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Do you need a quick refresher on the Star Wars characters from your favorite movies? Prepare yourself, young padawan, because I’m going to give you the need-to-know information on the main character, a secondary character, and background character (or tertiary character) in each major Star Wars installment. We’ll talk about where each character’s from, what they do in the film and a fun fact about them. Let’s dive in!
Who Is the Most Popular Star Wars Character?
Darth Vader is the most popular character in Star Wars, but Grogu, or Baby Yoda, is catching up to him. Darth Vader has long been beloved by fans as a genius kid, ambitious Jedi, and heinous villain.
Who Is the Least Favorite Star Wars Character?
It must be said. Jar Jar Binks is the most infamous character in Star Wars. Jar Jar Binks is cool in a lot of ways, like being the first-ever fully CGI major character in a movie. Jar Jar Bink’s voice and slapstick comedy? Not as cool.
Character Types
I’ll discuss three characters for each Star Wars movie or TV show. The characters I do a deep dive into for each Star Wars installment will be one main character, one secondary character, and one tertiary character. I explain what each of these means below.
Main Characters
The main character is a character whom the movie revolves around. They play the biggest roles in the movie.
Secondary Characters
Secondary characters are very important, but the plot of the movie does not revolve around them. Instead, they help move the plot and main characters forward in significant ways.
Tertiary Characters
Tertiary characters are background characters who play a minor role in the movie. You might be surprised to know some of these characters have large fanbases, too.
A Guide to Star Wars Characters
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace
Main Character: Queen Amidala
- Species: Human
- Planet: Naboo
- Role: Queen Amidala successfully saves her people on the planet Naboo from being overtaken by the Galactic Federation. Disguised as a handmaiden named Padme, she escapes to Tatooine with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, meeting young Anakin Skywalker for the first time. In her role as a queen, she helps convince the Senate to help her save Naboo.
- Fun Fact: Before Natalie Portman played Queen Amidala in The Phantom Menace, she wasn’t a fan of Star Wars. In fact, she admitted she didn’t know the difference between Star Wars and Star Trek.
Secondary Character: Shmi Skywalker
- Species: Human
- Planet: Tatooine
- Role: As Anakin Skywalker’s mother, Shmi gave birth to a child with the highest midichlorian count in the galaxy. Shmi is a kind and caring mother who Anakin loves very much, and it’s heartbreaking for the two of them to part when Anakin goes with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan to be trained as a Jedi.
- Fun Fact: When The Phantom Menace was first being drafted, Shmi Skywalker’s name was Shmi Warka.
Tertiary Character: Sebulba
- Species: Dug
- Planet: Malastare
- Role: Sebulba is Anakin’s major rival in the pod race put on by Jabba the Hutt.
- Fun Fact: Lewis MacLeod, who voices Sebulba in The Phantom Menace, also voices this character in most of the Star Wars video games.
Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones
Main Character: Obi-Wan Kenobi
- Species: Human
- Planet: Stewjon
- Role: Obi-Wan Kenobi’s job in this movie is to protect Senator Amidala from further assassination attempts after a bounty hunter almost ends her life. Leaving that task to Anakin, Obi-Wan investigates a mysterious droid army on Kamino supposedly requested some time ago for the Republic. Unraveling the corruption within the Republic, but not quite realizing the full extent of it, Kenobi’s actions help kickstart the Clone Wars.
- Fun Fact: Ewan McGregor, who plays Obi-Wan, felt upset by all the harsh criticism the prequel trilogy was met with. He said it’s nice that, years later, the prequel trilogy is being complemented by the kids who watched the prequel movies growing up.
Secondary Character: Grand Jedi Master Yoda
- Species: Unknown
- Planet: Unknown
- Role: While Yoda spends a good portion of this movie training Jedi younglings, he also instructs Anakin and Obi-Wan about what to do for Senator Amidala and the mysterious clone army. He saves Obi-Wan and Anakin from dying at the hands of Count Dooku in an epic lightsaber battle, too.
- Fun Fact: When Yoda eventually dies in a later Star Wars movie, he is 900 years old.
