These villains don't need the Force.
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00:00The Star Wars universe has never been in short supply of dastardly villains. Darth Vader,
00:04Emperor Palpatine, Count Dooku, Supreme Leader Snoke, and Darth Maul are among the most dangerous
00:09beings the Jedi have ever faced. But sometimes the best, worst people are not actually Sith
00:15or attached to the Force at all, and that's what we're here to talk about today. As
00:18I'm Jules, this is WhatCulture.com, and these are the 10 Most Evil Star Wars Characters
00:22Who Aren't Sith.
00:2410. Newt Gunray
00:26If you ask anyone who was responsible for placing the Sith into power, many would claim
00:30it was the Emperor and Darth Vader. But it's easy to forget how the Viceroy of the Trade
00:35Federation, Newt Gunray, got the ball rolling. Without his aid, money, droids, ships or weapons,
00:40the Empire would have never come to fruition. Now, it's obvious that the Viceroy was unaware
00:44of Darth Sidious' true intentions when he allied with him. If he knew his benefactor
00:48was willing to commit genocide on a galactic scale, it's likely that he wouldn't have
00:51agreed to the terms. But that doesn't change the fact that this self-serving alien was
00:55willing to let the citizens of Naboo die, purely to ensure his own financial stability.
01:00After Queen Amidala put a stop to his schemes, Newt began harbouring an obsessive grudge
01:04against her, repeatedly attempting to have her assassinated. When those plans failed,
01:08he literally threw his resources at Count Dooku, hoping that he would destroy her, once
01:12again being oblivious of the Sith's master plan. Newt Gunray may have been manipulated
01:17to help Darth Sidious, but it didn't change the fact that he is most definitely a monster.
01:229. The Pike Boss
01:23Everybody who lives in the Star Wars universe knows the Hutts have a firm grip on the criminal
01:28underworld across the galaxy. But when it comes to the supply of narcotics, the Pike
01:32syndicates reign supreme. Despite the power they wield, little is known about this aquatic-like
01:37species. Their inner workings are so mysterious, its leader's name is actually unknown. But
01:42one thing that is known about the Pike Boss is his ruthless and cruel methods to retain
01:46power. When he learned that the Tusken Raiders had settled near one of his trade routes,
01:50he could have bribed them just to move on. But instead, he had them all killed, including
01:54the women and children. When Boba Fett learned about the massacre on the Raiders, whom he
01:59regarded as family, he confronted the Pike Boss. Instead of admitting to his crimes,
02:03he claimed the Catan Striders were responsible for the culling, and encouraged Boba to wipe
02:07them all out as well. When Boba realised that he'd been deceived, the Pike leader launched
02:11everything he had at the bounty hunter's territory, decimating the city and killing
02:16countless civilians. Because the Pike Boss has a calm demeanour, it's easy to mistake
02:20him as a reasonable person. But make no mistake, he's callous, tyrannical, and cold-blooded.
02:26And not just because he's a fish.
02:288. Director Krennic
02:29You can tell a lot about a person by what motivates them. Some people are fuelled by
02:33love, fear, hate, or anger. However, Orson Krennic was driven by respect, or more accurately,
02:39a lack of respect. When he was placed in charge of the Death Star, the Imperial Director believed
02:44that he was destined for great things. But after his plans fell apart and he was humiliated
02:48by Galen, Jyn Erso, Moff Tarkin, and Darth Vader, Krennic became increasingly erratic.
02:54Desperate for validation, Krennic was willing to commit any act of evil.
02:58Although most Imperials perform deplorable acts on a regular basis, they commit such
03:02deeds out of duty. Krennic, on the other hand, thoroughly enjoys it. He smiles when he tells
03:07Galen that he was responsible for destroying Jedha City. And there's pride in his voice
03:11when he talks about how his soldiers slaughtered the Jedi. After his forces exterminated hundreds
03:16of thousands of civilians, Krennic says that he admires the beauty of the fire and the
03:20smoke, proving how sick and twisted he truly is. If he didn't meet his end when he did,
03:25Krennic would have probably burned half the galaxy in a vain attempt to be recognized
03:29by his superiors.
