30 Greatest Star Wars Characters
1. Luke Skywalker
It wouldn't be a Star Wars article post-2017 without a little bit of controversy, so here we go: before The Last Jedi, Luke Skywalker was not the greatest Star Wars character of all time; it is only because of that film that the character enjoys that status today.
This isn't to say that Luke was a bad character by any means - he was still one of the series' best in the Original Trilogy, and Mark Hamill was fantastic in the role - but he needed a more complete arc. Those films depict him as a fairly traditional hero - a naive farm-boy who gets caught up in a fight against a tyrannical oppressor, saves the princess, and destroys the villain - and everyone loved him.
What many overlooked, perhaps, was the undercurrent of tragedy to Luke's story. He finds out he's the progeny of the galaxy's greatest tyrant, loses his hand, and is forced to bury his father at the exact moment he saves him. Sure, the Rebels win, but the price of victory comes at great cost, with Luke straying towards the dark side on more than one occasion.
With all that in mind, it's understandable that Skywalker would show weakness when threatened with the prospect of another Vader in Ben Solo. What many forget, though, is that Luke redeems himself, and saves his friends on his own terms in a way that will inevitably seed the downfall of Ren's Empire, much the same way Obi-Wan did when he sacrificed himself while duelling Vader in A New Hope.
You won't find a better arc in the series, and it's why Luke Skywalker is Star Wars' greatest character.