We rank the 50 best Star Wars characters of all-time

11. Princess Leia

Major Appearances

• Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
• Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
• Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
• Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens

Best Moment

Without a doubt, Leia’s best moment in the saga was when she turned into a total badass in The Empire Strikes Back following the freezing of Han Solo. She took matters into her own hands and this was the first time that she truly came into her own as a powerful character. She was intellectually strong before that but this was the first time we saw her truly be physically strong on her own.

Worst Moment

Leia may have been powerful and awesome but she wasn’t perfect. One of her missteps was getting captured by Jabba — even if it was part of the plan. Her gold bikini is one of the most iconic images of the original trilogy, and her capture ended up helping her kill Jabba, but there were other ways. Leia doesn’t get caught, but she did here and it wasn’t fun.

Breakdown

We all grew up with the powerful heroes that Luke and Han represented, but Leia was a strong female character in a world that seemed to be run by males. She was more than just a character in the group of friends and was more than just Luke’s sister and Han’s partner. She was as strong role model for people to look up to both in the galaxy and in the real world. She’s one of the most important characters in the Star Wars saga for more than one reason.

Next: 10. Lando