It has almost been 50 years since George Lucas first took us to a galaxy far far away. In that time, the Star Wars universe has introduced several characters who have wormed their way into the fandom’s hearts. Your favorite may be a furry Wookie or a sarcastic droid. Every era has its hotshot pilot or villain (or three) with a British accent. With Star Wars showing no signs of slowing down, it’s clear that more unforgettable characters will soon debut in the sci-fi franchise. But for now, let’s focus on the ones we already know and love.
These are the 50 Greatest Star Wars Characters of All Time.
40. Cara Dune (Gina Carano)
Played by the charismatic (if controversial) Gina Carano, Carasynthia Dune first appears in 2019’s The Mandalorian. Originally from Alderaan, Cara was off-world when the first Death Star M-80’d that planetary pumpkin. Trained as a shock trooper for the Alliance, her expertise was in heavy weapons and commando tactics. She put those skills to use hunting down Imperial officers and making them wish they’d taken early retirement.
When the New Republic formed, Dune took to mercenary work, having had enough of political conflict. It was in this role that she met Din Djarin, the Mandalorian. The two share an adventure defending a backwater village – Magnificent Seven style – after which she goes back to brawling and blasters.
When Din returns to get her help freeing Greef Karga’s city on Nevarro, she doesn’t hesitate. After the mission, she settles down on Navarro as marshal under Karga. Once again, she’s called to action to save Grogu from Moff Gideon, and she doesn’t disappoint.
Look, I liked Carano as Dune and wanted to see more of her. She was tough, reliable, and of course wasn’t hard on the eyes. It’s too bad we won’t see that Rangers of the New Republic show, but them’s the breaks when you work for the House of the Mouse.
–Jeff Cram
39. Cad Bane (Corey Burton)
Star Wars is rife with character names that are a little too on-the-nose, (Savage Opress or Han Solo, anyone?). For this entry into that company, we have the clearly nefarious character of Cad Bane.
A Duros bounty hunter, we first meet Cad in the Season 1 finale of The Clone Wars (2008), where he captures several Senators in a bid to free Ziro the Hutt. Turns out, this gunslinger is cool as a cucumber, and manages to pull off his mission despite Anakin Skywalker’s efforts to thwart him. Ruthless and cunning, Bane lives up to the fearsome reputation bounty hunters garner in the Star Wars galaxy. He doesn’t take prisoners, preferring the tidiness of an indiscriminate body count. We see him do whatever it takes to get the job done, which is what gets him hired again and again by the most unsavory elements.
Designed to fit with a western theme, Bane cuts an imposing figure with his lean profile, wide-brimmed hat, and twin blaster pistols. His sinister voice, blazing red eyes, and nifty augmentations send a thrilling shiver down fans’ spines, keeping them wanting more.
We got to see more in 2021’s The Book of Boba Fett, where Bane was realized in live-action. Hired by the Pykes to disrupt the budding base of Boba’s power, he crossed paths with the heroes on his way up the food chain. His final confrontation with Fett didn’t go as he expected, or so we’re meant to believe. I have a (bad?) feeling we’ll be seeing more of this space lanes drifter in the future.
–Jeff Cram
38. Mara Jade Skywalker
Continuing the tradition of bad guys (and gals) going good, Mara Jade is the creation of Timothy Zahn, for his trilogy of novels that first continued the story of our gang from a galaxy far, far away. We meet her in Heir to the Empire (1991), as second-in-command to the smuggler captain Talon Karrde.
Mara is tough, clever, and possessed of a keen perception of what’s going on around her at all times. No slouch as a pilot, she’s a skilled marksman and hand-to-hand combatant as well. She seems to have picked up a little bit of everything, which makes her invaluable to Karrde. In Heir, she meets Luke Skywalker, and while she helps him survive a botched escape attempt in an alien jungle, she’s clearly not too happy about it.
