Top 100 ‘Star Wars’ characters ever (61-100)

Top Stars Wars characters? How many of the below do you recognise? We’re not talking Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luke Skywalker, Anakin Skywalker, Darth Vader, Han Solo.

Aliens, imperials, and droids — oh my! There are all sorts of characters that populate the Star Wars universe — a universe that consists of 11 films as well as live action and animated TV/streaming series. But among all the denizens of all the planets and all the Star Destroyers and all the Rebel bases, who are the best of the best? The Star Wars-obsessed writers of Entertainment Weekly embarked on a quest as seemingly impossible as blowing up a Death Star… TWICE!

Our Gold Squadron group of obsessives selected and ranked the top 100 onscreen Star Wars characters ever. Our rankings are based on folks seen in official movies or TV/streaming shows, and do not include characters who have only appeared in video games or as part of either expanded universe canon or legacy books.

Who will take the top spot? More importantly, how many members of The Max Rebo Band will make the cut? How will the Sith stack up? And which animated characters will battle their way into contention? Our countdown now includes numbers 61-100 of our list, more to follow. So make sure to start orbiting over Scarif as we beam a transmission from the planet surface, because this is the Star Wars list you’re looking for.

Your Return of the Jedi opinion might be determined by your generation: The Gen X crowd isn’t necessarily a fan of Endor’s tiny, fuzzy inhabitants, but Millennials of a certain age hold the Ewoks in high regard and, therefore, the film in general. We could spin this out into an entire Endor-centric think piece, but the essence is, if you care about the Ewoks, you care about Wicket, the chief among them. Actor Warwick Davis has made his mark on Star Wars’ legacy by taking a concept so out there as a talking teddy bear and making him iconic (and cute as a button!).

Stormtroopers don’t usually have many distinguishing characteristics… unless they are played by Jason Sudeikis and Adam Pally. The two put-upon bike scout troopers who kidnapped Grogu hilariously ran through a greatest hits of Stormtrooper clichés, including their famously poor aim (turns out the blasters are faulty!) and Imperial commanders who routinely kill their own minions. They also inflict some not-so-great hits on poor Grogu, which makes their comeuppance at the claws of homicidal nurse droid IG-11 even more satisfying.

The animated Star Wars universe pushed our understanding of the Force in so many ways, but none weirder than in the creation of the Bendu, a character that could charitably be described as an enormous Force moose. Voiced by Doctor Who legend Tom Baker in a delightful fusion of two of pop culture’s longest-running geek franchises, the Bendu is the very embodiment of the balance of the Force, choosing neither the light side nor the dark side, but sitting squarely in the middle. But as he helps the blinded Kanan Jarrus learn to see and aids the rebels as they escape from Grand Admiral Thrawn, the haughty and imperious Bendu proves that the Force’s will remains as mysterious as ever.

In a galaxy filled with incredible names, Elan Sleazebaggano might have one of the best — and one of the silliest. This Balosar lowlife is best known for lurking in nightclubs and attempting to sell death sticks to the wrong guy, resulting in a very stern talking to from Obi-Wan Kenobi. Everything about him is delightfully weird, from his twitching antennae to the way he twirls his fingers as he stows his merchandise and slinks away from the bar. We like to think that he really did go home and rethink his life, eventually becoming a leading figure who strives to make a difference in his community. Or he stayed true to his name and kept selling death sticks. That’s probably more likely.

We can’t speak for the quality of Dex’s Jawa Juice, but the four-armed Besalisk prospector turned Coruscant diner owner certainly proved more useful than the Jedi analysis droids, identifying Jango Fett’s Kamino saber dart and sending Obi-Wan to the watery planet to uncover the secret of the clone army. But the beauty of Dexter Jettser lies not just with his multiple limbs (great for hugging!), nor his keen insight beyond the Outer Rim. It’s all about those super suspenseful pauses he employs in his speech pattern to devastatingly dramatic effect as we ponder the true difference between knowledge and……… wisdom.

Moff Gideon, the menacing Imperial introduced in The Mandalorian, lives and dies by Giancarlo Esposito. We love to see the Breaking Bad all-star in a villain role. (Cue the Avengers: Endgame audience cheer sound every time he pops up on screen with a new persona.) Esposito brings an exactness to Moff, and his words are almost as piercing as the ancient Darksaber he wielded for a time. There’s also a perpetual air of mystery about him. How did he get the Darksaber in the first place? We’d read an entire trilogy of books, a la Thrawn, about his pre-Mandalorian exploits.

