10 Best Star Wars Characters You’ve Never Seen on the Big Screen

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When Disney bought Lucasfilm in 2012, they had big plans for Star Wars. The streaming side of things was a success, with The Mandalorian helping launch Disney+ and leading to several popular live-action and animated series that created a dedicated fanbase. However, the movies were more challenging. The sequel trilogy ended with The Rise of Skywalker in 2019, which received mixed reactions. While Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was well-received, the idea of making standalone stories fell apart after Solo: A Star Wars Story didn’t perform as well as hoped, earning $393 million. Several new projects were announced, involving directors and writers like Rian Johnson, Patty Jenkins, and the creators of Game of Thrones, but most of them stalled, leaving Star Wars absent from movie theaters for seven years.

After a long wait, a new Star Wars movie, The Mandalorian & Grogu, is finally coming to theaters. This film focuses on characters who first became popular through the streaming series that kept Star Wars relevant. This shift means characters developed in Disney+ shows, video games, comics, and books can now move from our TVs to the big screen. However, many other beloved Star Wars characters are still hoping for their moment in the spotlight.

10) Darth Bane

Centuries before the events of the Skywalker Saga, the Sith were weakened by internal conflicts and power struggles. Darth Bane emerged as a key figure, establishing the “Rule of Two” – a system with only one master and one apprentice to ensure the Sith’s survival. Originally introduced in comic books and later developed in a series of novels by Drew Karpyshyn, Bane began as Dessel, a disillusioned miner who climbed the ranks of a failing Sith army. He realized the Dark Side was diluted by too many weak followers, and ruthlessly destroyed much of his own order to create a stronger, more focused Sith. This violent period is a compelling part of Star Wars history, one that hasn’t been fully explored in the films. Mark Hamill voiced a ghostly version of Darth Bane in The Clone Wars animated series, but a full theatrical adaptation could truly delve into the Sith’s dark and brutal beginnings.

9) Iden Versio

Released in 2017, the video game Star Wars: Battlefront II featured a compelling story centered around Iden Versio, a commander in an elite Imperial special forces unit called Inferno Squad. The game follows Iden’s journey from a fiercely loyal soldier immediately after the Battle of Endor to someone questioning everything she believes. Her story, which takes place between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens, is a more seamless connection of those eras than the sequel films achieved. Janina Gavankar’s performance brought a rare depth and dignity to the character, and the campaign’s exploration of how someone can separate their personal identity from their beliefs remains a standout example of character development within the Star Wars universe.

8) Beilert Valance

I’ve become completely fascinated by Beilert Valance. He’s this incredible bounty hunter, but what’s truly amazing is that he’s more machine than man – a result of barely surviving a run-in with the Empire. He actually started as a character way back in the original Marvel Star Wars comics, but he’s been brilliantly reimagined and given so much more depth in Charles Soule’s Bounty Hunters series. That series really transformed him into one of the most morally gray and interesting characters in Star Wars, constantly putting him in impossible situations where every choice has a consequence. It’s a shame he’s a comics character, because he deserves so much more recognition! He’s the kind of character who could be huge with a Disney+ show, but so far, the movies haven’t even acknowledged him.

7) Quilan Vos

Quinlan Vos is a different kind of Jedi. Unlike most, he works undercover in dangerous and shadowy worlds. Though he briefly appeared in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, his story was really developed through comic books and the novel Dark Disciple. That novel, based on unaired scripts for an animated series, teamed him with the former Sith assassin Asajj Ventress on a mission to kill Count Dooku. The story delved into the mental strain of working in secret and the blurry line between doing what’s right and seeking revenge – themes the main Star Wars films don’t often have time to explore. Vos battles to stay true to the Jedi code while making difficult moral choices as he fights the war from within, offering a refreshing change from the typical space fantasy adventure.

6) Doctor Aphra

Doctor Aphra first appeared in the Darth Vader comic series in 2015. She’s an archaeologist with questionable morals who was hired by Darth Vader to handle secret, illegal operations. She quickly became a fan favorite, leading to her own long-running comic series and appearances in other Star Wars comics published by Marvel. Like Han Solo, Aphra is a rogue, but unlike him, she doesn’t follow the typical pattern of becoming a hero. She’s a survivor who relies on her skills and luck, often succeeding by being in the right place at the right time. Her droid companions, Triple-Zero and BT-1, are a darkly humorous take on the classic duo C-3PO and R2-D2, offering a twisted version of their well-known dynamic.

