The core of the Star Wars saga has always been the struggle between the light side of the Force and its dark opposite. The dark side of the Force is as tempting as it is corruptive in the established canon. As such, there have been some truly chilling and iconic quotes about the dark side spoken across the entire franchise.
Whether it’s the prequels, the original trilogy, the sequels, or beyond, the dark side has always been a prevalent aspect of the galaxy far, far away. After all, there can be no light without darkness, and the dark side itself is critical to achieving balance in the Force. To that end, here are 25 of the best quotes about the dark side throughout the entire Star Wars timeline (in no particular order).
25 “If Once You Start Down The Dark Path, Forever Will It Dominate Your Destiny.”
The Empire Strikes Back
While training Luke Skywalker to become a Jedi in The Empire Strikes Back, Master Yoda reveals some insight into the corruptive nature of the dark side and how those who succumb to its power will forever be dominated by it. However, Luke ends up proving his master wrong as seen in Return of the Jedi, refusing to give up on his father, Darth Vader, who subsequently is redeemed back to the light as Anakin Skywalker. Nevertheless, it’s been proven in the Star Wars canon that escaping the pull of the dark side is extremely challenging once embraced.
24 “The Fear Of Loss Is A Path To The Dark Side.”
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith
When Anakin comes to Yoda with his fears of losing someone close to him in Revenge of the Sith, Yoda informs him that such fear can lead to the dark side if his feelings get out of hand. That’s exactly what happens when Anakin brings the same fears to Palpatine. The Chancellor promises to teach Anakin how to save Padmé, offering the dark side’s power as a means to save those he loves. Considering that most of Anakin’s corruption to the dark side was based on fear, Yoda’s words are certainly proven right by the end of the final prequel film.
23 “The Dark Side Is In Our Nature.”
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
In The Rise of Skywalker, Kylo Ren attempts to have Rey join him following the reveal that she’s Palpatine’s granddaughter. Believing that it’s in their nature to be one with the dark side given her bloodline and his own as Darth Vader’s grandson, Kylo argues the dark side can’t be resisted and should be embraced. While Rey ultimately proves that the dark side isn’t hereditary by any means and Kylo himself ends up being redeemed to the light, the line still speaks to the dark side often presenting itself as seemingly inevitable for some Force users.
22 “Did You Ever Hear The Tragedy Of Darth Plagueis The Wise?”
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith
Existing as one of the most popular (and highly-memed) scenes from the prequels, Palpatine sharing the Sith legend about his own master Darth Plagueis with Anakin is no less important regarding the dark side of the Force. Using the story to manipulate and seduce his future apprentice, Palpatine’s tale about Plagueis’ impressive power and the ability to keep his loved ones from death is a major moment. After all, it’s the foundation that helps pull Anakin from the light with the promise of new and greater power.
21 “I Am All The Sith!”
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
In the final battle in The Rise of Skywalker, Rey refuses to take her grandfather’s place as the Sith Eternal’s new Empress. This prompts a massive blast of Force lightning as Palpatine declares that he is “All the Sith” while she is nothing. It’s effectively Palpatine’s final line in the Star Wars canon, a testament to his immense power in the dark side and all that he had built to retain said power over the decades in defiance of death itself (even if the light within Rey as “All the Jedi” ultimately overwhelms the Emperor.
20 “Only Together Can We Turn Him To The Dark Side Of The Force.”
Return of the Jedi
In Return of the Jedi, the Emperor realized that Darth Vader intended to continue searching for Luke Skywalker in his attempt to turn him to the Dark Side. As such, the Emperor assures Vader that Luke will come to him, having foreseen that the powerful young Jedi would do so. Desiring a new Sith apprentice to replace Vader, Palpatine commands that Luke must be brought before him, confirming that it would require their combined power in the dark side to corrupt Vader’s son.
19 “Luke! Don’t Give Into Hate. That Leads To The Dark Side.”
