One of the most popular cinematic franchises on the planet is the Star Wars franchise. Set a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, Star Wars is the quintessential science fiction franchise. This long-running saga revolves around a plethora of characters and the mystical force in the universe aptly called The Force. Thanks to George Lucas, the franchise has spawned a number of phenomenal films, TV series, literature, and video games for fans to throw themselves into.
As such a large franchise, it only makes sense that the saga would be full of betrayals and double-crosses. From the big betrayals like Palpatine crossing the Jedi Order in Revenge of the Sith and creating the Empire to the smaller betrayals like DJ handing over Rose and Finn to The First Order in The Last Jedi, there are an alarming number of double-crosses. Here are the best of them in the Star Wars franchise, ranked.
10 DJ — Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi
Lucasfilm
In The Last Jedi, Benecio del Toro joins the Star Wars universe as the shady, stuttering DJ. While he does end up helping Rose and Finn on their quest, he admits that he has worked both for the Resistance and The First Order. It came as no surprise to audiences when DJ double-crossed Finn and Rose, choosing to deal with the latter, cashing in on the price they posed on our heroes. While DJ was certainly a unique addition to the franchise, his presence was only necessary to add conflict, and his wavering moral compass made his double-cross somewhat predictable.
9 General Hux — Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker
General Armitage Hux is up there with Palpatine as one of the most hated villains in the Star Wars universe. Between his tyrannical methods of ordering around his subordinates to his blind loyalty to Supreme Leader Snoke, Hux is nearly impossible to like. Until, that is, he decides that working for The First Order is no longer what he wants. While Hux’s motivations behind double-crossing The First Order in The Rise of Skywalker are shallow, simply wanting to take down Kylo Ren for ruining his blossoming career, it makes him a bit more likable as without him, the Resistance would not have been able to succeed. Hux wound up being discovered as a double-agent and was executed for his treason.
8 Bib Fortuna — The Book of Boba Fett
At the end of The Mandalorian, we got a sneak peek of The Book of Boba Fett, which shows a fat Bib Fortuna sitting on Jabba the Hutt’s throne before being abruptly killed and tossed aside so that Boba can take his place. While this may not seem like much of a double-cross, in The Book of Boba Fett, we see more detail of this situation. It’s unclear how Bib Fortuna survived the explosion of Jabba’s yacht, but Bib may have seen Boba’s body near the sarlacc pit and left him there for dead so that he could freely claim Jabba’s throne. This betrayal is mostly theory at this point, but as the series continues, more is bound to be revealed.
7 Crosshair — Star Wars: The Bad Batch
Lucasfilm Animation
The Bad Batch is the newest animated series to enter the Star Wars universe and has been met with endless praise. The biggest betrayal in the series’ first season is that of Crosshair, the sniper and one of the members of the Bad Batch whose inhibitor chip is activated, triggering him to target his fellow Bad Batch team members, wanting to take them all out because they are not following orders. Not only is it devastating to see that one of their own has changed, but the fact that he is not in control of it only adds insult to injury.
6 Greef Karga — The Mandalorian
The Mandalorian has raised the bar for Star Wars content, setting the new standard for plot, characters, and overall story. Greef Karga, the head of the Bounty Hunters’ Guild, gave Din Djarin the job which found him Grogu, the Force-sensitive creature wanted by the remnants of the Galactic Empire. When Din Djarin takes Grogu back, not allowing him to be taken by the Empire, Karga seeks his assistance in liberating the planet of Novaro from the Empire’s grasp, but, of course, Karga planned on betraying Din and taking the child back to the Empire. He has a change of heart and winds up helping Din escape with the child by fighting off the Empire and Moff Gideon. Karga’s flip-flop shows how fluid some people’s allegiance and morality can be, especially when the Force is involved.
5 Lando Calrissian — Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back
As the most charming character in the franchise, it’s easy to fall for Lando’s smooth talking and charming smile. When Han approaches Lando as an old friend, it appears that there is a mutual trust between the two. However, despite Han’s reassurance, Leia still does not trust Lando. It would seem that Leia was right as, in The Empire Strikes Back, he leads the group right into the clutches of Darth Vader and bounty hunter Boba Fett. Lando says that he had no choice as Vader threatened the safety of the people of Cloud City, but this betrayal cut deep as Han’s old friend allowed him to be tortured for information before being frozen in carbonite. Lando does redeem himself in Return of the Jedi when he helps Luke and Leia by saving Han from Jabba the Hutt.
4 Darth Vader — Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi
Lucasfilm
Darth Vader is a ruthless Sith Lord who is willing to use the Force against any of his enemies, but when he sees his son being tortured by his Master in Return of the Jedi, his true self comes out. Vader becomes Anakin Skywalker once more and lifts Palpatine above his head, throwing him over the edge of a pit on the Death Star, and supposedly killing the Emperor. This came as a shock to viewers everywhere as despite Luke’s pleas for his father to return to the light, all hope seemed lost as Vader fought his own son on order from the Emperor. Seeing that Vader saved Luke from the Emperor and gave his own life so that he may live, showed that there is always hope for redemption.
3 Kylo Ren — Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
In one of the most surprising twists, Kylo Ren changes his tune in The Rise of Skywalker. Throughout the sequel trilogy, Kylo Ren struggles with his allegiances, feeling a call towards the light side through his father and Rey who insists that he can still be good if he so chooses. Despite seeing Kylo Ren’s descent in The Last Jedi, where it appeared that he had chosen his side for good, he redeems his wrongdoings by sacrificing himself to help Rey defeat the revived clone of Emperor Palpatine. Just like his grandfather, Ben Solo steps up and helps to rid the universe of Palpatine once-and-for-all.
2 Anakin Skywalker — Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
20th Century Fox
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith is full of complex moments, particularly for Anakin. Suffering from premonitions of Padmé’s death, Anakin becomes consumed with saving her. When Palpatine reveals himself to be a very powerful Sith, Anakin initially tells Master Windu, but winds up killing Windu to save Palpatine so that he can learn how to save Padmé. Anakin proceeds to pledge his loyalty to Palpatine and earns the name Darth Vader. He then obeys Palpatine’s every command, including killing younglings at the Jedi Temple, by Order 66. This heartbreaking moment may not seem like a double-cross as Anakin was manipulated into these actions, but he still turns his back on his people for the sake of Padmé, who ends up dying anyway.
1 Emperor Palpatine — Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
The biggest and most shocking double-cross is Chancellor Palpatine betraying the entirety of the Jedi Order in Revenge of the Sith. Palpatine claims that the Jedi Order wishes to take over the Republic and gets the senate to band together against them. This results in the execution of the devastating Order 66 with which Palpatine orders the Clone Army to wipe out all Jedi by any means necessary and make sure that there are no survivors. Order 66 resulted in the near extinction of the Jedi, leaving those who remained to live in hiding. Palpatine’s double-cross brought an end to the Old Republic and the Jedi Order, changing the galaxy forever.
