Since Star Wars first blasted into cinemas everywhere in 1977, the Empire has captivated fans in some form or another, from the compelling villains introduced over the years to the sleek uniforms, there's something for everyone.
In-universe is a different story: over the past few years, a popular trope has emerged across all forms of media: an Imperial soldier defecting from the Empire and joining the Rebellion. It's an interesting topic and fits in nicely with Star Wars' core theme of redemption. Below, we're going to revisit ten times an Imperial went rogue.
Sabine Wren
It's hard to imagine the stubborn and individualistic Sabine as an Imperial, but prior to joining Hera and Kanan on “the Ghost,” Sabine was training at the Academy and designing weapons for them.
Those weapons ended up becoming the catalyst for Sabine's rebellion when the Empire used them to violently conquer Mandalore. When Sabine tried to speak up, her family turned their backs on her and supported the Empire.
Bodhi Rook
Bodhi is a surprisingly underrated character when the entire backbone of Rogue One relies on his actions. Bodhi was a cargo pilot that happened to befriend Galen Erso, who encouraged Bodhi to do what was right and deliver a warning to the Rebellion about the Death Star.
Like the rest of the Rogue One crew, Bodhi was killed during the Battle of Scarif by a stray grenade, but before his death, he played a vital part in transmitting the plans to the Rebel forces above the planet.
Wedge Antilles
Wedge is best known for being the only pilot to survive both the Battle of Yavin and the Battle of Endor and despite his short role in the original trilogy, his character remains a favorite among fans.
After the expanded universe was rebranded to Legends and decanonized, Lucasfilm was given the opportunity to create a new backstory for Wedge and did so in the third season of Star Wars Rebels, where it is revealed that Wedge was an Imperial pilot at the Academy before joining the Rebellion.
Han Solo
Everyone's favorite smuggler wasn't always doing spice runs for Jabba the Hutt or leading assault campaigns as a general in the Rebel Alliance. Once upon a time, Han Solo was a young street kid on Corellia trying to escape a street gang with his girlfriend, Qi'ra.
When Han and Qi'ra finally get their chance to escape, they're tragically separated with Qi'ra being dragged back into the street gang they grew up in to suffer unseen consequences. A desperate Han enlists into the Imperial to learn to become a pilot, but eventually turns his back on it to become a smuggler — and the rest is history.
Iden Versio
Iden Versio was as patriotic and loyal to the Empire as they come, headlining her own elite special operations squadron known as Inferno Squadron. Following the destruction of the second Death Star, Iden was forced to reexamine the beliefs she'd been taught, and eventually joined the Alliance to help finish off the remnants of the Empire in the popular Battlefront II video game.
Alexsandr Kallus
Agent Kallus was introduced in Star Wars Rebels as a dedicated, dignified Imperial agent hell-bent on snuffing out any sparks of rebellion. As the series went on, Kallus came to realize the Empire did not care for its own people and began to gather intelligence for the Rebellion as Fulcrum while he worked toward redeeming himself for his past sins.
Kallus was eventually found out by Thrawn and was rescued by the Rebellion as they were forced to evacuate Atollon. He worked his way through the ranks of the Rebellion, becoming a respected officer by the time a base was established on Yavin 4.
Finn
It takes a great deal of courage to turn your back on a system you were taught to believe in and die for, and that's precisely what Finn did with the First Order in The Force Awakens.
In the opening sequence of the film, we're introduced to Finn as a storm trooper who experiences what appears to be a panic attack during his first battle after a comrade has been killed beside him. When Kylo Ren and Captain Phasma order the execution of the remaining villagers, Finn can't find it in him to kill for them. However, it isn't until The Last Jedi that Finn finds his feet in the Rebellion, proudly cementing himself as a rebel after defeating Phasma.
K2-SO
The only non-humanoid on this list, K2-SO was a security droid for the Empire until he was reprogrammed by Cassian Andor which apparently caused the droid to develop a personality.
K2-SO was one of the rebels to join the Battle of Scarif and, sadly, the first member of Rogue One to die as he sacrificed himself guarding Jyn and Cassian as they tried to find the data file for the Death Star.
Del Meeko
A valued member of the Inferno Squadron, Del was a loyal Imperial who always has the backs of his fellow comrades. Following the Battle of Endor, Del began to question some of the Empire's decisions and followed Iden as she turned her back from the Empire and joined the Rebellion.
Biggs Darklighter
Biggs' is one of Luke's oldest and apparently best friends but most of his role was cut from the theatrical version of A New Hope where he returns to Tatooine for a night and informs Luke that he and a few of his buddies are going to join the Rebel Alliance.
What is seen in A New Hope is Luke reuniting with his childhood best friend on Yavin 4, but the celebration was short-lived as Biggs gives his life during the Battle of Yavin during the Trench Run to protect Luke.