The dark side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities that some consider unnatural, and in the vast cosmos of the galaxy, far, far away, frightening things are brewing. star wars was never considered a scary franchise, designed as a fantasy adventure for bright-eyed kids, but you don’t have to search hard to find the terror lurking.
Many find the temptation to the dark side to be an undeniable force, becoming twisted and diabolical. Monstrous creatures lurk in caves and asteroids, swamps and the underworld of society. Beneath the surface of this galactic space opera lies a dark undercurrent, manipulating the force in terrifying ways.
brain invaders
In some of the best actions of war described in The Clone Wars, several episodes follow the Jedi and the Clones as they attempt to shut down the planet Geonosis once and for all. Exploding and burning their way through the catacombs, the clone forces push through swarms of insectoid creatures, but all is not as it seems.
Known to be a hive mind, Obi-Wan Kenobi (James Arnold Taylor) and Luminara Undili (Olivia d’Abo) search for the Great Queen of the Geonosians, much like the xenomorph queen seen at the end of aliens. However, the Jedi soon discover that they are facing undead Geonosian enemies controlled by worm-like creatures that burrow into your brain and control the host…yuck!
Kyrkna spiders
Kyrkna spiders have a long history in Star Wars, first featured in a Ralph McQuarrie conceptual painting. Bulbous White Spiders were adapted as Kyrkna in the anime series star wars rebels. Searching for places to hide from the Empire, the rebels briefly settle on Attalon and must fend off numerous Kyrkna spiders.
More recently, spiders have been featured in The Mandalorian, although they are not officially identified as Kyrkna. However, it is safe to assume that they are a similar species, as evidenced by their bulbous, gnarled bodies, numerous protruding eyes, and tunneled snouts. In “Chapter 10” of The Mandalorian Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal), Grogu and the Frog Lady must escape a swarm of these ice cave spiders after their crash landing disrupts a nest.
Visions of the dark side
Through star wars, many characters experience dark visions in a way that tests their mental toughness. Balancing the force and resisting the temptation of the dark side is a prevalent theme throughout the saga, often depicting some of the most iconic Jedi in Sith form.
In The Rise of SkywalkerKing (daisy ridley) investigates the ruins of the second Death Star and faces a Sith Rey with snapping fangs and a red double-bladed saber. In The Empire Strikes BackLuke (Marc Hamil) enters the cave and knocks Vader out before seeing himself in his place. In The Clone WarsYoda (Tom Kane) embarks on a spiritual quest and confronts the shadowy figure of his dark side; a cackling Gollum-like entity. All of them are vivid visions of the dark side within them.
Exegol
Exegol was a planet in the Unknown Region, occupied by the Sith Eternal, the birthplace of Snoke, and where the lingering remains of Darth Sidious (Ian McDiarmid) attempted to hatch his final order in The Rise of Skywalker. Exegol is a gruesome place with towering Sith monuments and flashes of lighting that make it some of the star wars‘ the scariest images.
With rotting fingertips, blackened lips, and glowing eyes, the menacing presence of a resurrected Emperor Palpatine makes for a horrifying picture. The chants of his Sith cultists fill the shadowy halls as they attempt to spread their evil across the Galaxy once and for all.
The living dead sisters
Seeking to exterminate the Nightsisters, a clan that uses a type of force magic, Count Dooku (Corey Burton) orders their slaughter by the many hands of General Grievous (Matthew Wood). In the episode titled “Massacre”, a massive army of droids lay siege to the misty swamps of Dathomir to attack the Nightsisters. The gruesome battle rages on, but the desperate Nightsisters call on their eldest to raise the dead.
Old Daka (Kathleen Gatti) recites the Resurrection Cat, which spreads like a green mist across fields of trees with strange hanging pods. The burial pods struggle and tremble as they reveal the reanimated corpses of their Nightsister loved ones. With their high-pitched cries, the undead Nightsisters overrun the Separatist droid armies, but only to buy time as most of the Nightsisters are wiped out.
Terrifying Tales
To lighten the mood, star wars has LEGO Star Wars Terrifying Tales, a Halloween-themed comedy short for fans of all ages. This space adventure sees Poe and BB-8 crash into the lava planet Mustafar, the home of Castle Vader, but find it transitioning into the first luxury Sith resort.
The family film then plays out three short stories told by Vaneus, Vader’s servant (Tony Hale). The first recalls how Ben Solo met the Knights of Ren, the second recounts duels between Darth Maul and General Grievous, and the third is a cautionary tale of all if Luke’s wishes were granted. For all star wars fans looking for a bit of spooky fun that you don’t need to take seriously, look no further.
Maul’s Return
Through a multi-episode arc of The Clone Warsformer Sith assassin Assaj Ventress (Nika Futterman) uses the magic of his Nightsister clan to create the monster Savage Opress (Clancy Brown), who happens to be Maul’s brother (Sam Wiwer). In search of his brother, Savage discovers his tormented brother in a wild state.
Hidden under Lotho Minor’s trash heaps, Savage’s words echo through dug tunnels. As the clanking noises of metal rush through the darkness, Maul is revealed slamming and growling. Maul’s horns have grown sharp, his eyes burn with fury, and where he was once sliced in half, he is now rebuilt with mechanical spider legs, an image that will make anyone tremble in fear.
soldiers of death
soldiers of death is a 2009 novel by Joe Schreiber, which is now considered Legends (non-canon), but took place a year after A new hope and has a prequel novel, red harvest, which was released a year later. The zombie horror-inspired novel turned an Imperial Star Destroyer into ground zero for a gruesome outbreak.
Identified as the Blackwing Virus, this entity summoned by the Sith has been transformed into a sentient virus with a malevolent need to preserve its own life. Thus, through contamination, specifically through bites, the subjects of the story, including Imperial Stormtroopers, Officers, Rogues, and even a Wookiee, were turned into the undead. The scariest thing is that the sentient virus was able to learn and adapt, making it increasingly difficult to extinguish.
Fyrnocks out of darkness
In star wars rebels season 1, episode 7, “Out of the Darkness”, Hera Syndulla (vanessa marshal) and Sabine Wren (Tiya Sircar) attempt to hook up with a spy, codenamed Fulcrum, on an abandoned asteroid base. However, the two soon discover that in the darkness of the decrepit base live swarms of vicious creatures known as Fyrnocks.
The Fyrnocks were extremely sensitive to light and would hide and stalk their prey in the dark, revealing only their piercing yellow eyes. It wasn’t until a passing asteroid obscured the sun that they attacked. With sharp claws and teeth, wave after wave of these vicious creatures attacked Hera and Sabine. In a later episode, Ezra (Taylor Gray) recklessly tapped into the dark side to summon a giant Fyrnock and unleash it on the Grand Inquisitor (Jason Isaacs).
The Yuuzhan Vong War
The Yuuzhan Vong were a terrifying species that emerged from outside the galaxy after the fall of the Empire. While being excluded from star wars Continuing the legends, the Yuuzhan Vong were responsible for killing trillions of lives, as this nomadic warrior species believed it was their divine right to rid the galaxies of technology. Maybe one day they will be adapted into canon.
Their description alone would strike fear into the hearts of their enemies, with skeletal facial features, gray skin, yellow eyes, black blood, tattoos and scarifications. They were a masochistic society that performed ritual sacrifices and mutilations, dismembered themselves, and grafted new organs from other species onto their bodies. These religious fanatics saw all technology as blasphemy and rained down their terror tactics on the galaxy.