What's your favorite Sith Lord and why?

Darth Tyranus's history with Yoda, especially in Dark Rendezvous, interested me. A second place contender for me would be Darth Traya.

Sidious, I love how he manipulated the fall of the jedi and took over the galaxy and just his manipulative nature in general. Plus he is very strong and also charismatic.

Darth Vader..I love his transformation from a well respected Jedi Knight who was a bit of a whiny, angsty,impulsive young man into a bad ass, calm and collected Sith Lord/ instrument of terror...The way he rebuilt his body..Practically from the ground up and actually become much stronger and skilled then he was previously..Is just awesome...

There are many Sith who are corrupted and seduced (Vader, Caedus, Kun), some are born twisted and demonic (Sidious, Vitiate), some are raised knowing nothing else (Plagueis, Maul, Vestara), but Bane for me represents a very unique form of Sith. Bane wasn't born a complete evil sociopath, he wasn't corrupted or seduced and didn't fall, and he wasn't raised in nothing else but Sith culture. Bane is a Sith because he legitimately chose to be. He was made an offer, looked at the choices and paths in front of him, reflected on philosophical truths he had observed in the course of his life, and he chose the dark side and to embrace a greater destiny for himself. Sure a few other Sith may have made this choice, but Bane's choice and philosophical reflection truly set him apart from the others for me. Bane recognized the nature of the dark side and the Sith, and his entire life goal was about transforming the Galaxy to reflect this philosophy. He destroyed and rebuilt the Sith Order in a way more reflective of the Dark Side's nature than any before it, and he transformed the Dark Side's greatest failure into a mechanism for evolution. Bane's philosophical understanding of the dark side was so vital to him that he was truly willing to die for what he believed, the ascension of the Sith and the Dark Side and the rise of the strongest being to rule. Darth Bane understood strength, believed in the Dark Side so profoundly he created a mechanism he knew he would likely die by for the greater good of the Sith, and he created a legacy so resilient his order of thirty in a millennia brought down the entire Jedi Order in one of its golden ages.

Hence why Bane is my #1

My second favorite Sith would have to be Darth Plagueis, for his pragmatic, evolutionary, and ascendant approach to the Dark Side, as well as his work with the fundamental element of life itself. Really Plagueis's mind, perspective and outlook is largely what defines him for me, which makes him extremely intriguing. He is also in my opinion the perfect person to view the end of the Banite line through, given that he and Sidious are the only sufficiently exposed end of the line masters, however unlike Sidious we actually get to see Plagueis shape and mold a being into a Banite master.

My third favorite Sith is Darth Sidious. He is the culmination of the Banite line, the mastermind behind the events of the movies, and the master of manipulation. The character was almost soured for me by several members of KMC constantly verbally fellating him, but a rewatch of Revenge of the Sith on Star Wars day reminded me that Sidious's spot on this list is absolutely not misplaced.

As for four through ten, I don't really have any specific ordering, but those seven would include Darth Vader (absolute iconic Sith Lord and the OG gangstah! Not to mention he's a brutal fighter, his suit is badass and his voice is also amazing, not to mention the fact that he's a complex character), Darth Zannah (apprentice to Bane and really here largely because of how much her specializations in dueling and sorcery intrigue me and stack up together), Darth Maul (already a badass prior to his return, and Sam Witwer made him so much more awesome and gave him plenty of quotable lines, ie. DA POWAH WILL BE MYYYYNNEEE!!!!), Exar Kun (again another interesting specialization of abilities, a very influential Sith, and his use of shadow powers really solidified his spot on this list since I'm kinda fanboy for shadowy stuff), Kas'im (largely my interest in the character was just for the sake of wanking Bane, but in my research I developed an interesting investment and respect for the character himself, as his obsession with dueling and bladework literally defines him to the extent where he doesn't care if he follows Qordis or Kaan as long as he gets to test his skills, and the respect he held for Bane made that master apprentice relationship pretty intriguing. Not to mention he's basically the godfather of Banite dueling), Darth Malgus (Malgus's war-centric conflict evolution driven philosophy intrigues me, and the trailers with Malgus were absolutely badass), and Sarasu Taalon (The dude bathed in the Pool of Knowledge and I love anything related to the Ones, but even disregarding that his lines are amazing, and the way he can get under Luke's skin with his violently implicit statements was very entertaining to read).