Ehh! It’s Babu Frik, the little droidsmith who does about as much for Staten Island representation as Pete Davidson. The pint-sized technical wizard seems to constantly channel Marlon Brando’s Italiano drawl from The Godfather, blurting out the occasional, “Eh! Youse guys!” exclaim. He’s a wholly ridiculous character, but any friend of Felicity — uh, we mean, Keri Russell — is a friend of ours. Plus, you gotta love a puppet performance.

Which Sy Snootles is your Sy Snootles? Do you prefer the original disco puppet from Return of the Jedi‘s theatrical edition, totally Joan Jetting a performance of “Lapti Nek” in the darkened shadows of Jabba’s Palace? Or perhaps you groove to the neo-Jazz choreography of “Jedi Rocks” in the Special Edition? The kids know Sy was no mere songstress, but a Clone Wars spy with a history of Hutt love. Of course, all of these Sy Snootleses are the same Sy Snootles, a troubled-yet-lovable Pa’lowick with a weird song in her heart and memorable tentacle lips to sing with.

Yes, the suit does a lot of the work here. Having a super badass chrome stormtrooper uniform (with a cape!) definitely stands out. Of course, Phasma became significantly less badass after complying with her captors to let down the Starkiller Base shields, and her anger with FN-21877 bordered on obsession… but did we mention the suit? Also, that shot of Phasma’s eye peeking out of the damaged chrome dome before plummeting to a fiery death could earn her a spot on this list alone.

For a franchise that spans multiple galaxies, countless species, and a vast mythology rooted in the Force, Orka and Flix are the rare gay couple in Star Wars’ entire onscreen canon. The Chadra-Fan shopkeeper (who has a skill for parting bargain hunters with their credits) runs the Office of Acquisitions on the Colossus in Resistance, while his “partner” Flix runs the books. Justin Ridge, an executive producer on the animated show, confirmed in an interview that “it’s safe to say they’re an item.” To be more definitive, he added, “They’re absolutely a gay couple and we’re proud of that. We love Flix and Orka.” Now, let’s see more gay people in live-action Star Wars!

All together now: “TRAITOR!” The single coolest stormtrooper in the canon earns a spot on this list for his brief-but-memorable face-off with Finn. That one line carries an unexpected world of hurt. This isn’t just a bad guy fighting a good guy; it’s a soldier fighting someone who let their whole (admittedly evil) team down. Upon seeing Finn, “Nines” throws aside his blaster and his shield so he can properly duel baton to sword. It’s an epic touch, and the swirly wrist-baton was the coolest weapon introduced in the revival.

Maybe it’s the fact that he’s voiced by Lucius Malfoy himself (Jason Isaacs), but the Grand Inquisitor made such an impression as a Rebels villain that he’s soon making the jump to live action in Obi-Wan Kenobi. A fallen Jedi knight, the Inquisitor has been charged with eliminating all remaining Jedi and Force wielders, at the behest of none other than Darth Vader. With his swirling red blades and hissing voice, the Inquisitor sets his sights on Order 66 survivor Kanan Jarrus and his apprentice Ezra Bridger, chasing them throughout the first season until their final duel, where the Inquisitor chooses death over facing Vader’s wrath. It’s a bold, but quite understandable, decision.

This towering Cerean warrior brought a little extra mind power to the Jedi Council. With his large, conical forehead housing two brains, Ki-Adi-Mundi was one of the wisest and most striking figures on the council, assisting his fellow Jedi in matters of both battle and strategy. Whether he was counseling Mace Windu and Yoda, or slicing through Geonosians with a lightsaber, he proved that he had both brains and brawn.

If all viewers ever saw of the Empire were misfiring stormtroopers and groveling officers, they might wonder how this organization ever managed to keep control of the galaxy. General Veers is therefore an important counter-example of competence. His relentless assault on the rebels’ Hoth base — leading troops not from a distant Star Destroyer bridge, but from an AT-AT cockpit on the frontlines — provides proof positive that the Empire is still a force to be feared after the loss of the Death Star. The high standard he sets at the top of The Empire Strikes Back also helps explain why Darth Vader is so impatient with less-qualified Imperials throughout the rest of the film.

