Darth Vader has officially been voted the greatest Star Wars villain of all time.

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In a poll by the Radio Times, in which 10,000 votes were cast for 16 baddies, the dark lord of the Sith came out on top securing 33 per cent of the final tally.

Sheev Palpatine – played by Ian McDiarmid – came in second place on the list, with 18 percent of the vote.

Elsewhere, Darth Maul claimed six percent of the votes as did Boba Fett, who recently returned to the franchise in the second series of The Mandalorian.

“Never underestimate the power of the Dark Side,” Huw Fullerton, RadioTimes.com’s Sci-Fi and Fantasy Editor said.

“Over 40 years after he first wheezed his way onto our screens, it’s clear that Star Wars’ fans’ faith in Lord Vader remains stronger than ever, with a third of the thousands who voted picking him as their favourite villain from the series.

“Star Wars films and TV series may come and go, but Darth Vader will always be the ultimate villain. Truly, he is the Master.”

The full list is as follows:

1. Darth Vader – 33 per cent (3422)
2. The Emperor – 18 per cent (1897)
3. Grand Admiral Thrawn – 6 per cent (636)
4. Darth Maul – 6 per cent (632)
5. Boba Fett – 6 per cent (631)
6. General Grievous – 4 per cent (458)
7. Greedo – 4 per cent (399)
8. Moff Gideon – 4 per cent (381)
9. Kylo Ren – 3 per cent (354)
10. Grand Moff Tarkin – 3 per cent (330)
11. Count Dooku – 2 per cent (258)
12. Supreme Leader Snoke – 2 per cent (224)
13. Captain Phasma – 2 per cent (223)
14. Asajj Ventress – 2 per cent (193)
15. Grand Inquisitor – 2 per cent (178)
16. Jabba the Hutt – 2 per cent (158)

Meanwhile, it was recently revealed that Hayden Christensen is set to reprise his role as Darth Vader in the new upcoming Obi Wan Kenobi series.

“It was such an incredible journey playing Anakin Skywalker,” Christensen in a statement.

He added: “Of course, Anakin and Obi-Wan weren’t on the greatest of terms when we last saw them…It will be interesting to see what an amazing director like Deborah Chow has in store for us all.

“I’m excited to work with Ewan again. It feels good to be back.”