30 Greatest Star Wars Characters

3. Han Solo

A scruffy-looking nerf herder though he may be, Harrison Ford's Han Solo is one of the most beloved characters in the Star Wars mythos and a figure who many still can't believe is no longer a part of a galaxy far, far away.

Introduced first in 1977 as a roguish smuggler who possesses the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy, Han is never without companion Chewbacca and quickly endeared himself to audiences with Ford's abrasive, no-nonsense performance. Undoubtedly one of the best things about the character, though, is the journey he embarks on in that original saga; he doesn't start out as a hero - he becomes one, and he even does that with great reluctance.

In truth, Han was much more of an anti-hero than a true protagonist - and that's fine. Part of his mystique has always been that he wasn't a nice person, but rather that he knows the difference between right and wrong and can cross both paths when needed to.

In the end, however, Han was every bit as much a hero of the Rebellion as Luke and Leia were. He may not have asked for that title, but he earned it, becoming a revered leader, husband, and father until his untimely demise in The Force Awakens.