Top 10 Most Devastating Sith Betrayals in Star Wars

The Sith thrive on power, manipulation, and deception—so it’s no surprise that betrayal is at the heart of their rise and fall. From apprentices turning on their master’s to Sith lords orchestrating grand schemes against entire empires, betrayal is not just a feature of the Sith—it’s a requirement. The Rule of Two ensures that a Sith apprentice must one day kill their master, and history has shown us time and again that the greatest threat to a Sith… is another Sith. These betrayals have altered the course of galactic history, shattered alliances, and driven some of the most iconic moments in the Star Wars saga. Here are the top 10 most devastating Sith betrayals ever witnessed in a galaxy far, far away.

1. The Sith Order thrives on betrayal—each apprentice is expected to one day kill their master.

2. Darth Sidious manipulated both Jedi and Sith to orchestrate his rise.

3. Count Dooku betrayed the Jedi Order and helped launch the Clone Wars.

4. Anakin Skywalker betrayed the Jedi and became Darth Vader in *Revenge of the Sith*.

5. Darth Plagueis was murdered in his sleep by his own apprentice, Sidious.

6. Darth Bane created the Rule of Two to institutionalize betrayal as Sith philosophy.

7. Darth Maul was replaced by Dooku after being presumed dead, a betrayal by his master Sidious.

8. The Jedi Purge (Order 66) was a mass betrayal of Jedi by their clone generals.

9. Kylo Ren betrayed Luke Skywalker and destroyed his Jedi Temple.

10. Darth Krayt rose to power by betraying the ideals of both the Jedi and the Sith.

1. “There is no civility, only politics,” Palpatine once told Anakin—foreshadowing his betrayal.

2. Darth Vader betrayed Emperor Palpatine to save Luke, breaking the Sith cycle.

3. Snoke was a puppet of Sidious, who betrayed Kylo Ren’s trust to control him.

4. In *The Clone Wars*, Barriss Offee betrayed the Jedi, foreshadowing the Order’s fall.

5. In *Legends*, Darth Traya was betrayed by her own Sith students, including Darth Nihilus.

6. Sidious allowed Dooku to die at Anakin’s hand, despite years of manipulation.

7. Kylo Ren’s killing of Snoke was both a betrayal and a power grab.

8. Vader’s betrayal of the Jedi was motivated by fear of Padmé’s death.

9. Darth Bane’s final act of betrayal was transferring his spirit to Zannah (in Legends).

10. Many Sith betrayals blur the line between calculated power moves and tragic downfalls.

1. Anakin Skywalker betrays the Jedi Order and becomes Darth Vader.

2. Darth Sidious betrays and kills Darth Plagueis in his sleep.

3. Order 66: The clones betray the Jedi en masse at Sidious’s command.

4. Count Dooku betrays both Jedi and Republic, only to be discarded by Sidious.

5. Kylo Ren betrays Luke Skywalker and destroys his Jedi Temple.

6. Darth Vader betrays and kills Emperor Palpatine to save his son.

7. Sidious betrays Darth Maul by replacing him with Count Dooku.

8. Barriss Offee betrays the Jedi during the Clone Wars bombing plot.

9. Darth Traya is betrayed by her Sith students (Legends canon).

10. Kylo Ren betrays Snoke, taking his place as Supreme Leader.

1. The Fallen Hero – (e.g., Anakin Skywalker)

2. The Puppetmaster – (e.g., Darth Sidious)

3. The Discarded Apprentice – (e.g., Count Dooku, Darth Maul)

4. The Rebel Successor – (e.g., Kylo Ren)

5. The Backstabbing Master – (e.g., Darth Plagueis’s fate)

6. The Disillusioned Insider – (e.g., Barriss Offee)

7. The Self-Sacrificing Betrayer – (e.g., Darth Vader turning on Sidious)

8. The Clone Turncoat – (e.g., Commander Fox and Order 66)

9. The Philosophical Betrayer – (e.g., Darth Traya)

10. The Cycle Repeater – (e.g., Rule of Two as a system of betrayal)