03:307. Dryden Vos
03:32In the Star Wars universe, most villains make no attempt to hide their immoral side. But
03:36the Crimson Dawn's supposed leader, Dryden Vos, is a different kind of baddie. This crime
03:41boss is charming, witty, charismatic, and manly. He's the kind of guy that you could
03:45have a drink with, as well as a laugh. And instead of hiding in a dank lair or on a
03:48lava-filled planet, you can find him partying with his subjects, surrounded by opulence.
03:53But because of his outward persona, many don't realize what a psychopath Dryden is when they
03:57first meet him. Although he acts nice to his lackeys, they are not his friends. In his
04:02eyes, they are cattle.
04:04The demented leader highlights this fact by branding his employees with the Crimson Dawn
04:08logo to prove their unwavering loyalty to him. He may be all smiles when he hears what
04:12he wants, but the instant somebody questions him, his relaxed demeanor dissolves and his
04:16ruthless side erupts. When you have something to offer, he is your bosom buddy. But the
04:20moment you've served your purpose, he will dispose of you in a heartbeat.
04:256. General Hess
04:26In The Mandalorian, Din and Migs make their way to a mining hub on Morak to locate Moff
04:31Gideon's cruiser. Although the pair try to stay undercover, their mission is jeopardized
04:35when they bump into Mayfield's former employer, General Hess. Mayfield does his best to keep
04:40his cool, but finds it impossible when Hess gloats about the triumph of Operation Cinder,
04:45a genocide committed by the Empire that killed off many of their own men, including Mayfield's
04:49friends. Unable to control his anger, Mayfield shoots Hess dead, exposing him and Din to
04:54the troops.
04:55Hess may have only appeared in Star Wars for around three minutes, but boy, this piece
04:59of scum knows how to leave an imprint. He speaks with such relish while recounting the
05:03Empire's atrocities that you can tell that he's proud of the part he played in them.
05:08His utter devotion makes him sound less like a loyal officer and more like a cult member.
05:12His appearance may have been brief, but Hess proved to be among the most despicable people
05:16in the entire franchise.
05:185. Moff Gideon
05:20When the Empire collapsed, it created a power vacuum, allowing minor criminals to rise to
05:24a position of authority overnight, including an Imperial called Gideon. Originally, this
05:29soldier played a crucial role in the Great Purge, which led to the extermination of many
05:34Mandalorians. Shortly after the Empire was destroyed, he seized control over the remnants
05:37of the Imperial forces, becoming the new face of terror to the galaxy.
05:41But what makes Gideon so different to most Imperials is that he's not driven by wealth
05:45or destroying worlds, but by knowledge. Many people, including Din, believe that Gideon
05:49has a gift for knowing everything about everyone. Sadly, this skill makes Gideon a more efficient
05:54hunter and killer, since he knows how his enemies think, how to get under their skin,
05:59and how to make them do as he desires.
06:01Even though he likes to come across as a composed and meditative person, Gideon's emotions
06:05do often get the better of him. When he was unable to capture Din, he shot his own men
06:10out of frustration. When his people reveal the presence to the Mandalorian tribe on Nevarro,
06:14he doesn't hesitate to eliminate those soldiers. Basically, he's a bad egg, and he knows
06:19it. But Gideon loves what he does so much, the insidious Imperial doesn't care who
06:23he hurts, so long as he gets what he wants.
06:264. Jabba the Hutt
06:27Although the Hutts are the most feared crime family in the galaxy, no one is more terrifying
06:32than Jabba. The self-proclaimed eminence of Tatooine controls nearly every illegal operation
06:37on the planet, including trafficking, slavery, and piracy. As reprehensible as his actions
06:42are, Jabba believes that his work is necessary, since it generates most of Tatooine's wealth.
06:47Despite seeing his business as necessary for the economy, Jabba is ruthless, hedonistic,
06:52and cruel. In Return of the Jedi, we see him enslaving prisoners, killing his workers on
06:57a whim, and feeding his own people to the Sarlacc pit monster. But if you knew half
07:01the stuff that Jabba has committed throughout his 600-year life, you'd realize that he's
07:05worse than you originally thought. In Jabba the Hutt, the Dynastic Trap comic, it's
07:10revealed that the nefarious slug gorges on human prisoners while they're still alive.
07:14According to the Star Wars character encyclopedia, he also instructed one of his dancers to dress
07:18like his mother, which is, uh, yeah, pretty messed up. Considering that he spends his
07:22spare time torturing droids, abusing animals, including his rancor, and profiting off war,
07:28Jabba doesn't seem to have a single redeeming quality.
