There is no shortage of scum and villainy in a galaxy far, far away, and the Star Wars universe has scoundrels to spare. Whether under the authority of the Republic or the Empire, the criminal contingent can never be entirely wiped out, and for those willing to ignore their moral compass in favor of a paycheck, a steady stream of ill-acquired credits seems to be available in every corner of the galaxy. Naturally, Han Solo is one of the most infamous scoundrels among the legends of the Star Wars universe. But even shooting first can only afford so much notoriety!
While the exploits of Han and his loyal co-pilot Chewbacca are well known, there are many other scoundrels lurking in the shadows of the Empire and the Republic alike. Although Han certainly can lay claim to the ability to outclass some of these smugglers, bounty hunters, and criminal agents, others are well deserving of an infamy that eclipses the reputation of the scruffy-looking Corellian pilot who became one of Luke Skywalker's closest allies as the Rebel Alliance fought against the rule of Emperor Palpatine. While Han eventually retired to the same small-time smuggling missions he felt most comfortable undertaking before he met Luke on Tatooine, some of his peers were able to capitalize on their reputations and establish themselves as notorious living legends in their own right, becoming far more infamous than Solo. Here are 10 Star Wars scoundrels who are completely outclassed by Han (and 10 who are even more infamous)!
20 OUTCLASSES: IG-88
An assassin droid designed for hunting and destroying his quarry, IG-88 was one of the bounty hunters summoned to the bridge of the Executor by Darth Vader in Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back. However, Boba Fett managed to successfully complete the mission Vader had offered them: tracking the Millennium Falcon.
In the Star Wars Adventures #14 story "Flight of the Falcon Part 1: Spy Games" by Michael Moreci, Michelle Pasta, and Adele Matera, IG-88 tells Bazine Netal about nearly capturing the Falcon on a different occasion, but she seems unsatisfied with the information he can provide about the location of the ship. Some things never change...
19 MORE INFAMOUS: ENFYS NEST
As the leader of the swoop gang known as the Cloud-Riders, Enfys Nest developed quite a reputation. Introduced in Solo: A Star Wars Story, this enigmatic warrior goes to great lengths to cultivate a particular image: with a countenance obscured by an intimidating mask and a voice hidden by a chest box vocoder, Enfys Nest has developed quite a reputation.
What makes the infamy of Enfys Nest particularly remarkable is how it is used to accomplish more nobel goals. As revealed by Solo: A Star Wars Story: The Official Guide by Pablo Hidalgo, the strikes made by the Cloud-Riders have been targeted against Crimson Dawn, and the attacks have had some success in frustrating the goals of the criminal syndicate.
18 OUTCLASSES: BECKETT
In the comic Beckett #1 (2018) by Gerry Duggan, Marc Laming, Edgar Salazar, Will Sliney, and Jordan Boyd, a heist completed by Tobias Beckett and the rest of his crew goes wrong, forcing Beckett to rely on his own cutthroat techniques to escape.
While this scoundrel may pride himself on ensuring the success of his mission is his highest priority, he's outclassed by Han when the time to test his mettle arrives at the climax of Solo: A Star Wars Story. When Beckett confronts Han to tell him he's too soft, Han doesn't hesitate to shoot first, demonstrating that he has the sensibilities necessary to survive as a scoundrel in the seediest corners of the galaxy.
17 MORE INFAMOUS: CAD BANE
When Jango Fett was defeated by Mace Windu at the Battle of Geonosis in Episode II - Attack of the Clones, the position of most infamous bounty hunter in the galaxy was vacated, and Cad Bane ably stepped into the role. In the Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 2 episode "Holocron Heist," Darth Sidious hired Bane to infiltrate the Jedi Temple on Coruscant and steal a Holocron, a heist that the bounty hunter successfully executed.
The endorsement implicit in being hired by the Sith Lord who engineered the fall of the Galactic Republic gives Cad Bane the kind of infamy that could never be achieved by Han, who is liable to entirely drop cargo at the first sign of an Imperial Armada.
16 OUTCLASSES: DASH RENDAR
Dash Rendar is no longer canon, and while the pirate protagonist of the Shadows of the Empire novel and video game qualifies as part of the Star Wars Legends continuity, he's still outclassed by Han Solo.
Set between Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back and Episode VI - The Return of the Jedi, Rendar was a smuggler who captained a modified Corellian YT-2400 freighter along with his droid sidekick and co-pilot, LE-BO2D9. Although Rendar is no longer part of official Star Wars canon, a ship closely resembling the Outrider appeared in the Star Wars Rebels season 3 episode "Iron Squadron."
15 MORE INFAMOUS: KETSU ONYO
Ketsu Onyo was a Mandalorian warrior who defected from the Imperial Academy alongside Sabine Wren. First appearing in the Star Wars Rebels season 2 episode "Blood Sisters," Ketsu and Sabine formed an intense bond, relying upon one another as the pair committed to the scoundrel's life and became bounty hunters.
