The spookiest weekend of the year is here! So, I thought it would be the perfect time to write about the things in the Star Wars universe that I believe are the most terrifying ones.
Some of these stories are no longer part of the Star Wars Canon, but with so many things that have been remade canon, I think it’s just a matter of time until we see one or two return to give us nightmares.
The Rakghoul Plague
Karness Muur is one of the Dark Jedi that was exiled from the Republic after losing the Battle of Corbos, putting an end to a hundred-year war.
Muur and the other Dark Jedi arrived on Korriban for the first time, it wouldn’t be long before they conquered the native species of the planet; the Sith.
Muur possessed a Sith Amulet that would grant tremendous power to the user. This talisman gave Karness Muur the ability to turn those in close proximity into mindless minions that would blindly follow his orders.
This Talisman didn’t work on Force-sensitives species, so Muur created the Rakghoul Plague, an infection that could turn anyone into a blood-thirsty monster, Force-sensitive or not.
What makes this virus so dangerous is that any individual who gets injured by a Rakghoul would inevitably turn into one. A single Rakghould could turn an entire city into a ghost town worthy of your worst nightmares.
During the Jedi Civil War, Rakghouls infested Taris’ undercity, a place that only criminal gangs and the poorest occupy. If not for the bombing of the planet, who knows what would’ve happened?
If you play or have played Star Wars The Old Republic, you are most likely familiar with the follow-up disasters the Rakghouls continue to cause on many planets.
The Yuuzhan Vong
The Yuuzhan Vong are a nomadic species that come from the Unknown Regions. The average Yuuzhan Vong is taller, heavier, and stronger than its human counterpart.
Their only purpose is to “cleanse” (eradicate) any other living form of life so that they can live on the planets they conquer.
They are religious fanatics that view any type of mechanical technology as blasphemy, which is why all of their technological advancements are organic, weapons, ships, and even their armor.
Yuuzhan Vong warriors live and die for pain, you can imagine how ruthless and sadistic they are.
The better warriors often graft organs from other species into their bodies, remaking their bodies was a way of becoming closer to their gods.
They didn’t take prisoners, everyone must die; men, women, and children too. They even killed their own offspring if any deformity was detected. Their devotion to pain or ugly appearance isn’t what makes them so scary; The Jedi could not detect them with the Force; their presence, feelings, or intentions could remain a mystery until they showed their true intentions.
Force attacks were capable of damaging them but they required a lot more effort than a regular enemy. A gigantic army that uses completely unknown technology, enjoys killing everything, and is force-resistant? I can’t imagine many that could withstand such an enemy.
Fun fact: before the Clone Wars was canceled, Dave Filoni had plans for the Yuuzhan Vong to briefly appear in The Clone Wars. I hope that one day, Disney re-introduce them as a part of a new saga.
Darth Nihilus, the Lord of Hunger
Malachor V was the planet where Revan finally defeated the Mandalorians, in order to do this, he activated a Mass Shadow Generator; a weapon that killed almost any living thing on the planet, Nihilus was among the survivors.
When thousands of lives are destroyed in a single instant, the Force itself gets damaged and Darth Nihilus became the physical form of this Force wound.
He was found and trained by Darth Traya who also had Darth Sion as his apprentice. Sion and Nihilus then started a Jedi purge, almost causing the extinction of the Order.
After Malachor V, Nihilus started craving Force energy. Darth Nihilus drained entire planets out of their Force energy killing millions in the process, but his hunger was insatiable. No matter how much he ate, it was never enough.
This wasn’t his only ability, the Lord of Hunger could sever someone’s connection to the Force, leaving any force-sensitive completely defenseless against the Dark Lord.
He eventually lost his physical form and contained his spirit in his mask and robes until he was defeated by Meetra Surik, Mandalore the Preserver, and his former apprentice Visas Marr.
Terentateks
The deadliest creature a Jedi could encounter, Terentateks feed on the blood of Force-sensitives to survive. Their origin is unclear, but it is theorized that they were created by using Sith Alchemy, twisting Rancors into these monstrosities.
