Monday, January 24, 2011

Characters: Star Wars

Characters: Star Wars


    open/close all folders 

    Main Protagonists 

Luke Skywalker



Played by: Mark Hamill (Ep.IV-VI)

A Farm Boy from a desert planet, Luke discovers that his father was a Jedi and that he can be one too. This led to him becoming a major figure in the Rebel Alliance, the savior of the galaxy, leader of the Jedi Order and all-aroundBadass.

Han Solo


Played by: Harrison Ford (Ep.IV-VI)


A smuggler originally hired by Obi-Wan to provide him transport to Alderaan, Han (and his Cool Ship, the Millenium Falcon) became central to the fate of the galaxy. An Ace Pilot with a sarcastic streak and no particular loyalties, Han was played by Harrison Ford, who improvised many of the character's best lines.

Princess Leia Organa


Played by: Carrie Fisher (Ep.IV-VI)


Leia was the (adopted) daughter of Bail Organa and followed his footsteps in becoming the Senator of the planet Alderaan. She also followed him into the Rebel Alliance, which led to her imprisonment on the Death Star, where two young men with more heroism than sense (Luke and Han) broke her out. Then it became clear that she's an Action Girl in her own right, and things got really interesting.

Anakin Skywalker

Child Anakin played by: Jake Lloyd (Ep.I)
Adult Anakin played by: Hayden Christensen (Ep.II-III)


The most pivotal man in the galaxy, whose decisions changed the fate of every living being. Also had a son who did the same thing. Anakin was born on a desert planet (the same one, actually) and grew up with Jedi training; unlike Luke, he was hot-tempered, brash and sometimes undisciplined. Evidently that made all the difference; Luke didn't help put the galaxy under the heel of an evil dictator. You might know him better as Darth Vader.

Obi-Wan Kenobi

Played by: Alec Guinness (Ep.IV-VI); Ewan McGregor (Ep.I-III)


Introduced in Episode IV as "Ben Kenobi," Obi-Wan begins Luke's Jedi training and sets him on his course as savior of the galaxy. He fought in the Clone Wars and, as Anakin's teacher, was deeply involved in Anakin's fall to The Dark Side. While Anakin is indisputably the main character of the series, Obi-Wan runs a close second, and is one of only four characters to appear in every film of the series.

Yoda


Voiced by: Frank Oz (Ep.I-III; V-VI)


A diminutive Jedi Master from whom Luke seeks training in Episode V. Originally a spiritual (and very old) character drawing on the wizened Old Master tradition, he shows his true capabilities in Episodes II and III, in which (not coincidentally) he is of the Serkis Folk variety. In all other films, he is a puppet performed by the legendary Frank Oz, who also brought us Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy and Grover.

Chewbacca


Played by: Peter Mayhew (suit; Ep.III-VI)


Han Solo's co-pilot aboard The Alleged Freighter Millenium Falcon, which he and Han seem to spend more time repairing than flying. Chewie is a Wookiee (read: 8-foot-tall walking carpet) who only speaks in growls and roars. According to official sources, Han rescued him from slavery at some point, leading to Chewbacca swearing him a "life debt."

C-3PO and R2-D2


3PO played by: Anthony Daniels
R2 played by: Kenny Baker (suit)
R2 "voiced" by: Ben Burtt


A pair of "droids" (short for android, even though only Threepio is man-shaped) who accompany the heroes on their various adventures. Threepio is a "protocol droid" who helps smooth negotiations and understands 6 million forms of communication; he is prissy, fussy and quick to proclaim, "We're doomed." Artoo is an "astromech droid," basically making him a co-pilot for various starfighters, and is much more gutsy. Their (one-sided) banter is one of the franchise's main sources of Comic Relief. C-3PO and R2-D2 are the last of the four characters who appear in all six movies; they are also the only characters to be portrayed by the same actors throughout all six movies.

Lando Calrissian


Played by: Billy Dee Williams (Ep.V-VI)


The only black guy in the Galaxy. Well, him and Mace, that is. Though introduced as a somewhat shady former business partner of Han's, he ends up Defaulting To Good when Vader tramples all over him. He later flies the Millennium Falcon in the Battle of Endor; the ship used to be his, until Han won it off him.

