Most Important Star Wars Characters

[calsnowskier]

Since Rebels finished up last week, and Solo is coming out in a couple months, I got thinking...

Who are the top 10 (or so) most important characters in Star Wars canon? Not who is the most popular, or the most powerful, but who is the most important to the story?

Here is my first pass through...

1) Anakin
2) Luke
3) Palpatine
4) Yoda
5) Obi-Wan

...


...

6) Leia
7) Rey
8) Kylo Ren
9) R2-D2
10) Ahsoka
11) Captain Rex
12) Ezra
13) Jango Fett

Everyone else is essentially story-telling tools. Han and Padme are really just love interests and add nothing to the CORE of the story. Erso is super important, but just had such little screen time, it is hard to add him. C3-PO is really just there to translate for R2 and provide some comic relief. I think if they actually executed the original plan for JarJar (and did it right), he could have been high on this list. But they abandoned that plan when the character was so universally hated after the first two movies.

Who did I forget? How would you rate everyone?

 

[Sparhawk]

It's a difficult question to answer, based on whatever your interpretation of the story is.

Nothing happens without the prophecy, so in order :

Characters that are integral to the story (ie nothing happens without them) :
1. Anakin's mother
2. Anakin
3. Padme
4+5. Luke and Leia
6. Kylo Ren
7. Rey

Then it comes down to who most heavily influenced Anakin, Luke, Kylo, and Rey.
8. Obi-Wan
9. Palpatine/Sidious/Snoke
10. Yoda

Would Anakin have been born without Shmi as his mother?
Padme has to be on the list, because without her, you don't get to Luke and Leia.
But, again, that's just my interpretation.
Maybe others might feel they would have been born regardless of who their mothers were....

 

[calsnowskier]

It's a difficult question to answer, based on whatever your interpretation of the story is.

Nothing happens without the prophecy, so in order :

Characters that are integral to the story (ie nothing happens without them) :
1. Anakin's mother
2. Anakin
3. Padme
4+5. Luke and Leia
6. Kylo Ren
7. Rey

Then it comes down to who most heavily influenced Anakin, Luke, Kylo, and Rey.
8. Obi-Wan
9. Palpatine/Sidious/Snoke
10. Yoda

Would Anakin have been born without Shmi as his mother?
Padme has to be on the list, because without her, you don't get to Luke and Leia.
But, again, that's just my interpretation.
Maybe others might feel they would have been born regardless of who their mothers were....

Of course it all comes down to interpretation.

IMHO, Shmi (and Padme, to a lesser extent) is totally random, and could have been anyone. She was just a vessel. She made no choices or took no actions that did anything. She just was.

I think Anakin and Luke are really 1a and 1b. The prophesy was that the chosen one would bring balance to the force. Pre-Anakin, the Jedi was in complete control and had been in control for centuries (??). Anakin wiped out the Jedi, thus bringing balance. Palpatine and Yoda survived, essentially canceling each out (force-wise) and Vader was a bit of a pendulum swing that Luke was able to counter-balance 20 years later. They were both the chosen-one. The only other (known) existing force users were Obi-Wan (helping to counter Vader), Ahsoka and Moz (not Jedi, thus somewhat balanced already) and Ezra (not in the known Galaxy).

Rey and Kylo occupy the same slot at this point. Episode IX should finish their story so there should be some separation at that point. But neither are as epic or hold the same importance as Anakin or Luke. Palpatine, Yoda and Obi-Wan existed and played major roles during Biblical times, thus making them more important to the story than Rey and Kylo, IMHO.

Snoke was the equivalent of Count Dooku. Nothing more than the baddie-of-the-week.

 

[Sparhawk]

Of course it all comes down to interpretation.

IMHO, Shmi (and Padme, to a lesser extent) is totally random, and could have been anyone. She was just a vessel. She made no choices or took no actions that did anything. She just was.

I think Anakin and Luke are really 1a and 1b. The prophesy was that the chosen one would bring balance to the force. Pre-Anakin, the Jedi was in complete control and had been in control for centuries (??). Anakin wiped out the Jedi, thus bringing balance. Palpatine and Yoda survived, essentially canceling each out (force-wise) and Vader was a bit of a pendulum swing that Luke was able to counter-balance 20 years later. They were both the chosen-one. The only other (known) existing force users were Obi-Wan (helping to counter Vader), Ahsoka and Moz (not Jedi, thus somewhat balanced already) and Ezra (not in the known Galaxy).

Rey and Kylo occupy the same slot at this point. Episode IX should finish their story so there should be some separation at that point. But neither are as epic or hold the same importance as Anakin or Luke. Palpatine, Yoda and Obi-Wan existed and played major roles during Biblical times, thus making them more important to the story than Rey and Kylo, IMHO.

Snoke was the equivalent of Count Dooku. Nothing more than the baddie-of-the-week.

I think I could argue that Kylo and Rey are just as important as Luke and Leia, especially if future stories are based off the events that unfold in Episode IX. Kylo has the bloodlines, but it's difficult to accept that Rey is 'just a vessel'. I would counter that she is as much the 'chosen' one as Anakin was. At this point, it gets a bit too 'religulous' and can get lost in tangents.

