The great Amandla Stenberg was recently cast as a major character in the upcoming Star Wars streaming series The Acolyte. Stenberg’s role could join the growing roster of iconic Star Wars characters alongside Jedi like Yoda and Qui-Gon Jinn and Sith Lords like Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine.
Every movie in George Lucas’ intergalactic saga is filled with iconic characters – from the original trilogy’s central trio of Luke, Leia, and Han to the prequel trilogy’s central trio of Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Padmé – but there’s always one character in particular who steals the show.
11 Star Wars (1977) – Han Solo
Back in 1977, the original Star Wars movie debuted countless iconic characters: Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Leia Organa, Ben Kenobi, Chewbacca, R2-D2, C-3PO, the list goes on. But, arguably, the standout character is Han Solo.
Harrison Ford’s effortless charisma fit the role of Solo like a glove. He’s a cool-as-ice gunslinger ripped straight from a classic western and transplanted into a galaxy far, far away.
10 The Empire Strikes Back – Darth Vader
Darth Vader was introduced as a faceless symbol of pure evil in the original movie. But he was surprisingly humanized in the sequel. In The Empire Strikes Back, Vader is glimpsed in his private chamber where his helmet is lowered onto his scarred head.
This shot established that there’s a human being in the suit ahead of what is possibly the most shocking, effective plot twist in movie history. At the climax of the movie, Vader reveals to Luke, “I am your father.”
9 Return Of The Jedi – Luke Skywalker
Luke was a bright-eyed do-gooder from the very beginning, but Return of the Jedi turned him into the ultimate hero for Star Wars fans to look up to. Mark Hamill is more comfortable in the role than ever in the original trilogy’s highly anticipated finale.
After learning that he’s Vader’s son, Luke believes there’s still good in his father and refuses to accept otherwise. With this belief, Luke wins the final battle with love and compassion, not with hatred and violence.
8 The Phantom Menace – Qui-Gon Jinn
Liam Neeson only appeared in one Star Wars movie, but that was all he needed to become an icon in this universe. A wise, wholesome, lovable warrior, Qui-Gon Jinn is the epitome of the Jedi teachings. In The Phantom Menace, he establishes himself as the father figure that Anakin needed.
Qui-Gon gets one of the saga’s most heartbreaking death scenes, and his demise has massive ramifications on the larger narrative as it seals Anakin’s tragic fate.
7 Attack Of The Clones – Obi-Wan Kenobi
In the A-plot of Attack of the Clones, Anakin is sent to Naboo to protect Padmé from assassins. Since this is notoriously one of the most cringeworthy romances in film history, the B-plot is much more compelling. The secondary storyline sees Obi-Wan in detective mode.
Throughout the movie, Kenobi uncovers the cloning operation, tangles with Jango Fett, and takes on the Separatists with a Jedi strike force. Ewan McGregor is as charming as always as young Obi-Wan. He captures Kenobi’s signature warmth and wit without copying Alec Guinness.
6 Revenge Of The Sith – Anakin Skywalker
When Attack of the Clones hit theaters, Hayden Christensen’s performance as Anakin Skywalker was criticized for wooden acting. It didn’t help that Lucas wrote him as a whiny teenager who doesn’t like sand. In Revenge of the Sith, Christensen settles more comfortably into the role.
The actor is given much darker material to work with as Anakin completes his journey to the dark side and goes full Vader, and Christensen nails that journey every step of the way.
5 The Force Awakens – Finn
John Boyega fit the tone of Star Wars brilliantly, nailing the goofy one-liners and bringing real nuance to the more dramatic turns. Finn arguably should’ve been the hero who went to Ahch-To to be trained as a Jedi by Luke.
If the plan was for the sequel trilogy to revolve around a “nobody” who doesn’t hail from a special Force-sensitive bloodline, then the orphaned Stormtrooper who was never given a real name would’ve been perfect.
4 Rogue One – Darth Vader
The Empire Strikes Back isn’t the only Star Wars movie stolen by Vader. Rogue One introduced fans to a bunch of exciting new heroes, from Rebel spy Cassian Andor to snarky ex-Imperial droid K-2SO, but Vader steals the show with a boatload of fan service.
The climactic hallway massacre, illuminated by the creepy red glow of Vader’s lightsaber, is one of the most iconic moments in Star Wars history.
3 The Last Jedi – Rose Tico
The second chapter of the sequel trilogy, The Last Jedi, introduced Kelly Marie Tran as everywoman Rose Tico. A mechanic working for the Resistance, Rose is essentially the trilogy’s audience surrogate. She teams up with Finn to help them escape from the First Order.
Tran’s impassioned performance made sure that lines that shouldn’t work on paper – “not fighting what we hate; saving what we love” – still landed in the movie.
2 Solo: A Star Wars Story – Lando Calrissian
Alden Ehrenreich did a fine job of playing a young, naive Han in the origin movie Solo: A Star Wars Story. But Donald Glover stole the spotlight with his mesmerizing turn as a young Lando Calrissian.
Like McGregor’s turn as a young Obi-Wan, Glover recaptured Billy Dee Williams’ charms without doing a shallow impression. Lando is shown to be hilariously arrogant and narcissistic in his early days. He’s constantly narrating his memoirs, The Calrissian Chronicles, on a tape recorder.
1 The Rise Of Skywalker – Babu Frik
The final chapter of the sequel trilogy, and the Skywalker saga as a whole, The Rise of Skywalker, takes a few bizarre leaps with the main characters. Finn and Poe are sidelined yet again, Kylo Ren gets an unearned redemption arc, and Rey is revealed to be Emperor Palpatine’s granddaughter.
But the movie has a few saving graces, like breathtaking practical effects, a more faithful portrayal of Luke Skywalker, and Ian McDiarmid’s long-awaited return to the role of Palpatine. And, of course, there’s tiny droid engineer Babu Frik. Babu gives Grogu a run for his money as the most adorable Star Wars character.
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