Padmé Amidala


Played by: Natalie Portman (Ep.I-III)

A democratically-elected Queen (just roll with it) on the planet of Naboo, Amidala starts out with her planet subjected to an unprovoked invasion by the Trade Federation (under orders from Palpatine, who at the time would have been a member of her government); Obi-Wan and Qui-Gonn are dispatched to do something about this. Then they escape to Tatooine and 9-year-old Anakin starts putting the moves on her, and we see where this is going. Her other major habit was disguising herself as one of her own handmaids, which is why her "servant" Padmé got so much attention in Episode I.

Mace Windu


Played by: Samuel L Jackson (Ep.I-III)


Okay, it's Samuel L Jackson in Jedi robes and without the swearing, but with a purple lightsaber; and if Yoda is the wise heart and soul of the Jedi Order, Mace is its invincible mailed fist. Though he bows to Yoda in matters of spirituality, he takes the lead in battle, and is the greatest warrior of his generation. Amongst the Jedi Council, he shows the greatest distrust towards Anakin, which proves ultimately well-founded, or at the very least a Self Fulfilling Prophecy...unto his death.

Wedge Antilles


Played by: Denis Lawson (Ep.IV-VI)
Played by: Colin Higgins (briefly in Ep.IV)


A starfighter pilot, Wedge is one of the 9 characters who appears in all three Original Trilogy movies, and one of the 7characters to live through them, despite having no particular role, importance or Plot Armor. For this reason, he is a major figure in the Star Wars Expanded Universe, where he is often referred to as the finest pilot in the galaxy, by virtue of having survived more Trench Runs than anyone living or dead. Played by Denis Lawson, except for the one scene when he isn't.

Qui-Gonn Jinn


Played by: Liam Neeson


The master of Obi-Wan and the former apprentice of Dooku. Noted for his compassion for all living things and his unorthodox ways, it is his desire to train a young Anakin that leads to the events of the rest of the series.

Jar Jar Binks


Played by: Ahmed Best (Ep.I-III)


A Gungan from Naboo, whom Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan stumble upon early in Episode I. Jar Jar represents Lucas' attempt to appeal to the younger crowd, which he had successfully courted via Ewoks in Episode VI. The problem was that, even when Jar Jar was trying to be heroic, he had a tendency to just look stupid. Thankfully, Lucas toned down his presence in Episodes II and III. Played by Ahmed Best (Ink Suit Actor and Voice Actor both), who has shown a good sense of humor about the whole thing.

    Main Antagonists 

Darth Vader


Played by: David Prowse (suit, Ep.IV-VI); Sebastian Shaw (outside of suit, Ep.VI); Hayden Christensen (suit, Ep.III; force ghost, 2004 rerelease of Ep.VI)
Voiced by: James Earl Jones (Ep.III-VI)


Dark Lord of the Sith, apprentice to Senator Palpatine (also known as Darth Sidious). The central antagonist (or is he?) in the original trilogy. Killed Luke's father, Anakin Skywalker...From A Certain Point Of View. His descent into evil shaped the fate of the Galaxy.

Emperor Palpatine


Played by: Ian McDiarmid (Ep.I-III; VI, and the rerelease of V)
Voiced by: Clive Revill (Ep.V, original version)


Also known as Darth Sidious, Dark Lord of the Sith. The man pulling the strings from the very beginning...and working, all the same time, to subvert Anakin to The Dark Side. Originally a Senator from Naboo, he was eventually nominated Chancellor of the Republic and ruled with great popularity and acclaim. During the Clone Wars, he began to take emergency war-time powers on himself. All of this would've been pretty Winston Churchill if he hadn't secretly beenAdolf Hitler; he played both the Republic and the Separatists against each other, wiped out the Jedi, and came out on top. It's interesting to note that, though Palpatine is one of the most important characters in the franchise, he doesn't appear in all six films; he missed Episode IV, just like Yoda did.

