Star Warsmovies and TV showshave reached an interesting point, and these 10Star Warscharacters are now essential to the franchise’s future. Ever sinceDisney boughtStar Wars, the franchise has had a bit of an uphill battle, with DisneyStar Warsprojects like the sequel trilogy andThe Acolytereceiving significant backlash and criticism.
Other projects, likeAndorandThe Mandalorian,have found more success, butStar Wars’new moviesandStar Wars’upcoming TV showsprove the franchise is still trying to establish firm footing in this new era. Because of that current status,these 10Star Warscharacters have become absolutely critical to the future success of the franchise.
10Sabine Wren
First Appeared In: Star Wars Rebels
First introduced inStar Wars Rebels, Sabine Wren began as a Mandalorian member of the Ghost Crew. However,Ahsokarevealed that she had taken on a surprising new role as Ahsoka Tano’s apprentice in the time sincetheRebelsfinale. That show also demonstrated how powerful she had become.
While the decision to make Sabine an apprentice to Ahsoka proved controversial, it does make Sabine a key player in the future ofStar Wars. In fact,theAhsokaending, which revealed Sabine and Ahsoka were now trapped on Peridea (with Anakin Skywalker’s Force Ghost), has set up even greater importance for Sabine.
9Shin Hati
First Appeared In: Ahsoka
Like Sabine,Shin Hati proved to be a very importantStar Warscharacter inAhsoka, even though she was brand-new in that show. Shin and her master, Baylan Skoll, are effectively foil characters to Sabine and Ahsoka, and while they’re far from being full-fledged Sith, they do pose significant threats.
At the end ofAhsoka, Baylan had basically abandoned Shin, but that has potentially made her even more dangerous. Now, Shin is trapped on Peridea as well, and she has nothing holding her back. Presumably, this will lead to another confrontation between Shin, Sabine, and Ahsoka.
In addition to Shin’s narrative importance, she also has major importance within the franchise, as she quickly became a fan-favorite character inAhsoka. This is particularly impressive becauseStar Warsfans are historically not the most welcoming to new characters and concepts. Surely,Star Warswill want to build on that momentum inAhsokaseason 2.
8Finn
First Appeared In: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
TheStar Warssequels continue to be seen as some ofStar Wars’worst movies, which is really through no fault of the actors. On the contrary,many of the sequel trilogy actors are very talented, but the movies didn’t do them many favors in terms of how they used their characters. This is certainly true of John Boyega’s Finn.
Finn was introduced inStar Wars: The Force Awakens, and he was heavily teased as the trilogy’s new Jedi not only in the promotional materials (which frequently depicted him wielding the iconic Anakin Skywalker lightsaber) but also inThe Force Awakensitself. Yet, the sequels failed to overtly confirm Finn’s Force-sensitivity or make him a Jedi.
The sequels failed to overtly confirm Finn’s Force-sensitivity or make him a Jedi.
While it isn’t clear whether Boyega will ever appear inStar Warsagain—althoughBoyega has teased his interest in aStar Warsreturnrecently—his return does feel crucial for the franchise. Many remain (rightfully) frustrated with the handling of this character, and bringing him back as a Jedi would be the right call.
7Ezra Bridger
Ezra Bridger debuted alongside Sabine Wren inRebels, and he quickly became popular for his sense of humor and sarcastic quips, reminiscent of characters like Obi-Wan Kenobi. Ezra’s story was also particularly interesting because he was a Jedi apprentice during the Dark Times, to one ofthe Jedi survivors of Order 66no less.
Sadly, at the end ofRebels, Ezra sacrificed his life to protect his friends (and the larger galaxy) from the threat ofGrand Admiral Thrawn.Ahsokasaw Ezra’s return, though, and positioned him as very important forAhsokaseason 2, as he returned to the mainStar Warsgalaxy along with Thrawn.
Given how few full-fledged Jedi existed, at least to our knowledge, at that time, Ezra will no doubt be critical to the fight against Grand Admiral Thrawn. He’s also simply important from a franchise standpoint, as he remains a popular character and is therefore a major plus forStar Wars.
6Baylan Skoll
Baylan Skoll was one of the most fascinating parts of theAhsokashow. Baylan is an intriguing character in part because, while he’s definitely more aligned with the dark side of the Force, he also has a respect and even reverence for the Jedi that makes him different from most dark side Force-users.
