STAR WARS: TERRORS OF THE GALAXY

I figured it would be fun to share an interesting topic that fascinates me in a haunting sort of way: the horrors that take place in the galaxy far, far away! All-powerful entities such as Sith Lords that can suck the life-force out of you, wandering ghosts that haunt certain areas or even the vast empitness of space, and a full-on zombie infection! These are just a few of the most terrifying things within the Star Wars Universe!

Project Blackwing: This was a virus created by the Sith during ancient times. They were trying to achieve immortality by mixing science with Sith magic. However, it accidentally backfired and made some of the Sith into undead monstrosities! The virus also acts as a hive mind for all of the zombies, meaning that all of the infected act in unison. Knowledge of the virus has passed down thousands of years, particularly with the Dark Side. Darth Vader himself ordered the Empire to contain the virus so that it could potentially be used on the Rebels. Unfortunately, an accident occurred releasing the virus and infecting nearly everyone on board the Star Destroyer! This is what sets off the events of the fan-favorite novel known as Death Troopers, where a group of survivors including an Imperial Officer, some guards, and even some prisoners such as Han Solo and Chewbacca have to reluctantly team up in order to escape and not get infected.

So yeah, it's a zombie virus created by the ancient Sith trying to achieve immortality, and it leads to a classic zombie survival story in Death Troopers! Heck, in the Ahsoka series, we even see the Nightsisters use a little bit of that undead magic! Though I doubt we'll be able to see Project Blackwing in full effect, considering that zombies are particularly gruesome monsters that feed on flesh, and their bodies are essentially walking corpses. It would be hard to make this kind of story work without making it R-rated, and I feel like even with Disney trying to break the mold by making a couple of R-rated Marvel shows that this would still be unlikely. Though it would be awesome of it does happen! And yes, it is funny to think that there maybe times when Han Solo is just thinking to himself and then asks, "Hey, Chewie? Do you remember the time when we survived that zombie outbreak on one of the Star Destroyers?" "ROAR!" "Yeah, that was crazy." And Luke and Leia would be so confused! Leia wouldn't even believe him!

Starweirds: These things are the equivalent to the Dementors from Harry Potter. They're these skeletal looking phantoms that seem to wear robes and can suck the life-force out of you! They are found within the deepest regions of space and have been known for invading ships that have broken down during hyperdrive. They are most infamous for seeking out any Force Users, Jedi or Sith, so that they can feed on their Force energy, killing them in the process. They would go after whoever regardless, but they seem to be particularly drawn to force users, especially Jedi who they have the most hatred towards because of the Light Side of the Force. They are incredibly dangerous and terrifying even towards powerful Jedi and Sith, but it is possible for a Jedi to fend themselves against a Starweird if they are strong enough with the force and not at all reckless. If you're not a Force User, you might as well hide and pray they don't find you within your own ship.

It is said that if you look directly at a Starweird, you will see yourself all decayed, and you will go insane and beyond terrified as your life is being drained. No one knows what these things are exactly, but it is rumored that they are the lost souls of the Sith who haven't fully ascended into the afterlife. That would make them manifestations of the Dark Side and would explain why they particularly despise the Jedi and the Light Side so much. If you dare to travel through deep space, make sure your hypderive equipment is completely stable and that you don't bring a Force sensitive person on board.

Screecher's Reach (SPOILERS FOR SEASON 2, EPISODE 2 OF STAR WARS: VISIONS): In this episode, a group of labored kids decided to go on an adventure beyond their miserable workplace. They tell the story of a ghost who haunts the cave in the mountains known as the Screecher. While venturing in the mountains, the main girl Daal gets separated from the group and encounters the terrifying Screecher! She's this old, decripted woman with bone-like fingers, long, grey hair, no pupils, and is even equipped with a red lightsaber, implying that she was once a Sith Lord. Daal did manage to get the Screecher's lightsaber and decided to kill her where she laid. Turns out she wasn't a ghost, but just an old lady who had a seemingly supernatural presence to her.

Shortly after reuniting with her friends, Daal is then greeted by an alien woman with a strange, eerie, disembodied voice. She was the one who was calling out to her through this red medallion, and she says that she has passed the test. She ordered Daal to come, but she didn't want to leave her friends. The woman says that she has no choice, and deceives her into coming on board her ship. The final shot of the episode is Daal looking back to her friends as the door closes, after she had said herself to not look back.

So I suppose the real terror was the Sith Lady trying to approach Daal as some sort of angelic being only to lead her to training to become a Sith. But both are scary in their own way! As for the Screecher herself, I wonder who she is? Did she become a Sith Lord or was her training never fully complete? How powerful was she during her prime? Why did she become a Sith? And why was she abandoned in the mountain caves? Was it just so that she can be used as a test for a potential young candidate like with Daal? How many poor children have encountered the Screecher only to meet their demise? I know Star Wars: Visions isn't technically canon, but then again, they did say that some of these stories could be canon at some point, and there is a book based on the very first episode featuring the Ronin. So here's hoping that the story gets continued in some way, and that we also get the backstory of the terrifying Screecher. Also, I love the sketchy artstyle for her! It looks so cool and creepy!