07:303. General Hux
07:32More often than not, people become wicked because they had a bad life. But since Armitage
07:36Hux orchestrated his own father's death while he was barely an adult, it looks like
07:40he was a bad seed from the get-go. Because of his callous actions, Supreme Leader Snoke
07:44saw promise in Hux, and so brought him under his wing. After he was promoted to general,
07:49Hux trained and indoctrinated a new wave of stormtroopers with astounding swiftness and
07:54efficiency. Within a few years, he transformed the First Order into a more dangerous force
07:58than the Empire, surpassing all of Snoke's expectations. But it's not his diligence
08:02that makes him dangerous, it's actually his insecurities.
08:06Feeling like he's at the heel of Kylo Ren and Snoke, Hux feels like he must prove himself
08:10by committing more and more atrocities, including destroying entire star systems. Although many
08:15Imperials such as Tarkin and Pride are loyal to the cause, Hux actually isn't. And that's
08:20because he's considered killing Kylo Ren the first chance that he got, and ultimately
08:24he betrayed the First Order when things weren't going his way. So it's clear that Hux doesn't
08:28care about anyone but himself.
08:302. Moff Tarkin
08:32Being a Grand Moff and the overseer of the Death Star, Governor Tarkin has seen the Empire
08:37commit more evil than most. On top of that, he's one of the few who obeys Darth Vader
08:41out of duty rather than fear. Despite the fact that he believes the Empire's actions
08:45are for the greater good, there's no question that Tarkin is a bad one to the bone. He fully
08:50embraced the Great Jedi Purge despite serving under Jedi Master Evan Peele during the Clone
08:54Wars. Even though the Death Star was Director Krennic's idea, Tarkin took full credit for
08:59it the moment that it was operational.
09:01Which brings us to why Tarkin is so infamous. To discover the location of the Death Star
09:05battle plans from Princess Leia, Tarkin threatened to blow up her homeworld Alderaan. As drastic
09:10as this action is, you could argue it's a necessary countermeasure since the battle
09:14plans could indeed lead to the destruction of Tarkin's base. But when he learned where
09:19the battle plans resided, he blew it up anyway. Despite having nothing to gain, Tarkin killed
09:24billions of innocent people purely to fulfill his own sick satisfaction.
09:291. Grand Admiral Thrawn
09:31At first, Grand Admiral Thrawn started off as a Star Wars Legends character, debuting
09:36in the novel Heir to the Empire. But he was so popular that he was incorporated into Star
09:40Wars canon, becoming an overarching villain in Star Wars Rebels, and is set to appear
09:45in the Disney Plus series Ashoka. Thrawn instantly made an impression with viewers and readers,
09:49not because of just how thoroughly his character is written, but also for how boundlessly evil
09:54he is. If even a single rebel escapes him, he will unleash a torrent of devastation upon
09:58an entire world in the hopes of killing them. He has crippled planets, annihilated civilizations,
10:03and disassembled entire sections of the galaxy purely to further his agenda. Although many
10:08villains have committed similar atrocities, what makes Thrawn more horrifying is how effective
10:12his methods are. Unlike Tarkin, he isn't afraid to get his hands dirty. Unlike Hux,
10:17his loyalty to the cause never wavers. Unlike Vader, emotions never cloud his judgement.
10:22And unlike the Emperor, he does not hide. Because he has eroded away such weakness,
10:27it has allowed him to become the most efficient members of the entire empire, and also easily
10:32the most evil.
10:33And there we go my friends, those were the 10 most evil Star Wars characters who aren't
10:37Sith. I hope that you enjoyed that, and let me know what you thought about it down in
10:40the comments section below. As always I've been Jules, you can go follow me over on Twitter
10:43at RetroJ but the O is a zero, or you can swing by Instagram where it's the same handle.
10:48But before I go, I just want to say one thing. I want to end this on a bit more of a positive
10:52note considering all of the evil characters that we've covered here, and remind you my
10:55friend that you are a massive ledge. You deserve all the best things in life, like love, happiness
11:00and success, and do not let anything or anyone else tell you otherwise, alright? I want you
11:04to go out there and smash your life goals today, because I believe in you, and you need
11:07to believe in yourself as well. Big love to you. As always I've been Jules, you have
11:11been awesome, never forget that, and I'll speak to you soon. Bye.