Summary
In a franchise as old and big asStar Wars, there exist hundreds of unique and memorable characters. Many of these come from the prequel era. Though the three prequels were not that well-received at the time of their release, nowadays there exists a large fan base dedicated to these movies, and generally, the films’ appeal has increased massively.
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Aside from the main characters, the prequel trilogy has a large supporting cast, made up of a variety of both human and alien characters from across manyintriguing and unique planets. While some might not have a long time in the spotlight, even their short scenes reveal them to be something more than how they’re presented. This should invite fans to not neglect them even though they only appear briefly.
10Poggle The Lesser
The Archduke of Geonosis and major voice of the Separatist Council, Poggle was instrumental in fulfilling Darth Sidious’ plans. Most notably he was very knowledgeable in engineering and actually created the plans for the Death Star, which he hands to Dooku inAttack of the Clones.
He also commanded vast droid armies in the 1st and 2nd battles of Geonosis. Though subservient to the Queen of the Geonosians, as revealed inThe Clone Warsanimated TV series, he owned the iconic Petranaki Arena and the vast droid factories, which served to overwhelm anddefeat many Jediand thus start the Clone Wars.
9Saesee Tiin
A long-serving member of the Jedi High Council, Saesee Tiin was a valued and skilled Jedi Master. Unlike many of his counterparts, he wasn’t skeptical of Qui-Gon Jinn’s claims that Anakin Skywalker was the long-awaited Chosen One. He appears in all three movies, albeit without dialogue but was shown to be a highly skilled starfighter pilot and warrior.
After surviving the 1st Battle of Geonosis, he was instrumental in many key battles of the Clone Wars, such as the “Citadel” and “Water War” arcs inThe Clone Warsseries, and the pivotal battle over Coruscant as seen inRevenge of the Sith. Because he was held in high regard by Master Mace Windu, he was selected to accompany him to arrest Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. However, Tiin became the second victim of the great Jedi purge when he was cut down by Palpatine.
8Sly Moore
Present in Episodes 2 and 3 as a background character, Sly Moore is the Chief of Staff and Senior Administrative aide to Palpatine himself. As it stands, she is fully aware of his concealed identity as Darth Sidious and even serves to assist his rise to power. As well as threatening Chancellor Valorum’s aide with blackmail to make her resign, Moore is Force-sensitive and previously proved herallegiance to the Sith.
When Darth Maul captured her and took her to an ancient tomb, Moore was attacked by dead Sith. After withstanding this, thus proving her loyalty to the Sith, Sidious welcomed her into his “Grand Plan” for the galaxy.
7Dexter Jettster
While Dex may look like an unsophisticated but friendly café owner, from his scene inAttack of the Clonesit’s clear much more lies under the surface. The fact he is an old friend of Obi-Wan clearly shows he’s got an intriguing past.
It’s revealed he used to be a prospector on the planet Subterrel. He’s also clever and possesses knowledge even the Jedi Temple droids don’t as he immediately recognizes the toxic dart as a Kaminoan Saberdart. Being able to reveal to Obi-Wan what planet it’s from, and even that the Kaminoans are cloners, proves he’s got a vast untapped library of knowledge even the Jedi can call upon.
6Tion Medon
The Port Administrator of Pau City, the planet Utapau’s capital, Tion Medon may only be in a relatively short scene inRevenge of the Sithbut this provides sufficient insight into his character and how he played a pivotal role in assisting the Jedi.
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When General Grievous took refuge on Utapau with the Executive Separatist Council, thereby holding the Utapauans hostage and killing its Committee members, Medon did not just surrender. Instead, though being watched, he secretly galvanized Pau City’s Security Forces into a resistance. His actions were picked up by Republic Intelligence, thus revealing to the Jedi where Grievous was hiding. So, if not for Medon, Obi-Wan would not have found and killed the vile General.
5Chieftain Tarfful
Though lesser known than the famous Chewbacca, Tarfful was a fearsome and powerful Wookiee warrior. He was both the Chieftain of Kachirho, a coastal city on his home planet Kashyyyk, and a general in the army and led a militia valiantly against the oncoming Separatist droids.
Appearing in bothThe Clone Warsanimated series andRevenge of the Sith, he demonstrates both loyalty and strength. In the movie, he’s most well known for assistingthe famous Jedi LuminaraUnduli and Master Yoda in the Battle of Kashyyyk alongside Chewbacca. He’s also pivotal in ensuring Yoda’s escape from the clones once Order 66 is activated. This fierce Wookiee is a force to be reckoned with and is even considered a friend of Yoda.
4Captain Panaka
Selfless and loyal, Quarsh Panaka was Queen Amidala’s personal protector during the Invasion of Naboo as seen inThe Phantom Menace. He is known for being firmly dedicated and responsible for the monarch’s safety. He even devised the system of decoys, in that someone of a similar appearanceto the Queenwould swap places with her, so she could remain disguised and thus safe. He had a pivotal role in retaking Theed Palace.
However, he was often pessimistic and grew paranoid about the Queen’s safety, as seen when he was outraged at Qui-Gon’s suggestion to take her to Tatooine. It was his increased paranoia after the Invasion which ultimately soured his relationship with Amidala. Although he was succeeded by his nephew Typho as Amidala’s chief protector, Panaka maintained friendly relations with her parents Ruwee and Jobal, and was reinstated as the personal protector of the future Queen, Jamillia.
3Zam Wesell
This bounty hunter proves her worth in the opening toAttack of the Clones. Only just failing on two attempts to eliminate Senator Amidala, the fact she is able to put Anakin and Obi-Wan on a lengthy, gripping chase through Coruscant proves she is highly skilled as a pilot. She’s also a unique species, a Clawdite, able to take the form of any humanoid. Her backstory was expanded in the spin-off gameStar Wars: Bounty Hunter.
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Zam proves herself as an iconic albeit reckless bounty hunter in both the film and the game. She’s also not afraid to be independent, since she would’ve betrayed Jango Fett by telling Skywalker and Kenobi who’d hired her, had Jango not shot her.Some may wonder whyshe didn’t deploy her changeling powers while hiding from the Jedi in the Outlander Club instead of trying to shoot Obi-Wan.
2Sabé
Handpicked by Panaka to be the chief decoy for Queen Amidala, Sabé is an incredibly brave, talented, and clever individual inThe Phantom Menace.Her roleput her in great danger and made her very stressed, yet she accepted it dutifully and put her monarch’s safety ahead of her own. Unfortunately, she’s often overlooked due to the confusion many viewers have had over who was who in which scene.
She pretends to be the Queen numerous times, which means she is under constant pressure to not appear false in any way. She was very good at her job as even Viceroy Gunray was fooled into believing she was genuine. A close friend of Amidala, Sabé is a woman to uphold.
1Cliegg Lars
Cliegg is a severely underrated character. The good-natured, kindly owner of the iconic Lars homestead deserves more attention for his heroic acts. It was he who freed Shmi Skywalker from slavery and married her, making her genuinely happy after she was parted from Anakin.
His bravery shouldn’t be forgotten either. When Shmi is kidnapped by Tusken Raiders inAttack of the Clones, Cliegg reveals how he’d organized a group of thirty others to go and rescue her. Though the attempt failed and Cliegg lost his leg, he expresses how he doesn’t want to give up on her and that he’d be back out there searching if he could. Not much else is known of him but what viewers do hear gives sufficient insight into the caring and valiant person he was.
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