At its core, Star Wars is a story of the battle between good and evil, but even its best heroes have blurred that line by committing the worst crimes imaginable. This is to be expected in a series about war, especially when many characters are constantly tempted to give in to their worst instincts and embrace the dark side of the Force. Even so, it’s no less heartbreaking when beloved heroes are brought down to the level of villains.
Deciding which crimes are the worst is incredibly challenging given the variety of offenses these heroes commit across the Star Wars movies and TV shows. These crimes will be ranked by weighing the heroes’ intentions, the crime itself, and the long-term consequences. This analysis is not meant to devalue these characters but to highlight how easily the line between light and dark can be crossed when Star Wars heroes are pushed to their limits.
You are watching: The 10 Worst Crimes Committed By Star Wars Heroes
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Anakin Skywalker Tortured A Separatist For Information
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Princess Leia Strangled Jabba The Hutt
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Master Sol & His Fellow Jedi Covered Up Their Actions
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Luthen Rael Stole From The Empire Knowing Innocents Would Suffer For It
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Quinlan Vos Nearly Fell To The Sark Side To Maintain His Cover
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Poe Dameron’s Mutiny Nearly Got The Entire Resistance Killed
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Sabine Wren Gambled The Fate Of The Galaxy To Save One Person
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Cassian Andor Shot A Man Begging For His Life
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Luke Skywalker Contemplated Murdering His Own Nephew (After Invading His Mind)
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Anakin Skywalker Slaughtered A Tusken Village
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Anakin Skywalker Tortured A Separatist For Information
Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 2, episode 8 “Brain Invaders”
Anakin Skywalker committed several crimes on his path to the dark side, and one of his earliest in the Clone Wars involved torturing a Separatist leader. Following the Republic’s victory at the Second Battle of Geonosis, the Jedi take Archduke Poggle the Lesser into custody. Unfortunately, mind tricks prove ineffective in coaxing secrets out of a Geonosian.
When Anakin needs vital information from Poggle to save his Padawan, Ahsoka Tano, he ultimately resorts to beating the Archduke and Force-choking him. Although Anakin’s actions do save Ahsoka, torturing a valuable prisoner of war is absolutely a war crime, not to mention a clear violation of the Jedi code. Resorting to such measures, even to help his friends, makes it easier for Anakin to descend into the dark side throughout the war.
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Princess Leia Strangled Jabba The Hutt
Return of the Jedi
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While there’s no question that Jabba the Hutt deserved to die in Return of the Jedi, the way Princess Leia killed him was particularly brutal. Rather than leave him to die quickly in the explosion or find a blaster and shoot him, Leia wraps her chain around his neck and slowly strangles him to death. Even as a kid, I found it a bit unsettling to see one of the main Star Wars heroes murder someone this way.
In Leia’s defense, Jabba fully intended to make her his slave and execute her friends in the most gruesome way imaginable. She also may not have known that Luke Skywalker would blow up the sail barge and needed to ensure Jabba would never send bounty hunters after Han Solo again. Even so, something is unnerving about one of the good guys causing someone to die in agony in a generally light-hearted film.
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Master Sol & His Fellow Jedi Covered Up Their Actions
The Acolyte
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Right from the first episode, The Acolyte introduces a mystery about what Sol and the other Jedi Masters did to make Mae Aniseya want to kill them. It’s gradually revealed that their attempt to help Mae and her sister escalated hostilities and resulted not only in Mae’s apparent death but in the death of her entire coven. Rather than tell the Jedi Council the truth, they lied about what happened so Osha Aniseya could become a Jedi.
While Sol’s concerns were valid and the Jedi’s intentions noble, there’s no denying the consequences of their actions. Their decision to hide the truth also had long-term ramifications when Mae was trained as a Sith Acolyte, resulting in the deaths of more Jedi who didn’t have all the information needed to deal with the problem. Sol wanted Osha to be a Jedi, but not trusting her with the truth ultimately pushed her to the Sith.
