The Star Wars franchise is nearly as big as its far far away galaxy. George Lucas' space opera has stretched far beyond the big screen and into television, books, comics, and video games... and that's just what's currently in canon. In more recent years, the focus has shifted from Star Wars' central Skywalker saga to standalone films and series, allowing for new and old characters to get their own stories.
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00:00Which Jedi Master was closer to the dark side of the Force than meets the eye?
00:05Even the most expansive franchises have great characters who never get the chance to shine
00:09on their own, but these Star Wars favorites deserve more screen time.
00:13R2-D2 and C-3PO are the first characters that the audience got acquainted with during 1977's
00:19Star Wars premiere, and they've been fan favorites ever since.
00:23Both of them are loosely based on the pair of bickering peasants in Akira Kurosawa's
00:26Hidden Fortress, and they've brought both unbridled heroism and comedic relief to the
00:31Star Wars universe throughout its entire run.
00:34What is there not to love about the beeping astromech droid R2-D2?
00:38Famously played by the late Kenny Baker, he's the best pal a Jedi can ask for, and he's
00:42handy in a crisis.
00:44His partner, protocol droid C-3PO, played by Anthony Daniels, is the more comedic of
00:49the pair.
00:50Poor C-3PO is the butt of running gags, getting disassembled and reassembled repeatedly, and
00:55enduring memory wipes.
00:56But even when facing sticky situations that are well beyond his programming, C-3PO never
01:01loses his graciousness.
01:03I am C-3PO Human-Cyborg Relations, and you are?
01:09R2-D2 and C-3PO are the only characters to appear in all nine main series films.
01:13They even had their own TV show, the 80s animated series Droids, and could easily carry their
01:18own buddy comedy feature film if Lucasfilm ever gave it a chance.
01:23Voiced by Tia Surkar, this young and colorful Mandalorian loves to stick it to the Empire
01:28in the Rebels cartoon.
01:29Enjoying a sisterly relationship with the Jedi-in-training Ezra Bridger, Sabine has
01:34a dark past in which she created weapons for the Empire.
01:37She eventually broke free and, to atone for her wrongdoing, became part of the Ghost's
01:42crew.
01:43Sabine's art emerges as a spiritual force throughout Rebels.
01:46Although Sabine doesn't interact with the legendary Grand Admiral Thrawn, the manner
01:50in which he treats art makes Sabine one of his biggest foils.
01:54Grand Admiral Thrawn steals art from its creators, and uses it as a tool of oppression.
01:59Sabine's art champions her culture, intimacy, and her belief in a higher cause.
02:03In the Rebels ending, it's her art that immortalizes her found family long after the Ghost's crew
02:08parts ways.
02:09Sabine was also the center of one of the greatest Rebels episodes, Trials of the Darksaber.
02:14This installment played out a deconstruction of the Chosen One narrative.
02:18In it, Sabine has to decide if she wants to wield the Darksaber and rule Mandalore.
02:23Remarkably, Sabine is given the option to say no.
02:26In a fantasy story like Star Wars, it's rare and refreshing to see a young girl who's allowed
02:30to lay down a burden of this magnitude, with the blessing of her family.
02:35At first glance, Neku Vozo, a benign green Nekto, is kid-friendly comic relief like Jar
02:40Jar Binks.
02:41When he's introduced in Star Wars Resistance, one of the more lighthearted Star Wars cartoons,
02:46he gets Resistance lead Kazuto Ziono into a bind.
02:50But soon, Neku proves to be an invaluable friend to those on the Colossus.
02:54Living among the Colossus residents, Neku is a beacon of compassion.
02:58When he notices that Kaz is in financial trouble, he buys water for his pal, and later purchases
03:03medicine for refugee children.
03:05He's kooky but generous, and his trusting nature is exactly what makes him formidable
03:09in this dark galaxy.
03:11He knows that the little things matter and validates everyone's needs.
03:14When the Colossus goes on the run from the First Order, Neku performs his greatest deed.
03:19He constructs a holographic sky from spare parts so that the homesick Colossus civilians
03:23will feel at home.
03:25X-wing pilots like Luke Skywalker and Poe Dameron, who shoot at the Empire, are easy
03:29to identify as heroes.
03:31Neku, on the other hand, flies under the radar, putting the needs of his community ahead of
03:35himself, making him a hero in our book.
03:38Like C-3PO and R2-D2, separating this duo would not do either justice.
