Although not as much as in Legends, there are a few examples in the Star Wars canon of Stih and dark side warriors who managed to find redemption.
WARNING: Spoilers for Obi-Wan Kenobi.
As strong as the hold of the dark side of the Force is, there are examples in the Star Wars canon of Sith and other dark side users who eventually found redemption. Ever since the first Star Wars movie, the Star Wars saga has dealt with the idea of a dichotomy of the Force: the light and the dark. Darth Vader and the Emperor were the first characters to embody what the dark side was, with Luke, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Yoda representing what a Jedi should stand for in the light.
Curiously, the term “Sith” was never used during the original trilogy. While one of George Lucas’ initial drafts for Star Warsdated 1974, had the word “Sith” in it, the term would only be used in a film in 1999’s Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. The first of the Star Wars prequels added the concept of Sith to the mainstream Star Wars canon, followed by the introduction of new “Darths” such as Darth Maul and Darth Tyranus. Star Wars‘The dark side of the Force would not be limited to the Sith, as other villains like Asajj Ventress and the Inquisitors are not Sith.
Both among the Sith and other dark side warriors, there are those who managed to overcome the dark side of the Force and find some sort of redemption. However, in canon, there are not as many examples of redeemed dark side warriors as there were in the old Expanded Universe. The now-called Legends continuity saw the introduction of several Sith and dark side warriors, many of who were later redeemed. Galen Marek, Revan, and Mara Jade are some notable examples of redeemed Star Wars villains who are no longer canon. The smaller number of Sith and dark side users in the current Star Wars canon naturally lead to fewer cases of redemption, but that is not at all bad as it makes each of those redemptions feel more special.
Asajj Ventress
Chronologically, Asajj Ventress was the first dark side user to find redemption in the current Star Wars canon, as far as it has been revealed. Although Ventress was never a Sith, mostly because of the Rule of Two, she was trained by Count Dooku in the ways of the dark side of the Force. Life had been harsh for Ventress, who was taken from her home and later had to watch the Jedi master who trained her being killed, which explains why she fell to the dark side. However, after being betrayed by Count Dooku, Asajj Ventress realized that she was nothing but a pawn in the Sith’s plans. After failing on killing Dooku, Ventress then assumed a more neutral role in the rest of the Clone Wars and started to fight for no one but herself. Eventually, Ventress’ altruistic acts like helping Ahsoka brought her close to the light, a journey that ended with her ultimate sacrifice to save Quinlan Voss.
Quinlan Vos
Live-action Quinlan Vos may have appeared as a background character in The Phantom Menace only, but the character had quite a journey in the Star Wars canon. Quinlan Vos was a Jedi who would often go on undercover missions, which is why he was hiding in Tatooine during the events of The Phantom Menace. Toward the end of the Clone Wars, Quinlan was set on a secret mission to kill Count Dooku and bring an end to war. Despite the help from Asaj Ventress, who introduced Quinlan Vos to the ways of the dark side of the Force, Quilan failed to kill Dooku and was captured by the Sith. After months of manipulation and torture by Dooku, Quinlan Vos tragically gave up on the dark side and became an agent for the Sith. However, upon seeing Ventress sacrifice herself to save his life, Quinlan Vos found the light again. The fate of the Jedi remains open in canon, as Obi-Wan Kenobi reveals that Quinlan Vos was one of the Jedi who The Path helped escape from the Empire.
Third Sister
The most recent example of a redemption arc in Star Wars is Reva, the Third Sister. The character was created for Obi-Wan Kenobi as one of the Imperial Inquisitors hunting Jedi across the galaxy, but the show quickly suggested that there was more to Reva’s intentions than just serving the Empire. Toward the end of Obi-Wan Kenobi, it was revealed that the Third Sister was one of the younglings at the Jedi Temple during Order 66 and that all of her time as Inquisitor was nothing but a way to get close to Darth Vader and fulfill her revenge. That time as an Inquisitor did not come without a cost, and the Third Sister had to commit horrible acts. Reva failed to kill Darth Vader but plotted to kill a young Luke Skywalker as a way to avenge all the other younglings. However, upon seeing herself in Luke, Reva realized that she had become too much like Darth Vader and gave up on her revenge, realizing she no longer had to choose vengeance.
Darth Vader
Darth Vader sacrificing himself to save Luke from the Emperor is the first-ever Star Wars redemption story and one of the most memorable character arcs in pop culture. Vader was introduced as the epitome of a villain, with no traits of redeemable qualities or that he was even a human. However, after The Empire Strikes Back‘s shocking reveal that Darth Vader was Luke’s father, anything was possible as to how the villain’s story would end in Return of the Jedi. Even though Yoda and Obi-Wan wanted Luke to kill Vader, the son of Anakin Skywalker believed that there was still good in his father. In Luke’s defining moment as a Jedi, he ditched his lightsaber and refused to kill Vader, leading to the redemption of Darth Vader. Anakin Skywalker died after killing the Emperor and then managed to become a Force ghost, his return to the light complete.
Kylo Ren
Kylo Ren aspired to be like Darth Vader, and in a way, his fate was similar to that of his grandfather. Ben Solo fell to the dark side after years of secret influence by Palpatine, through Snoke’s voice, inside his mind. Ben destroyed Luke’s Jedi Temple after his uncle thought of killing him and later formed the Knights of Ren under Snoke and the First Order. However, Kylo Ren never managed to truly embrace the dark side, not even after killing his father, Han Solo. The death of Snoke suggested that Kylo Ren would become the Supreme Leader and final villain in Episode IX, but that is not what happened. Ben Solo’s connection with Rey and Leia’s sacrifice to help him one last time made Kyloe go back to the light in The Rise of Skywalker and emerge as Ben Solo. The true story of Ben Solo ended with him sacrificing himself to bring Rey back to life in yet another tragic end to a Star Wars redemption arc.
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