A galaxy of scum and villainy

A galaxy of scum and villainy
A true sequel to the original trilogy first released 38 years ago, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which
opened on Dec 17, sees the old heroes join forces with new allies in an all-new adventure.
As sci-fi movies go, it will only be as good as its villains. By MIKE M DIZON and CHNG CHOON HIONG.
I
II
III
IV
V
VI
THE PHANTOM MENACE
1999
ATTACK OF THE CLONES
2002
REVENGE OF THE SITH
2005
A NEW HOPE
1977
THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK
1980
RETURN OF THE JEDI
1983
DARTH MAUL
COUNT DOOKU
GENERAL GRIEVOUS
GRAND MOFF TARKIN
DARTH VADER
EMPEROR PALPATINE
Darth Maul serves as an
apprentice to an even more
sinister villain called Darth
Sidious, doing his bidding
including the attempted
assassination of Queen
Amidala, the future mother
of Luke and Leia. He kills
Jedi Qui-Gon Jinn, whose
disciple Obi-Wan Kenobi
later cuts him in half.
Once a respected Jedi Master,
he falls to the Dark Side of
the Force as Darth Sidious’
second apprentice under the
name Darth Tyranus. As the
founder of the Confederacy of
Independent Systems (CIS), he
instigates the Clone Wars, a
galaxy-wide conflict between
the CIS and the Galactic
Republic.
General Grievous is a
brilliant CIS military
strategist and a feared Jedi
hunter, known for his
ruthlessness and hacking
cough. Completely
cybernetic except for the
brain, some vital organs and
parts of the head. He is
killed in a duel with Obi-Wan.
Along with Darth Vader, he is
tasked with pursuing and
destroying the Rebel Alliance
who has gained an ally in
Luke Skywalker, Vader’s son.
He is also commander of the
Death Star, a formidable
weapon that can destroy
worlds. Rebel fighters led by
Luke destroy the Death Star
with Tarkin in it.
Anakin Skywalker’s descent
into the Dark Side many years
earlier culminated in a duel
with Obi-Wan, his mentor,
leaving him severely injured.
Reborn as Darth Vader, he
becomes Sidious’ apprentice
and leads the Empire’s
campaign to destroy the Jedi.
To lure Luke to the Dark Side,
he tells him: “I am your father.”
Palpatine is actually Darth
Sidious, plotting his rise to
power from the beginning.
As Sidious, he instigates the
Clone Wars, all but destroys
the Jedi and transforms the
Republic into the Empire.
His plan to lure Luke to the
Dark Side backfires as
Vader kills the Emperor to
save his son.
VII
THE FORCE AWAKENS
Thirty years after defeating the Galactic Empire,
Han Solo and his allies face a new threat from
Kylo Ren and his army of Stormtroopers.
KYLO REN
(Adam Driver)
Kylo Ren is a member of the Knights of Ren,
an organisation which leans towards the
Dark Side of the Force. He is also an ally
of the First Order, the remnants of the
fallen Galactic Empire. He wields a
lightsaber he built himself, a dangerous
and ragged design unlike that of a
typical lightsaber. In the trailers he is
seen as a devotee of the destroyed
Darth Vader who vows to destroy
the last remaining Jedi.
GENERAL HUX
(Domhnall Gleeson)
A young, ruthless officer in the First
Order. Gleeson said of his role as Hux:
“He’s kind of opposite Kylo Ren. They
have their own relationship, which is
individual and unusual. One of them
is strong in different ways than the
other. They’re both vying for power.”
CAPTAIN PHASMA
(Gwendoline Christie)
Clad in distinctive
metallic armour, Captain
Phasma commands the
First Order’s legions of
Stormtroopers. She is
the franchise’s first
female villain.
SUPREME LEADER SNOKE
(Andy Serkis)
Kylo Ren’s master and a
powerful figure of the Dark
Side. Snoke, a digital
character, is played by
Serkis via motion-capture.
Serkis described Snoke as
“quite an enigmatic
character, and strangely
vulnerable at the same time
as being quite powerful”.
TEXT: MIKE M DIZON
ILLUSTRATION:
CHNG CHOON HIONG
& MIKE M DIZON