A Terentatek has spines, a pair of flaps, and venomous tusks and claws. They are incredibly strong, abnormally fast for their size, and highly force-resistant.
This formidable beast is only found in places that have an extremely powerful connection with the dark side of the force. As you can imagine, these kinds of places aren’t easy to access so Jedi are the main “visitors” in a Terentatek’s lair.
Tatooine, Kashyyyk, Tython, Yavin 4, and Onderon are some of the planets where they have been found.
Almost 4000 years BBY the Jedi organized an event called “The Great Hunt”. This hunt consisted of sending teams of Jedi across the galaxy to track and eliminate the Terentateks but it ultimately fail.
It wasn’t uncommon for the Jedi teams to succumb to this deadly foe, only teams with a strong bond would return to the Jedi Temple.
A few years later, the Jedi Order abandoned the hunt because of how dangerous it was. The Terentateks have never ceased to exist and usually reappear when the Sith increase their power.
Korriban
Korriban is the homeworld of the Sith, after Ajunta Pall and the rest of the Dark Jedi arrived, they bred with the Sith and gave birth to incredibly powerful individuals. Naga Sadow, Marka Ragnos, Tulak Hord, and Tenebrae; the greatest Sith Lords learned about the dark side of the Force and the means to acquire power on this planet.
The chances of dying or worse when someone is on Korriban are incredibly high. Lethal creatures are everywhere, deadly traps await you in every tomb, and fellow Sith conspiring to kill each other to gain the favor of their master is a daily experience. But this is not the scariest thing about this legendary planet.
Deep within the temples and sith bombs there are many spirits of ancient Sith Lords, spirits that do not wish to be disturbed. The rage some of them had before dying perseveres through millennia and they can do many things to any individual foolish (and weak) enough to mess with them. Drive you insane, torture your mind, make you kill your best friend, or take control of your body.
Korriban is the embodiment of the dark side, I believe only select Jedi are able to resist its pull. Even those who are aligned with the dark side have suffered the consequences of disturbing the ancient spirits.
“Korriban shall be as it always was. A graveyard for the darkest of the Sith Lords, still whispering within their tombs. It shall always be a source of evil, spawning threats throughout the millennia” Darth Traya
Korriban made its debut in 1994, in the Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith comic series published by Dark Horse Comics.
Korriban was later renamed “Moraband” because George Lucas liked it better. This happened when Lucas and his team were developing the sixth season of The Clone Wars.
In the final episode, Yoda visits the planet as a part of a journey to unlock the secrets that will allow him to preserve his consciousness after becoming one with the Force. In his adventure, the Jedi Master encounters the spirit of Darth Bane.
Abeloth
Abeloth, also known as Bringer of Chaos or Beloved Queen of the Stars is a force entity, but she wasn’t always this fearsome creature.
Abeloth was once a regular human, born thousands of years before the Skywalker saga, she served the Ones; the Father, the Daughter, and the Son. If you watched The Clone Wars then you have already met these beings, Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, and Anakin encountered them on Mortis.
She was a beloved member of the family and eventually became the Mother, years passed and the fear of losing her family became unbearable so she decided to drink from the Font of Power and take a bath in the Pool of Knowledge. This corrupted and turn her into the entity that we know as Abeloth.
Abeloth acquired immortality and powers that make her virtually invincible. Her mental fortitude is extreme, she can shapeshift, trick force-sensitive people to look for her and consume them on sight, mass mind control of weak-minded individuals, is ten times stronger than any human, ability to possess or switch bodies, can absorb energy and teleport short distances, her telekinetic powers are unmatched and she possesses the most powerful force-healing.
Regular Jedi and Sith often fell under the influence and regular humans can’t even be near her without going insane. The only way to truly defeat her is with the Mortis Dagger, otherwise, she can only be temporarily contained.
She has been locked up by the Daughter and Son multiple times, in the Expanded Universe, it took the combined efforts of Darth Krayt and Grand Master Luke Skywalker to defeat her. In my opinion, she’s the most terrifying creature in Star Wars.
What’s your favorite scary thing in Star Wars? What do you imagine a Star Wars horror game or movie would be like?