03:44Played by Donnie Yen and Zhang Wen, Chirrut and Baze are the Jedi-human duo introduced
03:49in Rogue One who became irreplaceable allies to Jyn Erso, Cassian Andor, and the Rebellion.
03:56In the live-action movies, Chirrut introduced us to another religious order, the Guardians
04:00of the Wills, that followed the principles of the Light Side.
04:03No, Chirrut is not a Jedi, and yet the Force very much flows through his essence and virtues.
04:09It guides him and his deadly combat stick through his blindness, allowing him coordination
04:13and skill in battle.
04:15Baze is as cynical as Chirrut is spiritual, but they are thick as thieves and good friends
04:19despite their different outlooks.
04:21Baze loves teasing Chirrut about his spiritualism, but he and his repeating canon are always
04:25there to help Chirrut in a pinch.
04:27As much as the war-hardened Baze rejects the Force, the deeper you get into Rogue One,
04:32the more evident it becomes that Baze keeps Chirrut around because he hopes that Chirrut's
04:36optimism will rub off on him.
04:38"...he's praying for the door to open."
04:41"...it bothers him because he knows it's possible."
04:44Lando is a lovable, smooth-talking scoundrel, first portrayed by Billy Dee Williams.
04:49Introduced in The Empire Strikes Back, he's both buddy and rival to Han Solo, and the
04:53former owner of the Millennium Falcon.
04:56Unlike Han, Lando commits a massive betrayal, but he does have a conscience.
05:00Lando sells out our heroes to Darth Vader, but not without guilt.
05:04To his credit, he was protecting Cloud City from Imperial control.
05:08In a reprint of Marvel's The Empire Strikes Back adaptation, Williams writes,
05:12"...he was dealing, as best he could, with a situation that was presented to him by the
05:16Empire upon their arrival."
05:18Like Han, Lando becomes an active rebel general in the battle against the second Death Star,
05:23looking awesome while he's at it.
05:25In The Rise of Skywalker, Lando has matured into an old general, a shadow of his once-cocky
05:30self, who drops sage advice and is more than happy to pass the mantle to a younger generation.
05:36Fans also get to see him in his mischievous youth, with Donald Glover's appearance as
05:39young Lando being a highlight of Solo, a Star Wars story.
05:43"...I hate you."
05:45"...I know."
05:47Played by Veronica Ngo, Paige Tico is introduced just minutes before she is killed off.
05:52Despite her fleeting appearance, Paige's impact on the last Jedi cannot be overstated.
05:57On the surface, Paige's purpose is to release the bombs that destroy a First Order dreadnought.
06:02When she's slammed below deck, she furiously begins kicking a ladder to get the control
06:06to release the bombs to fall into her hands.
06:09After catching the falling controller, and successfully releasing the bombs, she shuts
06:13her eyes and grabs her Crescent Moon necklace.
06:15As fire swallows her surroundings, she dies knowing that she saved the mission.
06:20While Paige is lost, her legacy is carried on by her sister, Rose, portrayed by Kelly
06:24Marie Tran.
06:25Rose bears the same necklace, and shots of the jewelry denote moments when Paige's memory
06:29inspires Rose to do the right thing, even if it means sacrificing herself.
06:34It would be easy to dismiss Paige as a plot device to motivate Rose, but Last Jedi director
06:39Rian Johnson understood that it was important to witness her terror, her determination,
06:43her resolve, and her peace.
06:45In that way, the audience honors the anonymous people who exist in the margins of the Skywalker
06:50saga.
06:51Paige's lines are little more than grunts, yet her expressions, actions, and spirit echo
06:55across the cosmos.
06:57BB-8 is an astro-droid like R2-D2, but compressed into a sphere that rolls.
07:02When he debuted in the Force Awakens trailer, the mere sight of BB-8 excited viewers young
07:06and old.
07:07Like the droid that came before him, BB-8 achieves his goals no matter what.
07:12With such determination, it's no wonder that his owner, Poe Dameron, likes him so much.
07:17BB-8 also has a knack for forging bonds with both droids and other humans, and even keeps
07:22Finn's secret with a cute, memetic thumbs-up.
07:25Thanks to the handicraft of Babe creature designer Neil Scanlan and puppeteers like
07:29Dave Chapman and Brian Herring, this roly-poly droid really feels like he's alive.
07:34That extends offscreen, too.