Tertiary Character: Jango Fett
- Species: Human
- Planet: Concord Dawn
- Role: Jango Fett is a bounty hunter who the engineers on Kamino use as a subject to make identical clones of, creating a Jango Fett army to be used by the Republic. Jango Fett, with his young clone whom he treats as his son, Boba Fett, tries to kill Obi-Wan Kenobi. Jango Fett is killed by Mace Windu at the start of the Clone Wars.
- Fun Fact: Originally, Jango Fett’s armor was going to be white like the stormtroopers, but it was decided silver and blue looked better.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008-2020)
Main Character: Ahsoka Tano
- Species: Togruta
- Planet: Shili
- Role: Tano is a Force-sensitive Togruta whose powers were discovered by Jedi Master Plo Koon. She becomes Anakin Skywalker’s padawan, and though the two get off to a rocky start, they form a solid bond as mentor and apprentice. When Anakin turns to the Dark Side, Tano refuses to join him.
- Fun Fact: Unlike most characters in the Star Wars universe, Ahsoka has injured Darth Vader in a fight.
Secondary Character: Count Dooku
- Species: Human
- Planet: Serenno
- Role: Count Dooku acts as one of the main antagonists for The Clone Wars TV show. He’s a Jedi who left the Order and chose the Dark Side. Dooku makes many attempts on Anakin’s life, though he can’t kill the Jedi-turning-Sith-Lord no matter what he tries.
- Fun Fact: Count Dooku was originally meant to be a woman.
Tertiary Character: C-3P0
- Species: Droid
- Planet: Tatooine
- Role: Besides providing comedic relief, C-3P0 serves as a helpful companion to characters in the main cast. Many times, he serves as the logic-driven worrywart to R2-D2’s adventurous spirit.
- Fun Fact: C-3P0 only has 1 scene with Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy.
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith
Main Character: Anakin Skywalker
- Species: Human
- Planet: Tatooine
- Role: Anakin Skywalker is a young Jedi Knight who defects to the Dark Side 3 years after the Clone Wars began. Anakin has grown resentful towards the Jedi Council and their distrust of Chancellor Palpatine, so he joins Palpatine whom he learns is Darth Sidious. In this film, Anakin kills tons of characters in the cast, including Obi-Wan Kenobi, Count Dooku, and the Jedi younglings.
- Fun Fact: Anakin’s lightsaber is blue because he excels at fighting with the physical aspects of the Force. Characters with a green lightsaber excel at fighting with the metaphysical aspects of the Force.
Secondary Character: Mace Windu
- Species: Human
- Planet: Haruun Kal
- Role: Mace Windu is a revered Jedi Master who fights alongside Yoda and the remaining Jedi Council members in the Clone Wars. When his suspicions of Chancellor Palpatine were proven to be true, he and other Jedis attempt to arrest the disguised Darth Sidious. This leads to Mace Windu’s death when Anakin Skywalker saves Darth Sidious and kills Windu.
- Fun Fact: Mace Windu’s lightsaber is purple simply because Samuel L. Jackson thought a purple lightsaber would look cool. He was right, and lore about his lightsaber being purple was created.
Tertiary Character: Aayla Secura
- Species: Twi’lek
- Planet: Ryloth
- Role: Aayla was a Jedi General during the Clone Wars. When the Republic’s army failed to stop the Galactic Empire, Aayla was one of the first Jedis to be killed during the Jedi purge.
- Fun Fact: Aayla was tempted by the Dark Side, too, but she chose to fight against it instead of giving in to it.
Solo: A Star Wars Story
Main Character: Han Solo
- Species: Human
- Planet: Corellia
- Role: Han Solo is a young thief with a crew of ragtag, smuggling adventurers in this movie. With Chewbacca, Qi’ra, and other members of his team, Han Solo must repay his debt to the gangster Dryden Vos by undertaking a dangerous mission to retrieve coaxium.
- Fun Fact: George Lucas describes Han Solo as a cowboy in a starship.
