Ranking the best alien characters in Star Wars
Aliens and extraterrestrials don’t get any bigger or badder than they do in Star Wars.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve never really thought about non-human characters in Star Wars as aliens. Honestly, I kind of just looked at them as normal, like everything else in the franchise that would be considered outlandish in any other arena.
When you step back and think about it for a minute, what are they? They’re aliens. They’re not human beings, that’s for sure – but in most cases, they think and act like Han or Leia or Obi-Wan might. In the end, they’re simply good characters that make Star Wars what it is: out of this world.
Think about it a little more and you start to see that some of the most vital characters of the series are aliens. How many of you want an Ahsoka movie? Who’s like me and wants a Solo sequel just to see Darth Maul again?
The aliens of Star Wars have been a huge part of making the series appeal to different generations of people. A good portion of us love alien culture and anything to do with it (Star Trek,The X-Files, E.T., Men in Black, etc.). Go ahead and open up any comic book – odds are there’s some kind of alien life form in there.
Clearly, there are a few in Star Wars that stand out more than others. Still, many don’t get their due. I’m going to try and do that.
Honorable mentions
Photo Credit: Lucasfilm
Greedo
Greedo drew the short straw as soon as we saw him in the Mos Eisley cantina. It was supposed to be another routine bounty, but no. No, no, no.
If you were reading a Bounty Hunting 101 book, Greedo would be in the part that tells you what not to do. How this guy got a gig working for Jabba, I’ll never know. Greedo gets a spot on my list, though, mostly because of the Special Edition controversy. You know what I’m talking about.
On a side note, who would pay to see a 48 Hours episode investigating Greedo’s death? I would. You know nobody in that cantina “saw anything.” It’s probably still a cold case.
Bossk
Bossk is a baaaaaaadd man. Well, he seemed like one. By all accounts, Bossk was a pretty decent bounty hunter, good enough for Boba Fett to consider a mentor during his early days in the business.
Bossk just looks cool. He acts cool. Whenever I’m playing Battlefront, I usually take a run with Bossk, for no reason other than he looks like a guy you wouldn’t want to mess with.
Photo Credit: Lucasfilm
Maz Kanata
I actually think that Maz is kind of interesting. No, we don’t know why or how she came across Anakin’s lightsaber, but hopefully J.J. will answer that next December.
Ignore Maz’s appearance in The Last Jedi. If you think about, she really didn’t need to be in it. The only time we see her is in a hologram. A hologram. Sigh.
In The Force Awakens, though, Maz delivers some nice scenes. Asking Han who the girl is, giving Finn the lightsaber, giving Chewie a hard time, and really just being a mysterious character.
Zeb
I was always more of a Clone Wars guy, but Zeb was the second most important alien in Rebels. That being said, it kind of feels like he should be included here.
I’m always going to look at Zeb like one of those NBA players that never got enough out of their talent. He had the strength, the speed, the stamina, but always left me wanting more. Zeb just couldn’t make the leap to the superstar level. Alas.
Photo Credit: Lucasfilm
Hera Syndulla
Like I said, more of a Clone Wars person. However, I always enjoyed Kanan, so I like Hera by default. She’s the unquestioned leader of the Ghost, the boss that tells you to do something and you just do it with no hesitation.
Hera had some major guts, too. I remember when she went down in her ship in the last season, ended up getting taken by Governor Pryce, and then was interrogated to no end. Not a lot of characters could’ve done that and walked away, but Captain Syndulla found a way.
Grand Admiral Thrawn
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Thrawn is a genius on the battlefield, is rarely outdone, and has a little taste for showmanship. I really wanted to include him in the top five, but the next guy pushed him out.
5) Admiral Ackbar
It actually was a trap. Have you ever thought about how annoying it would be to see a suspenseful movie with Ackbar in the audience? If you went to see Halloween this weekend, Ackbar would be jumping out of his seat every ten minutes, pointlessly wailing at the screen as Michael Myers wreaks havoc. It would be unbearable.
That famous line isn’t the only reason the Admiral makes the top five, though. From everything I’ve seen or read, Ackbar was a top-notch leader on the battlefield, while also getting annoyed with petty political stuff like we saw in the Thrawn trilogy. This guy is definitely one of those no-nonsense, strictly business type of people.
Photo Credit: [Star Wars Rebels] Lucasfilm, Cartoon Network4) Darth Maul
I had to put my boy in here. That face. Those horns. That savage fighting style. What’s not to like about Darth Maul (other than those spider legs)?
Thankfully, our hero Dave Filoni fleshed out Maul’s story a bit more in the TV shows, negating that premature “death” in The Phantom Menace. Filoni gave us some of the best Maul storylines to date, like the Mandalore takeover and the attempt to turn Ezra to the Dark Side.
Photo Credit: [Star Wars: Return of the Jedi] Lucasfilm3) Jabba the Hutt
I included Jabba in my piece on the most anticipated Ages of Star Wars comics, and ranked him pretty high on my list of the best Star Wars villains. All you’ve got to do is watch Return of the Jedi to see why he’s so intimidating.
Like Hera did on the Ghost, Jabba was always the undeniable authority in whatever room he was in. However, Jabba’s death was low-key pretty gruesome. Choked out with a chain – you don’t get up from that one.
Photo Credit: [Star Wars Rebels] Lucasfilm2) Ahsoka Tano
I won’t lie to you. If I was a Togruta during the Rebels era, I might have taken a stab at Ahsoka’s DMs. I would’ve been denied, but at least I could say that I gave it a shot.
Ahsoka is arguably the strongest female character in the franchise, with respect to Leia. She was trained by Anakin, and had to fight him again in an emotional battle. Ahsoka proved to be one of the Rebellion’s greatest assets, and I liked that she didn’t identify with Jedi or Sith. She was straight down the middle, but still fought the Empire.
STAR WARS, (aka STAR WARS: EPISODE IV – A NEW HOPE), Chewbacca, Harrison Ford, 1977
Next. 5 Funny Star Wars names for characters revealed later. dark
1) Chewbacca
I like to think Chewbacca was totally capable of speaking Basic but just refused to do so. I mean, Han could speak a little Wookie. Come on, man.
There was never a doubt here. Chewbacca’s got it all: longevity, raw strength, rage, unwavering loyalty, and a bowcaster. Need I say more?