15 Star Wars Characters That Deserve Their Own Movies Or Shows

We're never going to run out of "Star Wars" galaxy to explore, and we're never going to run out of arguments about which characters are more deserving of the spotlight than others. Most of these fights come out of love for characters we've connected to somehow. It may be a touching story or a weird one, but "Star Wars" is big enough for everyone to share their own tales of what the franchise means to them.

It's fun that we're getting a bunch of new announcements every year again after the long pause between movie arcs. With all these new stories on the way, including the next Cal Kestis game, "Jedi: Survivor," and "The Acolyte" series coming to Disney+, it may feel a little greedy to suggest even more shows or movies we'd like to see. I don't think all of these will happen. Although, in a couple of cases, I'm definitely putting some summoning energy out there. This list of characters that deserve screen time is probably different than yours, but I promise that we've made some choices that will delight you.

Kanan Jarrus

Once again, Cassian Andor has proved that knowing how the story ends doesn't change the fact that we can learn a lot from the rest of a character's life. Kanan Jarrus, once a Padawan named Caleb Dume, has an ending — if not a firm one. "Star Wars Rebels" turns this reluctant Jedi's last years into those of a tragic hero. Some piece of him seems to remain behind, though, as a white Loth-wolf guiding his love, Hera, and his pupil, Ezra Bridger. Yet, he's also a kid who saw his Jedi Master go down swinging on the day of Order 66.

There's a lot of territory between those years, and while "Obi-Wan Kenobi" showed us the life of a beaten-down master, we know that Kanan had a much spicier life. His Marvel comic miniseries, "Kanan," by early "Rebels" producer Greg Weisman, shows a glimpse of how this refugee turned into an underworld shadow, and "A New Dawn" by John Jackson Miller can be mined for more details. I can't say I'd be unhappy to see even more of Kanan's life, especially the days when he met the friends he'd willingly die for.

Cal Kestis

This is a hard argument, because Cal is about to have two big video game outings with him front and center. But Cal and his crew feel more real than some of our old "Knights of the Old Republic" faves, due to new top-shelf motion capture technology. Cameron Monaghan, who voices Cal and shapes his on-screen behavior, is no small fry of an actor, and it'd be a thrill to see him take Cal out on a live action adventure. Cal's first game, "Jedi: Fallen Order," told a great story, sure, but a series or special presentation could give us a look at Cal and his friends with a little more variety, and a lot less of the filler — no negative connotation intended — that comes with exploring a video game world.

With "Kenobi" and "Andor" establishing what the galaxy looked like before the Rebellion kicked into high gear, there's lots of room for more stories in this era. A guy with a Dathomiran Witch buddy and one of the cutest droids to date could make for a lighter, and even wilder, exploration of the galaxy during its darkest times.

Saw Gerrera

Tony Gilroy has uncovered a lust for the grittiest parts of "Star Wars." "Rogue One" is a space-age "The Dirty Dozen," with a finale that hews brutally close to the reality of what takes to win a war. "Andor" is just as cold in places, reminding us that freedom is worth fighting for — and killing for without hesitation. Under a fascist regime (a real one in which minorities are at constant risk of genocide to sway a population happy to lap up soothing propaganda), harsh words don't cut it.

However, Saw Gerrera understands this lesson a little too well. "The Clone Wars" gave us a look at his beginnings from humble rebel to tilted fanatic. "Rogue One" shows him in his final frenzies, but there's a great story in the middle, waiting to be told. Luthen gives us a glimpse of Saw that suggests a "Platoon”-style movie would be a violent delight: a tale of a guerrilla butcher with no mercy, loose in a world where the Rebellion is years from coalescing into more than a dream, and a man's well-earned cynicism still has a point.

