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Ranking the Top 75 'Star Wars' Characters of All Time

Published on May 4, 2025
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Over the course of nearly 50 years, the "Star Wars" galaxy has spawned 11 movies, seven live-action TV shows and endless characters, be they Jedi or Sith, Rebels or Imperials, twisted bounty hunters or adorable porgs.

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In honor of Star Wars Day and the 20th anniversary of "Revenge of the Sith" (released May 19, 2005), we're ranking the 75 best live-action characters in "Star Wars" history, from the original heroes of 1977 to the fresh faces of Disney+ shows like "Andor" and "The Mandalorian." Some personalities, though, just will never make the cut - sorry, Jar Jar.

Here's our rundown, from the good to the very, very bad:

Some Imperial officers like Admiral Ozzel get Force-choked by Darth Vader and die. Motti actually survived such a deadly encounter (before eventually perishing in the explosion of the Death Star), and for that he makes this illustrious list.

The First Order's supreme female Stormtrooper had a super-neat suit of armor and so much wasted potential, being thrown into a trash compactor in "Force Awakens" and falling to her apparent death in "Last Jedi."

Other than Luke Skywalker and Poe Dameron, we haven't gotten to know many X-wing pilots but Teva, a buddy of the Mando, is the kind of dude you have a beer with at a New Republic watering hole or ask to cut some bureaucratic red tape.

He led the nefarious First Order for two movies in the new trilogy and ... well, that's pretty much all we ever knew. Snoke's on here solely because of the couple of years he gave "Star Wars" fans fits online theorizing about his origins and for taking a supremely nasty lightsaber slice like a champ.

The old-fashioned cowboy wore Boba Fett's armor and weapons as the marshal of Mos Pelgo on Tatooine and was a loyal ally of the Mando - until Cad Bane gunned him down in cold blood.

The droid has low-key been with us the whole time. R5 was in the first film when Luke Skywalker's uncle buys R2-D2 and C-3PO from some Jawas on Tatooine and decades later is around to help the Mando and Grogu whenever they're in a pickle. Where's his Disney+ spinoff, guys?

The intergalactic version of Stevie Nicks (but kind of better, honestly), Sy belted all the hits as lead singer and dancer of the Max Rebo Band. And it takes some serious talent to keep Jabba the Hutt from throwing you to the Rancor.

While his name isn't Luke, Han or Leia, he's still a GOAT: Legendary "Star Wars" composer John Williams had a quick cameo as the one-eyed Kijimi City bartender in "The Rise of Skywalker."

It takes a brave soul to fly into battle as the unofficial mascot of a famous starship after its furry pilot - in this case, Chewbacca - tried to roast you for dinner.

Unlike Chewbacca, this Wookiee warrior would have downed that porg raw. Krrsantan first made his appearance in comic books and then made his presence felt in "The Book of Boba Fett," first as a bounty hunter working for Jabba's cousins and then alongside the Mando as muscle for Fett's crew.

Shiver me timbers: A galactic pirate who can use the Force! Jod (aka Crimson Jack, aka Captain Silvo) is a treasure-hunting rogue with a mysterious backstory and a way of ticking off everyone. That said, the dude would be a lot cooler if he didn't get taken down by a bunch of space kids.

Listen, politicians may not have the best reputation in the Milky Way, but in the galaxy far, far away, the senator from Alderaan not only took in Baby Leia and kept her hidden from the Empire but was also integral in the formation of the Rebel Alliance. He's got our vote.

Before Han Solo hooked up with Princess Leia, Qi'ra was his childhood sweetheart on Corellia. They went their separate ways but both ended up in their own corners of the underworld, with Qi'ra choosing the Crimson Dawn crime syndicate over her love. It's OK, Chewie turned out to be a better bestie in the long run.

"Rise of Skywalker" didn't give us many highlights yet at least we got this little droidsmith out of the deal. Cute, feisty and adorably unintelligible, Babu snagged some Sith secrets out of C-3PO's memory banks and stole our heart in the process.

Sort of the J. Robert Oppenheimer of the "Star Wars" universe, the scientist hatched the technology that was used to power the Death Star's uber-destructive laser, was betrayed by friends and lost his family, but - knowing its violent capability - purposely built a weakness in the deadly space station.

Jabba the Hutt's house band leader is what happens when you combine Paul Shaffer, Dumbo and Blue Man Group.

He's the kind of politician you'd want in a firefight. He had his run-ins with the Mando as leader of the Bounty Hunters' Guild, became a key fighter against the Imperial Remnant, and took on the role of Head Magistrate of the planet Navarro, always going to bat for his people.

Tatooine's quirkiest space mechanic is also its coolest, with a bunch of jittery repair droids and tons of warm personality. When the Mando's Razor Crest went boom, she outfitted him with a sweet and super-speedy N-1 Starfighter and is always down to babysit her favorite boy, Grogu.

By day, he runs a high-end antiques shop and deals with wealthy power players on Coruscant in a bad wig in "Andor." But on the side, Luthen recruits folks like Cassian Andor as key cog in a spy network and works against the Empire in a growing rebellion.

The Sullustan pilot doesn't say a whole lot yet he co-starred in several important "Star Wars" moments: He rolled with Lando Calrissian in the Millennium Falcon when the Rebellion blew up the second Death Star, flew an X-wing in the assault on Starkiller Base and was part of the ragtag crew that took on an overwhelming First Order force during the Battle of Crait.

A former Jedi youngling when the Empire came to power, Reva eventually joined the Dark Side of the Force as one of Darth Vader's vicious inquisitors. She harbored a mean streak when it came to Obi-Wan Kenobi yet refused to kill kid Luke Skywalker, showing there was still some light in her.

He died as a hero during the Battle of Yavin. More importantly, he was a role model for dudes with dad bods who wanted to squeeze into the cockpit of an X-wing.

The clever droid had equal parts strength and sass as confidante and co-pilot for Lando Calrissian during his gambling days and was also all about robot rights, even sparking the occasional mechanical revolution. Although her body was fatally damaged, she lives on in the circuits of the navigational computer aboard the Millennium Falcon.

Anybody in middle management can relate to this Imperial officer who's saddled with getting a big project up and running (in his case, the first Death Star), forced to deal with uncaring bosses and winds up having some rebellious types screw the whole thing up.

In some galactic circles, Kowakian monkey-lizards are sold as street meat. Salacious avoided being cooked on a spit, and as Jabba the Hutt's resident court jester, got a front-row seat to laugh mockingly at those who crossed his boss.

A former Imperial sniper turned mercenary, Migs is usually getting into trouble and palling around with criminals. The guy's got an honorable side, though, and helped the