The latest Star Wars streaming series, Andor, has turned Rogue One’s thief-turned-Rebel spy Cassian Andor into a much more complex, nuanced, and three-dimensional character than he was in his first appearance. Andor has also introduced new fan-favorite characters like B2EMO, Luthen Rael, and Kino Loy. The post-Disney acquisition Star Wars media has been hit-and-miss, but this new era of the franchise has debuted some fascinating original characters.
From the Mandalorian to Kanan Jarrus to Babu Frik, there are some Disney-era Star Wars characters that fans love just as much as the icons from the early movies.
10 Kylo Ren
When the villain of the Star Wars sequel trilogy was revealed to be a dark side Forcer user with a red lightsaber and a black mask, fans were expecting a rehash of Darth Vader. But he ended up being a more complex subversion of that trope.
Kylo Ren isn’t as powerful or formidable as Vader; he just wishes he was. According to Redditor u/TheIronMuffin, he’s one of the most compelling characters in the new Star Wars canon.
9 Chirrut Îmwe
There are no Jedi Knights in the post-Purge storyline of Rogue One, but Chirrut Îmwe comes pretty close. He’s a member of the religious order, the Guardians of the Whills, best known for repeating his catchphrase, “I am one with the Force and the Force is with me.”
The visually impaired warrior-monk used his spiritual connection to the Force to see his surroundings. Redditor u/Goosey44 found him to be a fun and unique new addition to the Star Wars franchise.
8 Luthen Rael
Redditor u/brsties writes that Andor’s Luthen Rael “has been so consistently badass” throughout the show’s acclaimed first season. This badassness was demonstrated best in the penultimate episode when Rael used an Imperial ship’s tractor beam against itself and singlehandedly took out a fleet of TIE fighters.
The Redditor adds that “he’s played by one of my favorite actors [the great Stellan Skarsgård],” which makes this character a “win-win.” From his poignant monologue about sacrifice to his captivating scenes with Forest Whitaker as Saw Gerrera, Skarsgård has given one of the all-time strongest Star Wars performances as the mastermind behind the Rebels’ first major blow to the Empire.
7 IG-11
Taika Waititi gave a hysterically deadpan vocal performance as IG-11 in The Mandalorian. He was introduced as a merciless bounty killer who’s willing to shoot Grogu on sight, but he was later reprogrammed as a babysitter droid who makes the ultimate sacrifice to save Grogu from the Imperial Remnants.
According to Redditor u/BplusHuman, in spite of his relatively minor role in The Mandalorian’s first season, IG-11 is one of Disney’s best new Star Wars characters.
6 Kanan Jarrus
One of Disney’s first well-received Star Wars projects was the Rebels animated series. Redditor u/TerrisKagi writes that the show’s Jedi hero, Kanan Jarrus, “may be my all-time favorite Star Wars character.” According to u/TerrisKagi, “In every way that mattered, Kanan Jarrus was *the* Jedi Knight of his era.”
In the years since Kanan was introduced into the intergalactic ensemble, The Clone Wars, The Bad Batch, and Tales of the Jedi have all explored Kanan’s former identity as “Caleb Dume.”
5 Babu Frik
If there’s one thing that Disney does better than any other studio, it’s the creation of adorable characters like Stitch, Mushu, and Olaf. Since acquiring Lucasfilm, Disney has introduced some of the cutest characters in the Star Wars ensemble.
This is embodied by Grogu, the star of the “Baby Yoda” phenomenon, but Redditor u/The_Dragon_Rand thought a different character – Babu Frik, the tiny droid engineer introduced in The Rise of Skywalker – was even cuter.
4 Cassian Andor
When a prequel series to Rogue One centered around Cassian Andor was first announced, some Star Wars fans wondered if it was really necessary. But Tony Gilroy’s masterful writing and Diego Luna’s nuanced performance in Andor have silenced those skeptics.
Cassian has been expanded into a complex, three-dimensional antihero who took a stand against the Empire after facing the full extent of their wrath. According to Redditor u/TheIronMuffin, he’s one of the best new characters of the Disney era.
3 Migs Mayfeld
Bill Burr in Star Wars turned out to be a match made in heaven with the comedian’s nuanced portrayal of ex-Imperial marksman Migs Mayfeld in The Mandalorian. Redditor u/Moneyfrenzy writes, “I love Bill Burr... that season 2 episode [“Chapter 15: The Believer”], man that was great and he absolutely killed it.”
After Mayfeld’s powerful monologue about Operation: Cinder, this Redditor “would love to see him become a legit supporting/main character in a show.”
2 Kino Loy
Following the jaw-dropping prison break episode of Andor, Redditor u/Traditional_Formal33 posted, “Kino Loy delivered one heart-wrenching line that made me feel more for him in that moment than any Star Wars character before that.”
Andy Serkis gave an incredible performance as Kino in that episode, whether he was getting choked up during the prison-wide announcement or telling Cassian, “I can’t swim,” as all the other escapees are jumping to their freedom. After hiding behind a gruff demeanor in his first appearances, Kino managed to break fans’ hearts in his final appearance.
1 The Mandalorian
Many Star Wars fans love the titular bounty hunter from The Mandalorian as much as any of the saga’s legacy characters, but Redditor u/Holymuffdiver9 has a personal connection to the character: “As someone with a stepfather, Mando really resonates with me. Taking up the mantle of fatherhood for a child that isn’t biologically yours doesn’t get the praise it should, in my opinion.”
Disney wisely left Grogu out of the initial marketing for The Mandalorian, so that the hook of the series – the heartwarming Lone Wolf and Cub fatherhood storyline – could remain a surprise for first-time viewers.