Summary
- Anakin Skywalker is the best pilot in the Star Wars franchise, with his exceptional skills showcased throughout the prequel trilogy and even after his fall to the dark side.
- Plo Koon, highly regarded in the Jedi Order, ranks as the second-best pilot, matching Anakin's abilities and recognized for his skills in the air.
- Among the top pilots are Hera Syndulla, whose immense piloting skills and leadership abilities made her an influential figure in the Rebel Alliance and beyond, and Luke Skywalker, who showcased impressive feats such as destroying the Death Star and devising strategic maneuvers at the Battle of Hoth.
The Star Wars franchise has delivered several great pilots over the decades, but who is the best? Since Star Wars began in 1977, piloting has been one of the core elements of the franchise. Given the importance of traversal and space combat in the Star Wars galaxy, a heavy focus has always been centered on characters' ability to pilot various starships.
This is something that has persevered throughout the Star Wars franchise. Each installment in the Skywalker Saga includes at least one feat of piloting ingenuity, something that has also extended into the various TV shows taking place in a galaxy far, far away and will undoubtedly continue in Lucasfilm's Star Wars movies. These feats of piloting skill have oftentimes been recurring for specific characters and as such, here are the 10 best pilots in the Star Wars galaxy ranked.
10 Chewbacca
Coming in at number 10 on this list is Chewbacca, the trusty Wookiee copilot. Despite his long life and likely countless hours of flight experience as a result, Chewbacca has always been shown as the copilot to Han Solo and later Rey Skywalker. For this reason, it is difficult to rank Chewbacca above the characters whose flight experience has been shown to come from their individual piloting skills. That said, Chewie has played instrumental roles in the galaxy's major conflicts as a copilot from the Battle of Yavin and Battle of Endor to the raid on Starkiller Base, the Battle of Crait, and the Battle of Exegol.
9 Din Djarin
One of the more recent characters who has made their way onto the list of the best Star Wars pilot is the Mandalorian himself, Din Djarin. Throughout all three seasons of The Mandalorian, Din's piloting skills have been evident. From his evasions of trained New Republic X-Wing pilots to his constant victories over the TIE Fighter pilots of the Imperial remnants, Din's skills in the cockpit are not to be dismissed. Din has also shown to be capable of flying different types of vehicles including his Razorcrest and N-1 Starfighter.
8 Rey Skywalker
Much like her master, Luke Skywalker, Rey Skywalker's piloting abilities go hand-in-hand with her immense connection to the Force. Rey's history of taking odd jobs for contractors on Jakku saw her have some piloting experience, but it was her first flight in the Millennium Falcon in Star Wars: The Force Awakens that ranks Rey as the eighth-best pilot in Star Wars. Her skill at maneuvering the huge ship through the shipyards of Jakku all while evading smaller, more agile vehicles in TIE Fighters spoke for itself. Combined with her exploits at the Battle of Crait, Rey Skywalker’s pilot skills are no joke.
7 Han Solo
Perhaps Star Wars' most iconic pilot, Han Solo, ranks seventh-best in the galaxy. While many may think Han Solo deserves to be ranked higher, his combat piloting is simply not as prevalent as the Star Wars characters ranked above him as he was absent from major battles like the Battle of Hoth and Battle of Endor. That said, Han Solo's efforts at the Battle of Yavin and, more importantly, his incredible ability to complete the Kessel Run in a record 12 parsecs is more than enough to earn Han a spot among the 10 best Star Wars pilots alongside his sheer ingenuity in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon.
6 Poe Dameron
The main pilot of the Star Wars sequel trilogy was the Resistance fighter Poe Dameron and for good reason. Dameron was introduced in Star Wars: The Force Awakens as someone who can fly anything, something he proved at length throughout the sequels. The Battle of Takodana in Episode VII includes one of the single-most impressive feats of Star Wars piloting ever seen, with Poe taking down 10 TIE Fighters and a ground squadron of First Order stormtroopers in one lengthy maneuver. At the end of the film, Poe is then almost single-handedly responsible for the destruction of Starkiller Base as he flies solo inside the planet to detonate its infrastructure.
These incredible feats continued into the other two Star Wars sequels. Star Wars: The Last Jedi opens with Dameron stalling an entire Dreadnought alone in only an X-Wing, expertly flying through enclosed spaces while taking out canons and pursuing TIE Fighters. Poe then leads the speeder attack against the First Order at the Battle of Crait before fighting in the final Battle of Exegol. Each of these appearances aptly demonstrated Poe's expert piloting, with his lack of Force-sensitivity making his skills behind the sticks even more impressive.
5 Luke Skywalker
It may come as a controversial surprise to many that Luke Skywalker, the hero of the Rebel Alliance, is ranked as only the fifth-best Star Wars pilot. That said, much of Luke's story in the original trilogy centers on his transition from Rebel pilot to Jedi, with only the ending of A New Hope and the beginning of The Empire Strikes Back showcasing his piloting abilities. That said, the feats accomplished by Luke in the driver's seat of various vehicles prove his skills.
