Let’s face it, not everyone in the galaxy can or wants to be a Jedi—that’s part of what makes them special. While our attention is turned towardStar Warsmovies andtheir major players, like Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, there are countless other characters on many other worlds making a difference in their small part of the galaxy. We loveStar Warsfor its epic stories and range of characters, but we don’t always get to take the time to stop and appreciate some of those smaller roles. Especially since there is more media (cartoons, TV series, comic books, and novels, to name a few) beyond just theStar Warsmovies than most people have time for.
Updated July 13, 2025: This article has been updated with moreStar Warscharacters.
Some of the best people often get overlooked, andStar Warsis no exception to that. The opportunity to look at events or places we love intheStar Warstimelinefrom a new perspective is what makes blockbusters likeRogue One: A Star Wars StoryandDisney+‘sThe Mandaloriansuccessful. Character studies are both a fun way to dive deeper into the franchise and impress otherStar Warsjunkies. Series likeAndorandThe Book of Boba Fetthave given spotlights to lesser-known characters. Here are the most underratedStar Warscharacters.
15Wedge Antilles
Wedge Antillesis one of the most important side characters from the original trilogy that most people probably don’t register at first. He appears in all three installments of the original trilogy. Wedge and Luke were the only two from the red squadron to survive blowing up the first Death Star.
Wedge survived the battle of Hoth and became Red Leader during the assault on the second Death Star. He later reappeared during the battle of Exogol, helping the Resistance fight the fleet of the Final Order. The character’s origins were also fleshed out inStar Wars: Rebelsshowing how he was recruited from the Imperial Flight Academy to join the Rebel Alliance.
14Lux Bonteri
Lux Bonteriis yet another character fromThe Clone Warsseries. He started out as the son of two Separatist senators, but after meeting Ahsoka Tano, he starts to question his allegiance. He swears vengeance against Count Dooku after the death of his mother, but he gets himself mixed up with a Mandalorian terrorist group, where Ahsoka has to save him once again. While the two develop a romantic chemistry with each other, the last time they saw each other was when the Jedi agreed to train a rebel group Lux was leading.
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At the end of it, Lux finally becomes a senator for the Republic. Currently, there doesn’t seem to be a project that will explain what happened to Lux after this or if he and Ahsoka ever met again. However, with such a complex backstory, he has plenty of potential to become a fan favorite if Lucasfilm ever features him in a future movie or show.
“I have spoken.”
Kuiilwas widely appreciated by fans at first, mostly through the form of repeating his iconic quote after muttering, “This is the way.” His matter-of-fact style of speaking made him popular among the audience ofThe Mandalorian,and that love increased as he came to have a genuine and caring relationship with Mando and Baby Yoda. That only made his sacrifice at the end of the first season all the more heartbreaking.
While he used to be one of the top characters in the show, Kuiil seems to have virtually disappeared. Not only have fans largely forgotten him, but it seems Mando himself has as well. It seems odd, as most other characters received some kind of callback within the show.
12Bail Organa
Princess Leia’s adopted father,Bail Organa, possesses all the same diplomacy and dedication as his daughter. He was a founding member of the Rebel Alliance and worked closely with Padme Amidala in the senate. While his role inAttack of the Clonesis a glorified cameo, the character has a major role in theunderrated filmRevenge of the Sith. The character also appeared in bothRogue OneandObi-Wan Kenobi, showing how important of a figure he was to the early years of the Rebel Alliance. He sadly dies after his home planet of Alderaan is destroyed, but his legacy lives on in his daughter and the fight against the Empire.
11Kit Fisto
Kit Fistowas mostly known byStar Warsfans as an incredible-looking Jedi in the background of the prequel trilogy. Admittedly, he looks fascinating. However, the animated seriesThe Clone Warsgave fans a look at his personalityand unique abilities as a Jedi. Kit Fisto is able to fight underwater without any special gear, which makes him a great Jedi for defending water worlds, as seen in the show. He also has quite a sense of humor, which only adds to the generally laid-back attitude he seems to have. This helps him stay calm and focused even in the most intense situations.