The Empire Strikes Back
In Empire Strikes Back, Luke Skywalker elects to leave his Jedi training with Yoda on Dagobah to save his friends who have been captured by the Empire on Cloud City. Even though it’s a trap set by Darth Vader, Luke can’t just leave them, resolved that he’ll likely have to face Vader regardless of whether he’s ready to do so or not. As he prepares to leave, Obi-Wan’s Force ghost appears before Luke, warning him to not give in to hate. Just like fear, hate is another connected path that can just as easily lead to the dark side.
18 “Let The Past Die. Kill It If You Have To.”
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
In Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Kylo Ren has made it his mission to convince Rey to join him in the dark side, while Rey has made it her mission to convince him to come back to the light. Their Force Dyad allows them to communicate in this back-and-forth throughout the movie, one that only gets stronger and more complex. When Rey is faced with the truth about her parents, Ren is present in their connection to assure her that, like him, she can – and should – “kill” the past and become stronger in the dark side of the Force.
17 “The Shroud Of The Dark Side Has Fallen. Begun, The Clone War Has!”
Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones
Near the beginning of Attack of the Clones, Palpatine asks Yoda if he believes the breakdown of political talks with the Separatist Alliance will lead to war. Yoda says, “The dark side clouds everything. Impossible to see, the future is.” This refers to the Jedi Order’s ability to foresee the future having been diminished by the work of the dark side (thanks to Palpatine himself). As such, the dark side’s power only grows greater once the Clone Wars officially begin following the Battle of Geonosis, prompting Yoda’s foreboding response to Obi-Wan Kenobi at the film’s end.
16 “What You’re Feeling Right Now, This Anger, This Pain, This Is Who You Are.”
The Acolyte
The Acolyte‘s Sith Lord, The Stranger, provides a unique perspective on the dark side that makes it almost difficult to argue with where he stands, due to his clear talent for manipulation. When Osha is struggling through her feelings years after leaving the Jedi Order and recently reuniting with both her “dead” sister and her former Jedi Master, The Stranger assures her that what she’s feeling should strengthen her. Though these emotions are associated with the dark side, as Osha points out, The Stranger insists that they are things she should embrace as a true part of herself.
15 “The Chosen One, The Boy May Be. Nevertheless, Grave Danger, I Fear In His Training.”
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace
Yoda proved that he’s the wisest of all the Jedi in The Phantom Menace when he objected to Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan training Anakin. As soon as Anakin came before him on Coruscant, he could sense the darkness within the boy. Nevertheless, Qui-Gon is adamant that Anakin is the fabled “Chosen One,” and while Yoda doesn’t deny this, he still thinks training Anakin would be ill-advised. While he had a change of heart to appease Jinn’s dying wish, Yoda proved to have been corrupt about the grave danger posed by Anakin’s training given his future corruption as Darth Vader.
14 “But When You Lose Everything… That’s When You’re Finally Free.”
The Acolyte
Once again working to coax Osha over to the dark side, The Stranger dwells upon the very real human experience of pain and loss. Osha has lost everything: her family, her friends, her life both within and outside the Jedi Order, and even her sense of confidence and trust in her own Jedi Master. The Stranger assures her that this loss isn’t something to mourn, but rather something to thank, as the loss of everything leads to freedom – since there’s nothing else left to lose. In The Stranger’s eyes, this means the freedom to embrace the dark side without regret.
13 “You’re Fulfilling Your Destiny, Anakin. Become My Apprentice. Learn To Use The Dark Side Of The Force.”
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith
Towards the end of Revenge of the Sith, Anakin’s path to the dark side comes down to one integral moment. Finding Mace Windu and Palpatine in an intense duel, Anakin has to choose which one to save. Choosing Palpatine as he’d promised to help Anakin save Padmé, Windu is caught by surprise when Skywalker cuts off his hand, allowing Sidious to send Mace flying out the window before Anakin is officially made his new Sith apprentice, Darth Vader. As such, this scene and quote highlight the seductive nature of the dark side, taking advantage of Anakin’s fears, guilt, and pure desperation.
