some of the duller moments of the NJO books

 

It felt like it. There was an odd obsession with trying to give Caedus villain cred by comparing him to Darth Vader.

Though to be fair I suppose that now refers to Krayt? Go figure.

And then they spread the love around and let Caedus grab Palpatine's coattails with his other hand.

 

Not from EU, but coolest villain in the galaxy is and always will be

 

Darth Nihilus, Darth Traya, Darth Talon

 

Thrawn from TTT, because "it was so artistically done".

Durga, since this Hutt loved his Daddy.

Waru, because he was truly weird.

Demagol, who despite being a villain helped the heroes a lot, while pretending to be somebody else.

Pors Tonith, because most villains in SW lack culture, while this Muun always took his tea-time seriously.

Nom Anor, because without him this list wouldn't be complete.

 

Pretty much a favourites thread (which means it should be locked by default, per Lit's forum rules) but if people actually take the time to explain and discuss their choices I'm cool with this staying open.

 

I'm not gonna post that cool pic of Exar kun again, I'm not gonna post that cool pic of Exar Kun again, I'm not gonna....

















Dammit!

 

To be fair, the core outline of Kun was not a bad invention by KJA. Evil Sith/Darkside ghost had not been done before him and was a pretty good idea. It's just (as with manythings with KJA) the execution of the idea and Kun's eventual defeat left a lot to be desired and that goes double for Stackpoles retcon an all.

Thrawn was the first and pretty much the best of the Evil Warlord motifs and Allston made Zinsji really fun but thats about it.

Thought Stackpole wasted a great opportunity on Kirtan Loor on what could have been a great Anti-hero but that's by the by.

 

Lock it I'm not explaining Caedus

 

I'm not convinced you qualify as 'people'.

 

Buy tales of the jedi Exar Kun is just frackin awesome. Sure his defesr in the ja trilogy and I, jedi were not that great but the stuff about him when he was alive was awesome.

 

Czulkang Lah. He only appeared in a couple books, but was a badass.

Zsinj. Great case of a ridiculous villain being redeemed into an awesome one.