Every Star Wars project needs memorable villains, and the animated series Star Wars Rebels was no different. From the incompetent Imperial officer to the Dark Side users and the cunning strategist, the show had a broad range of villains who worked hard to find the small group of rebels fighting to take down the Empire.

Admiral Konstantine

While he might not have been a very good officer, Konstantine did fill the classic role of the incompetent Imperial commander. This is something that goes back to the original trilogy with characters like Admiral Ozzel. It makes some sense, too, as many of the top Imperial officers didn’t have much battlefield experience, being promoted quickly after The Clone Wars to fill the space left by the Jedi generals.

Azmorigan

Before the Ghost crew joined the Rebellion, they often worked on the edges of the criminal world. During a deal with Lando Calrissian, they had their first encounter with Azmorigan, a revolting small-time crime boss who tried to take Hera as his slave. While they would have been happy to never see him again, the Spectres encountered Azmorigan on later occasions, often through their mutual association with Hondo Ohnaka.

Ruhk

A master assassin and Thrawn’s personal bodyguard, the Grand Admiral called Rukh in to track down the Spectres during their operation to liberate Lothal. The Noghri was a skilled tracker, with keen senses of sight and smell, pursuing his targets relentlessly. He was also an expert marksman and melee fighter, and was one of the most effective weapons at Thrawn’s disposal.

Gall Trayvis

It’s relatively common to see spies working for the Rebellion, but not as common to see them working for the Empire. Trayvis was a classic double agent, pretending to care about the Rebellion and styling himself as a Senator in exile from the Empire while he secretly fed information back to the Imperials, arranging meetings with various rebel groups so he could turn them in to the authorities.

Seventh Sister

Formed to hunt down Jedi survivors, the Inquisitors aren’t the best Force users, and several lost their lives trying to track down Kanan Jarrus and Ezra Bridger. One of the most competent was the Seventh Sister who was an agile and capable fighter, while also having more intelligence than the Fifth Brother who often accompanied her. Despite this, she was no match for the former Sith Darth Maul who killed her on Malacore.

Gar Saxon

Mandalore was one of the worlds that suffered the most under the Empire, but that didn’t stop a large number of Mandalorians giving their support to them. One of the most successful was Gar Saxon, who had been a supporter of Maul during his reign and seized the opportunity to rise up through the ranks during the Imperial era, becoming governor of his homeworld until he was defeated by Sabine Wren.

Alexandr Kallus

An ISB agent, Kallus was tasked with finding the Spectres as they harassed the Empire on Lothal. He was loyal and diligent in his work, until an accident led to him and Zeb Orrelios being stranded on Bahryn, an icy moon over Geonosis. Forced to work together to survive, the two enemies found a respect and understanding for each other, which would lead to Kallus becoming a rebel spy using the Fulcrum moniker. After he was uncovered by Thrawn, Kallus joined the Rebellion fully and worked to free Lothal.

Grand Inquisitor

The Grand Inquisitor had been a Jedi Temple Guard during the Clone Wars, before turning to the Dark Side and leading Vader’s Inquisitors. When Kanan Jarrus revealed his Force abilities, he chose to track down the former padawan personally, engaging him in combat several times. The Grand Inquisitor was one of the most skilled members of the order, but was still defeated by Kanan aboard Tarkin’s own Star Destroyer.

Governor Pryce

The Imperial governor of Lothal, Pryce was a capable politician, but lacked any real military skill. She had the sense to call in Grand Admiral Thrawn to try and drive the rebel cell from the system, a goal which was largely successful. She did have a huge impact on Thrawn’s own plans, however, as she believed killing Kanan Jarrus was the most important thing, and destroyed the fuel reserves in for the TIE Defender factory in the process, stopping production of the Grand Admiral’s deadly fighter.

Grand Admiral Thrawn

One of the greatest antagonists in the Star Wars saga, Thrawn is master warrior and tactician. He spends time studying every aspect of his opponents before making his move, analyzing their culture and art as well as their martial abilities to find out how they think and better predict their movements. He was one of the best officers in the Imperial military, preferring a slow, methodical approach to dealing with the Rebellion, and would have been a great asset to the Empire during the galactic civil war if he hadn’t disappeared during the Battle of Lothal.

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