Originally Posted 5/5/20
18. Poe Dameron
He doesn't have the best name but General Dameron is one of the best pilots in the galaxy. And he's the man who took Starkiller Base off the board.
17. Jannah
Like Finn, Jannah realized that her service as a stormtrooper positioned her on the wrong side of history and she eventually jumped ship and switched sides to the Galactic Resistance. And not long after she met the man formerly known as FN-2187 she took it upon herself to watch his back -- which is exactly what she was doing when the two of them disabled the Steadfast's navigation, thus crippling the Imperial fleet.
16. Rey
Now the galaxy's only remaining Jedi -- or Sith (remember, she did follow Palpatine's plan), Rey denounced her royal birthright and literally died (albeit, temporarily) fighting against the resurgent Empire's tyranny.
15. Obi-Wan Kenobi
Jedi master Obi-Wan Kenobi devoted two decades to safeguarding Luke Skywalker from the Empire. And the former Clone War general ultimately gave his life in order to allow Luke -- with the Death Star plans -- to escape from the infamous battle station.
14. Finn
FN-2187 is the first stormtrooper known to have defected from the Empire. After freeing an X-wing pilot from Imperial custody, the newly-christened Finn risked his life leading an infiltration team into Starkiller Base on a mission to both rescue his new friend Rey and to deactivate the facility's shields. The former trooper even faced off against a fully-trained fallen Jedi in an effort to protect Rey from him.
A couple of years later, Finn snuck aboard a Star Destroyer in order to free Chewbacca from custody. Finn followed those heroics up by successfully leading a landing party onto another Star Destroyer -- the Steadfast -- in order to disable the craft's navigation.
Given the fact that Finn discovers that he's Force-sensitive, his fight against evil will likely continue for years to come.
14. Admiral Raddus
Admiral Raddus' leadership from his ship, the Profundity, during the Battle of Scarif was key to the Alliance obtaining the Death Star's plans. His idea to use a Hammerhead Corvette to ram a disabled Star Destroyer into another -- and ultimately into Scarif's shield-gate is evidence of the late admiral's military genius.
As one of the highest-ranking members of the Rebel Alliance, Admiral Akbar dedicated quite a bit of his life to fighting galactic tyranny. He led the Alliance fleet to victory during the Battle of Endor and died in battle against the First Order.
12. Saw Gerrera
Deemed to extreme for the Rebel Alliance, Saw Gerrera certainly had no love for the Empire. But besides being an effective and constant thorn in the side of the Imperial government, he also found time to be a decent parent. Saw raised Jyn Erso as his own after her mother was killed and her father was press-ganged into Imperial service.
11. Princess Leia
As a member of the first family of Alderaan and the daughter of a powerful galactic senator, Princess Leia Organa was in a perfect position to gather intelligence for the Rebellion. And as the first high-level recipient of the stolen Death Star plans she did just that, sending the blueprints, along with her trusty droids, to Obi-Wan Kenobi in order to prevent the Empire from recovering them.
A couple of years later, Leia infiltrated Jabba the Hutt's palace as part of a mission to rescue the captured Han Solo. She subsequently joined Han's strike team on an ultimately successful mission to disable the second Death Star's shield generator on Endor.
10. Wedge Antilles
Wedge Antilles has the galaxy's greatest wing-man. The Rogue Squadron commander was there with Luke in the trenches of the Death Star during the Battle of Yavin and facing AT-AT walkers during the Battle of Hoth. He also flew into the heart of the second Death Star with Lando during the Battle of Endor.
9. Jyn Erso
The daughter of an Imperial engineer and the ward of a terrorist leader, Jyn Erso had to confront her past and the Empire. Jyn went from a life of petty crime to a short-lived career as a rebel spy, sneaking into the heart of an Imperial facility in order to snatch the Death Star blueprints. Like the other Rogue One crew members, she made the ultimate sacrifice on the beaches of Scarif.
8. Baze Malbus
Baze Malbus may not have been a hotshot pilot or a jedi but he did have a heavy repeater cannon and a productive trigger finger. Watching Chirrut Imwe's back like a Wookie with a life-debt, Baze was the scourge of the Empire's deadliest troopers and was key to the Alliance achieving its objective at the Battle of Scarif.
7. Cassian Andor
X-wing pilots and generals tend to get most of the glory in the Rebel Alliance but a lot of the group's success depends on guys like Cassian Andor getting their hands dirty behind enemy lines. And Captain Andor capped off a life of selfless heroism by making the ultimate sacrifice: giving his life to get the Death Star blueprints into the hands of the Alliance leadership.
6. Chirrut Imwe
If Chirrut Imwe hadn't been strong with the Force, he would've been Daredevil. Chirrut's sixth sense made him a more powerful warrior than the sighted opponents that he faced. And his faith in the Force was as unwavering as his commitment to his ideals.
5. R2-D2
A man's best friend is his dog. But since canines seemed to be unavailable in Luke Skywalker's part of the galaxy, a little blue-and-white astromech droid with an unlimited supply of beeps and a complete lack of fear turned out to be the best ally that a young jedi could ever have. R2 smuggled the Death Star plans to Obi-Wan Kenobi; saved Luke, Han, Chewy and Leia from the trash compactor; repaired the Millenium Falcon's hyperdrive just before the Empire closed in; and snuck Luke's lighsaber onto Jabba's barge. How many dogs could accomplish a fraction of that?
4. Chewbacca
People who are unfamiliar with the Star Wars saga sometimes mistake Chewbacca as a sidekick. Forgive them -- they don't know any better. And even Princess Leia slept on the Big Wookie at the medal ceremony following the Battle of Yavin. The truth is, the real reasons that Chewy gets overlooked are his inability to speak English ("Basic" in the Star Wars universe) and his steadfast loyalty to Han. The two of them were inseparable not because Chewy was subservient in any way but because he insisted on watching the Corellian smuggler's back. Remove Chewbacca from the equation and the Empire wins.
3. Lando Calrissian
Sure, Lando sold Han Solo and company out on Bespin but he and Han were former friends at the time. Besides, he undid the damage by freeing Chewbacca, Leia, R2-D2 and C-3PO and risking his neck by helping to rescue the old pirate from Jabba's Palace. The man who destroyed the second Death Star also personally saved Chewy, Rey, Finn and Poe from certain doom on Pasana. To top it all off Lando rallied the coalition that finally put an end to the First Order's reign of terror throughout the galaxy.
And while Admiral Akbar's most famous moment is his announcement to the Alliance fleet that the Empire had laid a trap for them over Endor but it was Lando who figured it out first.
2. Han Solo
Han Solo could've minded his own business during the Battle of Yavin. He'd already fulfilled his promise to fly Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi to Alliance headquarters. And he'd made it clear from the start that he was a hired hand and not an idealist. But instead of looking the other way, he (and Chewy) saved Luke's skin in the trenches of the Death Star so that he could make his miraculous shot. Han also led the team tasked with disabling the second Death Star's shield generator. All of that goes way above and beyond anything that could reasonably be expected from a simple spice smuggler.
1. Luke Skywalker
The son of Vader's experiences as the galaxy's lone -- and conflicted -- Jedi are legendary. From his time as a naive farm boy on Tatooine to saving the galaxy from the threat of the Death Star to wrestling with the instincts that accompanied his paternal genes while wielding his green lightsaber pre- and post-the Battle of Endor make for some damn good cinema.
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