Summary

• There are several chilling quotes about the dark side of the Force in the Star Wars canon.
• Fear of loss can lead one to the dark side, as seen with Anakin Skywalker's journey and corruption into Darth Vader.
• The dark side has been seen as unavoidable due to its nature, bloodlines, and power - yet it can still be resisted as proven with Anakin Skywalker and Ben Solo.

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 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 20 of the best quotes about the dark side across the entire Star Wars timeline (in no particular order).

20 “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.

19 “The Fear Of Loss Is A Path To The Dark Side.”

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.

18 “The Dark Side Is In Our Nature.”

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.

17 “Did You Ever Hear The Tragedy Of Darth Plagueis The Wise?”

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.

16 “I Am All The Sith!”

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.

15 “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.

14 "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.

13 “The Shroud Of The Dark Side Has Fallen. Begun, The Clone War Has!”

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.

12 “The Chosen One, The Boy May Be. Nevertheless, Grave Danger, I Fear In His Training.”

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.

11 “You’re Fulfilling Your Destiny, Anakin. Become My Apprentice. Learn To Use The Dark Side Of The Force.”

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.

10 “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.

9 “The Dark Side of the Force Is A Pathway To Many Abilities Some Consider To Be Unnatural.”

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.

8 “I’ll Show You The Dark Side”

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.

7 “I Do Not Fear The Dark Side As You Do!”

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.

6 "The Chains…The Chains Are The Easy Part”

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.

5 “Is The Dark Side Stronger?”

The Empire Strikes Back

During Luke's Jedi training with Master Yoda in the Empire Strikes Back, the young Skywalker asks if the dark side is stronger than the light. It certainly makes sense why Luke would ask after all he's seen Vader accomplish from the killing of Obi-Wan Kenobi as well as their few clashes between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back. However, Yoda's response proves the light can always overcome the dark (and vice versa), though he does admit that the path to the dark side is "quicker, easier, and far more seductive".

4 "Is It Possible To Learn This Power?" "Not From A Jedi”

Revenge of the Sith

Case in point, Anakin Skywalker was easily seduced to the dark side by Palpatine who offered knowledge and power Anakin couldn't receive while remaining a Jedi. At the end of their time at the opera house on Coruscant, Palpatine claimed that Anakin would never be able to learn the power to save his loved ones from a Jedi, the clear implication being that only the dark side had the answers Anakin desperately sought, hoping to prevent his visions of Padmé's death from coming true.

3 “You Didn’t Kill Anakin Skywalker…I Did”

Obi-Wan Kenobi

The full corruption of Anakin Skywalker to Darth Vader is one of the most fascinating, and central, arcs in the Star Wars canon. As such, one of the most dynamic moments from the Obi-Wan Kenobi series is when Vader's mask is broken while dueling Obi-Wan in the years before A New Hope. Seeing the man he once was underneath the armor, Vader's confirmation that he killed Anakin Skywalker is heartbreaking, telling Obi-Wan that he is not his old master's failure. Owning the death of Anakin with his full embrace of the dark side, Darth Vader is undeniably one of the most tragic cinematic figures.

2 “Unlimited Power!”

Revenge of the Sith

Proving that he was never in any real danger and merely playacting to gain Anakin's sympathies in Revenge of the Sith, Palpatine unleashes a full blast of Force lightning at Jedi Master Mace Windu the moment Anakin moves against him. At that moment, all of Palpatine's plans and all the darkness he'd fostered within the Republic were at their height, and the moment of his revenge had finally come with Anakin's corruption. As such, it's no wonder Palpatine believed he was a wielder of the dark side's unlimited power at the imminent dawn of his new Empire.

1 “Darkness Rises, And Light To Meet It”

The Last Jedi

While his role was brief in the sequels, Supreme Leader Snoke was well aware that the light would always rise to counter the dark, and vice versa. It's why he knew someone would rise to counter Kylo Ren as his equal, someone like Rey (though he initially assumed the awakening in the Force was Kylo's old master Luke Skywalker). Even though Snoke was killed via Kylo Ren's surprise betrayal in The Last Jedi, it was clear that Snoke had a complete understanding of the Force and its constant conflicts of balance, while working to ensure that the dark side remained dominant.