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Luthen Rael Stole From The Empire Knowing Innocents Would Suffer For It
Andor season 1
Like Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Andor season 1 does an excellent job showing the dark side of the Rebellion and the moral dilemmas faced when overthrowing an Empire. No character embodies this better than Luthen Rael, the spymaster slowly building a rebel network and doing many terrible things to achieve his goals. This makes his confrontation with the more honorable Mon Mothma fascinating to watch.
Not only does Luthen confirm that he orchestrated the rebel heist at Aldhani, but he admits that he did so knowing how the Empire would respond. By stealing so much money, Luthen knew the Empire would overreact by heavily taxing their citizens and passing harsher prison sentences for minor crimes. While this undoubtedly turned more people against the Empire, Luthen knowingly caused suffering on a massive scale to get what he wanted.
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Quinlan Vos Nearly Fell To The Sark Side To Maintain His Cover
Star Wars: Dark Disciple (Canon) and Star Wars: Republic (Legends)
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Jedi may have a strict code of honor, but Quinlan Vos proved how far a Jedi could fall while working undercover. In the canon novel Star Wars: Dark Disciple by Christie Golden, Quinlan teams up with Asajj Ventress to assassinate Count Dooku but eventually falls to the dark side himself. Even when the Jedi agree to take him back, he betrays them so he can learn the identity of Darth Sidious, resulting in the death of a close friend.
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Quinlan’s descent into darkness was even more tragic in the original Star Wars Expanded Universe, where he spent most of the Clone Wars as an undercover agent working for Count Dooku. His obsession with proving himself and finding the second Sith Lord caused him to fight his friends, get many of them killed, and nearly pass the point of no return. Thankfully, Quinlan eventually let go of the dark side, surviving Order 66 and starting a family.
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Poe Dameron’s Mutiny Nearly Got The Entire Resistance Killed
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
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Poe Dameron’s arc in Star Wars: The Last Jedi was about becoming the leader the Resistance needed, which began with him nearly getting them all killed. In the opening battle, Poe defies Leia’s order and sends in the bombers, successfully destroying a dreadnought but losing the entire fleet. Poe later goes behind Vice Admiral Holdo’s back with his own plan, resulting in DJ passing vital information to the First Order.
Poe’s attempted mutiny also delayed the transports departing and gave the First Order more time to run a decloaking scan and fire on them.
This pattern of ignoring orders and committing mutiny sabotages a plan that may have worked and nearly ends the Resistance. One could argue that Poe took out a dreadnought that would have been a problem later, and Holdo’s refusal to tell anyone her plan would almost certainly result in a mutiny. However, the movie highlights that Poe’s decisions are directly responsible for many of the losses the Resistance endures.
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Sabine Wren Gambled The Fate Of The Galaxy To Save One Person
Ahsoka season 1, episode 4 “Part Four: Fallen Jedi”
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Jedi Master Aayla Secura once told Ahsoka Tano “Don’t lose a thousand lives just to save one.” Unfortunately, Ahsoka’s Padawan, Sabine Wren, couldn’t embrace this lesson and risked the entire galaxy to find Ezra Bridger. Sabine had a chance to destroy the map to the planet Peridea in another galaxy, which would have stranded Ezra but also prevented Grand Admiral Thrawn’s return.
Sabine let her attachment to Ezra cloud her judgment, causing her to commit treason by collaborating with the Empire and allowing Thrawn to return with an army of stormtrooper zombies. All the death and suffering when Thrawn attempts to conquer the New Republic will be traced back to Sabine’s selfish decision. Sabine should have faced more consequences and been heavily criticized by Ahsoka and Ezra, but the latter never even learned what she did.
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Cassian Andor Shot A Man Begging For His Life
Andor season 1, episode 1 “Kassa”
Star Wars is notable for featuring incredibly dark scenes that work within a story primarily aimed at kids, but this was not the case in Andor‘s first episode. The story begins with a shockingly realistic murder, as Cassian Andor is forced to defend himself from two corrupt officers who attempt to shake him down. When he accidentally breaks one of their necks, Cassian decides to shoot the other to protect his identity.