Boba Fett


Played by: Played by: Jeremy Bulloch (suit, Ep.V-VI); Daniel Logan (child, Ep.II)
Voiced by: Temuera Morrison (Special Edition, Ep.V-VI); Jason Wingreen (original voice, Ep.V-VI)


One of the poster children of Too Cool To Live, Fett is a Mandalorian. He was introduced in The Star Wars Holiday Special but was too cool to stay there, which is saying something considering that the Holiday Special is practically the incarnation of Dork Age. Once entrenched in canon, he played a minor role in Episode V as the man who succeeds in capturing Han Solo for Vader and/or Jabba the Hutt; while he's later defeated by Luke and eaten by a grue Sarlacc, hisawesome armor and inscrutable demeanor Popularity Power makes him manly enough to fight his way out, allowing him to (again) play a major role in the EU. He also appears in Episode II as a child, specifically a clone of Jango Fett being raised by the man as his son; Jango's death in that film is basically Boba's Start Of Darkness.
  • Badass Decay: In ROTJ, although this was corrected in the EU.
  • Badass Normal
  • Blood Knight: Automatically qualifies since he is of Mandalorian heritage, a race that is rather infamous for liking war.
  • Bounty Hunter
  • Canon Immigrant
  • Cool Helmet
  • Determinator: He fought out the Sarlacc's belly through sheer force and iron will. The Sarlacc itself admits that he's hardcore some years later.
  • The Dragon: To Darth Vader in TESB.
  • Ensemble Darkhorse: Became very popular despite relatively little screentime.
  • Even Evil Has Standards: He does not want his bounty, Han Solo, dead as Jabba will find no use in a dead Han Solo. Also, he deliberately gave up on a chance to kill Starkiller at a moment when he was vulnerable because he was having a romantic reunion with Juno Eclipse, because he felt doing that would "not have felt right." He even follows a strict code of honor in regards to his missions.
  • Knight Templar: He sees himself as bringing a brutal brand of justice to criminals and considers The Empire a lawful government.
  • Mask Power
  • Memetic Badass: Even fans who aren't too familiar with the EU know that he fought his way out of the Sarlacc's belly, for Christ's sake!
  • Memetic Mutation: "My backpack's got jets! Well, I'm Boba, the Fett!"
  • Noodle Incident: "No disintegrations." The reason for Vader specifying this to Fett has yet to be explained, though it is mentioned in the (now retconned) Daniel Keys Moran short story "The Last One Standing: The Tale of Boba Fett".
    "Vader always said that, after that one time..."
  • The Other Marty: His voice was changed in the classic trilogy's first DVD release. Obviously, this led to Internet Backdraft. Lucasfilms responded by releasing a second set that included the Special Edition (with the new voice) and the Original Theatrical Edition (with the first voice).
  • The Quiet One
  • Proud Warrior Race Guy: In the EU, Depending On The Writer.
  • Too Cool To Live: And yet so cool he's saved by the Expanded Universe.
  • Wolverine Publicity

Darth Maul


Played by: Ray Park (Ep.I)
Voiced by: Peter Serafinowicz (Ep.I)


Ray Park, wearing horns, wielding a double-bladed lightsaber. The fact that all his lines were overdubbed does not in any way diminish his coolness rating.

Jango Fett


Played by: Temuera Morrison


A top-notch Bounty Hunter who was hired by the Republic to be the template for an army of clones, from which the Clone Wars took their name. Secretly working for the Separatists. Gets on Mace Windu's bad side, so, that's the end of him.

General Grievous


Voiced by: Matthew Wood (Ep. III)


Don't call him a droid: he's still got biological components. He just happens to live in a mechanical body. Essentially a cyborg, Grevious received lightsaber training from Count Dooku and is able to hold his own against Jedi. Like Boba Fett, he was first introduced in a cartoon, though this was actually deliberate (whereas Fett was carried into Canon more by Popularity Power than anything else). Voiced by Skywalker Sound editor Matthew Wood, who submitted his audition under a pseudonym to guarantee he'd get a fair hearing.
Grievous: I...AM...NOT A DROID!