Secondary Character: Qi’ra
- Species: Human
- Planet: Corellia
- Role: When Han Solo fails his mission to bring coaxium to Dryden Vos, Qi’ra kills Dryden to save Solo. Qi’ra is Han Solo’s love interest, though they were enemies before they were lovers.
- Fun Fact: Originally, Qi’ra was the name George Lucas picked for Rey’s character.
Tertiary Character: Lady Proxima
- Species: Grindalid
- Planet: Corellia
- Role: Lady Proxima is the boss of a group of criminals called the White Worm Gang. She tries to have Han Solo hit when he fails a mission but ends up with half her face burned off when he retaliates. She loses Han Solo and Qi’ra.
- Fun Fact: Linda Hunt voices Lady Proxima in this movie!
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Main Character: Jyn Erso
- Species: Human
- Planet: Vallt
- Role: Jyn Erso is the daughter of the scientist who was captured to create the Death Star for the Galactic Empire. Jyn sacrifices her life to obtain her father’s plans for the Death Star and get the information to Alliance forces.
- Fun Fact: Jyn Erso was created by John Knoll to be a role model for his daughters.
Secondary Character: Cassian Jeron Andor
- Species: Human
- Planet: Fest
- Role: Cassian is a leading pilot and Intelligence Officer for the Alliance to Restore the Republic. He’s sent on a mission with Jyn Erso to kill her father but withholds these plans from Jyn. When Jyn learns of the Death Star, Cassian defies his orders from High Command to retrieve the plans for the Death Star with Jyn and their team.
- Fun Fact: There is an upcoming television series about Cassian set to come out on Disney+ called Star Wars: Andor.
Tertiary Character: K-2S0
- Species: Droid
- Planet: Vulpter
- Role: K-2S0 is a security droid made by the Galactic Empire. With his memory of his service to the Empire wiped clean, he serves as Cassian’s right-hand man (though when he had his memories he debated between arresting and killing him.) K-2S0 sacrifices himself so Jyn and Cassian won’t be killed by stormtroopers.
- Fun Fact: In K-2S0’s original concept art, he looked a lot more like C-3P0.
Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope
Main Character: Luke Skywalker
- Species: Human
- Planet: Tatooine
- Role: Luke Skywalker begins his training as a Jedi. While mastering the Force, he becomes a part of the Rebel forces against the Galactic Empire. Teaming up with Han Solo, Chewbacca, R2-D2, and C-3PO, he saves Princess Leia from the Empire.
- Fun Fact: In George Lucas’ early drafts, Luke Skywalker’s name was Luke Starkiller.
Secondary Character: R2-D2
- Species: Droid
- Planet: Naboo
- Role: R2-D2 is Luke Skywalker’s droid and friend throughout his adventures. Unbeknownst to Luke at first, R2-D2 carried secret plans for the Death Star, which he was taking to Rebel forces. R2-D2 takes serious damage at the end of the movie while helping Luke and his friends.
- Fun Fact: R2-D2 used to swear a lot in the original scripts before it was decided to replace his dialogue with beep-bop sounds. C-3P0’s reactions to R2-D2’s original dialogue were left in.
Tertiary Character: Owen Lars
- Species: Human
- Planet: Tatooine
- Role: Owen Lars is Luke Skywalker’s uncle and guardian on Tatooine. He’s a moisture farmer who kept Luke away from Obi-Wan Kenobi to hide the truth of Luke’s parentage and powers.
- Fun Fact: Owen Lars was originally an anthropologist, but by Lucas’ third draft, he became a moisture farmer.
Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back
Main Character: Luke Skywalker
- Species: Human
- Planet: Tatooine
- Role: Luke accidentally alerts the Galactic Empire of the Rebel’s whereabouts on the icy planet of Hoth. There, he must fight Imperial forces with our team of heroes to buy time for Rebels to escape to a safer location.
- Fun Fact: Luke Skywalker is 22 years old during the events of The Empire Strikes Back.
Secondary Character: Darth Vader
- Species: Human
- Planet: Tatooine
- Role: Darth Vader has the Galactic Empire’s army combing the galaxy for signs of Luke Skywalker and the Rebels. When Luke accidentally alerts him to the Rebels’ whereabouts on Hoth, he goes to the icy planet himself to kill those who oppose him.
