10 Wasted Star Wars Characters That Deserved Better

The latter two films of the prequel trilogy see the elusive Darth Sideous's will carried out primarily via his apprentice, Count Dooku. Also known as Darth Tyranus, Dooku is the leader of the Confederacy of Independent Systems, and the main antagonist of Attack of the Clones.

As Obi-Wan is captured on Geonosis, Count Dooku reveals that he was once a Jedi who turned to the dark side. And not just any Jedi either; his apprentice was Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan's deceased master. This element creates an interesting question: will Obi-Wan be able to bring him back to the light, just as Luke Skywalker did his father in Return of the Jedi?

But that question doesn't ever seem to appear in the film itself, as Count Dooku is presented more as a foreshadowing of Anakin's eventual seduction to the dark side of the Force. He cuts off Anakin's hand, which, in the following film, teases out the boy's anger and allows him to win the duel. Palpatine, under the guise of the Chancellor, orders Anakin to kill Dooku, which he does with only momentary hesitation.

Even with a chilling performance by Christopher Lee, something about this character feels incredibly lacking. What did he do, exactly? Granted, the apprentice is always somewhat in the shadow of the master, but would his absence in the films have made that much difference? Even Palpatine doesn't think much of doing away with him.