At the time of writing there have been 10 The Rise of Skywalker releases in December there will be a break before a new trilogy is released meaning the saga, as we know it, is drawing to a close.
So we’re now going to look back over the last 40 years and pick the best character from every blockbuster so far. Starting with 1999’s The Phantom Menace...
The Phantom Menace: Qui-Gon Jinn
Everybody was excited for the release of The Phantom Menace, which would be the first movie in a prequel trilogy that would tell the story of Anakin Skywalker’s fall to the dark side. However, when the movie came out, it divided opinions. Some liked it. Others, though, deemed it incomparable to the original trilogy of movies that had released in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
But while the film was divisive, Liam Neeson stands out as Qui-Gon Jinn. He’s a Jedi Knight but doesn’t always toe the line and has a likeable, roguish aura about him. He’s good-intentioned and courageous, helping Anakin Skywalker and doing everything he can to stop Darth Maul. It’s a pity, therefore, that he’s killed by the Sith Lord during the movie’s epic final battle.
Attack Of The Clones: Obi-Wan Kenobi
Ewan McGregor had had a solid first outing as Obi-Wan Kenobi during The Phantom Menace, nailing the role of Jedi Padawan. However, he takes things up a notch for the sequel, 2002’s Attack Of The Clones, where he acts as a noble Jedi Knight and good, if not a tad patronising, Jedi master to Anakin Skywalker. Altogether it might be one of Ewan's best performances of all time.
Kenobi is at the forefront of the entire movie. He helps Anakin catch Bounty Hunter Zam Wessel, goes toe to toe with Jango Fett on the stormy planet of Kamino, manages to avoid death in the Geonosis arena and gives his all in his battle with Count Dooku. It’s arguably McGregor’s finest outing of the character across all three prequel movies.
Revenge Of The Sith: Anakin Skywalker
Hayden Christensen was under pressure to deliver as Anakin Skywalker in Revenge of the Sith after his debut in Attack Of The Clones divided opinion. But he succeeds at giving a brilliant performance, perfectly showing audiences how conflicted the character of Anakin is as he finds himself taking the final steps towards his destiny as Darth Vader.
Anakin is the center of attention throughout - and does many amazing things. He kills Count Dooku, helps Palpatine stop Mace Windu, slaughters younglings, and then faces Obi-Wan Kenobi in the best lightsaber duel in Star Wars history. Christensen’s performance was so good many fans are now hoping he makes a cameo in The Rise of Skywalker.
Solo: Qi’Ra
Solo: A Star Wars Story didn’t hit the heights at the box office that Disney were hoping for, with the movie also plagued by issues behind the scenes. It’s still a good instalment to the franchise, however, and the character of Qi’Ra has enough mystique and intrigue about her that fans are hoping to see Emelia Clarke return some point down the line.
Everybody expects Qi’Ra to go with Han Solo when she uses her phenomenal fighting skills to murder Dryden Vos. But the twist at the end is genuinely shocking when it’s revealed she works for Darth Maul, who fans had last seen on the big screen nearly 20 years earlier. Qi’Ra just edges out Donald Glover’s Lando Calrissian, who was typically charming throughout.
Rogue One: Jyn Erso
Some Star Wars fans were fearful that Rogue One wouldn’t be great given it would have no Jedi Knights or lightsabers. But that wasn’t the case with the movie arguably the best released by Disney so far. And the character of Jyn Erso is a big reason for its success.
Jyn is marvellously complex and, like a lot of the people within the movie, plagued by issues about her identity and the decision to do what is right, rather than what is easy. She evolves right before our eyes, going from someone reluctant to the fight to somebody who leads the charge. It’s that which makes her death at the end have so much impact.
A New Hope: Leia Organa
Star Wars has always prized itself on having strong female characters who are more than a match, if not superior, to their male counterparts. And while we’ve seen Pe Amidala and Rey carry that torch over the last 20 years, Carrie Fisher was the first heroine in the franchise back in 1977’s A New Hope.
This was a time period where Hollywood, more often that not, would portray females as damsels in distress. But A New Hope changed the game, with the character of Leia Organa standing up to Darth Vader, Grand Moff Tarkin and the rest of the villainous Empire. She stuns Luke Skywalker and Han Solo by ing them in a fight against stormtroopers and plays a key role in the destruction of the Death Star.
The Empire Strikes Back: Darth Vader
Darth Vader is regarded as one of the best villains to ever grace the big screen. And while he’s villainous in A New Hope, and to a lesser extent Return Of The Jedi, it’s his appearance in The Empire Strikes Back which stands head and shoulders above the rest.
Vader is the perfect bad guy throughout the blockbuster. He leads the attack on the Rebel Alliance’s Hoth base, sends Bounty Hunters to collect his targets, tortures Han Solo on Bespin, delivers the smuggler to Jabba the Hutt and fights Luke Skywalker in a dramatic battle where he reveals he’s the Jedi Knight’s father. All in the space of one, single film. Simply put, it’s an unparalleled performance.
Return Of The Jedi: Luke Skywalker
Luke Skywalker’s crowning movie is Return Of The Jedi, where Mark Hamill’s performance transforms the character into somebody who could, very feasibly, turn evil. He shows dark side tendencies as he battles Jabba the Hutt to save his friends at the start of the blockbuster and is dealt emotional blows when he discovers Leia is his sister and sees Yoda die in front of his eyes.
Luke then goes to face the Emperor, who wills him to strike him down. He very nearly does and appears on the brink of turning to the dark side when he has Darth Vader at his mercy. He does the unthinkable, however, by choosing to snub the darkness for the light. It was this emotionally-charged display that had fans so hyped for his return in The Force Awakens.
The Force Awakens: Han Solo
Everybody was excited to see Luke in Star Wars sequel trilogy.
Anybody who thought Harrison Ford’s loveable rogue wouldn’t be the same were proven wrong. Han is up to his old tricks, slaying stormtroopers with ease, and working in tandem with partner in crime, Chewbacca. Ford also nails emotional aspects of the story, such as Han’s regret over Leia and his ill-fated determination to bring son Ben Solo back to the light.
The Last Jedi: Kylo Ren
Kylo Ren was criticised or being a bit whiny and petulant during The Force Awakens but, in The Last Jedi, Adam Driver's character undergoes a dramatic transformation. He starts the movie as the same angsty individual but, by the end, he’s got his swagger back.
Driver is at his best when Kylo and Rey interact, with the duo’s chemistry being the best thing about the movie. Kylo is involved in some of the biggest scenes, such as the murder of Supreme Leader Snoke, battle with the Praetorian Guards and showdown with Luke Skywalker on Crait. And we can’t wait to see what The Rise of Skywalker has in store for him when it releases at the end of the year.
