With Star Wars: Skeleton Crew centering on piracy in a galaxy far, far away, the Crimson Jack, who has now seemingly had his live-action debut in Skeleton Crew. Of course, with 47 years of stories and two continuities, there are many iconic pirates in the Star Wars franchise.

Despite their relative prominence in non-movie materials, pirates are scarcely seen or mentioned in the main Star Wars saga films themselves. Lando Calrissian refers to Han Solo as a pirate on multiple occasions, and pirates – some of whom have larger roles in non-movie materials – have either ing or background roles. From the original Legends continuity to the modern canon, here are some of the best pirates in the Star Wars franchise’s history.

10 Jod Na Nawood

Thus far, little has been revealed about Jod Na Nawood – a pirate and protagonist in Skeleton Crew. Although Jod Na Nawood is seemingly a Force-sensitive member (or former member) of the Jedi Order, his actual Force-sensitivity is dubious at best. Nawood is first shown using the alias of “Silvo” and leading a pirate raid on a merchant frigate – a decidedly un-Jedi-like action – and his apparent Force powers are absent when needed the most.

Interestingly, Jod Na Nawood is seemingly the modern canon’s version of Crimson Jack – the first prominent pirate leader in the franchise who debuted in the original Legends continuity. A modern canon version of Crimson Jack has already appeared in the recent Halcyon Legacy comic series set in the sequel era, possibly confirming that Jod Na Nawood will survive the events of Skeleton Crew. Of course, “Crimson Jack” might simply be an alias for Nawood.

9 Kragan Gorr

Introduced in the modern canon’s animated series Star Wars Resistance, Kragan Gorr is a Quarren Pirate Captain who led the Warbird gang during the sequel trilogy era. As shown in Resistance, Gorr was part of a ruse in which the Warbird gang would attack the Colossus while the First Order feigned opposition. In truth, the Warbird gang worked with the First Order, at least for a time.

Kragan Gorr is shown to be a bold and unscrupulous leader, capable of playing both sides of conflicts as needed, with Gorr fighting alongside both the First Order and Resistance at different points. Gorr was daring enough to demand increasingly high fees from the notoriously brutal First Order and battle their forces after the regime betrayed him. Of course, Kragan Gorr would also turn against the Resistance later on, attempting to use Clone Wars-era Super Battle Droids to take over the Colossus.

8 Maz Kanata

Maz Kanata plays a ing role in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, owning an ancient castle that serves as a safe haven for the galaxy’s criminal element. Maz Kanata herself is over a thousand years old by the events of The Force Awakens and has a degree of Force-sensitivity, offering her wisdom – and Anakin Skywalker’s lightsaber – to Rey. Although Maz Kanata is a benevolent character, she is a famous pirate who once led her own crew.

As shown in High Republic-era comics and other modern canon sources, Maz Kanata’s title of “Pirate Queen” is well-earned, though she was more of a Robin Hood-like figure than a ruthless ruffian. Kanata provided a safe haven, as well as credits and gear, to smugglers and other pirates, making her a highly respected and influential figure in the underworld. Interestingly, the modern canon’s iteration of Dexter Jettster was once a member of Maz Kanata’s pirate crew.

7 Garris Shrike

In the modern Star Wars canon, Han Solo’s mentor is Tobias Beckett, as shown in 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story. Beckett is loosely based on a character from the original Legends continuity – Garris Shrike – a bounty hunter and pirate who appears prominently in A. C. Crispin’s 1997 novel, The Paradise Snare. While Beckett is a somewhat morally gray character, Shrike is an abusive and violent antagonist.

Garris Shrike had numerous criminal endeavors, among them piracy. Many of Shrike’s underlings were Corellian orphans, including a young Han Solo. While Solo is defined more as a smuggler than a pirate, his background in piracy is owed in part to Shrike. In one final, brutal, encounter with Han Solo, Garris Shrike is killed by a rival mercenary before he could tell Han Solo who his late parents were.

6 Sidon Ithano

The Delphidian pirate Sidon Ithano – known by many names, including the “Crimson Corsair” – made his live-action debut in The Force Awakens as a background character in Maz Kanata’s castle. While on the run from the First Order, Finn nearly s Ithano’s pirate crew, but the destruction of the Hosnian system and attack on Maz Kanata’s castle thwart this endeavor. Despite his status as one of the Outer Rim’s most notorious pirate captains, Ithano is one of the more benevolent pirates in the Star Wars franchise.

