• Original Star Wars characters like Bo-Katan Kryze and Asajj Ventress are beloved characters who have gone from evil to good.
• Ezra Bridger has many character archetypes that appeal to longtime fans and new audiences alike.
• Din Djarin and Captain Rex helped define new eras of Star Wars by providing looks into new cultures.

Ever since the Star Wars universe branched into long-form storytelling via its television and streaming series, fans have been introduced to a plethora of original characters. They range from Jedi knights to the deadliest bounty hunters in the galaxy, all of whom have become beloved parts of the lore after being introduced.

RelatedThese characters are instantly recognizable in and out of the Star Wars universe.

Whether someone has been following Star Wars since it changed pop culture forever in 1977 to a newcomer, there are characters, both heroic and villainous alike, that can appeal to anyone. Each one contributes something to the overall Star Wars universe, from expanding on the massive lore to creating stories that stick with viewers.

15 The Stranger

The Sith That Feels Like A Horror Villain

• Played By: Manny Jacinto
• Appearances: The Acolyte

From the beginning of marketing for The Acolyte, fans were curious about The Stranger. A masked warrior with a red blade whom nobody had seen before, but he was an ominous presence in just the trailers. In the show itself, he lived up to the hype by becoming something out of a horror movie for force-wielders, as he was able to slaughter an entire group of fully trained Jedi.

The Stranger’s helmet and lightsaber are both constructed from cortosis, an ore that shorts out the Kyber crystal inside a lightsaber. This made his lightsaber duels with the Jedi not only visually stunning but also unique from any other Star Wars battle. Additionally, audiences got to see a different side of the Sith via The Stranger, which set up more to come before The Acolyte was, unfortunately, canceled.

14 Fennec Shand

Boba Fett Wouldn’t Be A Daimyo Without Her

• Played By: Ming-Na Wen
• Appearances: The Mandalorian, The Book Of Boba Fett, The Bad Batch

Ming-Na Wen is one of the few actors who can claim to be a real-life Disney princess, as she was Disney’s Mulan, Marvel’s Agent Melinda May, and now she is Fennec Shand in Star Wars. She began as a special guest outlaw in an episode of The Mandalorian, but she became a regular on The Book of Boba Fett and has continued to make appearances in The Mandalorian and The Bad Batch.

The criminal underworld in Star Wars is shown to be a vile place, and Fennec Shand began as another example of that, willing to do any job for the right price with little care for who gets hurt. However, thanks to Boba Fett, audiences got to see her become a more honorable character, but one who will still fearlessly assassinate characters, mixing blasters, blades, and brawling.

13 Din Grogu

Cuteness Overload And New Lore Won Fans Over

• Played By: David Acord
• Appearances: The Mandalorian, The Book Of Boba Fett, The Mandalorian & Grogu

A character whose story is ever-evolving is Din Grogu, an infant of Yoda’s still-unnamed species who immediately won over the hearts of all viewers in the first episode of The Mandalorian. It was hard for anyone not to fall in love, as he rivaled the likes of Baby Groot or Dumbo in terms of cuteness, but many were fascinated to see another character like Yoda and Yaddle.

Throughout The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, Grogu is shown to be powerful with the Force, which continues to have fans theorizing if he is related to Yoda in any way. The father/son relationship between Grogu and Din Djarin has become a defining story of the Star Wars universe, to the point that the two have their own movie in 2026, The Mandalorian & Grogu.

12 Cad Bane

A Bounty Hunter Even The Jedi Worried About

• Played By: Corey Burton, Dorian Kingi
• Appearances: Star Wars: The Clone Wars, The Book Of Boba Fett, The Bad Batch, Star Wars: Tales Of The Underworld

Sometimes it’s hard to resist the charm of a villain, and while he may be a heartless bounty hunter who kidnaps children, kills Jedi, and commits many other atrocities, Cad Bane is simply an entertaining villain to watch. From Corey Burton’s voice to his Lee Van Cleef-inspired design straight out of a classic Western, Dave Filoni and his team helped turn Cad Bane into an iconic villain in Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

There is never a time when Cad Bane will do good; he’s a cold and uncaring individual who was shaped by the underworld, only caring about the money that his employers give him. Since he is always portrayed as a competent villain who can overpower even the most trained Jedi like Obi-Wan Kenobi, fans grew to love him. This resulted in Cad Bane stealing the spotlight when he became the main villain in The Book of Boba Fett, with fans cheering on his live-action debut.

11 Bo-Katan Kryze

Katee Sackhoff Has Become A Queen Of Star Wars

• Played By: Katee Sackhoff
• Appearances: Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, The Mandalorian

So much of the Mandalorians being expanded upon can be attested to Duchess Satine and her sister, Bo-Katan Kryze, in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Bo-Katan began as a terrorist and extremist in the Deathwatch, believing her sister to be unfit to rule the planet of Mandalore, and she helped Pre Viszla in his rampage against her, which led to the unfortunate murder of her sister at the hands of Darth Maul.

