Star Wars is loaded with amazing characters. Many get the love they deserve while others not so much. Here are six underrated characters in Star Wars.
Star Wars is great for many reasons. The drama, the space battles, the interesting planets, the crazy looking aliens, the great music, and of course the characters. Many Star Wars characters are loved by millions of fans around the world. Some, on the other hand, are despised. Somewhere in the middle are the ones who maybe don’t get enough appreciation,
Whether good or bad or role big or small, some characters just don’t get the love they deserve. Throughout all nine movies and the various novels, comics, and TV shows, Star Wars is loaded with nuanced characters who add value and are captivating when they get screen time or are mentioned on the page.
Here’s a list of six characters in Star Wars who are underrated. Some of these may never get the love they deserve while others may be appreciated more in time by a new generation of fans or ones who go back and suddenly realize how amazing these characters actually are.
Watto
We are introduced to Watto in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. He is the Toydarian slave owner who Shmi and Anakin Skywalker belong to. Watto’s appearance is totally unique. He kind of looks like a flying blue anteater. He’s one of the first characters in Star Wars who has wings and flutters around as he helps find a part for Qui-Gon Jinn in his junkyard.
Watto speaks with a gruff voice that matches his stubbly face and weathered look. He is completely driven by money and profit, and in one of The Phantom Menace‘s best scenes, he tells Qui-Gon to quit waving his hand around like he’s a Jedi because only money works on him and not mind tricks.
Despite being a slave owner who is obsessed with money and wealth, Watto does show moments of compassion. He lets Anakin go early one day and does seem generally concerned about the boys overall well being. That could be just him protecting his assets but it seems that Watto truly cares for Anakin and Shmi.
In Attack of the Clones, we see that Watto has fallen on hard times, but is willing to help Anakin find his mother who has since been freed by Clegg Lars. Watto is a fun and complex Star Wars character who doesn’t get nearly the props he deserves.
Count Dooku
Count Dooku a.k.a. Darth Tyranus is an underrated character in Star Wars. Dooku is very unique as he’s a former Jedi who left the order and got into politics. He became disillusioned with the Jedi Order and eventually fell to the temptations of the Dark Side and became the apprentice of Darth Sidious.
What makes Dooku interesting is that he’s this very classy guy. He has slicked-back white hair and speaks in a velvety smooth baritone voice. He is the former apprentice of Yoda and former master of Qui-Gon Jinn so he has ties to some of the best Jedi who ever lived.
Dooku is also extremely powerful. He is able to take on both Obi-Wan and Anakin and beats them in battle. What is best about this, is that he talks a little smack when he lightsaber fights, getting under his opponent’s skin emotionally and not just besting them physically. He then goes on to hold his own against Yoda and is even able to shoot lightning out of his fingertips.
Dooku also sports a cool looking curve handled lightsaber and is a master swordsman. While he was ultimately just a pawn in Darth Sidious’ plan to take over the galaxy, he was a smooth, classy villain who shouldn’t be forgotten.
Hux
Hux started off the Sequel Trilogy as a one-dimensional bad guy who is truthfully a little annoying. He acted like a petulant child at times and seemed to thrive at one-upping Kylo Ren any chance he got. Hux was a little too far over on the evil side and the anger and spite he exudes during his speech before Starkiller Base destroys the Hosnian system is exhausting.
Over the course of the sequels, we begin to see another side of Hux. As bad as he wants to impress his master Supreme Leader Snoke, he is often used as the whipping boy. We see in The Last Jedi, Snoke using the force to basically mop the floor with Hux, making him look like a fool in front of his inferiors. Later in the film, Hux gets a chance to take out his rival Kylo Ren for good, but hesitates and then Ren wakes up. He clearly hates his new Supreme Leader but also fears him enough that he’ll stay obedient.
In The Rise of Skywalker, Hux shows a new side. During the film, we find out there is a spy in the First Order. It turns out that spy is General Hux. Hux’s reasoning for being a spy is that he’d rather see the First Order fall then to see Kylo Ren win. He is willing to sabotage everything he’s stood for to make that happen. Hux does have some complexities to him. He’s evil to the core but what is stronger than his pure evil nature, is his hatred for Kylo Ren. This hatred drives him throughout the films until it eventually leads him to his death.
Captain Tarpals
Captain Tarpals is an underrated character because he’s basically the only Gungan in Star Wars who doesn’t come off as annoying. Besides Boss Nass and Jar Jar, he’s the only Gungan who even has any lines. The best part about Tarpals is that we can actually understand what he says.
One of the biggest knocks on Jar Jar is that he’s extremely hard to understand. He has unique words in his dialect that don’t make sense and his voice, even when speaking words that we are familiar with, is tough to make out. Boss Nass is the same. He has important dialogue but the way the lines are delivered makes it difficult to understand. We don’t have that problem with Captain Tarpals. He speaks the same Gungan dialect, with the same goofy words, but even in his raspy, elderly voice, we can understand everything he says.
Tarpals has a cool look as he’s a Gungan with white facial hair. He’s got a cool mustache and appears to be a patient yet talented warrior. Captain Tarpals’ role in the grand scheme of Star Wars is small, but he’s an important character who shows that not all Gungans are annoying creatures who we can’t understand.
Qui-Gon Jinn
Qui-Gon Jinn was a Jedi who was ahead of his time. He’s the closest thing we see in the films as a “gray Jedi” as he doesn’t always follow the lead of the Jedi council. Jinn believes more in the living Force and forms strong opinions about things he believes to be true. The biggest example of this is how adamant he is about the fact that Anakin Skywalker is the chosen one.
He defies the council and says he will train Anakin on his own. That issue gets put on the back burner as Qui-Gon ends up going back to Naboo to protect and assist Queen Amidala. He is one of the first to recognize that the Jedi Council isn’t always right and though he doesn’t say anything, likely suspects they are beginning to show signs of weakness.
Qui-Gon is a fun character to watch. He isn’t afraid to use the Force to his benefit as shown in the dice roll-off with Watto, even if that tactic might not be approved by the likes of Yoda and Mace Windu. He’s also a talented lightsaber duelist who shows no fear in taking on a Droideka or a Sith Lord like Darth Maul. Jinn also is very patient and allows the Force to guide him and his companions, knowing it will reveal solutions to the troubles they face.
Qui-Gon Jinn was one of the best characters in all the Prequels and it was a shame we only got to be with him for one film.
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Kuiil
Baby Yoda gets all the attention in everyone’s favorite Disney Plus show, but perhaps it is Kuiil who deserves more credit. Kuiil is the handy and loyal retired Ugnaught who we get to meet early in The Mandalorian. He offers to help Mando find his asset in exchange for peace coming to his valley. He teaches Mando how to ride a blurrg so he can cross the deadly desert on his way to his quarry, showing extreme patience with the bounty hunter and even encouraging him when he’s ready to give up. Any time Mando tries to argue with him, the little Ugnaught just says “I have spoken” and that is the end of the discussion.
Upon Mando’s return, he finds his shipped ravaged by Jawas. Kuiil calmly and cooly helps Mando get his parts back. He not only helps Mando get them back negotiating a deal with the Jawas, but he basically repairs The Razor Crest by himself.
Kuiil is later recruited by the Mandalorian to help him in his plan to free Baby Yoda from Imperial enslavement. It’s at this time we find out that Kuiil has restored IG-11, and turned him into a serving droid. Kuiil ultimately loses his life during this mission but is a character who should live on in the hearts of Star Wars fans forever with his cool catchphrase and extreme usefulness.
What other characters in Star Wars are underrated?