- Fun Fact: Despite his iconic line to Luke, Darth Vader himself does not have a father.
Tertiary Character: Chewbacca
- Species: Wookiee
- Planet: Kashyyyk
- Role: Chewbacca has a debt to pay with his best friend Han Solo to Jabba the Hutt. Instead of taking care of business, he finds himself back in the Rebels’ war on Hoth.
- Fun Fact: George Lucas’ dog inspired him to create Chewbacca.
Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi
Main Character: Luke Skywalker
- Species: Human
- Planet: Tatooine
- Role: Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia work together to free Han Solo from his imprisonment with Jabba the Hutt. Afterward, Luke and his friends must save the galaxy from Darth Vader, who plans to create more Death Stars, in an epic battle.
- Fun Fact: George Lucas’ nickname used to be Luke, which is where Luke Skywalker gets his name.
Secondary Character: Princess Leia
- Species: Human
- Planet: Alderaan
- Role: Princess Leia helps save Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt. She, Luke, Han Solo, and the other Rebels take on Darth Vader and win. She’s also Han Solo’s love interest.
- Fun Fact: Carrie Fisher didn’t like a lot of Princess Leia’s outfits.
Tertiary Character: Wicket W. Warrick
- Species: Ewok
- Planet: Endor
- Role: Wicket and the other Ewoks on Endor helped Luke, Leia, Han Solo, and the other Rebels defeat the Galactic Empire. With the Ewoks’ help, our heroes manage to blow up the entire Death Star, kill Darth Vader, and destroy the body of Darth Sidious.
- Fun Fact: Warwick Davis, who is Wicket’s actor, was inspired by his dog to tilt his head while auditioning for the role. This simple move helped pique George Lucas’ interest in the young actor.
The Mandalorian
Main Character: Din Djarin
- Species: Human
- Planet: Aq Vetina
- Role: Din Djarin’s is a bounty hunter and Mandalorian warrior tasked with taking a Force-sensitive infant from Yoda’s species to an Imperial remnant faction. Djarin does not believe the Imperial faction should have the infant, Grogu, who he’s become attached to. Djarin takes The Child and escapes through the galaxy with him, deciding The Child should be raised as a Jedi.
- Fun Fact: Pedro Pascal, who plays Din Djarin, watched lots of old western movies and samurai movies to prepare for the role.
Secondary Character: The Child, Grogu
- Species: Unknown
- Planet: Unknown
- Role: Grogu is the Force-sensitive infant Din Djarin must protect from Imperials who want to take him. Grogu becomes the only other member of Din Djarin’s Mandalorian clan. Together, Grogu and Djarin try to get Grogu back to the Jedi who can raise him properly.
- Fun Fact: Because Grogu’s species ages much slower than ours, he’s still an infant at 50 years old!
Tertiary Character: The Armorer
- Species: Unknown
- Planet: Mandalore
- Role: The Armorer is the leader of the Mandalorian Warriors during the New Republic Era. While on Nevarro during the Galactic Empire’s Great Purge of Mandalore, she forged lots of armor and weapons for her fellow Mandalorian warriors.
- Fun Fact: Emily Swallow portrays The Armorer, while Lauren Mary Kim plays as her stunt devil.
Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens
Main Character: Rey Skywalker
- Species: Human
- Planet: Jakku
- Role: Rey is a Force-sensitive young woman who must awaken her Jedi powers to help the Resistance defeat the New Galactic Empire, named the First Order. By uncovering secrets about her overwhelming powers, she also uncovers secrets about her past.
- Fun Fact: Daisy Ridley, who plays Rey, feels she and Rey have a lot in common.
Secondary Character: Poe Dameron
- Species: Human
- Planet: Yavin 4
- Role: Poe is a Resistance General and pilot who was searching for Luke Skywalker on Jakku before he was captured by forces from the First Order. He is saved by a defective stormtrooper named Finn, and with the other heroes, he helps save the Resistance from an untimely demise.
