Saga Favorite characters from the Star Wars saga

For years I would have said Luke Skywalker without hesitation , however perceptions change with age, and with that comes differing points of view shaped by experiences good and bad.

I really have to say Anakin Skywalker now. Not because GL has told us that the Saga is his story, but because in him I see more of myself reflecting back as I was as the years fly by. Luke is an idealised version of me through my younger eyes, looking towards the future, adventure, honour and friendship. Anakin reflects the cold hard reality, the sorrow, conflict, contradictions and how good people can do stupid things with the best of intentions.

 

1) Cammy
2) Fixer
3) Jar Jar Binks

 

The saga is 1-9 now so it isn't Darth Vaders story anymore. You will look differently towards the movies overall once the ST comes out.

 

My favorite is (without doubt) Darth Vader!

 

I’ll come completely out of left-field here, and actually choose just one favorite character. Dash Rendar.

Spoiler-alert, in case you’ve never played the game.

The N64 video game Shadows of the Empire was a classic in every sense of the word. You get to battle IG-88, Boba Fett, wampas, an AT-ST, and you even get to race swoop bikes and ride alongside the Millennium Falcon in a space battle while piloting the Outrider (another cool ship). All of this culminates in the uncertain fate of the protagonist which you play as. You escape a skyhook explosion, and are left wondering does Dash live or does he perish? He lives. Epic.

 

Anakin Skywalker

 

These days I think it might be Palpatine.

 

As many have noted, it is quite difficult to choose just one, but...hey, that's the question, so I'll try it. The way I went about this was to try to think about whether there was any one character I can think of who I like in every single scene that character is in. A character who never says or does things that seem even slightly "off"/unconvincing/annoying/unappealing to me in any way. A character whose scenes I could watch repeatedly without getting bored. And, after thinking it over using this standard, I sort of surprised myself with the answer I came up with:



I say "surprised" not because I haven't always loved Qui-Gon since my first viewing of TPM (he's always been in my "top ten"), but just because before approaching the question this way, I would not have automatically named him as my "very" favorite overall. I also adore Artoo and he also meets the "love every thing he does in every scene" standard, but I felt it if I'm only choosing one individual, it would be more appropriate to choose a more serious character. At first I thought I would say Yoda, because he's another one of my very favorites, but IIRC, he has a couple of lines in the PT (TPM, I think) where he comes off as a little less lovable/admirable than I normally find him. Obi-Wan is another one of my very favorites (both in the PT and OT), but, again, I didn't care for TPM Obi's "I sense we've picked up another pathetic life form" line (it seemed out of character to me) and I think there are one or two other Obi lines/moments in TPM or AOTC that I don't care for. As far as specific reasons to love Qui-Gon as a character, I agree with everything that PiettsHat wrote about him above. I also agree with someone above who commented that Liam Neeson is so good as an actor that he brought even more to the character than one might have expected given that he only appears in one of the films.

Other than my rationale above for narrowing it down to just Qui-Gon if only choosing one character, here are my other "top ten" faves overall:

2) Yoda
3) Obi-Wan
4) R2-D2
5) Anakin/Vader (though I don't find Anakin all that compelling until ROTS)
6) Luke
7) Leia
8) Han
9) Threepio
10) Chewie

 

He even makes bad dialog halfway convincing, witness the "When two midichlorians love each other very much" scene. He delivered that so well that it wasn't until after the movie was over that I stopped to think about what he said and I thought WTH?

 

Yeah, Liam is an amazing actor. In theory, I would love to see a whole movie focusing on a story dealing with a pre-TPM Qui-Gon, but of course I don't see that happening. I think he would make a great Force Ghost if there were ever a scene in any of th ST films where it would make sense to use him that way.

 

My favorite Star Wars character is Palpatine. So sneaky.

 

Han Solo, since I was a kid, and so far it haven't changed.
I don't think it will.

 

Goods
1. Obi-wan
2. Luke
3. Leia
4. Han
5. Yoda

Bads
1. Vader
2. Tarkin
3. Palps
4. Maul
5. Jabba

 

Vader

 

Darth Vader as portrayed in the Original Trilogy.

 

Anakin's tale is what really drives the saga and grabs my attention, but for single character I might give Yoda the edge. Pretty much every scene he's in is iconic for me, from his reveal to the saber fights against Dooku and Palpatine which still floor me to this day.

 

Gotta go with Boba Fett, and Jango.

 

Padme has gotta be my all time fave. I've been fascinated by her drive to serve and do her duty ever since I was a child. Her pretty clothes were a big plus as well!

 

I really like Padmé as well and think she's a tremendously underrated character. I think Lucas had a really wonderful story written for her but he had the unfortunate tendency to cut her scenes out of the films for pacing issues. On some level I can understand this (and I love that they're on the DVDs and Blu-Rays) but it's also a bit depressing -- especially for ROTS where she isn't given quite as much to do.

What I really like about Padmé is that she isn't introduced right away as a love interest. She's a queen first and foremost and while Anakin might have a crush on her, it doesn't really factor into TPM all that much. Even in AOTC with the romance underway, we still see where Padmé's interests and priorities lie beyond Anakin and her romance. In ROTS, she does get marginalized (thank goodness for the deleted scenes) but it's also understandable to a degree given that Palpatine is accruing more and more power.

One thing I've noticed is that I have a really hard time identifying with characters that exist and are introduced only as love interests. For me, it makes it hard to connect with them or find them interesting since they don't have much of a journey, conflict, or character arc. I've also noticed that these characters tend to be overwhelmingly female. One example I can think of off the top of my head is Arwen from Lord of the Rings or even Uhura in the new Star Trek films. It's not that they're bad characters by any means, but they seem to really exist as the love interest and have very little purpose in the story. Fortunately, they do usually get a few interesting scenes, but they're usually not nearly fleshed out enough.

I thought Lucas did a really good job with Padmé, although he stumbled a bit in ROTS. Needless to say, I share your fascination with her character.

 

It might be intentional or intentional on Lucas' part, but I like Padmé's role in ROTS in the context of the other two films in some ways. She is a very professional and responsible person in TPM, she discovers a more personal and "selfish" side in AOTC and then she's even too private in ROTS. And that's what kills he in the end.
I think that flows nicely with their well-intentioned but unhealthy relationship.

I like your point about Padmé's independent introduction.

 

Obi-Wan and Palpatine are top-tier for me.

 

I'll mention Qui-Gon played by God as my 2nd fav

 

Salacious B. Crumb. Here's a guy who clearly loves life and has a good time in any situation; but screw with him and he will eat your eyes out.

Also Obi-wan. I've always had a soft spot for witty old sages who tell half-truths without batting an eye, and know where the best bars in town are.