We soon find out that the reason for her exceptional skills and her anger toward Skywalker come from the fact that she was once the Emperor’s Hand. Tasked with cleaning up loose ends, she was an assassin who drew some of her power in the Force through her dark master. His last command, before getting yeeted down that shaft in the second Death Star, was to KILL LUKE SKYWALKER!
Over the course of many novels, comics, and video games, we see Mara work through her anger issues, become a Jedi Master, and eventually fall in love with, and marry, Luke Skywalker. They even have a son together, Ben Skywalker. Confused? Well, you and me both, pal. Mara hasn’t made it into the Disney canon as of yet, so we’ll all have to wait and see if she pops up somewhere in the future.
–Jeff Cram
37. Chirrut Îmwe (Donnie Yen)
How can you not love a guy brought to life by the always-charismatic Donnie Yen? When we first see him in Rogue One (2016), Chirrut is an itinerant priest on the crowded streets of Jedha, wher he offers to tell Jyn Erso’s fortune for her kyber crystal necklace. It’s at this point that the blind man is caught up in Jyn’s mission along with Cassian Andor and K-2SO. He proves a valuable ally, as it turns out he’s a warrior monk of the line of the Guardian’s of the Whills, a Jedi-like order of mystics charged with guarding the Temple of the Kyber on Jedha.
While not exactly a Jedi, Chirrut can sense the Force around him, how it moves, how it binds the galaxy together. He can almost smell the Dark Side, or hear the Light. This sense often gives him a window into people’s character, and aids him in his dynamic martial arts. I’m sure more than a few of us have whispered his mantra under our breath, “I am one with the Force, the Force is with me.”
Chirrut, and his companion Baze Malbus (Jiang Wen) continue to help the budding Rebel Alliance as they fight to secure the Death Star plans. All the while, the monk dispenses wisdom, wise-cracks, and severe beatings with aplomb.
You know, up until that whole Dirty Dozen ending.
–Jeff Cram
35. Clone Force 99 (Dee Bradley Baker)
Much like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the different characters of the Bad Batch essentially contain one component of a well-rounded personality. Separately, they’re one-trick-ponies, but together they make a true gestalt.
Most of us first learned about this clone A-Team in Season 7 of the Clone Wars (2020), where they are introduced as Clone Force 99. They’re a team of elite commandos with genetic alterations which give them special abilities. You’ve got the leader, Hunter, a clone with enhances senses and who is totally not Rambo (red bandana notwithstanding). There’s Wrecker, the happy-go-lucky brute. Tech, the brains of the outfit. Crosshair, the elite sniper. Finally, we have Echo, the cybernetically-enhanced clone who can interface with computer systems.
The Bad Batch are just plain fun. They’ve each got their own distinctive quirks (despite all being voiced by the freakishly talented Dee Bradley Baker), their own armor and weapon mods, and varying body types. It’s an action-figure collector’s dream!
But I’m sure that wasn’t factored into their creation.
–Jeff Cram
35. Plo Koon (Matt Sloan & James Arnold Taylor)
First appearing in 2005’s Revenge of the Sith, Plo Koon is an alien Jedi Master of the race of Kel Dor. Physically intimidating, Koon is tall, has menacing clawed hands, and a head like something out of a nightmare. He’s forced to wear a creepy mask the serves to protect his eyes and respiratory system from oxygen, which is poisonous to his race.
In a true case of juxtaposition, this Jedi Master is one you would want watchin’ your back. Calm, incredibly resourceful, and no slouch with a lightsaber, Plo is one of the best the Council has to offer. His connection to the Force is exceptional, and he seems to handle any crisis with steady aplomb. His grounded nature is infectious, and often turns the tide of morale in stressful situations.
It’s a well-known piece of Star Wars trivia that Plo Koon is Dave Filoni’s favorite Jedi. He was used in the script and dailies to disguise the appearance of Luke Skywalker in the now-legendary episode 16 of The Mandalorian. It’s no surprise that he is also the Jedi who finds a young Ahsoka Tano and sets her on her path to greatness.