When an opportunity to earn more credits presented itself, Ketsu abandoned Sabine and sank further into the criminal life, becoming a member of the infamous Black Sun crime syndicate. Although Ketsu eventually joined the Rebel Alliance, her reputation as a ruthless bounty hunter makes her far more infamous than Han.
14 OUTCLASSES: ANALANG LEHET
The novella "Rules of the Game" by Saladin Ahmed, included in the Canto Bight collection, introduces Analang Lehet, a con artist who works the streets of Cantonica's most famous city, taking advantage of unsuspecting visiting tourists. When Analang meets Kedpin Shoklop, who is visiting the planet as a reward for being named the year's top salesbeing at the company where he works, what seems to be an easy mark turns out to be a more complicated situation than anticipated.
When the time comes for Analang to deliver the coup de grace to Kedpin, however, he flinches, and this hesitation allows Han to outclass the Cularin Syndicate career criminal.
13 MORE INFAMOUS: DOCTOR APHRA
In the short story "The Trigger" by Kieron Gillen, included in the collection From a Certain Point of View, rogue archeologist Chelli Aphra crosses paths with the Imperial unit sent to investigate a possible rebel base on Dantooine. Set during the events of Episode IV - A New Hope, the Imperials inform Aphra that the Empire has destroyed the planet of Alderaan.
Although the agent of the Empire who interrogates Aphra expects her to be negatively impacted by this revelation, it only serves to kindle her interest, and her curiosity concerning the practical aspects of the weapon used is evident. While Han may have some rough edges, Aphra becomes nearly giddy at the thought of the capabilities of the Death Star.
12 OUTCLASSES: BOSSK
The fearsome Trandoshan Bossk was one of the bounty hunters summoned by Darth Vader to track down Han in Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back, but at that point, he had already had achieved infamy. In addition to working alongside a young Boba Fett during the Clone Wars, Bossk was notorious enough that Beckett's associate Val mentions him as an example of reliable mercenary support in Solo: A Star Wars Story.
But while Bossk's reputation may precede him, Boba is the bounty hunter who manages to track down Han for Vader, and in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 2 episode "Death Trap," Bossk's mission fails so completely that he is captured and incarcerated by the Republic.
11 MORE INFAMOUS: QI'RA
When Han was growing up on the streets of Corellia, he developed a close relationship with Qi'ra, another scrumrat who worked for Lady Proxima. The pair was separated leaving Corellia in the opening scenes of Solo: A Star Wars Story, but the young Han swore he would reunite with his childhood friend.
By the time Qi'ra and Han find one another about Dryden Vos's star yacht, Qi'ra has managed to rise to a managerial position within the Crimson Dawn criminal syndicate. While Han attempts to rescue Qi'ra, his friend is in control of her own destiny, and the secret associations she keeps make her considerably more infamous than young Solo.
10 OUTCLASSES: BALA-TIK
In Episode VII - The Force Awakens, Han faces off against the Guavian Death Gang, led by the frontman Bala-Tik. According to The Force Awakens: The Visual Dictionary by Pablo Hidalgo, the foot soldiers who provide the group's muscle have sworn allegiance to the Death Gang in exchange for their distinctive cybernetic enhancements.
During the reign of the Galactic Empire, the Guavian Death Gang was headquartered on the capital world of Coruscant, but after the fall of the Emperor, these criminals were forced to disperse throughout the galaxy, and the distinctive soldiers have been seen on the Colossus platform that provides the setting for Star Wars Resistance. Nevertheless, Han is able to decisively outclass Bala-Tik with the help of a few hungry rathtars.
9 MORE INFAMOUS: MAZ KANATA
Like Han, Maz has had a long and storied career on the wrong side of the law. But in Episode VII - The Force Awakens, we see that Han has little to show for his legacy, having become estranged even from the Millennium Falcon. By contrast, Maz has thrived off her piracy spoils, holding court in her (literal) castle on Takodana.
According to The Force Awakens: The Visual Dictionary by Pablo Hidalgo, Maz's castle is connected to the larger galaxy thanks to sensor arrays, and the establishment offers a full complement of services, including ship repairs, medicine, and loans. Any smuggler looking for assistance would consider Maz's Takodana refuge, and that kind of notoriety is far beyond any infamy that can be attributed to Han.
8 OUTCLASSES: AURRA SING
Bounty hunter Aurra Sing was a mercenary assassin and sniper who was willing to take any job, no matter how immoral, if the price was right. Over the course of her career, she worked with many of the most infamous scoundrels in the galaxy, included the pirate Hondo Ohnaka and a young, inexperienced Boba Fett.
But ]dialogue in Solo: A Star Wars Story reveals that Sing met her match in Beckett, being dealt a fatal fall after he pushed her a great height. While Beckett also attempted to defeat Han in battle, Han survived the confrontation, demonstrating how the Corellian smuggler outclasses the late Sing.
