The 20 Grisliest Moments In 'Star Wars' That Can Be Felt Through The Screen

When Anakin Skywalker decides to take the plunge and become a Dark Lord of the Sith, he doesn't just dip his toe into the dark side pool. He cannonballs into it with as much violence and brutality as possible. The first thing he does is cut the hand off of Mace Windu so Darth Sidious can push him out of the window. After this, he heads to the Grand Jedi Temple to begin what became known as the Great Jedi Purge.

As Order 66 is being executed across the galaxy, Vader and the 501st Legion march into the Temple. The first room he visits is filled with Younglings, who look to the “Jedi” for help. Fortunately, the scene doesn't play out in any place but the viewers' minds, because after a young boy asks Skywalker for help, he's taken aback when he ignites his lightsaber. While you blessedly don't get to see him slaughter a bunch of children, the scene is nonetheless heartbreaking and one of the darkest in franchise history.

Star Wars begins with a lot of action as the Empire boards Leia's ship, blasting through the Rebels defending the princess (and the stolen Death Star plans). It then shifts to a young farm boy who acquires a couple of droids, and while he has a few interesting encounters, the intensity of the story doesn't truly ramp up until he connects the dots between the Empire, the Jawas, and the droids they sold his uncle.

He immediately races back home to try and warn/save his Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru, but he's too late. The couple, who raised him from infancy, had been killed by the Empire. Of course, they weren't just executed by the bad guys; they were burned and left charring on their farm. While it's not entirely clear whether or not the Empire killed Luke's aunt and uncle before setting the farm ablaze, it doesn't really matter, as their horribly charred, skeletal remains were all that were left of the people who made Luke into the young man he became.

There are numerous hints in A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back suggesting Anakin Skywalker was more machine than man. This was confirmed when Luke removed his mask at the end of Return of the Jedi, and it was clear that Anakin had a rough go of it at some point during his life. Of course, the manner in which he was scarred and brutally mutilated wasn't made clear until the third act of Revenge of the Sith.

In what is absolutely the best lightsaber battle ever put to film - that's not open to debate - Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin, who was calling himself Darth Vader at the time, battle across the burning surface of Mustafar. They avoid the flowing lava for several minutes as they destroy the structures around them, but it all comes to a bloody conclusion when Anakin attempts to take his former master while he doesn't have the high ground.

To say things didn't go well for Vader would be a severe misrepresentation, because he was stopped, mid-flip, by Kenobi's swinging blade. Kenobi managed to slice off all of Anakin's remaining limbs, leaving him on the ground at the bank of the lava river. As they spoke their final words to one another, Vader was consumed by flames as he was burned alive. The audience knew he went through hell, but seeing it is another thing, making this scene one of the grisliest in the entire franchise.

Luminara Unduli commanded the 41st Elite Corps of the Grand Army of the Republic during the Clone Wars, and she took part in the final battle on Kashyyyk. Though she survived the Battle of Kashyyyk, she was taken prisoner and executed following the execution of Order 66. Unduli's demise came at a time of great confusion, as the Great Jedi Purge managed to sow disorder and chaos throughout the galaxy. As a result, rumors of her survival persisted for years.

She was deceased, but that didn't stop the Empire from using her cadaver to its advantage. Her remains were placed inside the Spire as a trap to lure Jedi who survived Order 66 to their doom. One such trap was laid for Kanan Jarrus, who sought the Jedi Master to train Ezra Bridger in the ways of the Force. The trap was set by the Inquisitor and sprung by the young Rebels who escaped. Jarrus then spread the word of Unduli's demise to thwart future efforts to use her remains as bait for surviving Jedi, though the image of her emaciated corpse isn't easily forgotten.

The Jedi have a code, and it steers the organization toward justice in all matters, even those involving a powerful Sith Lord. Count Dooku was once a Jedi, having been trained by none other than Grand Master Yoda, but he became disillusioned with the Order and fell to the dark side of the Force. He was the primary antagonist throughout the Clone Wars (other than Darth Sidious, of course), and he was responsible for a great deal of destruction across the galaxy.

When Anakin Skywalker confronted him aboard General Grievous's flagship, the Invisible Hand, the young Jedi managed to cut off both of Dooku's hands at the wrist. That's bad enough, but then he held the Count down on the ground with his and Dooku's lightsabers. With very little goading, Emperor Palpatine was able to push Anakin just enough to get him to betray his oath to the Jedi as he cut off Dooku's head. This was a completely subdued man without any means of escape or further injury, and he should have been taken into custody. Seeing Anakin take his head off was chilling, to say the least.

Star Wars never held back from showing a bit of blaster fire taking someone out, but it rarely delved into decapitation. Sure, someone would lose their hand every once in a while, but it became such a common sight that it almost became boring. Speaking of decapitation, it only happened once in the feature films when Mace Windu removed Jango Fett's head from his body.

If Mace Windu taught us anything, it's that a Mandalorian's armor has one major weak point: the neck. He must have taken Ahsoka Tano aside and discussed how he took out Jango Fett, because she channeled his skills when she took on four members of Death Watch at once. The event came during the first skirmish on Carlac during the Clone Wars.

When she came upon members of Death Watch getting ready to eliminate civilians, she intervened, taking one out with a pole. She was captured soon after (she was hiding the fact that she was a Jedi) but broke free with R2-D2's help. Once her bonds were broken, R2 gave Ahsoka her lightsabers, and she quickly cut her binding and, in one swift move, decapitated all four members of Death Watch.