Plo Koon

Admit it, Dave Filoni. Every year, you're dying to find a new spotlight for your fave, Plo Koon. I get it. I have a calendar counting down the days to a live-action Thrawn, and at least I know that's definitely happening. Just do it. Let's explore the Dorin people, Plo Koon's childhood, his Force awakening, and his time as a Padawan. In addition to all the other neat stuff "Andor" pulls off, it (and the Tuskens of "Book of Boba Fett") reveals that we love learning more about the countless worlds and cultures in "Star Wars."

Little about the Kel Dor is known. They live in a non-oxygenated environment, necessitating those cool masks, and according to the "Star Wars, The Phantom Menace: The Expanded Visual Dictionary," their world has a clan structure. Send Plo Koon home at the height of his career, maybe. Give him a reason to help his people. Let's get a look at where he came from — and use what we learn about his culture to add even more flavor to the future of "Star Wars."

Mace Windu

It's not because Samuel L. Jackson is one of the coolest cats on the planet, although he is. It's not because we didn't get enough Mace Windu in "The Clone Wars," although we didn't. The fact is, he's got two great things to add to the "Star Wars" canon. First, Mace Windu could be our best guide behind the doors of the Jedi High Council, giving us a first-person look at the intrigues they faced in the aftermath of the High Republic.

Secondly, there's a great "Star Wars Legends" novel called "Shatterpoint," which could be retooled into a canon tale about Windu's doubts and long-buried fears. "Shatterpoint" takes Mace Windu back to his homeworld to rescue his Padawan. Mace remembers little of his childhood on a war-torn world, yet enough comes back to him to make the events he experiences there all too personal. Grim enough to satisfy Saw Gerrera, the biggest change that would have to happen is a little tweak to the ending. The person Mace Windu needs to save is essentially doomed in this "Apocalypse Now"-flavored tale, but her fate in canon doesn't actually come until the day of Order 66.

Doctor Aphra

Doctor Chelli Lona Aphra is one of the best new canon characters in "Star Wars," but unless you've read the 2015 Kieron Gillen run of the Marvel "Darth Vader" comic or the character's solo title, you may have never heard of her. She comes as a package deal with Triple Zero, a droid that looks like a humble protocol unit but is homicidal enough to please HK-47 and BT-1, another murderbot inside a sturdy astromech shell.

Doctor Aphra isn't a mindless villain. She's an archaeologist with a lot to prove to her father, and that keeps her in some pretty bad company. Originally a hireling of Vader, Aphra's been in and out of his service for years. The best way to bring her into the multimedia canon might come from using pieces of her 2016 "Remastered" adventure to tell a new animated story. Here, she crosses paths with Hera Syndulla, and the two end up on a heist that involves the Tarkin Initiative, the scientific organization helmed by none other than the Death Star's director, Orson Krennic. 

Calling Deborah Chow or Bisha K. Ali! This character, with all her tangles and tough beliefs, would shine in your hands.

Dexter Jettster

"Who is Dexter Jettster?" you ask. My friends, Dexter Jettster is arguably the best character introduced in "Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones." A hulking, frog-throated Besalisk, he's the proprietor of Dex's Diner, who, incredibly, has all the underworld intel Obi-Wan Kenobi needs to follow Jango Fett's trail to Kamino. He's also one of only two major Besalisks in canon, and since the other one is the infamously loathsome Pong Krell, let's use Dex as our Besalisk community standard here.

Not every story in "Star Wars" has to be heavy stuff. Disney XD airs animated shorts of droids showing off the cutest animals in the galaxy, and they're great. Let's have something similar on Disney+ for the older fans. I'm thinking of a series of animated shorts set in Dex's Diner — like "Cheers" but with oddball aliens and surprise cameos. Things like Hondo Ohnaka coming by for a hot tip and a Bantha meat cheesesteak. I want to see this so badly that this is a free pitch to Lucasfilm. I'm willing to sign it away to legal ... although I'd gladly take a couple of bucks if you guys are feeling generous.

