"The dark side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural." Everyone knows the Sith, they are the enemy of the Jedi, their complete opposite, and, ultimately, are the yin to the Jedi's yang. While the Sith are a passionate kind, they are undoubtedly smart, too, and use their heads as well as their hatred.

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The Sith fans are treated to in the films and shows are pretty fantastic. Even those who maybe are not amazing in the films are fleshed out excellently elsewhere and are usually immensely intelligent. So, here are all the main (these being the Sith seen on screen in films or shows) Sith ranked by their intelligence. Note that Sith is a general term, and the list will look at dark side force users who do not identify as Sith (e.g sequel trilogy villains).

Savage Opress

Savage Opress kills Jedi and clones in The Clone Wars.

Someone has to fall at the bottom of this list, and, while Savage Opress is not necessarily stupid, he is just muscle. Introduced in The Clone Wars as the brother of Maul, Savage is used by a variety of people before following his brother.

Savage is by no means a dumb character, as he has a relatively small Force sensitivity and figures out he is being used by Ventress. But, ultimately, Savage is an apprentice and lord who is more muscle and raw power than brains and intelligence.

Snoke

Snoke is an immensely intelligent, wise, and powerful being. Introduced in The Force Awakens as the brains and orchestrator of the First Order and the master of one Kylo Ren.

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The reason why Snoke falls so low on the list, however, is that he was merely a puppet. He is not Darth Plageius, he is not some higher dark side power, no, Snoke is merely a laboratory creation of one Sheev Palpatine. Snoke's intelligence, wisdom, and power may be substantial, but it is merely a product of scientific experimentation done by Palpatine. It is probably harsh to put Savage below Snoke, but, while he is a complete creation of Palpatine's mind, Snoke does have great intelligence.

Asajj Ventress

Asajj Ventress battling with her lightsabers in Star Wars The Clone Wars

Asajj Ventress has been a slave, a nightsister, a Sith apprentice, an assassin, a Jedi apprentice, and a bounty hunter throughout her lifetime. She is a talented and cunning warrior who has seen and been through a lot in her life.

She is an intelligent Dathomirian, having trained under Jedi Ky Narec and Sith Lord Count Dooku, as well as being under the watch of Mother Talzin. Asajj may have a short temper, but she is cunning and sharp, able to outsmart her foes as well as track them, both as an acolyte/apprentice and an assassin/bounty hunter.

The Grand Inquisitor

The Grand Inquisitor holds his lightsaber in Star Wars: Rebels.

The Grand Inquisitor is the leader of the Inquisitors, the group who, under the watch of Vader and the Empire, hunted the Jedi who remained across the galaxy. He is a former Jedi Temple guard before his fall to the dark side and personal work for Darth Vader.

The Inquisitor is not only familiar with the Jedi Temple records but also has studied the various Jedi whom he tracks. His infatuation with Kanan and Ezra is ultimately his downfall in Rebels. Yet, that does not take away from the intellect, his calculating nature, and the cold cunningness he held previous to this.

Kylo Ren

Kylo ren

Kylo Ren is arguably placed a bit high on this list, but I believe he has earned his place in his short span on-screen and with the limited knowledge we have about him. The main basis of this whole argument comes from the events of The Rise Of Skywalker.

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Not only is Kylo the first to track down Palpatine, but he figures out that he must go to Mustafar, find the Sith Wayfinder, locate Exogol, and figure out how to get there. On top of that, he runs the whole First Order as Supreme Leader for a year, has trained both in the ways of the light and dark side, and was always either a step ahead or right alongside the Resistance, until his turn back to Ben. Even in his turn back, he manages to get off the ocean moon of Endor back to Exogol.

Darth Maul

Maul, like his brother, is a complete brute. Alive due to pure hatred and unwavering anger. Should this list have just been based on The Phantom Menace, he would not be on it—but, alas, he is.

Not only does Maul track Obi-Wan multiple times throughout The Clone Wars and Rebels, but he also manages to survive through all of it. While this survival is more indicative of his hate than his intelligence, it is still impressive. On top of all this, he manages to take over Mandalore as well as rule over and create not one but two massive crime syndicates in the Galaxy during his life.

Darth Vader

Darth Vader looms in A New Hope.

One of the most iconic characters in all of pop culture—and perhaps the most famous in Star Wars—Darth Vader is more than just an intimidating presence. Strong in the Force as well as strong with a lightsaber, Vader is also strong in the mind, even if it is clouded by hatred.

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Anakin himself was smart, but, with Vader, that high base intellect only increased. Vader was in charge of overseeing everything which the Emperor wanted him too. On top of this, various comics and books see him go on his own journeys and missions, harnessing his power. Vader also had to massively adapt both his use of the Force and lightsaber forms due to his deformity, and with a lesser mind, this attempt would have perished. Under Vader's mind, though, it thrived.

Count Dooku

star wars dooku lightsaber

Count Dooku is one of Star Wars' most underrated characters. A wise and powerful Jedi turned Sith Lord, Dooku has a key role in Palpatine's plan in the Clone Wars on the rise toward the Galactic Empire.

For one, Dooku was trained in the ways of the Jedi and the Force by Yoda and was powerful in the Force, highlighting his intelligence and wisdom, going on to also train Qui-Gon, an intelligent and powerful Jedi. Dooku was lured and used by Palpatine, being promised a powerful place in a new, reshaped Republic in his image, but Dooku instead helped orchestrate the Clone Wars. He is head of the Separatist Alliance, recruiting star systems and people to the cause, knowing their fate may not end well. Overall, Dooku is a massively intelligent Sith whose brains can be seen through every one of his appearances in the franchise.

Darth Sidious

Of course, Dooku was used by the man who unquestionably falls in first place on this list, Supreme Chancellor/Emperor Sheev Palpatine, otherwise known as Darth Sidious.

Not only is the man a master of the Force, but also lightsaber combat. He has shown the ability to mess with midi-chlorians, survive death, keep himself alive long past his expiry date, rule the Galactic Empire, oversee two superweapons, and train and use no less than 3 Sith Lords. He above all else orchestrated the Clone Wars and the Republic to make himself the Supreme Chancellor and be the all-ruling power in the galaxy, wiping out the Jedi.

NEXT: 10 Best Sith Lords From The Old Republic, Ranked