The Characters With The Most Development In Star Wars History

When a series has existed as long as Star Wars, there are bound to be some changes. Whether they be to the stories, characters, or any number of other factors, you can’t last that long without at least some growth and adjustment. Well, some people can, and unfortunately, they vote.

The thing is, one rather prominent criticism of modern Star Wars is how little change and new ideas there appear to be. That’s certainly fair. But if you look closely, you’ll realize there are actually quite a few characters spanning the decades who are a far cry from how they first showed up.

9

Darth Maul

From Sith Force Of Nature To Master Manipulator

When Darth Maul was first teased in ads and promo materials for Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace, fans went wild for this ridiculously cool-looking character. Well, that was kind of the extent of his whole deal at the time. A dual lightsaber is awesome and all, but you know what else is cool? A personality.

Thankfully, Maul actually gained one over time. After his presumed death via bisection in the movie, he showed up again in the animated series The Clone Wars as a mindless monster. But he quickly developed, taking advantage of how he was seen in order to manipulate his way into power, even taking over the planet of Mandalore for a time and almost turning young Jedi Ezra Bridger to the dark side. Not bad for a torso.

8

Asajj Ventress

From Loyal Sith Apprentice To Selfless (Possibly Undead) Mercenary

During her debut in The Clone Wars, Sith apprentice Asajj Ventress was one of the most fearsome opponents the Jedi faced. Being trained by Count Dooku himself, that’s hardly a surprise. But Dooku is no stranger to betrayals, and he had one cooked up for her and her people, leading to an understandable parting of the ways.

In the following years, Ventress wandered the galaxy aimlessly, no longer knowing her purpose. She eventually encountered and fell in love with Jedi Quinlan Voss, ultimately sacrificing her life for him and seemingly completing her journey to the light. But this is Star Wars. Somehow, Ventress returned, even lending help to the titular team of outcasts in The Bad Batch.

7

Ben Solo

From Ruthless Vader Fanboy To Self-Assured Hero

Despite only appearing in a single trilogy, Kylo Ren, AKA Ben Solo, really had a lifetime of character development crammed in there. Whether or not it was effective in terms of storytelling can be debated, but there’s no doubt he changed a heck of a lot.

Starting out as a Darth Vader wannabe, he poured his angst into terrorizing the galaxy in the name of the First Order. But thanks to Rey and a little sacrificial help from his parents, Han and Leia, he managed to turn things around and help save the galaxy with his own noble sacrifice.

6

Obi-Wan Kenobi

From Impatient Padawan To Wise Old Hermit

To be fair, the first time we saw Obi-Wan, he’d already experienced his full character arc and had settled comfortably into the quirky old mentor role. But the years since have expanded that, giving fans a pretty deep look into what kind of life churns out an icon like that.

Starting out as a rather brash Padawan to Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan faced a ton of challenges at a young age. He had to watch his master die and take on Anakin as an apprentice. Hard to say which is more harrowing. But he eventually came into his own and reconciled with his many failings, because as a wise one once said, “the greatest teacher, failure is.”

5

Ahsoka Tano

From Snippy Padawan To Legendary Jedi And Teacher

Impatient youths coming into their own really seems to be a trend in Star Wars. Ahsoka Tano was introduced as Anakin’s padawan in The Clone Wars to help teach him discipline, and the morality of that idea aside, the two became fast friends despite butting heads often. But during her time in the war, she did gain the respect of the clone troopers under her command, which spoke early on to her qualities.

Eventually, Ahsoka went off on her own, disillusioned by the Jedi but not fully abandoning their teachings. Though she briefly returned to defeat Maul during the Siege of Mandalore, she ultimately had to stay on her own in hiding once the Empire rose to power. But she didn’t stop doing good, serving as a valuable Rebel asset and even later taking on an apprentice of her own in the young Mandalorian Sabine Wren.

4

Han Solo

From Selfish Street Kid To General And Father

It makes sense that Ben Solo would be such a mess if he comes from someone like Han Solo. Han spent his entire young life as a scoundrel, lying, cheating, and stealing his way through the galaxy to stay afloat. That’s who he was when we first met him in A New Hope, but he managed to turn it around.

After meeting Luke and Leia (and falling for the latter), he starts to have a change of heart. Suddenly, he had something to fight for. This led to him becoming a general in the Rebel Alliance and continuing to use his smuggling skills for the sake of the good guys. His final act was trying to save his son from the dark side, knowing he would likely die in the attempt. Tragic, but a truly satisfying character arc.

3

Luke Skywalker

From Whiny Farm Boy To Jaded Jedi Legend

Of course, Luke would have to change throughout the series. He’s been there the whole time. First appearing as a bored kid working on his family’s farm, Luke’s dreams of adventure finally started coming true and never stopped. His desire for action gave way to his desire to protect those he cared about, a quality helped along by his Jedi training.

After defeating the Empire, he started his own unfortunately ill-fated Jedi Academy, ultimately going into hiding in shame after it was destroyed in Ben Solo’s fall to the dark side. But many years later, he finally realized (with the help of Yoda’s ghost and Rey) that failure is not an end but a beginning. So he used the last of his strength to help ensure hope would continue to live on in the galaxy.

2

Boba Fett

From Deceitful Dinosaur-Riding Bounty Hunter To Adoptive Crime Dad Of A Whole Town

Boba Fett is probably the poster child for characters everyone liked because they looked cool. First appearing in The Star Wars Holiday Special as an animated villain riding a dinosaur, his more remembered role in the original trilogy furthered his reputation as he mostly stood around and looked rad. But after a humiliating defeat on Jabba’s sail barge, the legendary bounty hunter eventually clawed his way out of the Sarlacc pit and began a journey of self-discovery.

Thanks to help from a tribe of Tusken Raiders, he returned to full health and learned to appreciate community, eventually finding his way to the small Tatooine town of Mos Espa and taking over as a surprisingly benevolent crime lord, complete with earning the respect of the local teens like a cool breakdancing teacher.

1

Anakin Skywalker

From Talented Kid To The Terror Of The Galaxy

Much like Obi-Wan, our first introduction to Anakin Skywalker occurs when he’s already far along in his character journey. In this case, it’s when he’s waist-deep in fascism. His time as the ruthless Darth Vader resulted in chaos across the galaxy, to the point where his eventual return to the light as he died might seem too-little-too-late.

Anakin didn’t have much of a choice in fate, starting out as a talented enslaved boy who gets whisked away to study the Jedi ways under the still-fresh-faced Obi-Wan. His emotions get the better of him over time, with them being used to manipulate him to the dark side. But his good side does return with the help of his son, Luke. It’s a shame because his time as a Jedi, and especially with his padawan Ahsoka, provided a glimpse of a promising future.