Darth Vader, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Boba Fett and pop culture phenomenon Grogu—or as he has been dubbed, Baby Yoda—are just a few of the sci-fi franchise’s iconic figures. From the films to the live-action series, the Star Wars universe is full of heroes, villains and droids. Keep reading for our list of the 25 best Star Wars characters.
Top 25 Star Wars Characters
25. Jyn Erso
Jyn Erso, played by Felicity Jones, appeared in the first standalone Star Wars film, Rogue One. Jyn, whose father Galen Erso placed a weakness in the Death Star, helped transmit the Death Star plans to the Rebel Alliance. She also delivered the famous line, “Rebellions are built on hope.”
24. Kuiil
Kuiil died trying to protect Grogu in The Mandalorian. The Ugnaught farmer, trusted by Mando, was known for saying, “I have spoken” on the show. In the penultimate episode of Season 1, Mando told Kuiil that he wanted to hire him for services to protect The Child. Kuiil agreed to join, with his reprogrammed droid IG-11, though not for payment, but rather to protect The Child from Imperial slavery. He said, “None will be free until the old ways are gone forever.”
23. Qui-Gon Jinn
Qui-Gon Jinn was the Jedi Master who met Anakin Skywalker on Tatooine and took the young boy with him after Anakin was freed from slavery. Qui-Gon requested that Anakin be trained, but didn’t have the chance to do so. Liam Neeson’s character was killed by Darth Maul in The Phantom Menace. Before dying, Qui-Gon asked Obi-Wan to train Anakin.
22. Padmé Amidala
Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman) served as Queen and later Senator of Naboo. She fell in love with Anakin and the two secretly wed in the second prequel film, Attack of the Clones. Padmé gave birth to their twins, Luke and Leia, in Revenge of the Sith.
21. Rey
Rey (Daisy Ridley) went from being a scavenger on Jakku to fighting against the First Order in the sequel trilogy. It was revealed in The Rise of Skywalker that Rey is actually the granddaughter of Palpatine.
20. Poe Dameron
Poe Dameron (Oscar Issac) was a Resistance starfighter. Described as Leia’s “most daring pilot,” he helped lead the Resistance to victory over the First Order.
19. General Grievous
General Grievous was a Separatist military strategist and a Jedi hunter, who had a cough. The “fiendish droid leader” kidnapped Chancellor Palpatine in Revenge of the Sith. He was killed in the film by Obi-Wan.
18. Lando Calrissian
Billy Dee Williams played Lando Calrissian in The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker. He helped destroy the second Death Star in Return of the Jedi. Lando lost his ship, the Millennium Falcon, to Han Solo. The character was portrayed by Donald Glover in Solo: A Star Wars Story.
17. Emperor Palpatine
Sheev Palpatine turned out to be the Sith Lord, Darth Sidious. It was Palpatine who brought Anakin Skywalker to the dark side and saved him following his fight with Obi-Wan on Mustafar. He also issued Order 66 to have all of the Jedi killed. It seemed like Vader had killed Darth Sidious in Return of the Jedi, but he returned for The Rise of Skywalker. Palpatine fought his granddaughter, Rey, in the conclusion to the Skywalker Saga.
16. Mace Windu
Samuel L. Jackson portrayed Jedi Master Mace Windu in the prequels. Mace Windu sat on the Jedi Council with Master Yoda. Jackson’s character was responsible for killing Jango Fett in Attack of the Clones. Mace sensed a plot to destroy the Jedi in Episode III. Before he was about to strike Palpatine in Revenge of the Sith, Anakin cut off Mace’s arm. Sidious then blasted the Jedi with Force lightning out of the window.
15. Darth Maul
Darth Maul, a Sith Lord, was trained by Darth Sidious. He is the one who killed Qui-Gon Jinn. Darth Maul was believed to have been killed in The Phantom Menace after being cut in half by Obi-Wan, but he was found alive by his brother Savage Opress in the animated series, Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
14. BB-8
The adorable astromech droid belonged to Poe Dameron. BB-8 held an important clue to the location of Luke Skywalker in The Force Awakens. It’s on Jakku, where the First Order captured Poe, that BB-8 met Rey.
