The Star Wars sequel trilogy was certainly divisive. On one hand, there were the fans who believed it didn't do anything significant, failing to build on the epic six-movie story created by George Lucas. And then, on the other, there were those who staunchly defended it and enjoyed each installment.
Whatever your feelings were on it, though, there's no denying The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker gave fans some truly brilliant villains. But which one was the best? We now take a look at who deserves a place on the podium - and who doesn't.
DJ
You remember DJ right? The stuttering oddity from The Last Jedi, who appears at first to be an ally of the Resistance before leaving Finn and Rose Tico to die via the First Order?
Well, he comes bottom because not too many people seem to remember the character, even with the brilliant Benicio Del Toro on board. DJ was just pointless and felt like he was created only so that director Rian Johnson could throw another twist into his blockbuster. And we certainly didn't shed too many tears when the trickster didn't pop up again in The Rise of Skywalker.
Ochi
Ochi sounds like a character certainly intriguing enough to get a good piece of the action. He's the Sith assassin who murdered Rey's parents on the orders of Palpatine - meaning he should have had far more screen time than he actually did.
Instead, we only see his corpse in The Rise of Skywalker. It's a crying shame that most of the cool and dangerous things the character did happen off-screen and his creation felt like it was merely for plot purposes. To quote Maz Kanata, maybe the rest of his story has been deemed good another 'for another time.'
The Knights of Ren
Now the Knights of Ren had potential. Like, really had potential. Fans were thrilled at how they looked when their photos were released before The Force Awakens and, after they made a brief cameo in that movie, people were expecting big things to happen.
However, they ended up being a conundrum that nobody could solve. Rian Johnson couldn't find a place for them in The Last Jedi, something he actually admitted. And JJ Abrams struggled to give them anything of note to do in The Rise of Skywalker. Unfortunately, looking cool and foreboding isn't enough to get you higher up this list.
General Hux
When we first saw General Hux in The Force Awakens, many were impressed. Here was a man with the same ruthless streak as Grand Moff Tarkin from the original trilogy, somebody whose relationship with Kylo Ren promised to be fascinating.
But then The Last Jedi turned Hux into a comedic figure and by the time we saw him again in The Rise of Skywalker, the damage was done. Turning him into the mole was the final straw and robbed him of any villainous vibes he had left.
Captain Phasma
Like the Knights of Ren, Captain Phasma's appearance immediately generated much excitement across the internet. With her chrome armor and the slick bucket on her head, she looked like she would be a significant character. Especially with Game of Thrones actress Gwendoline Christie on board.
Alas, that wasn't the case. Phasma was actually quite cool in The Last Jedi, especially when she and Finn had a fight to the death. But her betraying the First Order in The Force Awakens was a bad move and she suffered from not having enough screen time.
General Pryde
We think Disney knew people had gone off Hux because, for The Rise of Skywalker, they chose to introduce another villain in the form of Richard E. Grant's General Allegiant Pryde.
Pryde was better than Hux in the sense you can tell he was bad to the bone. He's a black and white sort of villain, somebody who never keeps his cards close to his chest and instead operates with outright, brutal honesty. That was refreshing to see and it was a shame that Grant's character, like some of the other bad guys on this list, didn't get enough minutes of screen time to really make an impact.
Emperor Palpatine
While The Rise of Skywalker split opinion, and the return of Emperor Palpatine equally as much, many still agreed it was brilliant to see Ian McDiarmid reprise his role as Star Wars' greatest villain one last time.
He's typically menacing in that movie, pulling the strings as he attempts to siphon the power from both Rey and Kylo Ren. Palpatine would have probably come higher on this list but a couple of things hold him back. Firstly, his return makes no sense - and Disney doesn't even really try and explain it. And, secondly, we hate the fact Palpatine had a granddaughter. You just can't see a man like that ever becoming a father, let alone a grandfather...
Supreme Leader Snoke
We know, we know. Supreme Leader Snoke was actually Palpatine all along (although we're not quite sure how something to do with cloning?). But Andy Serkis' brilliant acting meant the character of Snoke was utterly compelling during the movie-and-a-half he appears in.
Serkis' excellent voice work, coupled with Snoke's unique look, meant the villain dominated every scene he appeared in. It's a crying shame that his reveal turned out to be a rather baffling disappointment and that he was killed off too early by Kylo Ren in The Last Jedi.
Kylo Ren
Sitting on top of the podium is Kylo Ren. At first, he just seemed too whiny and unsure of his own self in The Force Awakens. But, over the course of both The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker, Adam Driver's superb acting meant the character is now regarded as one of the best in the entire saga.
Even when Kylo sheds his villainous identity to become Ben Solo again, it works. His arc is perhaps the best and most thought-out across the sequel trilogy and we're hoping Driver chooses to reprise his role again some point down the line. You didn't see him force ghost, after all...