Star Wars: Five Characters You Should Know, But Probably Don’t
Let’s talk about some of the best Star Wars characters you’ve never heard of.
Some of the most famous characters of all time, like Leia, Rey, Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, and Darth Vader call the Star Wars universe home. Star Wars is filled with an amazing assortment of characters: heroes, villains, and some in between. More than the setting, the wars, or the Force, it’s these characters that drive Star Wars and make it great.
However, the universe is home to more than just the titans. There’s also a host of amazing lesser-known characters lurking in the shadows. Today count down the five most amazing characters that aren’t very well know at all.
5. Lowbacca
Lowbacca was a nephew of the famous Chewbacca and a Wookiee Jedi Knight in the old Expanded Universe. Now look, Lowbacca, aka Lowie, was a straight-up badass. Combing the physical prowess of a Wookiee and a Jedi, something fans have always talked about, made for a terrifying combination. This guy wrecked shop when needed to. Like his famous uncle, he was also a good and loyal friend and an excellent mechanic.
Apparently, the combination of Jedi and Wookiee was so OP that Lucas himself said they couldn’t make any more Wookiee Jedi. While Lowie may not be canon anymore, he clearly paved the way for the new Wookiee Jedi Knight that is showing up in the High Republic stuff.
However, none of that is why Lowie actually makes this list. See, Lowie had a companion: a small translator droid that was really just a head. He wore it on his belt so that he could talk to everyone. That’s right, this dude is literally the only person we’ve ever seen in Star Wars that’s adapted their easy-to-use translator tech into a personal translation device. That’s some big brain stuff right there.
4. Elan Sleazebaggano
3. Jaxxon
Jaxxon is possibly the most ridiculous character in all of Star Wars. He’s a large, green space rabbit that dresses like someone from Flash Gordon. If you couldn’t tell, he’s more-or-less the Star Wars version of Bugs Bunny. He’s also one of the longest-running characters, first showing up in November 1977 in Issue 8 of the original Marvel Star Wars comics.
He had a handful of old EU appearances, getting up to wacky stuff but was mostly ignored. However back in 2018 he was one of the rre characters to make the jump to canon, so he came back for several more comics. Yep, that’s right the wisecracking space rabbit is canon and has a 43-year-old history in the franchise. He also helped inspire Lop from Star Wars Visions, so that’s pretty cool.
2. Chelli Lona Aphra
If you haven’t heard of Dr. Aphra, I genuinely feel bad for you. Aphra is a rogue space archaeologist and one of the stars of the current canon comics. She’s basically a self-serving, morally grey female Indiana Jones. Her main gig is running around the Star Wars universe pulling heists and recovering stuff. She worked for Vader for a long time, but also befriend Luke Skywalker.
There is a Harley Quinn quality about her, as she tends to be funny and more lighthearted a lot of the time. She is accompanied by what appears to be a pair of Protocol and Astromech droids, mirroring R2-D2 and C-3PO. However, her droids are actually evil assassin droids, and they just love to deal death to meatbags. On top of all that already amazing stuff, she’s also likely the setting’s most prominent queer character. Overall, her comics are a bundle of joy to read and she’s as amazing as they come.
1. Wes Janson
Wes Janson was Wedge’s gunner during the Battle of Hoth and was the first Rebel to down an AT-AT. That is sadly pretty much the extent of his canon history, though it’s a pretty solid one. He did, however, get a ton of development in the old EU. Wes was a long-running member of Rogue Squadron and its various offshoots. He was considered one of the best pilots in the New Republic and consistently came in when needed.
However, he is best known as a wise-cracking, flamboyant jokester. In many ways, he’s the archetypical cocky, joking flyboy. He once wore a cloak made of panels showing off videos of himself, something not even Lando would dare to do. Overall, he was a major fan favorite, and one of the most fun characters to read about in books or comics (and according to late author Aaron Allston, one of the most fun to write).
Check out our Guide to the Star Wars Movies In Order
Let us know about your favorite unheard-of character down in the comments!