So:

1. Darth Bane

2. Darth Plagueis

3. Darth Sidious

4-10. Darth Vader, Darth Zannah, Darth Maul, Exar Kun, Kas'im, Darth Malgus, and Sarasu Taalon

Whilst Revan is probably my favourite character (up there with Kenobi and Vader), that was him as of Kotor and onwards.

My favourite sith would be Vader for the obvious reasons.

Gotta give it to Malgus

Darth Vader, Because he's Darth Vader.

Also it's "Who's your favorite sith lord", not "What's your favorite sith lord".

Palpatine or Vader.

Wheres Darth Krayt?!?!

Sion. That guy don't play.

Darth Vader.

Revan made the galaxy what it is today.

Holy crap, great post.

i think revan and vader is the most completely developed characters in the entire star wars universe, so probably it`s one of them...i would said revan if i have to choose

First I wanted to choose Traya but then I realized that we never know her as an actual sith.

Plagueis all the way,he is interesting and unique more of a scientist/business man with forcepowers instead of a warrior or sorcerer unlike 90 percent of other sith.

Darth Sidious. Easy. He's the only Sith in history to have actually fulfilled the one true goal of the Sith. He also did it brilliantly. Oh, and let's not forget about the fact that he happens to be the most powerful Sith ever.

Darth Vader is a close second, but he just pales in comparison to Sheev (that's admittedly a gay name, though).

@echostarlord117: Agreed; the only Sith to SUCCEED in destroying the Republic (and, arguably, the Jedi), which he mostly did through charisma, schemes, and sociopathy, delivering the 5000-years-overdue payback for the Sith holocaust.

Vader and Exar Kun would have to be my favourite duelists but Plagueis is just so interesting. I have become almost obsessed with him after reading the 'Plagueis' novel.

@echostarlord117:

Agree. Also, I love how he fiercely study the Force and seems to know ebery Force power ever. And the robe with hood looka awesome.

Darth Revan is a close second, if not a draw in first. Revan looks kinda lame with his skirt though..

Darth Nihilus, I liked the enigmatic aspect of the character he was essentially a dark side entity, and the fact he was able to force drain entire planets, and also had impressive TK feats.

Lol @ Vitiate having no likes, while Revan has 2.

The only thing I really like about him is the fact that he's (arguably) the strongest non-human Force-sensitive.

Why?

Vader because of basically everything about him. Read the currently running Darth Vader comics which imo depict a very accurate Vader. Ruthless, incredibly cunning, and since his defeat by Obi Wan he has learned to rely more on his wit than sheer power.

@ffp: It's ironic that people deem the Sith who corrupted him less noteworthy than Revan himself.

@geistalt: Revan as a Sith was way more interesting and conplex than vitiate. Vitiate is just a powerful villain

Vitiate. Best dialogue lines and quotes , one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful sith of all times, harassing whole galaxy for 1500 years and none can do nothing about it, making some of the most powerful force users in the galaxy nothing but his puppets and toys ( Revan for example), always operating from shadow. And also the only guy ( besides Abeloth and she is GODDESS ) to ever unite Sith and Jedi in alliance because he presented a threat for whole galaxy.

Also being the only force user ever, besides DE Sidious to reach the limits of nearly becoming a God.

@jumpstart55: The only real difference personality-wise was that he was less whiny, that's the OPPOSITE of what should empower a Sith, and you appear to have forgotten that Sidious did that FOR him—to make him his personal enforcer. On top of that, he was a coward—as demonstrated by his deeds in the TFU games—and if he DID hate himself as much as he claimed, he wouldn't even be TRYING to overthrow his master. He's basically just a self-obsessed fool who threw his potential away all because he didn't want to admit Obi-Wan had beaten (or seized an advantage over) him.

Keep him as his personal enforcer, rather (since, otherwise, he would've perished)—and he didn't even TRY to learn from what he did wrong, if using Juno the same way Palpatine used Padme (and dismissing her as insignificant) was any indication.

Nice, so Maul is more popular than Bane, Revan and Dooku huh...

@erkan12: But still happens to be a victim of being low balled and underestimated in spite of his popularity... I don't understand why a popular character like Maul who has a big fanbase would be the victim of being underrated instead of overrated. Hmm...

lol at answers other than Vader.