Arguably, Baylan is the closest we’ve come to a ‘dark Jedi’ on theStar Warsscreen.Ahsokaalso set him up to be even more interesting in season 2, as he is seemingly on a mission related tothe Mortis Gods. Tragically, Baylan Skoll actor Ray Stevenson passed away following filming forAhsokaseason 1, but Baylan has been recast.
While it will always be sad that we lost Stevenson,this recast means that Baylan will continue to be important toStar Wars’future. What feels particularly notable is the fact that Baylan is aStar Warsvillain at a time when new, compellingStar Warsvillains are particularly needed.
5Grogu
First Appeared In: The Mandalorian
From the moment Grogu first appeared on-screen inThe Mandalorian, he was a hit with audiences. Grogu is absolutely one ofStar Wars’cutest characters, if not the single cutest, and his father-son relationship with Din Djarin has become one of the best parts of this new era ofStar Wars.
Particularly givenThe Mandalorian and GroguisStar Wars’next movie—and will be the firstStar Warsmovie in nearly seven years—Grogu is clearly essential to the future of the franchise. Frankly, even outside the shows and movies, Grogu has become a staple in terms of marketing and merchandising, so he’s not going anywhere anytime soon.
4Grand Admiral Thrawn
Thrawn is perhaps the single most important villain forStar Wars’upcoming shows and movies. Not only is Thrawn positioned as the main villain forAhsokaseason 2, based on the first season, but also, many are assuming that Thrawn will be the main villain inThe Mandalorian and Grogu.
Many are assuming that Thrawn will be the main villain inThe Mandalorian and Grogu.
While Thrawn’s role inThe Mandalorian and Groguhasn’t been confirmed, this would certainly make sense. Thrawn is absolutely a villain who is significant enough to make it to the big screen, and withThe Mandalorianseason 3 endingrevealing Din Djarin will now be working with the New Republic, this would be the logical choice.
In fact, Thrawn’s intentions inAhsokawere very clearly to return to the mainStar Warsgalaxy and unitethe Imperial Remnantto bring the Empire back under his rule.This is certainly a movie-level threat, and it makes Thrawn an ideal opponent for a character like Din Djarin.
3Ahsoka Tano
First Appeared In: Star Wars: The Clone Wars
After her introduction inStar Wars: The Clone Wars, Ahsoka Tano became one ofStar Wars’best charactersand retains that title today. Particularly givenAhsokaseason 1, which saw Ahsoka step into the role of a true Jedi following her encounter with Anakin inthe World Between Worlds, Ahsoka’sStar Warsstory is currently one of the most interesting.
Ahsoka’sStar Warsstory is currently one of the most interesting.
As Ahsoka is also the titular lead ofAhsoka, which isStar Wars’only confirmed upcoming live-action show, it’s obvious that Ahsoka will continue to be essential in the franchise. This also makes sense, as Ahsoka is the perfect nostalgic connection for those who love the prequel trilogy era and the Skywalker Jedi lineage.
2Din Djarin
As with Grogu,The Mandalorian and Grogumakes it abundantly clear that Din Djarin is essential to the future ofStar Wars. Along with shows likeAndor,The Mandalorianis largely considered one ofStar Wars’best TV shows(even withThe Mandalorianseason 3 having taken a bit of a hit in terms of criticism).
It therefore makes sense that thisStar Warsshow would be the first one to make the jump to the big screen, and that only solidifies just how important Din Djarin is.Star Warshasn’t had a theatrical release sinceStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, which means the franchise has a lot riding on this new movie.
1Rey Skywalker
Like it or hate it,Rey Skywalker is essential for the future ofStar Wars. With how divisive the sequel trilogy was, it’s not all that surprising that Rey continues to be highly criticized by some parts of the fanbase, but that doesn’t change the fact thatStar Warsclearly has big plans for Rey.
Not only with Rey’s upcomingStar Warsmovie, rumored to be titledStar Wars: New Jedi Order(which, no, is not canceled), but also with Simon Kinberg’sStar Warstrilogy, it’s clear that Rey has a role to play inStar Wars’upcoming movies. In fact, in that trilogy, Rey is rumored to be taking on an Obi-Wan Kenobi role.
While there will always be those who refuse to accept Rey or the sequel trilogy more generally, Rey’s importance inStar Warsis only going to become more apparent with time. All 10 of theseStar Warscharacters are crucial for the future of the franchise, but at present, Rey is the most important of them all.
