The galaxy far, far away is certainly not short of major twists and turns which could see a fan-favorite character get killed off. However, just as Andor has recently indicated, if the Star Wars universe has larger plans for a hero or villain, plot armor is applied to ensure that they stick around for future adventures.

The plot armor isn't always obvious, but there are some instances, especially in prequels, where fans know that a character is safe. There are numerous examples of situations where a figure really should have been killed off, but for the sake of the plot, they have managed to continue!

Leia Organa's Space Walk

Leia Organa in space during Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Leia Organa was such a vital part of the Star Wars universe that it seemed far too abrupt to kill her off in The Last Jedi when the Rebellion was suddenly attacked by the First Order. The princess was jettisoned into space and for any other character that would have been the end of the story.

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Yet, thanks to some strong plot armor and the Force, Organa survived the ordeal, using her abilities to float through space akin to Mary Poppins with her umbrella. It's a moment that has wildly been ridiculed and owes itself to the writing trap that the creatives had to work around.

Anakin Skywalker's Mustafar Fall

Anakin fights Obi-Wan on Mustafar in Revenge of the Sith

Anakin Skywalker's transformation into Darth Vader was inevitable. That gave the character a significant amount of plot armor throughout the prequel trilogy, as fans were well-aware of his final fate. When Obi-Wan Kenobi came to face his former apprentice on Mustafar, everyone knew both would survive the moment.

Any other character would have died on the lava planet, had they been through what Anakin was subjected to. He fell into the fiery pits of the planet, although in terms of the narrative it may have been his sheer hatred that drove him to keep fighting.

Force Healing Rey

Star Wars The Rise Of Skywalker Rey & Ben Solo Kiss

Rey was the protagonist of the sequel trilogy and thus was always going to be protected. Star Wars has never killed off the leading protagonist (besides Jyn Erso) in one of the major movies, and that trend wasn't going to change with the future Skywalker.

While she might be one of the best Jedi in the saga, it was Ben Solo who came to her aid, Force-healing Rey before she could die after fighting against the Emperor. It was another sign that plot armor would always protect Rey, even in the face of insurmountable odds. By all means, she probably should have been dead if it wasn't for this neat trick.

Cassian Andor's Escape

Cassian looking at someone in Andor

Andor is tracking the life of the titular Cassian before he ever joined the Rebel Alliance and perished getting the plans to the Death Star. With his fate sealed (and very much not protected by plot armor in that final mission), fans can rest assured that he'll make it out of the prequel series alive.

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Thus, while other characters might not have been so lucky in their escapes or roles within particular espionage-based missions, Cassian has managed to excel in fighting the Empire throughout Andor, because he simply can never be killed before the sequel.

Boba Fett's Sarlacc Trip

Boba Fett stands with two aliens in The Book Of Boba Fett

Fans had always been hopeful that Boba Fett would survive the Sarlacc Pit, but it was an unlikely event. However, Disney finally paid off that long-term storytelling, with the bounty hunter's return living up to the hype. It was pretty convenient though.

Fett had fallen into the Sarlacc, where so many others have been digested to death. He shouldn't have survived, and it was likely never intended to be only a minor inconvenience. Ultimately it's a retcon that heavily involves plot armor, so Lucasfilm could make their way to a Disney+ series.

Obi-Wan Kenobi's Vader Dual

Obi-Wan and Darth Vader fight

Just like other prequel series, Obi-Wan Kenobi couldn't feature any surprise deaths because audiences understand that Ben Kenobi will be the Jedi to guide Luke Skywalker against the forces of the Empire. Each skirmish he embarked on wouldn't be Kenobi's last.

But the first dual with Darth Vader exemplified what plot armor is at its worst. Kenobi was dragged through fire and slashed at multiple times. It only took a session in the Bacta Tank to heal those wounds though. Vader has killed many Jedi by doing far less; Kenobi's survival was almost unbelievable.

Chewbacca's Near Death

Joonas Suotamo as Chewbacca in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

Chewbacca is one of the few characters from the original trilogy to make it to the end of the saga. He doesn't come under danger very often, although The Rise of Skywalker featured a very specific moment that looked as if fans would be saying goodbye to the Wookie.

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With Chewie's ship blowing up right in front of everyone, it seemed as if that was it. But Chewie survived because apparently, he wasn't on the ship at all. It was a bait and switch that fell a bit flat and felt like convenient storytelling with plot armor strapped onto Chewbacca's hairy back.

R2D2 And C3PO's Longevity

Bail Organa on Tantive IV with the droids in Revenge of the Sith

R2D2 and C3PO have somehow embarked on hundreds of missions and continued to maintain their circuits. They should have been destroyed ten times over, but always find intriguing new ways to get out of trouble. At this point, the plot armor of the fantastic droids knows no bounds.

There have even been interesting narratives involving the memories of the droids with the idea that their personalities could be completely wiped away by the choices that they've made. But Star Wars never doubled down on that, very quickly returning to the status quo for the sake of the plot.

Ahsoka Tano's Surprise Return

Ahsoka Tano wielding her lightsaber in The Clone Wars.

Ahsoka Tano has been a feature of the Clone Wars, the era of the Empire and beyond. She has faced some of the greatest Sith in history and lived to tell the tale. Her confrontation with Darth Vader was an especially sticky moment that probably should have marked her demise.

But some surprise storytelling involving the World Between Worlds allowed the hero to be rescued at the last moment. In the grand scheme of things it was so Ahsoka could continue on the adventure, even in live-action, but the basic explanation is plot armor.

Darth Maul's Comeback

Darth Maul in animated form with his double-bladed lightsaber

Darth Maul was cut in half cleanly. That would kill 99% of the villains in the Star Wars universe. Until the animated shows revived the character, fans were satisfied with the ending, even if the antagonist could have offered up so much more.

His return, with robotic spider-like legs, a broken mind, and some mystical influences was as unexpected as it was borderline ridiculous. He's such a brilliant character that the worth of his survival outweighs the way in which the plot armor protected him from certain doom.

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