RelatedThe Jedi, Sith, and in-between, have all used some rather unconventional and unique lightsabers in Star Wars’ galaxy far, far away.

Katee Sackhoff would continue to portray the character in Star Wars: Rebels and The Mandalorian, being one of the few actors to play their character in all forms. To coincide with her many years in the franchise, fans have gotten to see her pay and make up for her mistakes, leading to her becoming the true ruler of Mandalore like her sister.

10 Hunter

It’s Not The Bad Batch Without Their Leader

• Played By: Dee Bradley Baker
• Appearances: Star Wars: The Clone Wars, The Bad Batch

Hunter is the leader of Clone Force Unit 99, better known as the Bad Batch, in both The Clone Wars and their spin-off series, which tackled the fate of the clones post-Order 66. Like the rest of his team, he is gifted with a unique ability to sense things such as electromagnetic changes in the environment, which suggests that he is a Force-sensitive clone.

Being a deadly clone akin to John Rambo is nice, but what really makes Hunter shine is going from a leader of a spec ops team to being the eldest brother trying to take care of a family. He looks like someone who would be constantly edgy, but he’s one of the most wholesome characters, especially when raising Omega.

9 Crosshair

From A Hated Villain To A Redeemed Hero

• Played By: Dee Bradley Baker
• Appearances: Star Wars: The Clone Wars, The Bad Batch

CT-9904, also known as Crosshair, is the perfect example of how much characters can change in a galaxy far, far away. At the beginning of The Bad Batch, it is easy to despise Crosshair for betraying his brothers to blindly serve the Empire, and even as the show progresses, he still shows nothing but care for being a cog in the machine.

However, Crosshair is both a victim and a villain, as he had the same genetic chip implanted that many clones had, removing his free will. Fortunately, Crosshair gradually pays for betraying his brothers and, as a result, regains his conscience. He did everything in his being to make up for his poor choices, regaining his brothers’ trust, saving Omega, and stopping Dr. Hemlock and his twisted experiments, all while keeping his signature gravely voice, many memorable quotes, and delightfully sour attitude.

8 Asajj Ventress

She Is Proof That Anybody Can Come Back From The Dark Side

• Played By: Grey Griffin, Nika Futterman
• Appearances: Star Wars: Clone Wars, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, The Bad Batch, Star Wars: Tales Of The Underworld

From giving Anakin Skywalker his signature scar to slaughtering thousands of clone troopers on the battlefield, Asajj Ventress was as evil as she was deadly during the Clone Wars. When Star Wars: The Clone Wars started, most would assume that she would amount to nothing more than being Count Dooku’s personal assassin.

Like many characters in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Ventress was far from the same by the end of her journey than at the start. After being left for dead by Dooku, she began a slow but sure character arc that would transform her into more of an anti-hero by the end of The Clone Wars. In The Bad Batch, Ventress is shown to be more Jedi-like than ever, despite being a mercenary.

7 Omega

The Most Wholesome Character In The Galaxy

• Played By: Michelle Ang
• Appearances: The Bad Batch

While the show is named after Hunter and the other members of Unit 99, The Bad Batch, from beginning to end, is the story of Omega as a young and special clone. Across three seasons, Omega grows as a soldier and a person; she can be seen as naive, but in a dark time, as the Empire’s first years, a wholesome character is welcome.

Despite all the evil she witnessed in The Bad Batch, Omega never lost her kindness or compassion, making her sisterly relationship with the other Batchers endearing. Even when she made mistakes or had downsides to her character, she always improved, making her journey a delight. Now, fans eagerly await to see what is next for Omega after the ending of The Bad Batch confirmed that she joined the rebellion as an adult.

6 Ezra Bridger

• Played By: Taylor Gray, Eman Esfandi
• Appearances: Star Wars Rebels, Ahsoka

Star Wars Rebels features a diverse cast of characters within the Ghost crew, each adding a unique element that enhances the feeling of family as they embark on space adventures together. A key member of this crew is Ezra Bridger, a child who was raised during the era of the Empire. Born on the planet Lothal, Ezra is also a powerful Force-sensitive individual.

RelatedJedi are a focal point in the Star Wars universe. To offer a different look at the franchise’s narrative, these Jedi should be considered.

Ezra proved to be an interesting character because of his many parallels to Anakin Skywalker: losing his parents at a young age, becoming the unlikely apprentice to a Jedi who had to learn early to be a master, and even succumbing to the Dark Side. Unlike Anakin, Ezra was able to redeem himself before becoming a Sith, which, combined with his snarky humor and unfaltering love for his found-family, results in a memorable Jedi who is a nice mix of familiarity and new.