We take a look at five Star Wars characters featured in the films, but weren’t improved until we saw them in comics, books or TV shows.
Star Wars films have introduced countless incredible characters over the years. Some weren’t done justice, though, until they were further developed in television shows, books, or comics.
These characters would not exist without the films, all of which provided the foundation for their stories. They all had promising beginnings, but something felt missing from their presence in the films. Television shows, books, and comics have been able to take these individuals and elevate them to a whole new level, making them more compelling than ever before.
Let’s take a look at five Star Wars characters improved by the television shows, books, and comics.
1. Maul
First introduced in The Phantom Menace, Maul captured the imagination of fans everywhere with his fierce nature and undeniably cool aesthetic. He seemed destined to be the next great villain of Star Wars, only he was cut in half by Obi-Wan before audiences could learn more about him and see his story unfold further.
For a while that seemed to be the end of it, until The Clone Wars television show found a way to bring him back. The Clone Wars, Rebels, Son of Dathomir and Darth Maul comics provided Maul with the justice his character deserved. These stories gave him the personality, backstory, and core drives lacking in The Phantom Menace. He remained fierce and impressive, but also became a surprisingly tragic figure fans eliciting sympathy from fans. His true end in Rebels is unexpectedly moving.
All these factors made Maul’s stunning return to the big screen in Solo all the more satisfying and promising. If his story with Qi’ra doesn’t translate into a future film, the comics could continue to be an excellent medium for fleshing out Maul in all his glory.
2. Captain Phasma
There was a lot of hype surrounding Captain Phasma in the lead-up to The Force Awakens. Outfitted in sleek armor, she looked like a menacing enforcer of the First Order, brought to life by the immensely talented Gwendoline Christie. Unfortunately, she didn’t live up to the hype in The Force Awakens as her character played a disappointingly small role and wasn’t as formidable as teased.
This was rectified in the Phasma novel and Captain Phasma comic, both revealing she wasn’t just the First Order loyalist everyone thought her to be. Phasma was above all a survivor dedicated to furthering her position. Unlike Kylo Ren and Armitage Hux, she was not motivated by the ideals of Supreme Leader Snoke or the First Order.
In the novel, she betrayed and murdered her own people in order to escape her planet with Brendol Hux and join the First Order. Later she teamed up with Armitage Hux to kill his father Brendol, a move befitting both of their ambitions. Phasma’s true nature is also shown in the comic with the lengths taken to ensure no one would know she lowered the shields on Starkiller Base.
A deleted scene from Star Wars:The Last Jedi–featuring a different end for Phasma–reveals her true self even further, the strong foundation for which was established in the novel and comic making her a more intriguing character than the one presented in the films.
3. Mon Mothma
Mon Mothma has very little screen time in the original trilogy, only briefly appearing in Return of the Jedi to speak about the second Death Star and the Bothans who died to acquire the plans. Materials outside the film have created a much clearer and more meaningful view of the character.
Mon Mothma is actually a founder and leader of the Rebel Alliance. Her public defiance of Emperor Palpatine was a bold and uplifting move that united many individuals and spurred the Rebel Alliance forward, a moment beautifully captured in Star Wars Rebels.
In the years leading up to this, she navigated a fine line between serving her home planet Chandrila and the galaxy in the Senate while also working to build the Rebel Alliance. She had to balance many conflicting groups and viewpoints within the Rebel Alliance, often having to make the difficult calls that no one else could in order to maintain the best possible unity and strength against the Empire. Even after the Battle of Endor, she worked tirelessly to create and lead the New Republic in order to create a better galaxy.
4. Plo Koon
Jedi Master Plo Koon appeared in all the prequel trilogy films, but audiences learned very little about him. The Clone Wars television show made up for this by prominently featuring his character in a number of episodes and exploring his relationship with Ahsoka Tano. Plo Koon is actually the one who saved Ahsoka from enslavement and brought her to the Jedi Temple. They maintained a special bond over the years and he continued to be a supportive, wise mentor figure for her.
His leadership with the clone troops under his command also conveyed a great deal about his character. Plo Koon treated the clones with respect and as equals, all of which forged a trusting and communicating team. Both with and without his troops, he showed admirable bravery and wisdom in countless moments during the Clone Wars.
His death during Order 66 in Revenge of the Sith carries far more emotional weight given how audiences truly got to know him during The Clone Wars.
5. Jocasta Nu
Jocasta Nu–Chief Librarian of the Jedi Archives–had a pretty small role in the films, only appearing in Attack of the Clones to tell Obi-Wan that since Kamino didn’t appear in the Jedi Archives, the planet must not exist. However, she actually became a pretty exciting character in the Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith comic series.
She managed to survive Order 66. In the aftermath she worked to gather and preserve as much knowledge as she could about the Jedi Order, hoping that one day it would service a new generation.
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When returning to the Jedi Temple to retrieve a list containing the names of all Force-sensitive children before Order 66, she would encounter and duel both the Grand Inquisitor and Darth Vader. Nu eventually perished at the hands of Vader, but not before she discovered his real identity and revealed it to the troopers under his command. This led Vader to killing his own troops since they couldn’t know his secret, and he destroyed the list of Force-sensitive children so Palpatine wouldn’t replace Vader with a new apprentice.
Nu’s tireless work to gather and preserve knowledge about the Jedi Order did not go in vain either as Luke Skywalker later discovered it, and used the information to build his Jedi Academy.
The comics elevated Jocasta Nu from narrow-minded librarian to a tenacious survivor. She got under Vader’s skin like few could and ensured invaluable knowledge would live on for future Jedi.
Which character introduced in the movies do you think was most improved by the television shows, books, or comics? Let us know in the comments!