It’s hard for a hero to complete their journey without a wise old mystic to help point the way. Maz Kanata plays a small but important role in the sequel films. Jedi Master Luke Skywalker may have cut all ties with civilization, but Maz has kept an eye on the workings of the galaxy and is thus able to tip our heroes off to important allies and artifacts that make their quest easier for them and more exciting for us. Plus, knowing that the diminutive alien is portrayed by the beautiful Lupita Nyong’o is a great joke that keeps paying off.

The most important thing about Beru and Owen Lars is that they are boring. Wonderfully, simply boring. They work hard at their moisture farm, a place where absolutely nothing ever happens. They take good care of Luke Skywalker, their sorta nephew by marriage, and all they want is for his life to be as boring as theirs is. In A New Hope, Phil Brown makes Owen a gruff figure, so paternal he’s already grandfatherly. Shelagh Fraser gives Beru a twinkle that lets you know she knows Luke’s destined for better things. Their death marks the end of boredom in Luke’s life. Last seen as, like, charred skeletons, about as bad a way as any Star Wars character ever goes

81. Wrecker

Appearing in The Clone Wars and The Bad Batch, the muscle of the Clone Force 99 squad is a man of simple tastes. If Hulk smashes, then Wrecker wrecks. But we appreciate a man of few words. The soldier with brute force more powerful than any other clone is equally capable of deadlifting spaceship debris and protecting the young Omega as if she were Grogu. Just don’t say the word “stealth” in his presence. He hates that word. Subtlety is not his strong suit.

Workplace politics can be tough to navigate, especially when said workplace is the fascist First Order regime. Case in point: the ambitious but weaselly General Hux, who never commanded the respect of upper management, despite posting wins like using Starkiller Base to eradicate the New Republic or tracking the hobbled Resistance fleet through lightspeed. Hux’s lust for power caused him to bump helmets with hotheaded goth prince (and eventual Supreme Leader) Kylo Ren, and his career never recovered. If only he had just gone to H.R.

The woman who caused Obi-Wan Kenobi to consider leaving the Jedi Order on The Clone Wars would have to be pretty spectacular, and that’s just what Duchess Satine Kryze is. A pacifist leader in the warlike culture of Mandalore, Satine is nevertheless tough as nails. And as all Obitine fans know, her star-crossed relationship with Obi-Wan revealed the romantic heart hiding underneath the Jedi’s robes. His regret in choosing duty over love grew even more bittersweet after Satine died at the hands of his great nemesis, Maul — leaving Obi-Wan both sadder and wiser to the cost of love.

Shmi Skywalker may be Star Wars‘ closest thing to a saint. Despite a harsh life of servitude on Tatooine, she was unfailingly warm, kind, and laser-focused on securing a better future for her precocious, Force-sensitive son Anakin — setting the entire Skywalker Saga into motion. Shmi’s tragic death scene later pushed the conflicted Jedi further down the path of becoming the fearsome Sith Lord Darth Vader, proving how important she was in ultimately bringing balance to the Force.

The feisty old rebel’s roles in both The Clone Wars and Rogue One form an important piece of connective tissue, explaining how the war against the Confederacy evolved into the war against the Empire. Saw Gerrera also proves that the Rebellion was far from a monolith. While Princess Leia and Mon Mothma focused on strategy and coalition-building, Saw’s Partisans showed the Empire that violent reprisals were also on the table. His defiant stand against the first use of the Death Star served as a heroic example for those who continued the good fight after he was gone.

Sure, this elite Clawdite assassin isn’t particularly great at her job. First, she fails to murder Padmé by blowing up her starship, and then she gets caught sneaking killer bugs into Padmé’s apartment, leading to a high-speed chase through Coruscant. (Surely there has to be a more efficient assassination method than death by bug?) But she’s also one of the most memorable bounty hunters in the Star Wars galaxy, thanks to her shape-shifting abilities and excellent piloting skills.

While Din Djarin was a mere foundling, Bo-Katan Kryze (first introduced on The Clone Wars) was already blazing a path through Mandalorian history. As martial as her sister Satine was a pacifist, Bo-Katan has one goal in life and that’s the defense and protection of Mandalore. Woe to anyone who stands in the way of that, even if they happen to be family members, Sith Lords, or Children of the Watch. Her choices aren’t always the wisest (perhaps aligning herself with the terrorist group Death Watch wasn’t the best idea), but no one can doubt she’s a Mandalorian to her core.

