Character List
Luke Skywalker -
Played
by Mark Hamill
A courageous, orphaned young
farm boy who is eager for adventure and for the chance to prove
himself a hero. The chief protagonist of
Star Wars episodes
IV–VI, Luke must learn to control his emotions and desires in order
to master the powers of a Jedi Knight, powers that flow from a mystic
connection to the Force, an energy field created by life itself.
Luke is tutored in the ways of the Force first by Obi-Wan Kenobi
and later by Yoda, Kenobi’s own master. Soon, however, Luke learns
that Yoda and Obi-Wan have concealed from Luke his intimate connection
to his greatest enemy, Darth Vader. Vader is in fact Luke’s father
and a servant of the dark side of the Force. Luke resolves to redeem
his father from the evil that controls him, and this fateful decision determines
both his own and Vader’s fates, as well as that of the evil Galactic
Empire.
Darth Vader (Anakin Skywalker) -
Played by David Prowse (Vader’s body) and James Earl Jones
(Vader’s voice)
A fallen Jedi Knight, now
Dark Lord of the Sith and a fearsome evil presence. Darth Vader
is the apprentice to the Sith Master, Emperor Palpatine, and serves
as his chief enforcer, the iron fist with which the Emperor rules
the galaxy. Vader pursues Luke and his friends relentlessly throughout
the trilogy, ostensibly in order to crush the Rebellion of which
they are a part. Vader’s deeper motive, however, is to bring Luke,
his long-hidden son, into the Emperor’s orbit and to turn him to
the dark side of the Force. In the end, Luke succeeds in awakening
the good that is dormant within Vader, and Vader turns on his master,
becoming, at the very end of his life, Anakin Skywalker once more.
Princess Leia Organa -
Played by Carrie Fisher
A member
of the Imperial Senate and, secretly, one of the leaders of the Rebel
Alliance. Leia meets Luke Skywalker and Han Solo when they rescue
her from the Death Star and soon becomes close to them both. Courageous,
level headed, and sharp tongued, Leia’s intense focus on the cause
of overthrowing the Empire prevents her from acknowledging her growing
attraction to Han Solo until it is almost too late. Early in the
trilogy, Leia loses the only home she has ever known, when the planet Alderaan
is destroyed by Grand Moff Tarkin via the Death Star, only to find
a new family when she learns that Luke is actually her twin brother
and, more disturbingly, that Darth Vader is her true father.
Han Solo -
Played
by Harrison Ford
A brash, roguish smuggler who
becomes a hero despite his cynicism and his instinct for self-preservation.
Solo is captain of the
Millennium Falcon, a battered
hotrod of a starship that, like its pilot, masks a valiant heart
in an unprepossessing exterior. Initially Solo joins Luke and Obi-Wan
on their quest purely for the money he is promised, but, moved by
Obi-Wan’s sacrifice and by the courage of his young friend, Solo
ends up joining their cause and becoming a leader of the Rebel Alliance.
Solo, always careful to preserve his independence, falls in love
with Princess Leia but enjoys sparring with her far too much to
make his true feelings known. All that changes when Solo is captured by
Jabba the Hutt, a gangster to whom Solo owes a small fortune. Luke
and Leia lead an elaborate rescue of Solo, after which Solo is more
honest about his devotion both to Leia and to the Rebellion they
both serve.
Obi-Wan (Ben) Kenobi -
Played by Alec Guinness
One of
the last of the Jedi Knights and Luke’s first mentor. Obi-Wan is
a steady, wise, reassuring figure who, though old, is still a Jedi,
with a Jedi’s deadly skill and uncanny powers. Obi-Wan reveals to
Luke that his father was once a Jedi Knight and that Luke is meant
to follow in his footsteps, but he doesn’t reveal the full truth:
that Luke’s father Anakin is not dead but has become the evil Darth
Vader. Obi-Wan also neglects to mention that Princess Leia is Luke’s
twin sister, in an attempt to preserve her safety. Obi-Wan begins
training Luke in the ways of the Force and continues to advise him
even after Darth Vader strikes Obi-Wan down in a lightsaber duel.
Far from being killed in the duel, Obi-Wan merges with the Force,
preserving his consciousness even as he transcends the limits of
the flesh.