In one of the saddestClone Warsepisodes, Fit Fisto fights alongside his former padawan in an attempt to capture General Grievous and end the Clone Wars, but his friend is killed on the mission. Despite his grief, Fisto managed to keep fighting and escape. While the Jedi have been criticized for forbidding attachments, mostly by Anakin, Fisto is probably the best example of how the Jedi were always intended to be. He shows compassion and understanding to everyone, but he never abandons his duty and desire to help everyone he can.
10Hera Syndulla
Hera Syndullais one of the best characters to come out of Disney’sStar Wars Rebels.She was the first member of her crew to join the fight against The Empire. She isn’t one for hand-to-hand combat, but she is a great pilot and gunner and a great tactical leader. She and her team fought against Grand Admiral Thrawn (more on him later) at the height of his power. Her motherly affection for her crew makes them strong enough to face any enemy.
Hera’s origins were expanded upon inThe Bad Batch, showing how she began her fight against The Empire. Mary Elizbeth Winstead will star as Hera inAhoska, which is already set to feature the live-action debut of Sabin Wren and Ezra Bridger.
If R2D2 could talk, he probably wouldn’t be as sassy as this droid.K-2SOwas an Imperial security protocol droid that has been reprogrammed by the Rebel Alliance. K-2SO is in the service of Cassian Andor and helps the Rebellion steal the Death Star plans as seen inRogue One: A Star Wars Story.
Many were expectingK-2SO to appear onAndor, yet while an Imperial security protocol droid was shown, the sarcastic droid did not make an appearance. WithAndorseason 2 set to cover the four years betweenAndorseason 1 andRogue One, it is likely he will show up again, and audiences will get to enjoy a bit more time with the breakout droid characters whose time was cut short.
Bo Katan Kryze’s voice always carried a lot of weight as the younger sister to Satine Kryze, duchess of Mandalore. Even though her political affiliations changed as she matured, Bo Katan has always done what she thought was best for her people. She worked with Ahsoka Tano to defeat Maul and worked to repair and rebuild Mandalore for most of her life thereafter. She also teamed up with the Mandalorian to help save Grogu (Baby Yoda) more than once.
Bo Katan has a unique character arc full of political intrigue and betrayal. She even wielded the dark saber for a time and lead Mandalore, yet sometime between the events ofStar Wars: RebelsandThe Mandalorian,she lost the weapon but has since reclaimed Mandalore in season 3 ofThe Mandalorian.
7Savage Opress
While Darth Maul may be the main Star Wars antagonist fans think of when they imagine a villain with horns, yellow eyes, and a double-bladed lightsaber, he’s not the only one who fits that description.Savage Opressis a rather complex character fromStar Wars: The Clone Wars. He was a simple Nightbrother on Dathomir, a planet where the women are powerful witches that the men live in fear of. When Ventress needed a spy to complete her plan to kill Dooku, several men were selected from the village to complete a deadly trial to earn the honor of serving the Nightsisters. During the trial, Savage’s only goal was to keep his brother safe, which ultimately led to Savage giving himself up to the witches and leaving his village. The witches use magic on Savage to make him a strong monster under their control, and in a cruel twist of irony, they test his brainwashing by having him kill his brother at their command.
Savage does not remain a mindless monster for long. After the witches are attacked, he goes on a mission to find the one person he can connect with, Maul. Even though the two go on quite the rampage and cause plenty of death and destruction, there is something quite wholesome about their bond. They always refer to each other as brothers, showing that they have still held on to their culture that taught them to be loyal and loving, in a way.
6Asajj Ventress
Asajj Ventressis one of the most iconic Star Wars villains to never appear in any of the films or live-action media. Originating in the 2D Star Wars: Clone Wars series, she was brought over into the canon stories as Count Dooku’s apprentice inStar Wars: The Clone Wars, but never becamea true Sith Lord. Unfortunately, the rule of two didn’t allow for that. She regularly faced off against Ahsoka and Anakin and proved to be a valuable asset to the separatists during the Clone Wars. However, Ventress’s life took a turn when Palpatine grew uneasy about her amounting power and ordered Dooku to prove his loyalty by executing her. She became a bounty hunter and teamed up with many Jedi for influential missions.
Her final Clone Wars story arc was told in the pages ofDark Disciples, which featured her falling in love with Jedi master Quinlan Vos. Ventress dies in the story and while it sadly appears she will never appear in live-action, she is a major player in many important stories during the Clone Wars.
