With the arrival of the unofficial intergalactic holiday known as May The 4th (... clever word play referencing the Star Wars tagline, May The Force Be With You) who better to visit with than a horde of villains from the fil lm franchise that craft metallic renditions of John Williams' compositions?
For the better part of the last decade, Galactic Empire has served well in bridging the world of metal music and the passionate community of Star Wars' faithful. Performing shred-worthy iterations of the franchise's most memorable pieces like "The Imperial March" and even the more playful "Cantina Band" theme, the band covers the musical spectrum of the beloved saga in what has become a one-of-a-kind musical tribute.
To mark the May 4th celebration of all things Star Wars, Galactic Empire has released a new song - their first following a stretch of hibernation and the beginning of their campaign on Pure Noise Records. Taking on the most recent iteration of the Star Wars universe, the band has created a quite heavy, technically powerful version of the theme from The Book of Boba Fett. Premiering at the end of 2021, the Disney+ series capitalized on the juggernaut strength of The Mandalorian to become another important spinoff in the intergalactic collection.
Coupled with the release of new music, its only appropriate that a band of villains give us their take on who the best villains from the franchise are right? Speaking with Knotfest.com the band flexed their Star Wars expertise to reveal just who serve as the most dastardly evildoers in a galaxy far, far away.
Read the band's list below. Crank Galactic Empire's version of "The Book of Boba Fett" Theme and May the 4th Be With You.
Sheev Palpatine / Darth Sidious
Emperor Palpatine is the ultimate puppet master throughout the saga. He emerges as a powerful Sith Lord from beneath the disguise of a well-meaning politician, eventually establishing a dictatorship over the galaxy with fear and malevolence. Palpatine played the long con with Anakin Skywalker, gaining his trust, manipulating him and slowly eroding his moral framework until until he became a devout servant. It’s this type of religious indoctrination and brainwashing that makes it difficult to name a more sinister villain.
Darth Vader
Vader is arguably the most iconic sci-fi villain of all time. Instantly recognizable all over the world, he has become an indelible part of our cultural zeitgeist that is synonymous with evil. The first six films in the saga follow the tragedy of his life, from a gifted slave boy with incredible potential to a ruthless Sith Lord who doesn’t mind slaughtering a room full of children. It’s this duality of his character that made him more than just a one-dimensional bad guy. Vader’s redemption in Return of the Jedi is the only reason he isn’t #1 on the villain list.
Darth Maul
When I was a kid seeing The Phantom Menace in the theater, I can remember the collective OH SHIT moment when Darth Maul revealed his double-sided lightsaber. This dude was not fucking around. Easily one of the most memorable and badass villains in any movie, ever, and certainly the most metal (he even comes with corpse paint already kinda there!). Darth Maul is a vicious and deadly Sith gangster who is so evil he can even get fully chopped in half and somehow become even more badass with Terminator legs.
Grand Moff Tarkin
This old bastard is a genocidal maniac who is willing to destroy an entire planet just to flex on Princess Leia. His demeanor is cold and measured, every sinister move calculated, never emotional - a true psychopath. Tarkin is also one of the only officials that can talk back to Darth Vader without getting his ass force choked. Even the CGI version of him from Rogue One is creepy.
EV-9D9 - EV-9D9
(or “that robot that burns the other robot’s feet”) started out as a peaceful mechanic droid on Tatooine, but a programming defect caused her to become aggressive. She eventually wound up as Jabba the Hutt’s Chief of Cyborg Operations at his palace, where she developed a taste for punishing and torturing other droids. The EV-9D9 we see in RotJ is a hardened sadist who takes pleasure in her work. Pretty dark stuff.