Cobb Vanth

On an instinctual level, we know that this is coming. If for some reason it's not already in the concept or early pre-production stage, it should happen anyway. Cobb Vanth's undoubtedly getting some cybernetic upgrades after his swim in Boba Fett's bacta tank at the end of "The Book of Boba Fett" to make him spicier than ever. And with Din Djarin's former friend, Cara Dune, out of a job on Nevarro, the galaxy is going to need this tough-talking space cowboy to step up.

"The Mandalorian" is a terrific show in its own right, but it's also proved to be a great hub to spin out post-Imperial stories. "Boba Fett" might not have hit all the right notes, but with the New Republic stretched thin, a miniseries about Cobb Vanth expanding his presence beyond Tattooine could scratch those itches. He's got all the right materials to stand alone: a great prequel story about his stolen Mandalorian armor, his time as a small-town sheriff, and now, a second life, where the possibilities for him are wide open. We're never going to get Clint Eastwood in this Wild West of a galaxy, so Timothy Olyphant is an excellent replacement as our go-to cowboy archetype.

Chirrut Îmwe

Getting Donnie Yen back for a miniseries or special presentation might be too much to ask, but hey, it's worth a shot. He's already serving big Chirrut Îmwe vibes again in "John Wick 4." In "Rogue One," the blind priest, with his soothing chant of "I am one with the Force, the Force is with me," introduced us to something we hadn't thought about before: Force-sensitives who didn't train to become Jedi but instead served as members of various religious orders. The novelization of "Rogue One" goes further with Chirrut's character, identifying his order as the Guardians of the Whills, the Whills themselves being, roughly, a mysterious, sentient aspect of the Force itself.

Chirrut Îmwe has little extra canon detail, mostly found in "Galaxy's Edge" lore and a junior-level story called "Guardians of the Whills." However, it'd be far more interesting to explore Chirrut Îmwe's life before Scarif and maybe even before his relationship with Baze Malbus. That way, we could get a look at the religious side of "Star Wars" through the viewpoint of a character we only got to love for a little while.

Poe Dameron and Finn

This is a package deal. Both characters deserve expansion to fix a few things that got left out of the sequel movies. First, we need to see the Force-sensitive Finn (John Boyega) take up his Jedi training. Maybe he's not excellent at it. Maybe his gifts are more empathetic, like those of Ezra Bridger. Perhaps he's a straight-up solid Jedi Knight. Regardless, the former Stormtrooper is our next Jedi, and he's owed that recognition.

Poe Dameron rose above his sometimes flat dialogue thanks to the pure charisma of Oscar Isaac. Through him, we could get the Han Solo story we never got, exploring the downside of being a galactic hero. Like Han, Poe doesn't seem like the type of guy to enjoy fame. A little renown to open the doors in his path is one thing, but the pressures of the New Republic would weigh him down. That could potentially create a great story that dips into the freshly chaotic underbelly of the galaxy. It would be a nice bonus if Finn and Poe kissed, but we'll take what we can get.

Quinlan Vos

Give the fans what they want! A fan-favorite who snuck his way back into canon, Quinlan Vos, the rakish Jedi with bad but fascinating taste in women, is still alive 10 years before the Battle of Yavin. Kenobi finds his graffiti scrawled on a safehouse wall, proving that his return to the light side after the temptations of his undercover gig has held firm. It's also possible he's since embraced Qui-Gon Jinn's greyer take on the Force.

Quinlan's escapades with Asajj Ventress and his time close to Dooku were covered in "The Clone Wars," but we have no idea how he escaped Order 66. It would be worth another look at the underground network helping Force-sensitive refugees escape the Sith Inquisitors. Quinlan Vos would be an excellent guide through that tense world. It would be a lot of fun to see if and how an older, smarter (but just as rakish) Quinlan Voss contributes to the fall of the Empire.