7 MORE INFAMOUS: DARTH MAUL
While Han may have dismissed the power of the Force when he first encountered Luke in Episode IV - A New Hope, his experiences fighting alongside the Jedi eventually make him a true believer. By Episode VII - The Force Awakens, Han openly concedes that the Force may in fact be a match for a good blaster by one's side.
By drawing on his training as Sith apprentice, Maul is able to utilize the power of the Dark Side as he rises to become the head of the Black Sun criminal syndicate. While Han may have years of experience as a smuggler, he can't compete with the raw power of the infamous Maul!
6 OUTCLASSES: PONDA BABA
When Han first meets Luke Skywalker in the Mos Eisley Cantina in Episode IV - A New Hope, he's hardly the only scoundrel enjoying a beverage at the seedy watering hole. Before Obi-Wan begins discussing passage off Tatooine with Chewbacca, a pair of criminals confront the out-of-place interlopers at the bar.
After Luke ignores the criminal Ponda Baba's initial attempt to gain his attention, his associate, Doctor Evizan, steps in to provide their impressive credentials: a series of criminal warrants from systems across the galaxy. But Han outclasses Ponda thanks to his propensity to forego speech and take action, as shooting off his toward Luke and Obi-Wan certainly doesn't end well for this Aqualish pirate!
5 MORE INFAMOUS: HONDO OHNAKA
When the infamous pirate Hondo Ohnaka first appeared in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 1 episode "Dooku Captured," he was already the captain of the Ohnaka gang, a large cadre of pirates operating out of Florrum. Hondo is devoted to the pirate's life, and decades later, in the Star Wars Rebels season 3 episode "The Wynkahthu Job," he helps the crew of the Ghost undertake a mission against the Empire.
Hondo has another claim to being at least as infamous as Han. In the novel Lando's Luck by Justina Ireland, it is revealed that after the events of Episode VIII - The Last Jedi, Hondo takes the Millenium Falcon to Black Spire Outpost on Batuu, the setting for Galaxy's Edge at Disneyland.
4 OUTCLASSES: GREEDO
When Greedo corners Han at the Mos Eisley Cantina in Episode IV - A New Hope, the rodian intimates that Han isn't going anywhere without accounting for his debt to Jabba. But it turns out it's Greedo who won't ever be leaving the cantina: as Greedo attempts to use Jabba's authority to intimidate Han, the Corellian smuggler unlatches his sidearm and shoots the bounty hunter mid-sentence.
While Greedo thought that Jabba's reputation would be enough to ensure his survival in the confrontation, Han so completely outclasses the hired gun that he walks away from the bounty hunter's smoking remains without so much as a backward glance, leaving a few credits to cover the inconvenience of cleaning up the mess. Going somewhere, indeed!
3 MORE INFAMOUS: ASAJJ VENTRESS
When Asajj Ventress first appeared in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated movie, she was the secret Sith apprentice to Count Dooku. Drawing on the power of the Dark Side and weilding a pair of red lightsabers, Ventress was a fearsome and worthy opponent to the Jedi. Later, after Dooku had betrayed her, Ventress began a successful career as a bounty hunter.
In Dark Disciple by Christie Golden, details concerning Ventress's career as a bounty hunter are revealed. Operating with a no-nonsense craft called the Banshee, Ventress is able to user her Sith and Nightsister training to complete high paying jobs with relative ease, giving this scoundrel more infamy than the unreliable Han.
2 OUTCLASSES: BOBA FETT
It's no stretch to suggest that Boba may be the most famous bounty hunter in the galaxy. An unmodified clone of Jango Fett, Boba skills were honed by his father since childhood. When Mace Windu defeated Jango at the Battle of Geonosis in Episode II - Attack of the Clones, Boba became hardened, and that cynicism served him as he gained galactic notoriety.scfvv
When Darth Vader hired bounty hunters to track Han in Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back, Boba rose above his peers and captures the rogue smuggler on Bespin's Cloud City. But Boba is ultimately defeated by Han above the Tatooine Sarlacc Pit in Episode VI - The Return of the Jedi even though the defrosted Corellian has yet to regain eyesight!
1 MORE INFAMOUS: LANDO CALRISSIAN
Lando Calrissian owned and piloted the Millenium Falcon before Han won it off him in a game of sabaac. While ownership of the Corellian freighter is still a sore spot between the scoundrels when they meet a decade later, in Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back, Lando has become an even more infamous legend in the intervening years.
As the Baron Administrator of the Bespin Cloud City mining facility, Lando was oversaw operations that ensured security for millions of citizens. Until the arrival of the Empire, Lando handled his duties with success, simultaneously managing to maintain an unfailing stylish image. When it comes to managing reputation, Lando completely outclasses Han, making him the most infamous scoundrel in the Star Wars galaxy.