12 “If You Only Knew The Power Of The Dark Side…”
The Empire Strikes Back
In the climactic sequence of The Empire Strikes Back, Luke Skywalker duels Darth Vader on Cloud City. However, Luke’s unfinished training saw Vader easily having the upper hand, besting him in combat and cutting off one of Skywalker’s hands. However, Vader then reveals his true identity as Luke’s father, offering his son a place at his side to rule the Galactic Empire together. Despite Luke swearing he’ll never join Vader, the Sith Lord attempts to lure Luke by promising the dark side’s power he can’t even begin to comprehend, the same power that swayed him to leave the light as Anakin Skywalker.
11 “I’ve Accepted My Darkness. What Have You Done With Yours?”
The Acolyte
The Stranger is a master of challenging those who are closest to the light, even Master Sol himself, whose name is quite literally derivative of “light.” In the heat of battle that ends with every single Jedi being slaughtered aside from Sol himself, Sol nearly kills The Stranger, though Osha runs in and stops him. The Stranger, pleased with seeing the darkness emerge in Sol, acknowledges his instability by speaking of his own darkness and how he’s come to terms with it. In comparison, this Jedi continues to withhold something deep and devastating – which is harmful in its own right.
10 “The Dark Side of the Force Is A Pathway To Many Abilities Some Consider To Be Unnatural.”
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith
During Palpatine’s tale about Darth Plagueis in Revenge of the Sith, Anakin’s curiosity is piqued by Palpatine’s claim that Plagueis could keep those he loved from dying (as Palpatine knew he would). Palpatine responds that the dark side provides many unnatural abilities, a notion that is very true as seen throughout the Star Wars canon. Likewise, Palpatine reiterates this same line in The Rise of Skywalker when it’s revealed that he survived his demise on the second Death Star, albeit in a decaying clone body that couldn’t withstand his power.
9 “I’ll Show You The Dark Side”
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Kylo Ren’s first appearance in the Star Wars canon features the Force user showing off his power in the dark side almost immediately, killing Lor San Tekka before freezing an incoming blaster bolt from Poe Dameron. Seeking to prove that he had fully embraced the dark side of the Force, the corrupted Ben Solo received a perfect debut in The Force Awakens. Likewise, this intriguing dynamic with Kylo Ren resisting the call of the light certainly made him one of Star Wars’ most unique villains.
8 “I Do Not Fear The Dark Side As You Do!”
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith
Despite having been manipulated and seduced to the dark side by Palpatine, Anakin Skywalker arrogantly believed that the dark side was his to control as Darth Vader. Facing his old master Obi-Wan Kenobi on Mustafar, Anakin claims that he doesn’t fear the dark side as Kenobi must, having come to the belief that the dark side was more powerful amid his corruption, having fallen so far. As such, this line proves Anakin’s deep corruption, believing that embracing the dark side was somehow a bold act to achieve galactic peace and order the Jedi were too fearful and weak to achieve themselves.
7 “What Do You Want?” “Freedom. The Freedom To Wield My Power The Way I Like.”
The Acolyte
The Stranger’s biggest priority is freedom, as he states multiple times throughout The Acolyte – but this is the first time he gets to voice that desire. The Stranger represents the rest of the Sith in this sense; he provides a big “why” for the reason why many of these Force-users and former Jedi fall. Since the Sith encourage one another to embrace every part of themselves, including their darkness, they feel more free than the Jedi, who must constantly quiet their darkest thoughts and desires. Only in the dark side can The Stranger truly be free.
6 “The Chains…The Chains Are The Easy Part”
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
During the Clone Wars, Savage Oppress was tasked by the Nightsisters’ Mother Talzin to find his long-lost brother Maul. Although the former Sith Lord survived his defeat at the hands of Obi-Wan Kenobi in The Phantom Menace and the loss of his legs, Maul’s mind had been shattered in the aftermath, having been found by Opress raving mad with only his hate and rage sustaining him in the years that had followed. To that end, Maul’s line about “chains being broken” is a reference to the original Sith Code and the promise of the dark side’s power (and his broken mind):
Peace is a lie, there is only passion.
Through passion, I gain strength.
Through strength, I gain power.
Through power, I gain victory.
Through victory, my chains are broken.
The Force shall free me.