13. Ahsoka Tano
Ashoka Tano is a female Togruta. She was the Padawan learner to Anakin and a hero of the Clone Wars. Rosario Dawson played a live-action version of Ahsoka Tano in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy announced in 2020 that character would be getting her own limited Disney+ series.
12. Grogu
Grogu captured the hearts of Star Wars fans first appearing in Disney+‘s The Mandalorian. In the Season 2 finale, Grogu, who has been dubbed Baby Yoda, left with Luke Skywalker. “He is strong with the Force, but talent without training is nothing,” Luke told Mando. “I will give my life to protect the Child, but he will not be safe until he masters his abilities.”
11. Boba Fett
Boba Fett was a bounty hunter and a genetic clone of his father, Jango Fett. While he was believed to have been killed in Return of the Jedi, he appeared in the Disney+ series The Mandalorian and is the star of The Book of Boba Fett.
Top 10 Star Wars characters
10. Mando/Din Djarin
Pedro Pascal plays the Mandalorian in the hit Disney+ series. Mando was tasked with returning Grogu, “The Child,” to his own kind. Din Djarin came into possession of the Darksaber in the Season 2 finale after defeating Moff Gideon.
9. C-3PO
Anakin built C-3PO, a protocol droid, to help his mother. In The Rise of Skywalker, C3-Po helped the Resistance locate the planet of Exegol.
8. Chewbacca
Chewbacca, also known as Chewie, is a Wookiee. Chewie, who was Han’s co-pilot on board the Millennium Falcon, was featured in the original and sequel trilogies.
7. R2-D2
R2-D2 was an astromech droid. In A New Hope, he contained Leia’s famous message for Obi-Wan: “Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You’re my only hope.” The famous droid appeared in all nine of the Skywalker Saga films.
6. Princess Leia
Like her twin brother, Leia was taken somewhere where the Sith would not sense her presence following her birth. She was adopted by Bail Organa and his wife. Portrayed by Carrie Fisher, Leia was one of the leaders of the Rebel Alliance and later founded the Resistance.
5. Yoda
Yoda was a Jedi Master full of wise quotes. Luke sought the Jedi Master to train him. However, Yoda sensed “much anger” in Luke “like his father.” Obi-Wan urged Yoda to train him. While Luke left without completing his training, he returned in Return of the Jedi. Before his death, Yoda informed Luke that he did not require any additional training, but needed to confront his father, Vader, prior to becoming a Jedi. He also revealed that there was another Skywalker.
4. Obi-Wan Kenobi
Obi-Wan Kenobi was a Jedi Master played by Alec Guinness in the original trilogy and by Ewan McGregor in the prequels. He promised Qui-Gon that he would train Anakin. After his apprentice turned to the dark side, Obi-Wan and Anakin, faced off on Mustafar, where Obi-Wan cut off his legs and an arm. “You were my brother Anakin! I loved you,” Obi-Wan shouted after their fight. The pair reunited for the Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi, which is set 10 years after the events of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith.
3. Han Solo
Han Solo was the captain of the Millennium Falcon and portrayed by Harrison Ford in the original and sequel trilogies. He teamed up with Luke and Leia in A New Hope to fight against the Empire. Han and Leia had a child together, son Kylo Ren, who killed him in The Force Awakens. The origin story of Harrison’s character was explored in the movie Solo: A Star Wars Story, which starred Alden Ehrenreich as Han.
2. Luke Skywalker
Luke Skywalker is the son of Anakin/Vader and his late wife Padmé Amidala. At the end of Revenge of the Sith, Luke and his twin sister, Leia, were separated and he was sent to live with his step-uncle Owen on Tatooine. Luke’s journey began in Episode IV after meeting RD-D2, who had a message for Obi-Wan. Mark Hamill played the Jedi in the original trilogy and reprised the role in the sequel trilogy. Yoda told Luke that after he was gone, he would be the last of the Jedi. The character Luke has also made appearances in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett.
1. Darth Vader
Anakin Skywalker was a former slave on Tatooine, who grew up to become Darth Vader. Luke and Leia’s father was believed to have been the chosen one. Anakin, whose midi-chlordan count was higher than Master Yoda’s, was lured to the dark side in the prequel trilogy, though his wife Padmé believed there was still good in him. Next, visit a galaxy far, far away—Disney’s Star Wars Hotel is finally open!