Count Dooku/Darth Tyrannus


Played by: Christopher Lee (Ep.II-III)


A fallen Jedi who left the Order over philosophical issues, Dooku turned up on the side of the Separatists. What nobody knew, at least for a while, was that he was also the other member of the Sith, apprenticed to Darth Sidious. He gives Yoda a run for his money in a lightsaber duel, which makes his Anti Climax Boss appearance in Episode III somewhat disappointing. Played by the legendary Christopher Lee.

Grand Moff Tarkin


Played by: Peter Cushing (Ep.IV); Wayne Pygram (5-second cameo in Ep.III).


In the movies, Wilhuff Tarkin is mostly known as the Smug Snake running the Death Star; it was he who ordered the destruction of Alderaan, forcing Leia to watch. EU materials have elaborated on his villainy; particularly, it was his idea to rule through fear, which is probably why the Death Star's outrageous Power Levels appeared to him.

Jabba the Hutt


Voiced by: Larry Ward (Ep. VI)


A very, very large slug-creature (it took something like 6 puppeteers to control him), leader of a major smuggling organization, and the one to whom Han is deeply in debt to after a botched spice run. He was in the script for Episode IV, but it wasn't until VI that technology progressed enough to make him look like anything more than a half-inflated balloon; the Special Edition Ep.IV restores the deleted scenes graced by a completely CGI Jabba. Also had a cameo in Episode I.

Viceroy Nute Gunray

Played by: Silas Carson (Ep.I-III)

The Corrupt Corporate Executive leader of the Trade Federation and an Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain during the prequel trilogy. Most prominently featured in Episode I, in which he makes a Deal With The Devil only to unsurprisingly be used and betrayed by Darth Sidious. Gunray joins the Separatists in Episode II, by which time he seems to have developed an almost cute grudge against Padmé. How DARE she liberate her planet from his illegal invasion! In Episode III, Darth Vader kills him in cold blood as he begs for mercy.
  • Alas Poor Villain: His death.
  • Aristocrats Are Evil: Kind of. "Viceroy" is apparently just the title given to the leader of the Trade Federation. However, said organization apparently controls whole planets. So, whatever.
  • Corrupt Corporate Executive
  • Dirty Coward: Qui-Gon notes that "these Federation types are cowards".
  • Greed: His main motivation
  • Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain: Mostly due to being generally bullied around by the real bad guys.
  • It's Personal: How he feels about Padmé after The Phantom Menace. You'd think she'd be the one entitled to feel that way, but nope.
  • Killed Mid Sentence
  • Lawful Evil: Apparently, he seemed reluctant to invade Naboo unless the invasion was somehow made legal.
  • Lizard Folk (along with apparently everyone who works for the Trade Federation)
    • That's because the Neimodians were the only ones who were spared (unsurprisingly due to Palpatine's influence) in an assassination against the other leader races of the Trade Federation.
  • Unwitting Pawn: Twice: First time was the aftermath of the invasion of Naboo, second time was during the Separatist wars, and at least until the near end of the conflict, he didn't even know that Darth Sidious was the true leader, or that it was even a Sith orchestrated group.

    Supporting Characters, Troops and Alien Races 

Admiral Piett


Played by: Kenneth Colley (Ep.V-VI)

"You Have Failed Me for the last time, Admiral Ozzel. Captain Piett?... Make way to land our troops beyond the energy shield, and deploy the fleet so that nothing gets off the system. You Are In Command Now, Admiral Piett." Yep, that's the character's entire claim to fame. Did you even notice him in Episode VI? 'Cuz he was there.

Admiral Ackbar


Played by: Timothy M. Rose (Ep.VI)

A squid-person from a species called the Mon Calamari, Ackbar is something of a One Scene Wonder, appearing only in the last hour of the entire franchise but, like Wedge, has gone on to be a pivotal member of the Expanded Universe. He commands the Rebel fleet during the Battle of Endor, during which he famously pronounced, "It's a trap!"

Stormtroopers



Jawas



Ewoks



The Wampa



The Clone Troopers



The Battle Droids



Boss Nass


Played by: Brian Blessed


The Wookiees



Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru


Owen played by: Phil Brown (Ep.IV); Joel Edgerton (Ep.II-III)
Beru played by: Shelagh Fraser (Ep.IV); Bonnie Piesse (Ep.II-III)

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