Luke, Leia, Darth Vader… These are all familiar names that come up whenever Star Wars is mentioned. While their roles in saving and destroying the galaxy are burned into our minds, some of their company’s actions and influence were subtle and indirect, hence they have often been overlooked. Let us head into a galaxy far, far away for a countdown to see who ended up being the game-changer in the galaxy’s history!
(For the purpose of this article, I will only be looking at characters and events that took place from the movies Episode I to VI)
1. Watto
Watto was the junk dealer who Qui-Gon encountered during his emergency landing on Tattooine in Episode I; he was also the owner of Anakin and his mother, his slaves. Because Watto agreed to free only Anakin as the result of a lost podracing bet, he left without his mother and followed Qui-Gon to train as a Jedi. After years of missing his mother, Anakin’s visions of his mother suffering brought him back to Tatooine, where he learned of her kidnap by Tusken Raiders and witnessed her eventual death, throwing him in an enraged killing fit. It was this event that haunted him when later he had visions of a dying Padmé, which made him susceptible to the attractions of the dark side and its supposed powers of bringing back the dead – a story told by the Chancellor.
2. Jango Fett
First off, Jango’s DNA was used for to make the clone troopers that made up the Grand Army of the Republic, and later known as Stormtroopers. Secondly, Jango’s death in the hands of Mace Windu sparked a rage within his son (aka an unaltered clone of himself) Boba Fett, who became the most famous bounty hunter in the galaxy and eventually captured Han Solo in the Cloud City as per the request of Darth Vader who wanted him as bait to lure in Luke.
3. Chewbacca
Brrwhhhaargh! (Translation: this is only about my role in Episode III: Revenge of the Sith) During the Battle of Kashyyyk, Chewie’s most important deed wasn’t just fighting alongside the Grand Army of the Republic – he helped Yoda escape the planet when Order 66 (a command programmed in clone troopers to kill all Jedis) was given by the Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. Without Chewie’s help, Yoda might not have escaped, and there would’ve been no one to train Luke eventually.
4. Ewok
Ewoks are little, Ewoks are fluffy, Ewoks are adorable, and Ewoks are also deadly. These little cuddly teddy bear-like bipeds helped Luke and the rebel forces take down the shield generator on the forest moon of Endor which then allowed Death Star II to be destroyed while it was being rebuilt.
5. R2D2
Perhaps this little droid is the one you’re looking for – after all, he’s saved the lives of our heroes time after time. When, you ask? Well there’s that time where he stopped the trash compactor on the Death Star, he fixed the shield generator on Queen Padmé’s ship which not only stopped it from being blown up but also allowing her to escape Naboo, and then there was also that time when he saved Padmé from drowning in molten ore… You get the gist of it (click here for more R2D2 saves the day footage). On top of being the best co-pilot ever, this little droid is also sassy and funny – so yes, I’d say this is indeed the droid you’re looking for.
6. Darth Maul
First of all, can we just acknowledge how badass Darth Maul looked? Being the coolest looking character with the coolest looking light saber from the entire galaxy and having one of the coolest looking fights in all six movies however, are not the only reasons why he’s #2 on this list. Although his time in the movie was short, his actions were nothing short of being impactful – he killed Qui-Gon. Although the Jedi Council refused the training of Anakin and his presence caused Yoda to be uneasy since the beginning, Qui-Gon was going to take Anakin as his apprentice. I can’t help but feel that the stricter fatherly figure of what Qui-Gon would’ve been as his master rather than the kind brotherly figure that Obi-Wan was would’ve made a world of difference in Anakin’s upbringing.
7. Jar Jar Binks
Best known as the most annoying character ever, Jar Jar Binks is quite possibly the most, or second most (next to Anakin) influential in the downfall of the Republic. While he played a major role in defeating the droid army on Naboo (Episode I) by unintentionally knocking over and unleashing a cart of boomas, it was his actions that caused the dissolution of the Republic. As the stand-in for Padme as the representative of Naboo, his naiveté was quickly preyed on by other politicians, and it was ultimately his speech to the Senate which granted Chancellor Palpatine emergency powers that marked the beginning of the end for the Republic.