Mister Bones

Give this fan what she wants. Mister Bones is a semi-obscure little fella, a modified B1 droid with a Deadpool-style paint job and an HK-47 mouth. We've gotten a taste for fun droids in "The Mandalorian" with IG-11, the assassin droid turned nursemaid and hero. Still, there's nobody else quite like Mister Bones, and you deserve to meet him.

Like Cobb Vanth, Bones is author Chuck Wendig's creation. He appears in "Aftermath," the first book in an anthological trilogy that, with appropriate jaunty chaos, chronicles the events that happen after the fall of the Empire. Bones is the project of Temmin Wexley, who we meet as an adult (Greg Grunberg) in the sequels. The droid found his way into the background of everywhere from Endor to Jakku, where the current canon says his melted remains rest. If Cobb Vanth's story underwent a few tweaks on the way to "The Mandalorian," that leaves Mister Bones with a lot of freedom to tell some fun, "Tag & Bink"-style tales set against the otherwise grim backdrop of the Empire.

Darth Plagueis

We used to know a fair amount about Emperor Palpatine's mentor, Darth Plagueis the Wise, when his self-titled novel by James Luceno was still canon. Back then, Hego Damask II was a Muun, the race that founded the InterGalactic Banking Clan, which itself was involved in many Clone War-era schemes. Raised secretly by his own Sith mentor, Plagueis would be the one to teach Sheev Palpatine how to become so ruthless. His infamous tragedy was caused by his fixation on immortality, a goal his dark heir would usurp.

Almost none of that is certain anymore. It's "Legends" material. All we know for sure is that he's a Muun, and he's a fun Palpatine anecdote. That's frustrating because there's no point in leaving the guy a mystery. Put him back in canon already, and tell us what's true about him. Make him a dark mirror of Qui-Gon Jinn's search for enduring beyond the physical. If, by some chance, "The Acolyte" is the start of his re-introduction, let him have his own terrible tale to tell. "The Grim Adventures of Plagueis and Sheev," let's go. Why do the Jedi get to have all the fun?

Mara Jade

Let's start with a hard truth. Mara Jade doesn't need a lifelong and sometimes tragic romance with Luke Skywalker to be one of the coolest characters still stuck in "Legends." It would be great if she could still flirt her way into his new canon, maybe lurking around the fringes as Luke starts up his Jedi Academy. Yet, even without her marriage and later life as the deadliest maternal figure since Mother Talzin, Mara Jade is a wily, hyper-competent look at what it is like to be at the side of the Emperor and to be an assassin with what she believes is just cause.

Mara Jade is also linked to the rising danger of Grand Admiral Thrawn in the "Legends" era, and there's plenty of room for a capable antihero like her to cross, say, Ahsoka's path on the way to Ezra Bridger. After that, give her time to grow into a dark hero we can root for. Give her the miniseries or movie she deserves. She'd give a fresh perspective on the post-Imperial era — through familiar eyes. Meanwhile, creator and author Timothy Zahn could knock out another novel trilogy of her adventures throughout the dangerous corners of the galaxy.

Darth Revan

Not much of the Old Republic lore stayed canon. A handful of names have carried on, vague recollections of events exist, and the HK-47 droid line has snuck back into active production. Darth Revan, the protagonist of the original "Knights of the Old Republic," is one of those canon names. It's sneaky, but he's mentioned in the pages of "Shadows of the Sith," a novel that sheds much-needed light on some of the sequel trilogy's more confusing plot points.

An infamous lord of the Sith, Revan's story relies on the player's choices. Nevertheless, the game does have a "canon" ending. In it, Revan stands redeemed as a prodigal knight and later returns in the "Old Republic" MMO as a splintered figure who helps overthrow the Sith Emperor. To fans, he's still one of the biggest emblems of the Old Republic era, and he'd be a fantastic choice to help explore an era that sank into the shadows with the rise of a new canon. An updated adaptation of the original game is still planned, but there's a lot of Revan's story that could be explored in an Old Republic film or event.