@yousufkhan1212: Indeed.

Maul

Savage

Sidious

Vader

Hard to pick between the two, but either Bane or Plagueis. I like that they represent something different from the typical Sith Lord. Traya is interesting as is Revan. I like Lumiya and Caedus but I really think they dropped the ball with Darth C.

Darkseid , Becuase hes in the Dark Seid.

Darth Sidious, unlike other siths(and most villains) he actually uses real life political tactics and propaganda to achieve his goals.

Malgus. Because he's pure, unadulterated bad***.

I voted Plagueis as my favourite. I enjoy the fact that he's evil but he's not a stereotypical genocidal maniac. There are layers to his, aspirations and even delusions. In some ways he's very human. An organized crime boss springs to mind when I think of him. I like that his automatic response isn't always direct violence. He's a thinker like me.

Bane is number two. He is a warrior-scholar, borrowing from the idea of a Samurai. Instead of duty to a lord, he has a duty to the Dark side. He's a very big man and often employs the most direct path but not always. He isn't a hulking, stupid brute and he has a vision.

Vader is third because he almost represents a mature Anakin with a sinister twist. His inner monologues are great and reveal a lot.

Sion and Nihilus.

Probably Sidious

1. Sidious

2. Vader

3. Maul

Top 3

1. Darth Vader

2. Darth Revan

3. Darth Maul

I've always appreciated Darth Sidious but never really had him as a favourite of mine.

Count Dooku is my fav sith lord. He represents pure, elegant lightsaber skill and overall I like his backstory the most.

1: Darth Vader- His fall to the Dark Side and redemption is practically what the entire Star Wars universe revolves around, whether it be paralleling his story or expanding it. Also, he's Darth Vader- the sheer amount of 'Hell Yeah!' and 'OMG DID THAT REALLY JUST HAPPEN' he generates is eclipsed by none. TL;DR: He's James Earl Jones

2: Darth Revan- When I said that the entire Star Wars universe in some way or another parallels Vader, this is what I meant. Revan's story of falling to the Dark Side in order to protect people, only to lose sight of the man he had once been is exactly like Vader. The main difference is that Vader fell because he had no choice -it was out of his control, in a sense. His perception of right and wrong was challenged, and he fell because of it- whilst Revan choose to fall. He could have stayed in the light, but went to the Dark in order to protect the Galaxy from a threat greater than he could ever be. What's more, what I love about this guy is that he failed. He was not the Omni-potent Chosen One but someone who could only delay the inevitable- a protagonist who lost, as demonstrated by Vitiate. As for his actual redemption, that crosses into entirely different terrain. The person who defeated Malak and challenged Vitiate once more was no longer a Sith Lord, and I'd miss the point of Revan's whole 'neither Jedi nor Sith' story if I acted as though Revan Reborn was the same man.

3: Darth Sidious- Palpatine, at the end of the day, is the only Sith who has actually won. It doesn't matter that he may or may not be the most powerful Sith of all time, that's something entirely different. All that does matter is that -through cunning, intellect, charisma and ruthlessness- he claimed the entire galaxy, and ruled it as an Emperor. A question I've always had was whether Palpatine was more of an Emperor or Sith, and I've decided that in the case of Sidious you can't have one without the other.

4: Darth Marr- Darth Marr is as 'light-side' as any Sith can be, whilst maintaining their status as badass. Marr cares about the Empire more than his life, and that is something that really comes across. He's respectful, interesting and has a great moto ("Life is the enemy, Death is our solace") whilst also dealing with prisoners and traitors as good as anyone can. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sjI037MxOY)

5: Emperor Vitiate- My favourite incarnation of Tenebrae, Vitiate is a nightmare made flesh. He's not that complex or interesting- he's a monster who wants to eat the universe. However, it's that simplicity that is so frightening. There wasn't a turning point that made him that way, there was no shocking revelation that made us pity him; there was only the utter hatred we felt whenever we saw him, the horror we felt when we learned that he had broken the wills of Revan and saw that happen to the Hero of Tython. The utter magnitude of his power and what he was planning to do with it, alongside an extremely chilling voice, is enough for me to look back on him as one of the villains I hate most of all.