R2-D2 -
Played
by Kenny Baker
A spunky, trashcan-shaped “astromech
droid.” R2, along with his friend C-3PO, is swept up into the epic
battle for the fate of the galaxy when Princess Leia hides the stolen
plans for the Death Star inside his databanks. R2-D2 becomes Luke’s robotic
copilot and all-around mechanical assistant and always seems to
find himself in the thick of the action. Unswervingly loyal, brave,
and feisty, R2-D2 is one of the films’ most popular characters,
as well as a main source of comic relief, all the while communicating
only in a series of electronic whistles, beeps, and chirps.
C-3PO -
Played
by Anthony Daniels
A golden, humanoid protocol
droid. C-3PO is best friends with R2-D2, though the two often quarrel.
Unlike R2-D2, C-3PO has little taste for adventure and is mostly
an unwilling participant in the action, convinced all along that
he and his friends are “doomed.” Though more a diplomat than a fighter,
C-3PO always comes through, proving his worth time and again as
a translator, a computer hacker (with R2), and a surprisingly quick thinker
in a tight spot. Despite all his worries and complaints, C-3PO’s
saving grace is his strong loyalty to “Master Luke” and his great
affection for R2-D2.
Yoda -
Voiced and
performed by puppeteer Frank Oz
The greatest
Jedi master and Luke’s teacher. At first, Yoda is reluctant to take
Luke on as a student, fearing that he is too much like his father,
driven by ambition, anger, and a love of adventure. Yoda’s fears
seem well-grounded when Luke rushes off to face Vader before his
training is complete, a reckless decision that nearly costs Luke his
life. Later, however, when a more humble, controlled Luke returns
to complete his training, Yoda send him back to face Vader again,
telling Luke that he must confront his father to become a true Jedi.
Despite his elliptical way of speaking, Yoda is the most eloquent
spokesman for the wisdom of the Force in the trilogy and represents
the moral center of the films. Yoda, then, is the polar opposite
of Emperor Palpatine, and it is by staying true to Yoda’s teachings
that Luke is able to triumph.
Lando Calrissian -
Played
by Billy Dee Williams
A gambler, card player,
and all-around scoundrel turned semirespectable businessman. An
old friend of Han Solo’s, and the previous owner of the
Millennium Falcon,
Lando is the administrator of a floating mining colony (Cloud City)
on the planet Bespin. When Han and Leia turn to Lando for help in
their flight from the Empire, Lando welcomes them warmly, only to
betray them to Darth Vader soon after. Although Lando justifies
his betrayal by claiming that he has no choice—he is trying to preserve
the independence of the mining colony—he quickly realizes that any
deal struck with the Empire is worthless. Lando evacuates the city and
has his guards free Leia and Chewbacca, but not in time to prevent
Han being taken captive by Boba Fett. After helping rescue Han from
Jabba the Hutt, Lando, now thoroughly respectable, joins the Rebellion
and leads the direct assault on the new Death Star.
Chewbacca -
Played
by Peter Mayhew
Han Solo’s friend and copilot of
the
Millennium Falcon. Chewbacca is a seven-feet-tall
Wookie, a creature resembling a cross between a gorilla and an English
sheepdog. Despite his intimidating appearance, “Chewie” is something
of a softy, affectionate and loyal to his friends. When provoked,
however, Chewbacca is truly ferocious, capable of tossing grown
men around like rag dolls. A crack shot, skilled mechanic, and daring
pilot, Chewbacca is always at Solo’s side, deferring to the human’s
leadership, though the origin of their friendship remains mysterious.
Jabba the Hutt -
Operated
by puppeteers Tony Philpott, David Barclay, and Mike Edmonds
A gangster based on Luke’s home planet of Tatooine
who places a huge bounty on Han Solo, who owes him for a lost shipment.
Jabba is an enormous, sluglike creature, operated by puppeteers
and enhanced by digital technology. He delights in his own cruelty
and grossness but is strong enough mentally to resist Luke’s Jedi
mind-control. Jabba manages to capture Luke, Leia, Chewbacca, R2-D2,
and C-3PO, as well as the frozen Han Solo, or so he thinks. In truth,
Luke has stage-managed the entire captivity in order to get close enough
to Jabba to strike him down and free Han. In the resulting struggle,
Han is freed, Jabba’s henchmen are destroyed, and Jabba himself
gets his comeuppance at the hands of Princess Leia.