Darth Nihilus: If the Starweirds are like Dementors, this terrifying Sith Lord is like a combination between that and the Ringwraiths from Lord of the Rings! Darth Nihilus reigned as a Dark Lord of the Sith during the events of Knights of the Old Republic II, thousands of years before the events of the Skywalker Saga. Before becoming a Sith Lord, he was a normal man who lost his friends and family during the Galactic Republic's war against the Mandalorian Neo-Crusaders. He survived the activation of the Jedi's superweapon known as the Mass Shadow Generator during the war's final battle at the planet of Malachor V, which surrounded the planet with a destructive phenomenon known as a mass shadow. The superweapon was supposed to be used on the Mandalorians in orbit since they were the enemies that were defeating the Republic Fleet, but it ended up brutally murdering nearly everyone on the planet and in orbit. The man barely survived the devastation, but in the process became a wound in the Force. The shadow that obliterated almost everything on and around the planet made Nihilus crave Force energy. He was found by the former Jedi Kreia, who became the Sith Lord Darth Traya and told him that she could teach him to feed his endless hunger. He accepted her offer of apprenticeship 
at the Sith Academy on Malachor V, where he, over time, became one of three concurrent Dark Lords of the Sith alongside Darth Sion.

Darth Nihilus is absolutely horrifying due to his insane power to feed on the Force engery of others in order to stay alive. He has no choice, and it pains him when he doesn't feed. He became so insanely powerful that he can devour the energy of an entire planet! As for his design, he simply wears black robes, black armor, and a white mask covering his face. Though eventually, in order to cope with his neverending hunger, he had to bind his spirit with his clothes, losing his physical form. So that means that there's nothing physical behind the mask...only darkness! With his Force draining powers, dangerous lightsaber skills, and horrifying presence, Darth Nihilus has since became a fan-favorite Sith character in the expanded Star Wars Universe! And to think that his drug-like addiction to Force energy will never be satisfied, not even after devouring entire planets!

Abeloth, The Most Horrifying Being In Star Wars: Last but certainly not least, let's talk about the most powerful yet nightmare-inducing character in the franchise! If you've seen Clone Wars, you would know about the Mortis Gods: the Daughter who represents the Light Side of the Force, the Son who represents the Dark Side, and the Father who represents the Balance and neutrality of the Force. But was there ever a Mother? Yes actually, but she was a human mortal who was accepted as part of the family. However, she started to age overtime, so she secretly went to the Pool of Knowledge which ended up cursing her with such immeasurable power and turned her into a hideous abomination. Her mouth now spreads across her face with very sharp teeth. Her eyes are now black with tiny white lights as pupils. And her arms and legs are now long, grotesque tentacles. The rest of the family were shocked in horror, even the Son. They abandoned her to be all alone, which fueled her rage. The Mortis Gods received help from a race known as the Kelliks in order to create a space prison for her which is then sent inside a black hole know as The Maw, which is the same black hole that the Millennium Falcon managed to escape from in Solo: A Star Wars Story. And everytime Abeloth tried to escape, the Gods were there there to keep her imprisoned.

But if you remember the Mortis Arc in Clone Wars, you would know that all of them end up dying in that story. That means that once Abeloth tries to escape again, there is no one to seal her away! This leads to a series of books that take place after Return of the Jedi called Fate of the Jedi. These books are no longer canon due to Disney taking over and making a trilogy of their own, but in those books, all of the Jedi and Sith were threatened by the sheer presence and unlimited powers of Abeloth, that they had to reluctantly team up in order to take her down, with the Jedi of course being led by Luke Skywalker. Though, she is no easy foe considering her immense powers such as being able to enhance her speed and strength to absurd degrees, using the Force to levitate anything with ease, and even being able to possess multiple peoe at once!

Abeloth was the most powerful being in Star Wars while also being the most horrific. And while the Fate of the Jedi books are no longer canon, the Mortis Gods still are largely thanks to The Clone Wars series. And if you remember the ending to the Ahsoka series, without giving too much away for those who haven't seen it, the Sith known as Baylem did find the statue of the Father pointing at a certain direction. Baylem says that there is a calling that he senses and he believes that said calling could bring balance to the Force like what the Father represents. But if this is Abeloth we're talking about, it will only lead to chaos and devastation, and we could see a rare attempt from this current Disney Star Wars Era to have horror movie vibes, Lovecraftian horror even! I'm sure she would be toned down a bit, but I would imagine her to still look horrifying! She honestly would have been a far better villain for the Sequel Trilogy than simply bringing back Palpatine, at least without any buildup and having to waste Snoke.

So what did you all think of these? Which one was the most fascinating or the scariest to you? Comment below!