Star Wars: The Top 5 Most Powerful Crime Syndicates In The Galaxy

Jaiden Duran - This is for the Editorial Fellowship.

With the fall of the Galactic Republic, crime is on the rise, forging some of the most powerful criminal syndicates the galaxy has ever seen.

Earlier this year, fans witnessed some of the most powerful criminal entities in the Star Wars galaxy converge on the Tatooine city of Mos Espa. The Book of Boba Fett showed the influence each crime syndicate has in the galaxy through their various criminal activities; spice running in particular. Until projects like this and Solo: A Star Wars Story, the criminal underworld was one of the least explored galactic functions in the live-action arena. With the future of Star Wars continuing to unfold, fans are sure to see the Five Syndicates pursue their glory as the most powerful criminal organization in existence.

The Crymorah Syndicate

The Crymorah Syndicate was a criminal force that was extremely powerful, even before the fall of the Galactic Republic. Some Star Wars fans might not have known this but they brought up a younger Jabba the Hutt, pushing him through the ranks as a gangster, with his reputation eventually earning him his seat on the Hutt Council. The Crymorah are well-known for their selling of information to the Galactic Empire as they attempted to seize Berch Teller and the rebel cell. However, as a telling sign of their lack of morals and respect for others, they also went behind the back of the Empire using other criminals and pirates to raid Imperial supply lines. The Crymorah Syndicate is also affiliated with the Droid Gotra, which is a band of Separatist-era battle droids that received extraordinary advancements and modifications to aid them in their acts against the Empire.

Black Sun

When the opportunity presented itself, this newer, smaller syndicate wasted no time to seize their long-awaited recognition of power. While the Jedi Order unwittingly focused all their attention on military affairs, Black Sun quickly became a key entity in the criminal arena. Led by Ziton Moj, Black Sun asserted their affiliations with the likes of the Shadow Collective (Sith Lord Maul), the Empire, and the Five Syndicates. With headquarters on Mustafar and Ord Mantell, their primary business was the slave trade, and during the Age of the Empire, they kept watch over the outer rim. Black Sun, although relatively new, proved they are a force to be reckoned with after clashing with Count Dooku’s forces in the Battle of Ord Mantell, putting the Pykes in their place upon being rejected for a proposed merging of the two syndicates, surviving the fall of the Empire, and progressing their power through the New Republic era.

The Pyke Syndicate

The Pykes primarily have their hands in the Spice Running business. Spice is what they call a “mind-altering drug” in the Star Wars Galaxy, and with the help of several criminal factions, the Pykes included, it gets distributed by the smugglers they pay to do their dirty work. The Pykes mostly obtain their spice through slave labor in the spice mines of Kessel – as seen in the Star Wars spinoff movie Solo – as well as some other planets. Although fans have seen some extent of their power, like helping Maul conquer Mandalore in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, the audience gets even more of an idea during the likes of The Book of Boba Fett and even Star Wars: The Bad Batch. The Pykes have proved again and again to be extremely ruthless by nature and fostered a large assortment of patrol ships and freighters (for both the transportation of goods and specialized enforcers, and enough weapons to supply an entire army).

The Hutt Clan

As the syndicate with the first live-action appearance, fans most famously associate the Hutt Clan with one of Star Wars' most notorious and powerful gangsters; Jabba the Hutt. The Syndicate lays headquarters on Nal Hutta, and is run by the Hutt Council as mentioned before. They function similarly to a mafia – intimidation tactics, business taxing, and hyperspace lane control – but do stray from their norms to get their hands in other criminal activities where money can be made. There was a time when audiences believed to have seen the last of the Hutt Clan upon being destroyed by Darth Vader in battle, and Jabba the Hutt’s death. However, recent events suggest otherwise with the appearances of the Hutt Twins in The Book of Boba Fett, and it can be assumed that the clan has been rebuilding their assets since then. This clan is sneaky, untrustworthy, and are entirely underestimated; they can and will ruin lives in the most painful, excessive ways.

Crimson Dawn

Originally, Crimson Dawn was a band of brutal marauders who raided planets for their resources, but with the leadership of Maul, a Sith Lord, they quickly became one of the most horrific syndicates in the galaxy. Maul’s ultimate mission was to steal galactic dominance from Sidious, which led him to create the Shadow Collective of five criminal organizations, Crimson Dawn included, and used it to fund this mission. After Sidious’s attacks disbanded the Shadow Collective, Maul took complete control over Crimson Dawn and attempted yet another consolidation of criminal organizations; the Five Syndicates. As people of the galaxy learned of the organization's power surge and became fully aware of their complete disregard of morals and respect, they would tremble upon hearing its name.