- Fun Fact: Oscar Isaac was very hesitant to star as Poe when the original idea was to have Poe die in his first movie. After it was decided this wouldn’t be the case, Isaac was all in.
Tertiary Character: Maz Kanata
- Species: Unknown
- Planet: Takodana
- Role: Maz gives Rey the Skywalker lightsaber she’ll use throughout the franchise. When Rey doesn’t want the lightsaber right away, Maz gives it to Finn for safekeeping.
- Fun Fact: J.J. Abrams based Maz’s characters off of one of his favorite teachers.
Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi
Main Character: Kylo Ren A.K.A. Ben Solo
- Species: Human
- Planet: Chandrila
- Role: He is the main antagonist who acts as Supreme Leader of the First Order. He is Darth Lord Sidious’ Sith apprentice, and he wants to obliterate the Resistance though he feels oddly drawn to Rey and the Light Side of the Force.
- Fun Fact: When coming up with a villain for this Star Wars trilogy, it had been an idea from the very beginning to have Leia and Solo’s son struggle with the Dark Side of the Force.
Secondary Character: Rose
- Species: Human
- Planet: Hays Minor
- Role: Rose is a mechanic for the Resistance who enters into a brief romance with Finn. In this movie, she, Finn, and BB-8 work together to recruit the Codebreaker. With him, they can disable the hyperspace tracker the First Order uses to follow the Resistance.
- Fun Fact: Kelly Marie Tran was cast after Ryan Johnson saw how well her personality reflected Rose’s character.
Tertiary Character: Amilyn Holdo
- Species: Human
- Planet: Gatalenta
- Role: Amilyn is the highest-ranking officer left in the Resistance after their High Command was obliterated. She sacrifices herself so that the other Resistance members may escape the First Order.
- Fun Fact: Amilyn’s character is described as being a “lovable oddball.”
Star Wars: Episode IX – The Force Awakens
Main Character: Rey
- Species: Human
- Planet: Jakku
- Role: Rey must resist the Dark Side of the Force and defeat Emperor Palpatine once and for all. With her strong Jedi powers, she’ll bring peace to the galaxy at the cost of some of those closest to her.
- Fun Fact: Rey’s lightsaber is now a glowing yellow color instead of blue.
Secondary Character: Finn
- Species: Human
- Planet: None
- Role: Finn is the leader of the Resistance forces who goes to war with Emperor Palpatine. Finn takes out his fleet of Star Destroyers, proving himself to be a true hero in the Resistance.
- Fun Fact: John Boyega auditioned for Finn 9 times before securing the role.
Tertiary Character: D-0
- Species: Droid
- Planet: Unknown
- Role: D-0 is a small droid that is saved by BB-8. He helps the Resistance.
- Fun Fact: J.J. Abrams voices D-0!
FAQ
Are you ready to have some of the most frequently asked questions about Star Wars characters answered? With a world as huge as the one George Lucas created, it’s no wonder so many folks have questions about the people and creatures that inhabit it. If your question isn’t answered below, please leave me a comment with your question!
Question: How Many Star Wars Characters Are There?
Answer: Currently, there are 21,647 characters in the Star Wars universe. Of course, we couldn’t get to all 21,647 of them in this guide or you’d be reading a full-length novel.
Question: Who Played Darth Vader?
Answer: David Prowse and Bob Anderson physically portrayed Darth Vader in the original trilogy, but it was James Earl Jones who voiced him. Jake Lloyd and Hayden Christensen played Anakin Skywalker in episodes 1-3.
Question: Who Was the First Star Wars Character?
Answer: George Lucas has said Darth Vader was the first Star Wars character he ever came up with. Surprised it wasn’t Luke?
You Have the Knowledge of a True Jedi
You now have the knowledge of a true Jedi, my young padawan. Did you have a good time expanding your Star Wars horizons? Star Wars is such an immense universe that we could spend all day talking about it. If you have any comments, questions, or concerns about Star Wars characters, please leave me a quick note down below and I’ll get back to you. For even more amazing Star Wars content, come to our website!
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