On a quest to find lost treasure once belonging to Count Dooku, Ithano and his crew instead discover Kix, a clone medic who had been frozen in stasis at the end of the Clone Wars and thus did not witness the fall of the Republic and near-destruction of the Jedi. Ithano allowed the clone to his crew and would later take part in the ultimate defeat of the Clone Wars’s mastermind. As seen in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Ithano and his crew fought Palpatine’s Sith Eternal forces during the Battle of Exegol.

5 Hondo Ohnaka

One of the most famous pirates in the Star Wars franchise is Hondo Ohnaka, introduced in the modern canon’s Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 1. Ohnaka immediately establishes himself as a crafty and resourceful threat to Republic and Separatist forces alike (despite his jovial demeanor) by capturing Count Dooku and later Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi to triple his ransom price to the Republic. Hondo Ohnaka would become a recurring character in The Clone Wars, opposing and assisting the heroes in equal measure.

While Ohnaka would never formally the Rebellion, he was an ally to the fledgling movement, playing a role in the successful liberation of Lothal, despite his once-proud pirate crew having fallen apart during the reign of the Empire. The remnants of the gang were, however, rebuilt under another Weequay pirate known as Skragg. Hondo Ohnaka remained active during the sequel trilogy era, establishing the Ohnaka Transport Solutions shipping company.

4 Crimson Jack

Crimson Jack was a notorious pirate captain and an antagonist in some of the first original Star Wars stories set after A New Hope. While Crimson Jack and Han Solo’s history before A New Hope is largely unrevealed, the two were rivals before Solo and Chewbacca ed the Rebel Alliance. The theft of the Death Star plans during the Battle of Toprawa would, unintentionally, be invaluable to the opportunistic pirate captain. With their DP20 Corellian Gunship, Crimson Jack’s crew would raid a damaged Imperial Star Destroyer and commandeer it, gaining a deadly new flagship in the process.

Crimson Jack would renew his rivalry with Han Solo and Chewbacca by capturing and robbing them shortly after the events of A New Hope, preventing the smugglers from repaying their debt to Jabba the Hutt. After repeated encounters and double-crosses, however, Crimson Jack and Solo would have one final battle in deep space. In their duel, Han Solo would prove to be the faster draw, blasting Crimson Jack and ending their rivalry.

3 Dharus

Dharus, whose species is unspecified, is a privateer in the original Legends continuity. While initially a pirate, Dharus and his crew of Buccaneers became nominal allies of the Rebel Alliance early in the Galactic Civil War. While Dharus and his crew remained officially independent, he was an officially contracted privateer for the Rebellion and part of his agreement was that a member of the Rebellion would travel with him as an observer.

Each Rebel observer was mistreated by Dharus and his crew, to the point that each one would inevitably request to be transferred out of the position. Despite this, Dharus was a valuable asset to the Rebellion, who orchestrated his rescue when he was captured by the Empire at one point. Dharus would retire from piracy around the end of the Galactic Civil War in 19 ABY, though he would briefly come out of his retirement to form and lead the mercenary gang known as the Dhashaan Shield.

2 Nym

Nym is one of the player characters and protagonists of the Legends continuity’s video games Star Wars: Starfighter and Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter. A Feeorin pirate captain, Nym is one of the most benevolent pirates in the original Legends timeline, despite his gruff and aggressive demeanor. Although Nym was a feared pirate throughout the galaxy, he was known to avoid bloodshed during his raids, and he typically targeted sinister organizations like the Trade Federation.

In addition to leading the Lok Revenants, Nym was also an exceptional pilot, flying the Havoc, a highly-customized Scurrg H-6 Bomber. Nym’s frequent clashes with the Trade Federation would make him an invaluable ally to the Naboo Resistance during the Invasion of Naboo and later the Galactic Republic during the Separatist Crisis. Nym and the Lok Revenants would remain in control of the planet Lok throughout the Clone Wars and Galactic Civil War, with Nym being a Rebel sympathizer.

1 Xim the Despot

Xim the Despot is perhaps the Star Wars galaxy’s most notorious pirate leader in the original Legends continuity. Brian Daley’s 1980 novel Han Solo and the Lost Legacy references Xim the Despot as an ancient tyrant whose long-lost treasures are highly sought after by underworld figures like Han Solo. The treasure, as it turns out, would be little more than military technology that was long outdated by the reign of the Empire.

Before the establishment of the Galactic Republic, Xim would establish an Empire that conquered vast portions of the galaxy for decades. Xim’s empire would go to war with the rival Hutt Empire, however, which resulted in the defeat and capture of Xim and the subsequent fragmentation of his regime. Mere decades later, the Galactic Republic would be formed as a far more benevolent force in the Star Wars galaxy.