We’re fast approaching the 11th movie of the Star Wars saga, with The Rise of Skywalker poised to bring the franchise as we know it to a close this December. Instead, it will be releasing installments on the small screen via Disney Plus for the next few years while the bigwigs at Disney decide on the best way to produce the blockbusters going forward.
It’s now time to take a trip down memory line by going over every Star Wars movie and picking the worst character from each one. We’re going in chronological order here so first up is 1999’s hugely-divisive The Phantom Menace...
The Phantom Menace: Jar Jar Binks
Everybody was buzzing when The Phantom Menace released in theatres back in the summer of 1999. George Lucas was returning, Star Wars was returning and fans were told to expect more magic with the first outing of the prequel trilogy. Ultimately, however, fans were widely disappointed and the film failed to make the grade among many of the most devout followers.
And the character of Jar Jar Binks is seen as one of the reasons for the movie’s poor reception among its fans. The Gungan was introduced to bring some light comic relief but ended up being considered an irritant, with actor Ahmed Best then subjected to vile abuse. That was unacceptable but there can be no denying Jar Jar is, perhaps, the worst Star Wars character of all time.
Attack Of The Clones: Anakin Skywalker
Jake Lloyd hadn’t exactly been a huge hit among fans and reviewers but everybody was hoping the character of Anakin Skywalker would improve when Hayden Christensen landed the role for Attack of the Clones.
And while Christensen gave it his best shot, he struggled to fare better than his predecessor. He wasn’t helped by a below-average script from George Lucas that included lines about not liking sand, missing his mommy and whining, like a petulant child, about the fact Jedi aren’t allowed to love. Thankfully he’d improve for the sequel but by that time criticism was so strong many had already made up their minds.
Revenge Of The Sith: Count Dooku
Revenge of the Sith remains arguably the most-shocking Star Wars movie of all time with George Lucas leaving no stone unturned as he told the final chapter of Anakin Skywalker’s fall from grace. It’s certainly among the most entertaining with Lucas managing to cram a whole lot of action into the blockbuster.
But that meant that the character of Count Dooku, who was the main antagonist of Attack Of The Clones, had to settle for a significantly reduced role. He has none of the splendor he did last time out and dies easily, with Anakin severing his head in cold blood while the villainous Emperor Palpatine watches on. A rare blotch on an otherwise near-perfect record.
Solo: L3
So, as it turns out, Lando Calrissian liked having droids around him - for pretty much any reason you can think of. And while Jar Jar Binks was bad, Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s L3 is arguably even worse due to the fact she feels like the most-political character of all time.
L3 spends literally all her time on screen insisting she’s just as good as the humans and, simply put, being a giant earache in the process. While Disney tried to make her death as sad as possible we couldn’t help but feel glad when her systems shut down. As far as droids go, she’s easily the worst we’ve ever seen on the big screen and it’s perhaps for the best that the blockbuster didn’t hit the box office heights as expected.
Rogue One: Bodhi Rook
Many were skeptical when Rogue One released back in December 2016. Would a Star Wars story without any of the main Star Wars characters actually be any good? Was there enough interest in the franchise to release the blockbuster in the first place? Was it going to make money at the box office like all the other movies in the franchise?
Thankfully, the answer to all three of those questions was yes. And the character of Bodhi Rook is the only low point. He’s not even bad - he’s just not as interesting, courageous or involved as others in the movie. And when you’re up against Jyn Erso, Cassian Andor, Chirrut and Baze Malbus that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
A New Hope: That Stormtrooper
A New Hope is the first Star Wars movie ever released. It’s near perfect, too, with the characters of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Leia Organa, and Chewbacca - as well as bad guy Darth Vader - all immediately becoming household names across the globe.
And because the blockbuster is so good, it’s genuinely hard finding a bad character. We’ve had to go with the stormtrooper who bangs his head on a wall because if you can’t walk in a straight line without having an accident, what sort of asset to the Empire must you be? It was, of course, an error that accidentally made it into the final cut. But we’re glad it did because it’s so funny to rewatch. Plonk.
The Empire Strikes Back: Yoda
Like A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back is a Star Wars movie at its absolute best. Even to this day, it’s still regarded as being the best in the business but, despite that, it still suffers the odd flaw. And the character of Yoda simply wasn’t good enough, at least right from the very start.
Yoda’s goofy nature means he felt like he was in the movie to make people laugh and provide some comic relief. He eventually shows himself to be a really strong Jedi Master but, at first, fans were left feeling a little flat. Where was the wise, powerful person we’d been told we’d meet? Yoda isn’t a bad character at all but he’s one of the few who was perhaps enhanced by the release of the prequels.
Return Of The Jedi: Boba Fett
Many were hoping for big things from the character of Boba Fett in Return Of The Jedi, particularly after he’d made his intriguing debut in The Empire Strikes Back. He looked slick in his Mandalorian armor and, having played a vital role in Han Solo's capture, he was expected to play a huge part in the final installment of the Star Wars original trilogy.
But that didn’t end up happening. Instead, he dies rather easily, falling into the Sarlaac pit after Han Solo had, rather amusingly, inadvertently stopped him from murdering Luke Skywalker. Boba has picked up a cult following over the years but there’s no denying his character was, in the end, a big disappointment.
The Force Awakens: Captain Phasma
Before the release of The Force Awakens four years ago, many fans flocked to social media to express their excitement about the character of Captain Phasma. Not only would she be played by Game of Thrones’ Gwendoline Christie but she also looked rather cool with her chrome armor and staff weapon. Obviously, she was a big toy-seller that year.
Phasma has just five minutes of screen time - and underwhelms during her time in the spotlight. She easily gives in to Finn when he demands she lower Starkiller Base’s shields and dies in the sequel. Of all the characters from the new Disney movies, she’s perhaps the one you can’t help but feel had real potential. Yet that ship has already sailed.
The Last Jedi: Rose Tico
We won’t go too heavy on Rose Tico, particularly given how much abuse actress Kelly-Marie Tran has received for portraying the Resistance soldier. But, unfortunately, the honest truth is that Rose was handed a role so infuriatingly insignificant it renders the character as arguably the worst name on this list.
Rose serves no purpose, barring when she saves Finn from a suicide mission right at The Last Jedi’s end. She’s involved in a futile mission to Canto Bight all while the best scenes of the movie, starring Rey, Kylo Ren and Supreme Leader Snoke, play out. Hopefully, she’s given a chance to make amends when The Rise of Skywalker releases next month.