As powerful asLuke Skywalkermay be, there are some Sith Lords who’d give him a serious run for his money. The son of theChosen One, Luke Skywalker inherited all his father’s power. He was strong enough in the Force for Palpatine to sense his growth and consider him as a potential apprentice. For all his power, though,Luke’s training was much less thorough than Anakin’s; he only started learning the ways of the Force at age 19, and he had at best only a few months under Yoda’s tutelage.
Still, that doesn’t mean Luke is a pushover for even themost powerful Sith Lord. He dedicated his life to learning the secrets of the Jedi - not just the ways of the prequel Jedi Order, but the powers and abilities they had lost. He mastered skills from other Force cults, demonstrating Fallanassi powers inStar Wars: The Last Jediwhen he projected himself across the galaxy. Here are the top ten Sith Lords who’d be in danger of overpowering him… and our predictions for how he’d win anyway.
6Palpatine
The first of these Sith Lords is, of course, Emperor Palpatine himself. Greatest of all Sith Lords, Palpatine confronted Luke inReturn of the Jedi, and 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 initiate his First Order plan until Luke had exiled himself to Ahch-To. He remained fearful of Luke’s return, believing it could spell his doom.
Palpatine was surely more powerful than Luke during the Dark Times, because he appears to have personally harvested the resurgent dark side power of a galaxy titling towards corruption. But Luke has something Palpatine does not, hope, and the Jedi inspired all around him to believe even the might 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.
5Darth 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 theRule of Two. Little is known of Bane in canon, but Legends tells a lot more about his origin and backstory, and reveals just how dangerous he was. Many even believed Darth Bane was theSith version of the Chosen One- the Sith’ari (that idea is canon, but naturally only insofar as Palpatine believed himself to be its fulfilment).
Darth Bane was a fearsome warrior, and his knowledge and experience of battle - not to mention his seamless integration of lightsaber combat with Force powers - would likely overwhelm Luke. Oddly enough, though, Bane shared Luke’s greatest weakness; he had not been trained in the ways of the Sith from birth, meaning he was less familiar with its subtleties. Luke’s exposure to other Force traditions would likely help him defend himself against Darth Bane, andit’s easy to imagine Fallanassi tricks giving him an edge.
4Exar Kun
An ancient Sith Lord who enslaved the Massassi tribes of Yavin 4, leading to the construction of the moon’s beautiful temples, Exar Kun was one of the most powerful Sith Lords in Legends. He was actually able to conquer death after a fashion, preserving his spirit in the temples his slaves had built, and he encountered Luke years later - when the Jedi Master claimed those temples for his new Jedi Praxeum. Kevin J. Anderson’sJedi Academy Trilogypositioned Exar Kun as the Devil to Luke’s Messiah figure - and Kun almost killed Luke in battle.
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The Star Wars Expanded Universe books enhanced the galaxy from 1976 to 2014. Here’s a timeline of all Legends novels in chronological order.
Luke still won in the end, though - because of the influence he had on the lives of others. Luke’s Jedi students combined their power in the Force, dispelling the shadow of Exar Kun from the Massassi temples, and he was restored to full health. Again, it is Luke’s influence on others that is really his secret power; he inspires other to be the best they can be, and they step forward and fight alongside him or even on his behalf.
3Lumiya
TheSith Lady Lumiya was Palpatine’s rivalinStar WarsLegends, a powerful and dangerous Sith with very personal ties to Luke Skywalker. She was particularly well-known for using a lightsaber whip, a weapon recently canonized inThe Acolyteand traditionally associated with the Sith. Lumiya defeated Luke in their first encounter, and continued to challenge him as her power grew.
ButLuke’s battles with Lumiya allowed him to demonstrate another of his core attributes; his ability to adapt. The Jedi Master created a second, shorter shoto blade to help him in his rematch against Lumiya. This allowed him to blend offensive and defensive strategies, and he was able to overwhelm the Dark Lady of the Sith. Luke was ultimately the death of Lumiya.
2Darth Zannah
Darth Bane’s apprentice, Darth Zannah has only been mentioned in canon - but enough is known of her even there to know she’d be a true challenge for Luke. This was the Sith who defeated Darth Bane, after all. In Legends, Darth Zannah was a powerful Sith sorceress who could even summon tendrils of pure darkness to consume her foes. Luke would find himself wrong-footed by dangerous skills he’d never encountered before, and she’d have a solid chance at beating him.
But, again, Luke’s adaptability should not be underestimated. InStar Warscanon, Luke has encountered the spirits of Sith Lords from the ancient past who had powers he didn’t understand - and he’s figured out how to beat them. Luke’s unshakeable belief that the darkness cannot overcome the light would be his greatest strength in a clash with Zannah, and he’d surely dispel her shadows.
1The Stranger
TheSith Lord known as the Strangermade his debut inThe Acolyte, and he lived a hundred years before the Skywalker Saga. He’s shown to be powerful enough to beat entire teams of Jedi, assisted by lightsaber-resistant cortosis and a trick lightsaber that can take his enemies by surprise. The fundamental problem, though, 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 in a second encounter.
Legends Luke Skywalker is familiar with cortosis, meaning he’d realize what he was dealing with pretty quickly; the canon version of the character is just as 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 swings of their blades - wouldn’t work on someone with Luke’s mental discipline. Luke may falter in a first encounter, but he’d ultimately triumph.