Darth Bane. I think his entire history, per the EU, was just so compelling. In one person, you have the best characteristics of Darth Sidious and the best characteristics of Darth Vader, without going to the same extremes as either. He's a warrior, a physical powerhouse, a scholar, a manipulator, a master lightsaber combatant, one of the most Force powerful Sith Lords of the day, if not all time, etc. Yet, just like so many other Force Users, he came from humble beginnings. He was just a regular kid, who was forced to take on his father's debts, gradually gaining more debt in the process, who worked hard to change his lot in life. Over the course of his journey he comes to the Sith. It's not because it's evil however, but for the simple fact that the Sith discover his Force ability first. He's then indoctrinated into their ways, wishing to use the power the Force can provide him to take control of his destiny. Everywhere he ends up is a place that he didn't necessarily choose to go to, but a place that he makes the conscious decision to stay in once he's there. There are no tricks or deceptions. He's fully aware of what he's being offered, when it's being offered to him, and he chooses to stay.

Once with the Sith, Bane was then not content to merely listen to what his teachers told him. He actively questioned them and, when he found them wanting, went out in search of more knowledge. He wanted to know more about the Jedi, more about the Sith, and more about the Force in general. He was willing to be respectful of the past, while also searching for a new future that would lead to Sith domination. He wasn't arrogant enough to instantly claim that the Sith were superior to the Jedi, but acknowledged the many failures the Sith had endured in the past and worked towards a new way to earn them a victory in the future. And unlike other Sith, his belief in the philosophy and teachings he developed was so powerful that he was willing to die for them, understanding that the fulfillment of his goal would not take place in his lifetime. And in the end, his plan worked perfectly, bringing about the greatest defeat in the history of the Jedi Order.

Besides being my favorite Sith Lord of all time, I consider Bane to be the greatest Sith Lord of all time.

Darth Sidious bc he was able to disguise himself from the jedi 4 years and manipulate the fall of them

darth plagueis :
because of his wisdom in the force , he is kinda like "dark side yoda" ,
he doesn´t really strike me as "text book sith lord" ,
he doesn´t enjoy combat as much as other (more aggressive) sith lords ...
he seeks knowledge above all other things ...
that being said he is still one of the most formidable fighters in the franchise and can be ruthless if circumstances demand it :

he would only lose to GM luke , post PM sidious (in a fair fight) , valkorion , and he would put up a great fight against yoda and caedus (those duels could go either way) ...

Top 3 Sith Lords:

3- Darth Maul. He is a very powerful warrior, and I love his red skin combined with his black tattoos. I also like the transition from TPM Maul to TCW Maul. In TPM, Maul is that badass warrior with style that doesn't talk, and gets the job done. After losing his glory, though, he realizes he isn't that omnipotent, and that being a killing machine isn't everything in life. He now speaks and becomes more of a crime lord/leader instead of a blunt instrument to be used at will, and he does not become any less intimidating, and his skills only grow.

2- Darth Vader. The perfect enforcer. His black suit is a fright to anyone. Although he was crippled at the hands of his former master, he does not become any less powerful. His physical might is now endless, and he is a much better leader of bad guys. He is not whiny or annoying as his former self, Anakin. And who doesn't like a good old Force Choke followed by a perfect, evil sarcastic joke?

1- Darth Sidious. The perfect villain. He is pure evil. He loves to kill, but manages to keep the disguise of harmless, old politician for multiple decades. He tricks an entire Jedi Order of 10,000 Knights, and he managed to get Darth Plagueis, one of the smartest Sith Lords in history, drunk and vulnerable to a killing blow. He successfully hid Order 66 for thirteen years, orchestrated the bloodiest war in history, and wiped out the Jedi Order, converting the prodigy, Anakin Skywalker, to the Dark Side. He is the most powerful Sith in history, and the most powerful beings excluding the Ones/Abeloth, who are omnipotent gods, and Grandmaster Luke Skywalker. He is the perfect big bad of a franchise.

Darth Revan. Obviously. He's the reason I joined CV. If I never played KoToR, I wouldn't even know that the EU is as awesome as it is. I thought he was cool in KoToR, so I read up on all the other Sith from the EU. I loved reading all the battles from CV, so I had to join.

So yeah next time someone tells me I'm a fanboy, I have good reason to be a fanboy.