Star Wars: 10 Side Characters Who Totally Stole Their Scenes
8. Biggs Darklighter - Star Wars (1977)
The climax of Star Wars is an incredible technical feat. It is edited and paced to perfection, even if you watch the theatrical cut, where CGI hasn't been added to clean up the dated visual effects. One of the ways Lucas controlled the chaos was by giving each and every Rebel pilot a face, voice, and personality. It humanizes the conflict, and helps keep the audience at the edge of their seat.
Among these pilots is Biggs, one of Luke's friends from back in Tatooine. Although the theatrical release did him a bit of a disservice by cutting most of his scenes, his mustache and dialogue with Luke imply a greater connection between the two of them, even when the film forgets to establish their rapport.
In the re-release, with at least one of his scenes restored, Biggs' story takes on an even more poignant note. With the same skills as a pilot, and the same homeworld, he is almost an alternate universe version of Luke. And he provides a tragic example of what would happen to Luke if he didn't have the Force (and Han Solo) on his side.