At the risk of rehashing the dreadful Last Jedi discourse (it was great, move on!), director Rian Johnson gave us a lot of wonderful characters, including Benicio Del Toro’s DJ — if you can get past the fact that the name allegedly stands for “Don’t Join.” So much of the original Star Wars trilogy was about this mythic fight between the forces of light (the Jedi, the Rebellion) and the forces of darkness (the Sith, the Empire), but the newest trilogy embraced the morally grey area. What does it mean to be technically neither good nor evil? That’s where DJ steps in, a character who is fundamentally out for himself. That simple flaw, in a world that brands you good or evil based on a strict set of values, makes him interesting.

Like Din Djarin, IG-11 is a character from The Mandalorian who began as a riff on a familiar Star Wars favorite — and has now come to totally eclipse his predecessor. Old-school Tales of the Bounty Hunters readers might still insist on IG-88’s superiority, but IG-11 combines the cool terror of a skinny gunslinging android with a real redemption arc. It’s hard not to cheer as he transitions from trying to kill Grogu to actually saving the little green guy at an all-important moment. And who doesn’t love a heroic sacrifice? Even Din was forced to reevaluate his opinion of droids after seeing IG-11 evolve so beautifully.

A character like Plo Koon confirms why the animated Star Wars shows are so great. The Clone Wars took someone on the fringes of the live-action movies — in this case, a prequel-era Jedi who served on the council and who died when his own clones shot him out of the sky — and shows audiences just how cool he actually is. Plo was the one who brought fan-favorite Ahsoka Tano into the Jedi fold when she was a toddler, and he later teamed up with her as an adult, fighting at her side during the first battle of Felucia and infiltrating the Coruscant underworld together to hunt Boba Fett. He was a fierce defender of life, especially those of the clones he led as a Jedi General. R.I.P. Plo.

Sebulba may have been one of Phantom Menace‘s villains — a mini-boss for young Anakin Skywalker to overcome in his quest to become a Jedi — but we can’t help but root for him. The podracing, trash-talking Dug may not be a paragon of sportsmanship. And yes, he picked fights with both Jar Jar Binks (a harmless goofball) and Anakin (a literal child). But, in all fairness, who among us hasn’t also been annoyed by those two characters? And even if Sebulba broke the rules (or pieces of an opponent’s pod) here and there, there’s no denying that he was a gifted pilot who could back up his poodoo-talking.

Brave, impulsive, and Force strong, the Rebels protagonist acts as a mirror vision of Luke Skywalker, only without the pesky bloodline baggage. Born only a few days before the Skywalker twins, Ezra is orphaned as well, but survives on his own, until he stumbles across Kanan Jarrus, who senses Ezra’s untapped power. Ezra’s impulsiveness often gets him into trouble, especially when he forges into an unlikely bond with Maul, but he’s stupidly brave and never afraid to put himself on the line, even if it means fighting Darth Vader as a mere apprentice. Though Ezra and Kanan’s relationship could be rocky, Ezra ultimately took his master’s sacrifice to heart in his final battle with Thrawn, and today, his location remains one of the galaxy’s greatest mysteries.

Yep, that’s his name! Even if you didn’t know that, you surely remember the figure he strikes: Bare-chested, sweaty, and weeping over the death of his favorite monster. The Rancor is ugly and fearsome enough to strike fear into the heart of Luke Skywalker — so seeing that even such a monster is beloved and mourned by at least one soul is what makes Star Wars so unique. This is not a sci-fi galaxy of big-headed ideas and cosmic concepts; it’s a lived-in world where people love and lose. Malakili is a perfect example of that, even amidst the slimy schemers and demonic muppets of Jabba’s palace. It’s hard not to like him more with every viewing of Return of the Jedi.

The first test of being a memorable Star Wars side character is having a great goofy sci-fi name, and Carl Weathers’ The Mandalorian role passes that with flying colors. The second test is to imbue your limited screen-time with personality, and you can depend on Weathers to bring the heat. Before we learned the name “Din Djarin,” we all called the show’s protagonist “Mando” because that’s what Greef Karga calls him, and the moniker sounds so lovable in his voice. Take those elements and combine them with a cute hands-on relationship with Grogu? Baby, you’ve got a stew going!

