May 4th is commonly known amongst Star Wars fan as Star Wars day! Star Wars has been a staple of American culture since the late 1970s.
The first Star Wars movie was released on May 25, 1977. While the first film was retroactively titled “Episode IV: A New Hope,” that first Star Wars release would forever change the landscape of cinema. Over the course of the last five decades, some of the characters that are featured in Star Wars films have become a part of American culture.
Read More »10. C-3P0
C-3P0 is a lot like that annoying friend that you know you would miss if he or she wasn’t around.
Yes, he’s fluent in more than 7 million forms of communication, but since he tended to land his friends in more danger than they needed to be in, you may find most of those 7 million kinds of annoying. However, we love this protocol droid, often despite himself.
9. Darth Maul
Yes, we know Darth Maul was a villain. In fact, he was a super villain. However, we didn’t include him on our list of favorite Star Wars characters because of his character. Most of us were thrilled when he got cut in half and fell down a shaft to his ultimate demise.
However, there’s no denying that he looks really cool. His horns and tattoos, combined with his doubled-edged light saber makes him one of the coolest looking characters in the Star Wars franchise.
8. R2-D2
R2-D2 and C-3P0 combined to form one of the most iconic duos in the history of any movie franchise. Going together like peanut butter and jelly, the pair provide some absolutely lovable character work, even though R2-D2 never spoke a real word.
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However, R2-D2 and Luke Skywalker’s friendship is just as endearing. We love the little rolling robot and always will.
7. Chewbacca
Before we dive into our love for Chewbacca, we do have a beef with the entire structure of the franchise. How was everyone’s favorite Wookie never awarded a service medal after the Battle of Yarvin?!
Not only did he earn it, but he also consistently proved time and time again why he was much more than a sidekick. When you see Chewbacca, you see the (albeit hairy) embodiment of loyalty. If nothing else, we love him for his unconditional devotion to Han Solo and the rest of his friends.
6. Yoda
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Long before Baby Yoda was a popular internet meme, we were head over heels in love with this little green walking, talking nugget of wisdom. It’s also worth noting that in addition to his words of wisdom, Yoda was no slouch with a lightsaber.
If you watch the prequels, you’ll get a better appreciation for Yoda’s fighting ability, as he acrobatically battled the Palaptine. But of course, he is best known for imparting the wisdom that Luke needed to handle his inevitable battle with Darth Vader.
5. Princess Leia
For years, Princess Leia was the only heroine that we saw in George Lucas’ alternate universe. However, Carrie Fischer’s iconic role completely changed the role that females would play in sci-fi movies for the rest of eternity.
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Princess Leia refused to take any guff from anyone, even oversized monsters who made her wear a metal bikini. No list of our favorite Star Wars characters would be complete without a nod to Princess Leia.
4. Obi-Wan Kenobi
The man who would spend years protecting Luke Skywalker would eventually be killed by the evil Darth Vader. However, the impression that he left on young Luke and everyone else in the Star Wars franchise can never be overstated.
While many people automatically associate Obi-Wan Kenobi with his father-figure role, he had also earned a reputation as being one of the Clone Wars’ biggest heroes.
3. Han Solo
The smuggler from Cornellia flew into the hearts of Star Wars fans in 1977 and has been a key part of the franchise ever since. He was ahead of his type as a bit of an anti-hero.
Yes, he was definitely a good guy, but his occasionally questionable morals allowed him to blur the lines between doing what was right and fighting for the greater good.
It was also pretty cool that while everyone else was running around with different colored lightsabers, Han Solo was whipping the bad guys with his signature blaster.
2. Darth Vader
We know, we know; what are we doing with another bad guy on the list? However, if you’ve watched all the Star Wars movies, you’re already aware that while he was an antagonist in the first three films, he was actually fighting for good in the prequels under his given name, Anakin Skywalker.
While he was trained as a Jedi, he aligned himself with the Sith Lord and Galactic Chancellor Palpatine. After a brutal fight with the aforementioned Obi-Wan Kenobi where his legs were cut off, and he was badly burned on Mustafar, Anakin Skywalker dawned the black suit (along with the really cool voice changer) and became the face of cinematic bad guys for generations.
1. Luke Skywalker
You already knew who was going to round out our list. Luke Skywalker is such a beloved character that Star Wars fans were indignant when they didn’t know what he was doing as an old man in “Force Awakens.”
Luke is perhaps the most beloved protagonist of any movie franchise because of the way we got to see him grow from his humble beginnings to becoming one of the most formidable opponents to becoming one of the greatest Jedi warriors of all time.
Star Wars characters have and will continue to be some of the most beloved characters in the history of cinema. Narrowing our favorites down to ten wasn’t easy, but these are the characters that have been a part of the Star Wars franchise for nearly five decades, and we love them for it. May the 4th be with you!
