Today marks the 30th anniversary of Star Wars. You can’t deny the affect that Star Wars has had on the world at large and geekdom in general. To celebrate the anniversary we decided here at Forever Geek to rank our favorite Star Wars characters of all time.

So…here we go…let the flame wars begin…

30. Padme Amidala Skywalker – even with the emotional range of a paper sack, you can’t deny Padme’s importance to the story of Star Wars. Mother of Luke and Leia, wife of Anakin, Queen of Naboo, and Senator of the Republic, she is a vital, albeit annoying, part of the saga.

29. General Grievous – A chilling foreshadow of what can become of a man when combined with machine, Grievous is a visually interesting foe.

28. Greedo – He didn’t shoot first. You know it, and I know it, but still this Rodian has the most memorable non-english speaking dialogue in all of Star Wars, and for that, he deserves a spot on this list.

27. Watto – this creepy flying, gambling addicted, slave owning, Toydarian is probably responsible for the destruction of the Jedi when you think about it. Maybe if he’d been nicer to poor Anakin when he was a kid he wouldn’t have ad such rage issues as he got older.

26. Count Dooku – Dooku didn’t serve much purpose in the prequel trilogy other than to move the Emperor’s plot along, and a lesser actor might have made the role forgettable, but Christopher Lee is not a lesser actor. Lee makes the role memorable by oozing off the screen every second he’s on it…right up until his arms and head get lopped off. ouch.

25. Darth Maul - Another instrument of Palpatine that really served only to look cool and move the plot along was Darth Maul. His look worked, however, as he is one of the coolest looking characters in the Star Wars Universe.

24. Biggs – The Burt Reynolds’ Mustache wearing friend of Luke may not seem like the most important character at first, but the loss of Biggs at the end of Episode 4 serves as a sobering reminder to Luke that the situation he is in is very real, and Biggs is really the last element of his home that is left…

23. Uncle Owen – All Owen ever wanted was the best for Luke – or what he thought was the best anyway. He wanted to protect Luke from everything his father had become, and while he ultimately wasn’t able to – it’s Uncle Owen’s guidance as a youth that helped shape Luke into the man he would become.

22. Aunt Beru – Aunt Beru, along with Uncle Owen, never get enough credit for raising Luke. Had they not helped shape him into the man he would become, Emperor might never have been defeated.

21. Porkins – That’s right, I ranked Porkins higher than Darth Maul, Count Dooku and everybody else from 22 to 30…I mean, COME ON, he’s a fat guy X-Wing pilot named PORKINS. He’s the character most of us are most likely to BE. He’s PORKINS.

20. Mace Windu – A Council leader who always came off to me as a stone’s throw away from the Darkside himself, Mace Windu is a vital part of the prequel trilogy, and being played by bad-ass extraordinare Samuel L. Jackson, makes it impossible to exclude him from the list.

19. Wedge Antilles – Leader of the Rogue Squadron, and vital member of the Rebellion, Wedge served as a good friend to Luke, and a key player in several battles.

18. Sebulba – Anakin’s first rival. Sebulba was both visually interesting, silly looking, and threatening at the same time. His role Anakin’s life played a key part in his anger management issues.

17. Jabba The Hutt – A master manipulator, giant slug, and party animal, Jabba loves a good time, and we’ll always love him for not killing Han when he stepped on his tail.

16. Lando Calrissian – Always a schemer and ultimately a hero, Lando is a poor man’s Han Solo…but he’s a good one.

15. Admiral Ackbar – Often referred to as Admiral Man-Fish around my house, Ackbar fought back not only being a man with a giant fish head, but also a terrible speech impediment to become a Admiral in the rebellion. My hat goes off to him.

14. Grand Moff Tarkin – Tarkin was just and evil bastard. I assume you’d have to be to incite fear while you have “Moff” in your name. I mean, come on…this guy even had evil bone structure.

13. Boba Fett – Mandalorian Armor wearing, bounty hunting bad ass. He gets the unlucky number 13 spot of that jet pack malfunction that sent him screaming like a girl to his doom.

12. Jango Fett – Mandalorian Armor wearing, bounty hunting bad ass. Why does he outrank his son? Two words: Sarlacc Pitt.

11. Qui-Gon Jinn – Mentor to Obi-Wan and killee of Darth Maul, Qui-Gon Jinn had very little screen time in the overall saga, but his actions are what brought Obi-Wan and Anakin together, and what ultimately led to the fall of the Jedi. Sucks to be him.

10. Chewbacca – Loyal friend and protector, Chewbacca saved Yoda’s skin in the Clone Wars, and served as co-pilot of the Millennium Falcon. While he may never say a word we can understand, his importance to the series is unmistakable…and dammit…he deserved a medal too.

09. C-3P0 – He started off as spare parts in a kid’s room, and ended a god to teddy bears…what more can you say?

08. R2-D2 – He’s the only character in the whole saga to know everything that’s going on, and he never says a word.

07. Palpatine – Pure evil in a robe. Palpatine’s manipulative fingers are in almost every episode of the series, and he is awesome to watch from his opening laughs in Episode 1 to his cackling death in Episode 6.

06. Leia Organa – A princess with a mind of her own, Leia served as both a positive role model for young women, and a sexual fantasy for every red blooded male from 1977 to 2007 (and she will continue to do so throughout time). She is a leader of her people, a strong woman, and a lost Skywalker…what more could you ask for?

05. Luke Skywalker – The son of Skywalker. The Redeemer. Luke helped his father find redemption, saved the universe, and helped lead a rebellion to victory…and he wore that cool black glove in “Return”…so…yeah…

04.Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader – The entire series is focused around Anakin, so it comes as no surprise that he ranks highly on the list.

03. Obi-Wan – One of the greatest Jedi that ever lived, played by two of the greatest actors in the series. We watch Obi-Wan grow from Padawan to Council Member over the course of the the prequel films, and his final confrontation with Anakin in “Revenge” is as heartbreaking as it is brutal. The “old wizard” we meet in the original trilogy is infinitely wise, and a father figure and guide-post that keeps the entire series together.

02. Yoda – There is something about puppet Yoda that will always be more “real” than his CG counterpart in the prequel films, but in every movie CG or Rubber, Yoda steals the show. From his training in “Empire”, to his battle with Palpatine in “Revenge” Yoda and his tribal screams of fury will go down in history make him forever great.

01. Han Solo – There is no one cooler character in the Star Wars Universe than Han Solo. He never held a lightsaber, but he saved the universe, got the girl, and flew the Millennium Falcon. It just doesn’t get any cooler than Han. He has all the quotable lines, and the best scene of the entire series (”I know”) was all Han. For that, he HAS to take the number one spot.

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