The 10 best Star Wars characters

Who is he?
An enormous green slug with a voracious appetite for heavy licking, hookah pipes, hard funk and little amphibious spider-creatures. Jabba is the most powerful gangster in the Galaxy – though precisely how he achieved this exalted position without really being able to move around or hit people (thanks to his undersized Tyrannosaur arms) is a matter of conjecture.

Why do we love him?
Because he’s such a staggeringly nasty piece of work: corrupt, lascivious, grotesque, an immoral monster to whom the execution of an underling is as everyday an occurrence as making a cup of tea.

Seen in:
‘Return of the Jedi’ (we’ll generously overlook his other appearances).

Key line:
‘You will soon learn to appreciate me.’ Unless your name’s George Lucas, that is.

Who is he?
The hero, of course. Luke is the clean-living, hard-working, all-American boy from Tatooine whose adventures form the backbone of the original ‘Star Wars’ trilogy. Just a simple kid from a broken home, Luke pulls himself up by his own utility belt and goes on to win medals, master the Force and save the galaxy. Result.

Why do we love him?
Because he’s the ultimate family-friendly filmatic adventure hero. There’s a lot in the films about Luke being tempted by the Dark Side, but never for a second do we believe he’s actually going to take the plunge. He even saves the universe’s most fearsome villain from himself. Double result.

Seen in:
The original trilogy.

Key line:
‘I care!’

Who is he?
A cheeky, level-headed dustbin on legs who comes complete with an Inspector Gadget-like array of convenient little nozzles and appendages. Think Henry the Hoover meets a Swiss army knife, only with personality.

Why do we love him?
From juggling turbolifts on an enemy battleship to saving Anakin Skywalker’s miserable life to fixing Luke’s X-wing stabilisers during the first Death Star run, from mending the hyperdrive on the Millennium Falcon to cutting his way out of an Ewok trap, Artoo does all the hard galaxy-saving work and gets precious little credit.

Seen in:
All six movies (and more to come).

Key line:
Concerned uh-oh type beep, as if to say, ‘here we go again’.

Who is he?
The evil mastermind behind the Imperial takeover of the galaxy. Initially, Palpatine is a seemingly trustworthy senator who guards a secret: he’s a Sith Lord, master of evil. Later, he’s a wizened little wizard with the wickedest cackle this side of the Yellow Brick Road.

Why do we love him?
Because he gets deeper and more interesting in the prequel trilogy.

Seen in:
From the second film.

Key line:
‘I am defenceless. Take your weapon. Strike me down with all of your hatred and your journey towards the Dark Side will be complete.’

Who is he?
The diminutive backwards-talking mystical Muppet whose knowledge of the Force is second to none.

Why do we love him?
Do you seriously have to ask us this question? He’s Yoda. Eight hundred years old, the old boy is still going strong, he’s the absolute master of telekinesis and Eastern philosophy, as well as being a total whizz with a lightsaber who also has a wicked sense of humour and a fascination for torches.

Seen in:
From the second film.

Key line:
‘Do, or do not. There is no try.’

Who is he?
A giant walking carpet with natural furry flares and a vocal repertoire consisting of barks and surprisingly-hard-to-imitate growls. Co-pilot of the Millennium Falcon, Chewie is another of those characters who inspires a deep devotion despite his inability to speak – in English, at least.

Why do we love him?
Because he’s the ultimate man, despite being a Wookiee. Chewbacca is tall, hirsute, tough, endlessly loyal, a bit of a joker, great at spaceship DIY and we reckon he probably gives the best hugs in the universe.

Seen in:
The original trilogy and ‘Revenge of the Sith’.

Key line:
His dismayed howl when the Echo Base doors slammed shut against the Hoth night is just heartbreaking.

Who is he?
From thrusting young Jedi hero to desert-wandering retainer to shimmering blue apparition, Obi-Wan is either the selfless, beating heart of the entire ‘Star Wars’ saga, or a total doormat. Still, like the great man said, many of the truths we cling to depend on our own point of view.

Why do we love him?
Because he’s absolutely ruthless with a lightsaber. Because his shades-of-beige wardrobe is both functional and stylish. Because he wears a trimmed beard with boundless elan.

Seen in:
All six movies, in various states of being and nothingness.

Key line:
‘If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine.’

Who is she?
The proud face of the Rebel Alliance: A beautiful, sarcastic, man-juggling, no-nonsense-taking, Danish-pastry-haircut-wearing icon of womanhood – for two movies, at least.

Why do we love her?
Leia, token female though she may be, is actually the most complex character in the entire ‘Star Wars’ saga. As a very public figure working for an outlawed cause who doesn’t just lose her family but her entire home planet, she’s got a lot more at stake than either of her flyboy toy boys.

Seen in:
The original trilogy.

Key line:
‘I am not a committee!’

Who is he?
Well, he’s only the captain of the Millennium Falcon and the cockiest space pilot in the galaxy. Han Solo is arguably every young boy’s hero, cruising from one star system to another, getting into scrapes, performing occasional acts of random heroism, and being rude to women until they fall madly in love with him.

Why do we love him?
Because it’s damn near impossible not to – his hair is great, his wisecracks are second to none, and his lopsided grin has broken a million hearts on a thousand worlds.

Seen in:
The original trilogy.

Key line:
‘I know.’

Who is he?
We don’t think it’s going too far to suggest that here is the single most iconic screen villain of all time. Darth Vader’s appearance is terrifying, his voice bone-chilling, his words pure, dripping evil. But what really turns Vader into childhood nightmares are his actions: From snapping necks left and right, to cutting off his own son’s hand, this is a guy who really shouldn’t be trifled with, we reckon.

Why do we love him?
However much we love them, the movies are full of sarcastic space pilots, pistol-packing princesses, robot sidekicks and wise old wizards, but there will only ever be one Darth Vader.

Seen in:
All six movies (sort of).

Key line:
‘If you only knew the power of the Dark Side.’