I would also argue that Dooku and Snoke were not baddies of the week, but Palpatine/Dooku/Snoke were all elements that 'shaped' the dark side, just as Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan/Yoda shape the light side. Perhaps Dooku was just a 'vessel' for Palpatine to use to shape Anakin, but one could argue that Kylo was a 'vessel' for Snoke, but the script got flipped.

It's just too arbitrary to define 'importance' and I'm sure everyone will have their own opinion.
While it might be kind of fun to debate, I'm sure there would be more arguments than agreements....

 

[calsnowskier]

It's just too arbitrary to define 'importance' and I'm sure everyone will have their own opinion.
While it might be kind of fun to debate, I'm sure there would be more arguments than agreements....

That’s kinda the point, though. No?

 

[calsnowskier]

I think I could argue that Kylo and Rey are just as important as Luke and Leia, especially if future stories are based off the events that unfold in Episode IX. Kylo has the bloodlines, but it's difficult to accept that Rey is 'just a vessel'. I would counter that she is as much the 'chosen' one as Anakin was. At this point, it gets a bit too 'religulous' and can get lost in tangents.

I would also argue that Dooku and Snoke were not baddies of the week, but Palpatine/Dooku/Snoke were all elements that 'shaped' the dark side, just as Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan/Yoda shape the light side. Perhaps Dooku was just a 'vessel' for Palpatine to use to shape Anakin, but one could argue that Kylo was a 'vessel' for Snoke, but the script got flipped.

It's just too arbitrary to define 'importance' and I'm sure everyone will have their own opinion.
While it might be kind of fun to debate, I'm sure there would be more arguments than agreements....

I never said Rey was a vessel. I said that Shmi and Padme were vessels. Padme, at least, made decisions and took actions that boldly affected the story. Shmi was just along for the ride.

And Rey and Kylo are kinda hard to rank since their story is still being told. HOPEFULLY they become more important after we see Ep IX.

 

[Sparhawk]

That’s kinda the point, though. No?

I only meant that it's not worth arguing to death.
Be curious to see how others feel....

 

[Roy Munson]

1. Jar Jar Binks.


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...
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everyone else.

 

[Dolemite censored]

1. Jar Jar Binks.


...
...
...

everyone else.

Count Dooku
The Emperor
The motherfucking Force

 

[Roy Munson]

Count Dooku
The Emperor
The motherfucking Force

force teleporting is now a thing... could have been huge in the past.

 

[Innermind]

It used to be:

But now it's:

 

[Roy Munson]

 

[Xponentialchaos]

1) Anakin (Caused the Jedi Order to get destroyed)
2) Palpatine (Lined up the dominos to wipe out the Jedi and put the Sith back in control)
3) Luke (Took down the Empire)
4) Yoda (Responsible for raising many generations of Jedi)
5) Obiwan (Trained Luke and was a huge contributor during The Clone Wars)
6) Leia (I was hesitant about her being this high, but her leadership was key during the rise of the First Order)
7) Rey (A little pre-mature, but I expect her to be a key part of the Resistance moving forward)
8) Kylo Ren (Same thing here. The First Order is under his control now and we will see what he does)
9) Mon Mothma (The Rebellion never takes shape without her)
10) Ahsoka (A key member in the early stages of The Rebellion. I'm tempted to go with Bail Organa here)

 

[calsnowskier]

1) Anakin (Caused the Jedi Order to get destroyed)
2) Palpatine (Lined up the dominos to wipe out the Jedi and put the Sith back in control)
3) Luke (Took down the Empire)
4) Yoda (Responsible for raising many generations of Jedi)
5) Obiwan (Trained Luke and was a huge contributor during The Clone Wars)
6) Leia (I was hesitant about her being this high, but her leadership was key during the rise of the First Order)
7) Rey (A little pre-mature, but I expect her to be a key part of the Resistance moving forward)
8) Kylo Ren (Same thing here. The First Order is under his control now and we will see what he does)
9) Mon Mothma (The Rebellion never takes shape without her)
10) Ahsoka (A key member in the early stages of The Rebellion. I'm tempted to go with Bail Organa here)

I like adding Mon Mothma. Not sure she belongs this high, but she at least deserves an honorable mention.

Your reasons for Ahsoka are my reasons for Ezra. He was the reason the rebellion got any footing. Without him getting the Ghost team to free Lothal, there never would have been a Rogue One, which meant the Deathstar never would have been destroyed and the Empire never would have fallen.

I still rate Ahsoka higher because she was who made Yoda decide to further his training outside of the Jedi Order. I think she also assisted in planting the seeds for Anakin’s redemption. I suspect she will also be revealed to be the one who showed Luke that the Jedi Order is not the answer.

 

[Battlelyon]

 

[PatsFan2003]

If we rewrite Anakin to Darth Vadar I'm in.

Seriously does anyone want to put the whining shiveling Anakin in as #1.

Dark *F***ing* Vadar

 

[DarthVedder]

1. Jar Jar Binks.


...
...
...

everyone else.

Lucas himself said so... Jar Jar was the key to everything.

 

[calsnowskier]

Lucas himself said so... Jar Jar was the key to everything.

If only they actually finished his intended storyline...

 

[Gooch1034]

 

[Mangler]

Count Dooku
The Emperor
The motherfucking Force

I miss Count Dooku from FN...RIP Count