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While the scene makes us empathize with Cassian’s dilemma, it reminds viewers that he’s a hardened criminal willing to hurt others to protect himself and those he cares about.
The way this scene is filmed makes Cassian’s crime feel extremely dark, with the officer mourning his friend and then crying as he begs for his life. While the scene makes us empathize with Cassian’s dilemma, it reminds viewers that he’s a hardened criminal willing to hurt others to protect himself and those he cares about. Cassian’s crime makes his development into a rebel even more satisfying by the end of the season.
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Luke Skywalker Contemplated Murdering His Own Nephew (After Invading His Mind)
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
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Luke Skywalker’s characterization is the most divisive aspect of The Last Jedi, and the crime he nearly committed in the flashbacks highlights why. Rather than confronting his nephew directly, Luke uses the Force to invade Ben Solo’s mind while he’s sleeping. This causes Luke to experience a vision of all the horrible things Ben will do and briefly considers killing him to prevent it.
Although Luke said it was pure instinct, he had a few moments to consider his actions before activating his lightsaber. The fact that Luke lied to Rey the first time also means that the audience has to take his word, leaving it ambiguous how close he really came to killing Ben. He may not have gone through with it, but Luke’s actions pushed Ben over the edge and helped create Kylo Ren.
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Anakin Skywalker Slaughtered A Tusken Village
Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones
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Of all the crimes Anakin would go on to commit, his first time embracing the dark side was one of the worst. Upon finding his mother near death after being tortured by the Tuskens, Anakin attempts to save her but is forced to watch her die in his arms. Full of grief and rage, Anakin becomes consumed by the dark side and begins attacking the Tusken warriors, but even the women and children are killed in his rampage.
Anakin confessing his crime to Padmé is one of the most haunting moments in Star Wars and foreshadows just how evil he will become. If Anakin had also confessed to Obi-Wan and the Council, perhaps he could have been helped before it was too late. Sadly, Anakin would fully embrace the dark side as Darth Vader, committing even more appalling crimes that shaped the future of the Star Wars galaxy.
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Star Wars
Star Wars is a multimedia franchise that started in 1977 by creator George Lucas. After the release of Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope (originally just titled Star Wars), the franchise quickly exploded, spawning multiple sequels, prequels, TV shows, video games, comics, and much more. After Disney acquired the rights to the franchise, they quickly expanded the universe on Disney+, starting with The Mandalorian.
Created by
George Lucas
First Film
Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope
Cast
Mark Hamill
, James Earl Jones
, David Prowse
, Carrie Fisher
, Harrison Ford
, Daisy Ridley
, Adam Driver
, Ian McDiarmid
, Ewan McGregor
, Rosario Dawson
, Lars Mikkelsen
, Rupert Friend
, Moses Ingram
, Frank Oz
, Pedro Pascal
TV Show(s)
The Mandalorian
, Andor
, Obi-Wan Kenobi
, The Book of Boba Fett
, Ahsoka
, The Acolyte
, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew
, Lando
, Star Wars: The Clone Wars
, Star Wars Rebels
, Star Wars: The Bad Batch
, Star Wars: Resistance
, Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures
, Star Wars: Visions
Character(s)
Luke Skywalker
, Han Solo
, Rey Skywalker
, Emperor Palpatine / Darth Sidious
, Obi-Wan Kenobi
, Ahsoka Tano
, Grand Admiral Thrawn
, Grand Inquisitor
, Reva (The Third Sister)
, The Fifth Brother
, The Seventh Sister
, The Eighth Brother
, Yoda
, Din Djarin
, Grogu
, Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader
, Leia Organa
, Ben Solo/Kylo Ren
Video Game(s)
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II – The Sith Lords
, Star Wars Battlefront (2015)
, Star Wars: Battlefront 2 (2005)
, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II
, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
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Category: Entertainment