07:36BB-8 isn't CGI.
07:37He's a realistic, practical effect that shows up at conventions, inciting some whoops and
07:42hollers at the 2015 Star Wars celebration in Anaheim.
07:46Voiced by Vanessa Marshall, Hera Syndulla is the mom to the Ghost's crew in Star Wars
07:51Rebels.
07:52A green Twi'lek pilot, Hera is the heart of the cast, passing advice and encouragement
07:56to her crew.
07:57While Kanan usually leads the on-field missions and Hera provides the getaway rides, she knows
08:02how to take charge when necessary.
08:04If it wasn't for Hera, Kanan would not have rediscovered his Jedi purpose, as seen in
08:09John Jackson Miller's novel, A New Dawn.
08:11By the time that Hera welcomes Ezra into her crew, he's impressed with how she's knitted
08:15together a family.
08:17In The Bad Batch, we glimpse how her childhood was forged by war on planet Ryloth.
08:21Her appearance in that series lets the audience see how a young soul — someone who is not
08:25a soldier — is affected by the Empire's rule.
08:28After the events of Rebels, Hera's battle continued in the Alphabet Squadron books and
08:33the Doctor Aphra comics.
08:35Born in the slums of Corellia, Qi'ra is depicted as Han Solo's love interest in the movie Solo.
08:41As played by Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke, Qi'ra almost seems like she knows the role
08:45she's supposed to play in his story, and takes years to break out.
08:49Even in the beginning, melancholy haunts her bubbly smiles.
08:53When Qi'ra is ripped away from Han, she begins her own journey, and by the time they reunite,
08:58she's unable to tell him how far she has fallen.
09:00She senses that Han has a different purpose, and knows that her place is among seedy criminals
09:05— especially Maul, the leader of the Crimson Dawn.
09:08Plenty of fans want to see the guileful Qi'ra commit more crimes.
09:11She hasn't appeared in any on-screen Star Wars stories since Solo, aside from an animated
09:16Forces of Destiny short.
09:18However, she plays a big role in the comics.
09:21Clarke is game to reprise the character when the time comes.
09:24While there are no guarantees of a role reprise yet, she is signed up for multiple Star Wars
09:29movies.
09:31If C-3PO is a nuisance who tries too hard to be polite, K-2SO is your insensitive buddy
09:36who's happy tossing around insults and thwacking a stormtrooper's skull.
09:40An Imperial droid reprogrammed to serve rebel spy Cassian Andor, he offers just as much
09:45snark as he does help.
09:47Starred on set and voiced by Firefly star Alan Tudyk, K-2SO is a scene-stealer whose
09:52quotable quips add levity to one of the grimmer Star Wars movies.
09:56"'Jin, I'll be there for you.
10:02Cassian said I had to."
10:04Armed with a blaster, K-2SO also proves a formidable threat in combat.
10:09Like the entire cast of Rogue One, K-2SO's sacrifice motivates Jin and Cassian to find
10:14planned stardust, and his actions ensure that Luke Skywalker will destroy the Death Star
10:19in A New Hope.
10:21Fans waiting for the Andor spinoff series on Disney Plus will be pleased to hear that
10:24Tudyk may be reprising his role as the cranky bot.
10:27That means fans will get plenty more of this snarky droid, and maybe even a glimpse into
10:31how Cassian keeps him under control.
10:34With a profile inspired by Albert Einstein, this crinkly, wrinkled puppet was operated
10:39and voiced by a legendary puppeteer, Frank Oz, who was recommended by puppet pioneer
10:44Jim Henson himself.
10:45And yet, Yoda is so much more than cloth, hands, and wire.
10:49Oz breathes life into the nine-centuries-old Yoda, making an instant impression in The
10:54Empire Strikes Back.
10:55The puppet forged a remarkable connection with Mark Hamill's character, as well as the
11:00audience.
11:01Yoda's a tricky, croaky fellow with a mysterious aura.
11:04He's as mischievous as a Muppet, and as wise as a yogi master, and his pearls of wisdom
11:09remain quotable to this day.
11:11Yoda's CGI iteration, who was voiced in The Clone Wars by Tom Kane, shows that the Green
11:16Sage is not immune to the dark side, exhibited when he has his own Dagobah cave moment and
11:22confronts his darker self.
11:24However, while Yoda acknowledges his capacity to fall, he remains in control of his worst
11:29impulses.