Saga Most Overrated Star Wars Character?

Luke Skywalker. Nothing against him but I just don't get the big whoop about him. He's a so-so protagonist.

 

I don't want to get too much into the Han thing again either, but...

The reason a lot of people feel that they can relate to him isn't because of their shared experiences as smuggling smartasses with Wookiees as co-pilots. If shared experiences of that precise kind were required to connect with a character, it would be hard to connect with any SW characters. Who was conceived by microscopic organisms acting on behalf of The Force? Who was the teenage queen of a planet? Who has had experience working as a warrior monk? Han is relatable because the audience has shared experiences and perspectives of a more general nature.

Plenty of people have made some unwise decisions in their lives and been burned as a result (see A. Skywalker). Plenty of people have as a result of that found themselves somewhat on the outer. Plenty of people have as a result of that decided that the only person they can really rely on is themselves. Then, just when they least expected it, plenty of people have had someone or something happen to them which turned all that upside down and left them as conflicted as hell.

 

Boba Fett (Seriously how many minutes of screen time did he have for his legendary status about 5?)
Padme (I really never understood why killing her was so important to the Separatist movement, she was nothing more than a senator that used to be a Queen of a place they attacked, was she really going to stop the separatist from moving forward?)
C3PO - He was charming to a point, but did he really need to be there from the very beginning, should've remained a character of the OT and not the PT, he was seriously overdone.

 

I really don't think Padme was all that serious of a threat to the Seps.

 

I personally never cared for Padme.

 

Boba Fett.
Mara Jade and Thrawn

 

Nute Gunray wanted Padme dead as part of his deal to unite with the Separatist movement. Then when the Jedi and Clone Army attacked, well he didn't have much choice in not joining the Separatists.

 

Boba Fett. Oh God, Boba Fett.

 

I understood that this was part of the deal, I guess I never understood why this was so important, why this was the determining factor on whether he was going to join the revolution or not.

 

I think that the concept of the Sith is overrated. Why can't people be evil for their own reasons instead of because of an ancient grudge and why would you train someone to kill you?

 

Yeah, this sums up a lot of my frustrations with the Han character. He's fun in the right doses, no doubt, but even when I saw ANH in a theater a little while ago, I honestly found him a little annoying. Many fans cite him as an audience surrogate, a wise-ass rolling his eyes to all the taking-themselves-too-seriously Jedi and Rebels running around. And if you're a mainstream person, maybe that's necessary for you as a hook, as a way into this big, weird world. But for me, it just feels like being forced to tag along with some slightly older relative who keeps making fun of everything you care about.

I can't relate to Han because he has all the wish-fulfillment aspects to his character that everybody wants to see in themselves-- he's charming, he's confident, he's calm and detached. I'm not any of those things. I'm anxious, nervous, paranoid, prone to depression and self-imposed isolation-- I see way more of myself in Anakin. Now, he's got wish-fulfillment aspects to him, too, but at least they're balanced out by his negative attributes. Yeah, nobody out there is going to be a crackerjack pilot/warrior/Jedi-demigod, but we've all got a handful of talents that we'd all like to think we're aces in. It's easy to see him as a stand-in for every gifted individual who feels let down and passed over by the world, and starts looking for people to blame and take it out on. When you relate to Anakin, it serves more of a purpose than relating to Han-- it can be empowering, sure, but it also teaches you a lesson. Han, on the other hand, is so idealized that even when he gets frozen in carbonite it comes off with a whiff of pride.

Han's nice and all, but over time, I don't think he's been a very positive influence on pop-culture. If I want a space cowboy to look up to, I'll stick with Spike Spiegel, thanks.

 

Personally, I feel like what really makes Han "relatable" - which I don't actually think is the right word - is his irreverence. He's the character who doesn't take everything seriously. I think it's frequently important to have a character like that (although I disagree with the people who think the lack of such a character was a big problem in the PT), and particularly so in Star Wars, which is on one level a rather postmodern work of art and thus can benefit from a bit of audience perspective. To an extent, Han is the character who shares that perspective.

 

Very much so! Han doesn't seem to have much in the way of vulnerability, which makes him hard to connect with. There's the love triangle thing, yeah, but it's obvious a mile off that he's going to get the girl, so there's no real tension there. He's very self-contained.

For me, it's possibly a cultural thing as well, being from an ethnic background where Han's sort of persona simply doesn't exist because it would provoke just so much social reprobation that it would be stamped out of a child fairly early on. I'm not saying that's a good thing, but it is what it is, and it may be another reason why I personally find him so abrasive.

True, but Han's relatability can come across as very culture-specific. To "Asian" eyes (I'm aware how problematic that sort of blunt broad epithet is, but I think that in this regard --- where the line is drawn between self-confidence and buffoonish arrogance that merits censure --- there is enough commonality), he's a stereotype of "North American". Whether that perception is justified or was intended by his creator, it does mean that he may often come across as just bewildering because his behaviour is so alien.

 

Yeah. I'm reminded a lot of ANH Han, in particular, when I watch Space Dandy. Yet oddly, because they make his character such a complete idiot, he comes off as a bit more likeable. Yeah, he's got all the same showboating swagger and confident charm, but he obviously doesn't have the wits to pull it off, so like all clowns he's endearing in his witlessness. It's a vulnerability that Han doesn't have.

 

I agree that cultural background plays an important role in how people react to a character, but you're somewhat missing my point. While I'm sure some people find it appealing, I don't think Han's "swagger" is at all what makes his role really significant in relation to audience surrogacy.

 

Will have to agree with the thread starter. The first time I saw Fett as a child, he reminded me of Duke of Zill from the Felix animated feature and it was only recently that I realised he has a whole army of fans. Maybe it's just me, I never got the appeal of merciless killer types, either way, in any work of fiction.

Then again, de gustibus non disputandum est.

 

Anakin Skywalker, easily.

The tragic fall of a hero to the darkside? No.

The manipulation of a severely emotionally scarred violence prone psychopath? Yes.

 

I would say that Sidious is incredibly overrated. Anakin/ Vader fought in all 6 episodes whilst Sidious fought in 2

 

Underrated: Dooku. AOTC Boba's childhood/Prequel era EU Boba

Overrated: Adult Boba, and the "casual moviegoer icons" Ya know the ones that non star wars fans only remember (ANH Vader, C3PO, Yoda Chewy etc. *the type of people that call stormtroopers "clones".*) and finally...

THE SOLO KIDS!!! I cannot stand those punks. Mara Jade is okay because whe is not an arrogant little kid that gets Chewy killed. I love Chewy even though I said he is a "casual fan" stereotype character.

 

That comment coupled with your avatar...classic.

 

You mean that Boba makes the same dumb mistake Jango did. Instead of sniping with your blaster or shooting a rocket or toxic dart, you charge right down at Luke and gets his a** handed to him?

 

Drat , you saw through my Santa Clause disguise.

 

I'd also add, that Han is one of the few characters who accomplishes great feats without the aid of the Force. It's nice to see you can be an ace pilot without all the "magic." He's also a nice counterpoint to Luke's blind idealism. But I'm biased. Besides Vader and Yoda (non-PT versions), I find the non-Force-sensitive characters to be way more interesting. I'd even count Leia in this group, since she doesn't know of her potential until halfway through ANH. The Jedi? Eh, with all their stoicism and rules and "magical abilities"--I really don't relate to them at all. I'll take the selfish smuggler and his temperamental copilot any day.

 

^^^^Whoops, I meant Leia didn't know of her potential until halfway through "ROTJ". Pardon the brain fart. Also, it was too late to edit.