Without Biggs, there would be no Luke Skywalker. This heroic X-wing pilot was Luke’s oldest friend on Tatooine, and it was Biggs’ enlistment that inspired Luke to first look to the stars. Together, the pair went from picking off womp rats in Beggar’s Canyon to taking down the Death Star. Biggs may not have fired the final shot, but he was always brave, defecting from the Imperial Academy to join the Rebels and ultimately sacrificing himself for the cause. Plus, he rocks one hell of a mustache.

By Return of the Jedi, audiences had already been introduced to a ton of classic alien species: Wookiees, Rodians, whatever Yoda is…. But Sullustan pilot Nien Nunb, who looks like a friendly mash-up of a mouse and a big-mouth bass, was a more than worthy addition to the pantheon. Despite not speaking Basic (or being subtitled), Nunb’s expressive face always communicated his thoughts loud and clear. Sadly, Nunb did not survive The Rise of Skywalker, perishing in the Battle of Exegol when his ship (the Tantive IV! Nunb only flew icons!) was short-circuited by Emperor Palpatine’s force lightning. Nunb — and audiences — deserved better.

“I’m just a simple man trying to make my way in the universe.” With that sly understatement, Jango Fett — bounty hunter, single dad, genetic blueprint for the titular clone army — was introduced to Obi-Wan Kenobi in Attack of the Clones. A cold-blooded yet honorable mercenary who wasn’t afraid to tangle with a Jedi (he even fights Kenobi to a draw on a rain-soaked Kamino landing pad), Jango never lost his head during the heat of battle… until he actually lost his head during the heat of battle, courtesy of Mace Windu’s purple lightsaber.

This witty navigator droid is easily the highlight of Solo, a snarky revolutionary with a burn-it-down attitude. L3 (voiced by a delightful Phoebe Waller-Bridge) may be Lando’s copilot, but she’s nobody’s sidekick: She assembled herself, using spare parts to stitch together her gangly silhouette. What makes her magical is how decidedly un-robotic she feels, whether she’s preaching about droid rights or flirting with Lando. Ultimately, she meets a tragic end, and after she dies, Lando uploads her memories to the Millennium Falcon’s main computer. It’s meant to be moving, but there’s something sad about watching this fast-talking droid lose her voice, condemned to a life of silence.

Look up the phrase “only following orders” in a dictionary, and you’re likely to see the Executor‘s doe-eyed captain. As played by Kenneth Colley, Piett comes off as an anxious-to-please yes-man. Can you blame him? He only got the promotion because his last boss got Vader-strangled. This is not a person with a lot of professional options in his future. In a few choice scenes, Colley gives Piett an aristocratic air (“We don’t need their scum!”) and some light notes of paranoia (watch closely as he looks away, embarrassed, from Vader’s helmetless visage). He’s a monster, no question, but an oddly resonant monster. In brighter times, he might’ve been a very annoying, non-evil accountant. Instead, he gets killed by an A-Wing; not an X-Wing, not even a Y-Wing.

While we had seen plenty of Mandalorians in The Clone Wars, we never saw one with the rebellious artistic spirit of Rebels’ resident graffiti artist, Sabine Wren. Equally genius with both a can of spray paint and a batch of explosives, Sabine joins Hera’s crew as a way to atone for a grave mistake she made while a member of the Imperial Academy of Mandalore. Even after she reclaims the Darksaber to help free Mandalore from the Empire’s clutches, Sabine remains torn between her duty to the Rebellion and her duty to her home. Though she might be both a rebel and a Mandalorian, it’s clear that in the end, Sabine can only be herself.

Amy Sedaris in space! That’s one of the nicest things The Mandalorian has given us. In this modern age of Star Wars cultural dominance, skilled actors no longer need to feel as embarrassed to participate as Sir Alec Guinness did on the set of the 1977 original. It’s great that a performer like Sedaris can pop up for a few episodes and imbue an otherwise functional role with delightful personality. It’s always nice to see more female faces out there in the galaxy, and Grogu can use more friends. —CH

Come back Monday, May 2, for the next 20 ranked spots as we (Imperial) march our way down to the May 4th reveal of the entire list… including our selection for the top Star Wars character of all time. In the meantime, make sure to subscribe to EW’s upcoming Star Wars podcast, Dagobah Dispatch, featuring interviews with Star Wars luminaries and plenty of debate about the rankings you see here!

Illustration by Gluekit for EW; images courtesy of Lucasfilm