Though Star Wars is known for being a family-friendly space opera, its western origins and settings allow room for a variety of character types that walk a thin tightrope between villains and the more insidious anti-heroes. There are characters who fight on the side of good, but their methods are questionable and border on flat-out wrong, and there are some characters that technically fight on the side of good, but are absolutely villains, they just happen to do the right thing.
These characters come from all corners of the Star Wars media franchise from TV to games and all corners of the galaxy.
10 Anakin Skywalker (Clone Wars) Often Fought With The Jedi Order
Ignoring Episode 3, where Anakin ruthlessly murders dozens of Jedi and innocent children, in the Clone Wars TV series, fans get to see Anakin constantly come into conflict with the self-contradictory Jedi code.
Anakin was known for constantly ignoring the typical ‘good’ actions in order to complete a mission. Even killing the enemies of the Republic without trial and refusing to follow the orders of his Jedi superiors. Unfortunately, through these actions and the overbearing control of the Jedi Order, Anakin was slowly pushed further and further into the clutches of the Sith.
9 The Mandalorian Is A Classic Gunslinger
The Mandalorian is a classic lone wolf gunslinger with nothing else in their life except the next job. It isn’t until the introduction of The Child that he begins to adopt more heroic qualities. Though his goals to protect The Child are good, his methods are often villainous. Such as when he left Koresh, the crime boss, to die in the streets.
Mando’s story does not follow the typical hero’s journey where he sets out on an epic quest to save all the universe. He only chooses to protect his own world and those that are a part of it. He doesn’t care for the greater politics and empires of the galaxy like the mainline Star Wars heroes.
8 Bo-Katan Fought For Her People
Bo-Katan is a fan favorite from The Clone Wars who later returned in Disney+’s The Mandalorian. Her goal is to return the Mandalorian people to greater glory in the age of The Empire and save her history.
It is clear that she is willing to go to any lengths for her goals, whether that is becoming a freedom fighter, or challenging Mando for the Darksaber after he accidentally won its ownership in a duel against Moff Gideon. What began as a matriarch of peace slowly evolved into a militant deadset on saving her people’s culture.
7 Saw Gerrera Dedicated His Life To The Rebellion
Saw Gerrera is a character most would have met in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. However, he has a much deeper history that follows his efforts in the Clone Wars and his battles against the CIS and continuing on to his battles alongside his sister against The Empire.
Gerrera is a man who dedicated his entire life to battling The Empire and his efforts reflected his losses. He adopted a ‘by any means necessary’ approach after the collapse of the Republic and would often sacrifice soldiers as long as it gave him a victory in his own personal crusade against The Empire.
6 Han Solo Was A Selfish Man Only Out For Himself
Han Solo was Star Wars’ first gunslinger. He was cocky, sarcastic, and selfish. He initially only joined Luke and Ben on their mission to Alderaan because he was promised pay. He intertwines himself with known crime bosses and warlords because they offer to pay him. He built a lifestyle off of murder, theft, and smuggling.
His main selfish actions are when he abandoned the Rebels before their first assault on the Deathstar because he had been paid his dues, and when he neglected his son, Ben, who would later fall to the dark side.
5 Darth Maul Saw To Destroy The Sith
Darth Maul’s story initially ended with his supposed death in Episode 1, however, The Clone Wars brought him back and reinvented his character to inadvertently become an anti-hero. Seeing that he had been abandoned by the Emperor following his failure, Maul chose to make it his mission to take down the Sith by himself allied with only his brother.
Maul’s actions are technically good because he wants to defeat the primary antagonist. However, he is doing it for purely selfish reasons and at no point is he allied with the heroes.
4 General Hux Played Both Sides Of The War
General Hux has a very confusing character arc throughout the sequel trilogy. He goes from being Kylo’s right-hand man to becoming a spy for the Rebellion. Throughout Episode 9, the Rebels talk about a spy within the First Order. However, this turns out to be General Hux.
Hux’s motivations for this are lacking as he is not allied with the Rebellion, nor does he have some part of his backstory that enforces this act. He only wants Kylo Ren to lose. This makes his position as a villain muddled.
3 Mayfeld Redeemed Himself
Mayfeld had a very quiet and subtle character arc throughout the second season of The Mandalorian. What began as a one-off character turned into a man dealing with the trauma of war. Mayfeld not only allies himself with Mando, but he endangers himself by interacting with his former commander.
Though Mayfield is a criminal, he chooses to act selflessly to those he considers his allies. However, in the end, he chooses not to become a great hero of the galaxy, but to only protect those around him.
2 Boba Fett Is Just A Man With A Job
"I’m just a simple man, trying to make my way in the universe" is an adequate way to describe Jango Fett’s clone son, Boba. Though he often appears as an antagonist, in reality, he is simply a businessman who takes jobs from whoever pays him.
In one instance, he appears as an employee of the crime lord Jabba the Hutt, and another time he works alongside the Mandalorian as they have similar goals. He is a character that could become a protagonist only by chance but never acts out of malicious intent with any other character.
1 Kreia Deconstructed The Ideas Of The Force
Kreia is a wrecking ball to all the teachings of the Force, both light, and dark. Kreia’s primary goal throughout the story of Knights of the Old Republic was to destroy the Force. As a historian, she sought to learn everything there is to learn about the Force.
She learned from both the Jedi Order and the Sith. Soon she came to the conclusion that it must be destroyed and so devised a plan to destroy both the Jedi and Sith through the player character of the game.