5) Grand Admiral Thrawn

Grand Admiral Thrawn first appeared in the 1991 novel Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn, and his return in the Star Wars Rebels series brought back a major villain for the franchise. Lars Mikkelsen originally provided the voice for Thrawn and later played the character in live-action in the Ahsoka series. Mikkelsen’s portrayal emphasizes Thrawn’s strategic thinking and patience; he prefers to understand his enemies’ cultures and predict their moves before acting. The Ahsoka series established Thrawn’s return as a major threat, but his ultimate showdown with those fighting against the Empire wasn’t resolved by the end of the season. The second season of Ahsoka will continue this storyline, and there’s also talk of a movie that could give Thrawn a larger role on the big screen.

4) Ezra Bridger

Ezra Bridger is the main character in the animated series Star Wars Rebels. He begins as a young, self-serving thief on the planet Lothal, but over four seasons, he develops into a Jedi Knight who is willing to give up everything to protect his home. Taylor Gray originally voiced Ezra, and Eman Esfandi played him in live-action for the first time in Ahsoka. After years of being exiled in a faraway galaxy with only Thrawn for company, Ezra has changed. He’s now calmer and more capable, but also carries a deep loneliness that the show hasn’t fully explored. The Ahsoka story left his connection with his old friends uncertain, which makes his years in exile a compelling subject for a more in-depth look at his character.

3) Mara Jade

Mara Jade was created by Timothy Zahn for his 1991 novel, Heir to the Empire. She began as a highly skilled assassin for Emperor Palpatine, tasked with killing Luke Skywalker, which forced her to grapple with difficult moral choices. The three books in Zahn’s Thrawn Trilogy are often considered the best continuation of the original Star Wars films, and her romantic relationship with Luke became a hugely popular storyline. However, when Disney reset the Star Wars canon in 2012, her story was removed from official continuity, and Lucasfilm has consistently prevented attempts to bring her back. Both Zahn and author Claudia Gray have confirmed they were told no when they suggested including Mara in new projects, such as at MegaCon 2026. Despite this resistance, Mara Jade remains a beloved Star Wars character, and many fans believe she deserves to be reintroduced into the official canon.

2) Cal Kestis

Cal Kestis has become a major Star Wars character despite never appearing in a movie. Through the games Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Cameron Monaghan has portrayed a Jedi who survived the devastating Order 66, with his inner struggles being just as important as his powers. He’s trying to survive in a galaxy controlled by the Empire, who are hunting down the last traces of the Jedi Order, a culture Cal barely had time to learn about. EA has announced that over 40 million people have played the Jedi games, which is comparable to the audience size of popular Disney+ shows. Lucasfilm officially confirmed in January 2025 that they have concrete plans to bring Cal to live-action, with rumors suggesting a Disney+ series rather than a film. Monaghan is eager to return to the role, but only if the story continues Cal’s journey in a meaningful way. Because the character’s story takes place between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, Lucasfilm has a chance to explore a previously unseen era in Star Wars history.

1) Darth Revan

Darth Revan is often considered the most interesting villain in Star Wars outside of the movies, and because he lived 4,000 years before the Skywalker family, he offers a lot of creative possibilities for new stories. The 2003 game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic revealed Revan as a powerful Sith Lord who was captured, mind-wiped by the Jedi, and sent back into the galaxy without any memory of his past. As the player progresses, Revan rediscovers his history through their choices. This setup – a former hero turned enemy – is far more morally complex than most stories in the main Star Wars films. Revan’s unique look, combining Mandalorian armor with Sith symbols, has been a fan favorite for over twenty years. A movie based on the Old Republic era could give Lucasfilm a chance to tell new, relevant stories that aren’t tied to the Skywalker family.

We want to know which Star Wars character you think deserves their own movie, and who you’d cast in the role! Share your thoughts in the comments and join the discussion in the ComicBook Forum.

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2026-05-02 22:16