The most obvious is Luke's destruction of the Death Star. Despite never flying an X-Wing before, Luke outlasts every single trained Rebellion pilot at the Battle of Yavin besides Wedge Antilles, surviving the trench run. This culminates in Luke making a one-in-a-million shot, successfully destroying the Death Star with an attack no other pilot could have accomplished. Luke then fought in the Battle of Hoth and devised the strategy to use his airspeeder's tow cables to destroy AT-ATs. These feats speak for themselves, and it is only Luke's continuation as a Jedi rather than a pilot that sees him rank fifth on the list of the best Star Wars pilots.
4 Wedge Antilles
Ranking one spot above Luke Skywalker is the only other Rebellion fighter left standing after the Battle of Yavin, Star Wars' Rebel pilot Wedge Antilles. Throughout the battle, Wedge was responsible for saving Luke's life on a number of occasions, with his own survival being a miracle itself. Wedge and his copilot then became the first Rebellion fighters to destroy an AT-AT at the Battle of Hoth, before going on to fight in the Battle of Endor. Wedge flew alongside Lando Calrissian and was responsible for the destruction of the Second Death Star, proving his valor and piloting skills time and time again throughout the Star Wars original trilogy.
This then extended into the New Republic period. Wedge formed his own squadron for the New Republic and fought in the Liberation of Kashyyyk and the Battle of Jakku to defeat the Empire once and for all. His appearance in this many battles throughout Star Wars allows Wedge's piloting experience to shine through, as he survived every single one. That is also without mentioning his role in the Battle of Exegol. Wedge's outstanding longevity is only bolstered by his lack of Force-sensitivity, truly proving why he is the fourth-best in the entire Star Wars galaxy.
3 Hera Syndulla
Holding the third podium position on this list of the best Star Wars pilots is Star Wars Rebels' - soon to be Ahsoka's - Hera Syndulla. In a similar vein to Wedge, much of Hera's impressiveness comes from her lack of connection to the Force. Instead, it is Hera's immense piloting skills that saw her become an intrinsic cog in the formation of the Rebel Alliance as she led Phoenix Squadron against the Empire during the Dark Times. Star Wars Rebels saw Hera fly a variety of ships and engage in countless skirmishes against the Empire, surviving each one.
The threat posed by Hera's Phoenix Squadron was enough to draw the attention of the greatest military mind in the Empire: Grand iral Thrawn. Given Thrawn's overly impressive tactical know-how, the amount of respect he held for Syndulla alone is enough to warrant her a top-three spot in the list of Star Wars' best pilots. This is not to mention her continued service with the Rebellion after Star Wars Rebels, including Hera's service at the Battle of Endor and ascent to General Syndulla. Hera then went on to serve the New Republic, proving to be an influential pilot through three major eras of the Star Wars timeline.
2 Plo Koon
Plo Koon is one of the more interesting inclusions on this list, as his piloting feats have not been as overtly shown as some of the others, yet he still ranks as the second-best in the Star Wars galaxy. The reasoning for this comes from his recommendations. In the canon Star Wars comic Obi-Wan and Anakin, it is mentioned that Plo Koon is widely regarded as one of the best pilots in the Jedi Order. Given there were around 10000 Jedi at the time of the Clone Wars, Plo's piloting skills cannot be understated.
Throughout Star Wars: The Clone Wars, it is also referenced that Plo Koon is the only pilot in the Jedi Order who can rival the skills of Anakin Skywalker. This was shown during the Jedi attack on General Grievous' Malevolence flagship which highlighted Plo's skill in the air. Despite his piloting skills not being shown as much as some of the Star Wars pilots ranked below him, the respect and reverence for Plo Koon's piloting abilities - namely his matching of Anakin - rank him in the silver medal spot.
1 Anakin Skywalker
All that said, undoubtedly the best pilot in the Star Wars franchise is Anakin Skywalker himself. The Chosen One of the Force, Anakin was first mentioned in A New Hope by Obi-Wan Kenobi who described him as "the best star-pilot in the galaxy, and a cunning warrior." This was proven at length throughout the prequel trilogy. At only the tender age of nine, Anakin proved to be the first human capable of podracing due to his immensely quick piloting reflexes. Similarly, a nine-year-old Anakin flew an N-1 Starfighter in the Battle of Naboo, single-handedly disabling the Trade Federation's droid control ship and winning the battle.
Anakin then served through the Clone Wars, displaying his abilities as a pilot at length in several different conflicts. Anakin was considered the greatest pilot in the Jedi Order. Even after Anakin's fall to the dark side, Vader's skills were highlighted in the Battle of Yavin. Vader's appearance in the battle turned the tide in the Empire's favor, and he would have won the battle if not for the surprise appearance of Han Solo in the Millennium Falcon. All of this just goes to prove that Anakin's skills in a cockpit are without rival, truly solidifying him as the best Star Wars pilot to ever live.