Plo had a great rapport with the clones who served with him, which makes it even more of a shame they did him dirty during Order 66.
–Jeff Cram
34. BB-8 (Various)
If you’re looking for a true scene-stealer in Star Wars, BB-8 fits the bill perfectly. Even though it’s a droid, Poe Dameron’s loyal sidekick somehow manages to feel like an adorable little puppy you just want to pick up and cuddle. BB-8’s mission to deliver a crucial map to the Resistance kicks off its journey, which leads it to Jakku and into the hands of Rey. From that point on, the droid becomes a vital part of the Resistance’s efforts. Who would have thought a roly-poly design and emotive beeps could feel so human? The connection between fans and BB-8 was instant, and the droid quickly won over audiences and became a breakout star of the sequel trilogy. Honestly, without BB-8, Rey and Finn’s mission could’ve easily failed, leaving the future of the galaxy uncertain. Is it possible to find a more beloved droid than R2-D2? Some Star Wars loyalists may say no, but I say, look no further than BB-8.
–Romona Comet
33. Rey (Daisy Ridley)
I may be in the minority, but I actually really liked The Force Awakens. Hell, I didn’t mind the whole sequel trilogy. Sure, it was repetitive and reactive, but it was still a fun spectacle. There are details and character choices that bug me (they did Finn dirty), but overall I usually had a good time. And I always dug Rey. Daisy Ridley embodied the whole scrappy outsider concept, and while I could have done without the revelations as to her “real” parents, it never really changed the core of the character. She was the scrappy nobody with a special gift, one that changed her life those of the people around her, and she saw that as a chance to make a difference. To stand up and try to do what was right. Do I think the writers could have served the character better? Absolutely, but Daisy Ridley kept me invested regardless of plot hockum. Invested enough that I’m now looking forward to the character’s return. She’s the core of the sequel trilogy, and the basis for everything going forward.
–Bob Cram
32. General Grievous (Matthew Wood)
Though the subject of many memes, you have to admit General Grievous is really cool. Introduced in the original Clone Wars TV show, then in Episode III, he was (to my knowledge) the first cyborg Sith and certainly an iconic villain in his own right. Everything from his look, his double lightsabers and his memorable voice (by Star Wars veteran Matthew Wood) gives him a sinister and unforgettable energy. Even though his appearance is much different, Lucas wanted Grievous to in some ways foreshadow Anakin’s eventual fate as Darth Vader, a prototype of the technology that would save his life. Still making appearances in the universe to this day (most recently in Tales of the Empire) despite his death in Episode III, Grievous remains a creative and interesting character in the Sith lore.
–Valerie Morreale
31. Asajj Ventress (Nika Futterman)
Appearing first in the Genndy Tartakovski rendition of Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003), Ventress was originally designed as a main antagonist for the heroes. Her role morphed when she showed up again in The Clone Wars (2008’s film and later the series), to that of a Dark Side subordinate, under Count Dooku.
A pale Zabrak, she was originally a child of the mysterious world of Dathomir. She was rescued from slavery by a Jedi who took her on as his padawan. It was his premature death that led her to seek revenge, and her fall to the Dark Side had begun. Not long after this, she was discovered by Darth Tyranus and became his acolyte.
Ventress led portions of the Separatist army, a mirror of the Jedi with whom she would often clash blades. She acquitted herself well, even though she was often undermined by other elements of the Emperor’s organization. Eventually betrayed by Dooku, she returned to Dathomir, hoping to help her fellow Nightsisters gain revenge against her former master.
Instead, her sisters were massacred, and Ventress never quite recovered. She set out into the galaxy, adrift, making her way as a bounty hunter with her cunning, willpower, and the Force to ensure her success. Fans will get a taste of the future of this evolving antihero in the upcoming Tales of the Underworld animated series, slated for May 4, 2025.
–Jeff Cram
50-41 | 30-21
Who are some of your favorite Star Warscharacters? Where do you think they’ll rank on the list?