Emperor Palpatine -
Played
by Ian McDiarmid and briefly voiced by Clive Revill
The Sith Lord, ruler of the Galactic Empire, and
the motivating force behind Darth Vader. Hideously scarred and twisted,
the Emperor’s own body seems to revolt against the evil it is forced
to contain. The living embodiment of the dark side of the Force,
the Emperor is driven purely by hatred, anger, and lust for power,
and he desires to draw others to the dark side by bringing out these
qualities in them as well. The primary focus of his attention is
his apprentice, Darth Vader, and Vader’s son, Luke Skywalker. The
Emperor tries to pit father against son in a fight to the death,
in the hope that Luke will destroy Vader and become the Emperor’s
new apprentice. The Emperor’s twisted desire is thwarted, however,
when Luke resists the lure of fear, anger, and hatred, becoming
at last a true Jedi. Vader’s love for his son is awakened by the
Emperor’s deadly attack on Luke, and he kills the Emperor, though
not before sustaining a fatal wound himself.
Grand Moff Tarkin -
Played
by Peter Cushing
An Imperial governor in
A
New Hope. Tarkin is extremely powerful, unafraid of Darth
Vader himself, supremely confident and cold. Tarkin orders the destruction
of Princess Leia’s home planet, Alderaan, merely to demonstrate the
power of the Death Star. Tarkin is destroyed himself, along with
the first Death Star, by Luke Skywalker.
Admiral Ackbar -
Played
by Tim Rose
A fish-headed alien who is
the leader of the Rebel fleet that attacks the rebuilt Death Star
in
Return of the Jedi. Lando convinces Ackbar to press
the attack, trusting that Han Solo will be able to destroy the shield
generator protecting the Death Star.
Admiral Piett -
Played
by Kenneth Colley
An Imperial commander who
rises through the ranks as Darth Vader kills off his superiors as
they disappoint him. Piett dies in
Return of the Jedi when
his Super Star Destroyer is brought down by Admiral Ackbar’s fleet.
Boba Fett -
Played
by Jeremy Bulloch
A deadly bounty hunter working
for Jabba the Hutt and the Empire. Boba Fett shows great skill in
tracking and capturing Han Solo in
The Empire Strikes Back, but
he dies ignominiously in the maw of the Sarlacc in
Return
of the Jedi.
Greedo -
Played
by Paul Blake
One of Jabba’s flunkies.
In
A New Hope, Greedo corners Han Solo in the Mos
Eisley cantina but can’t resist gloating, which allows Han to get
the drop on him and blast his way out of trouble.
Admiral Ozzel -
Played
by Michael Sheard
An Imperial commander. Ozzel
angers Darth Vader through his ineptitude one too many times, and
Vader uses the Force to strangle him to death on the bridge of his
own ship in
The Empire Strikes Back.
Owen Lars -
Played
by Phil Brown
Luke’s uncle. A stern but
loving man, Uncle Owen tries to keep Luke close to home but can’t
stop him from dreaming of adventure and excitement. Owen worries,
with good reason, that Luke is very much like his father. Owen is
killed by Imperial stormtroopers seeking R2-D2 and C-3PO in
A New
Hope.
Beru Lars -
Played
by Shelagh Fraser
Luke’s aunt. Beru is
a kind woman and sees that Luke is not meant to be a farmer. Beru
tells Owen that they will have to let Luke go someday. She is killed
by Imperial stormtroopers seeking the droids in
A New Hope.
Wicket -
Played
by Warwick Davis
A fuzzy, forest-dwelling Ewok
who befriends Leia in
Return of the Jedi. Wicket is
skittish at first but helps convince his tribe to assist the Rebel
commandos led by Han and Leia when they assault the shield generator
on the forest moon of Endor.
Wedge -
Played
by Denis Lawson
A Rebel fighter pilot.
Wedge is one of the best pilots in the Rebel fleet, surviving the battle
on Hoth and the assaults on both of the Death Stars.
Biggs -
Played
by Garrick Hagon
A Rebel fighter pilot
and one of Luke’s childhood friends. Biggs is shot down by Darth
Vader in the attack on the Death Star in
A New Hope.
