10 Most Underrated Star Wars Character Moments, In Both The Movies & TV Shows

Summary

• Characters are at the heart of Star Wars, from Luke Skywalker to Captain Rex, showing humanity in galactic struggles.
• Grogu’s development in The Mandalorian season 3 is an example of the hopeful journeys these beloved characters take.
• Meaningful character transformations, like Kallus in Rebels, show the power of connection and redemption in the Star Wars universe.

While Star Wars may be best known for introducing things like lightsabers and the Force to the world, at the heart of the franchise lies meaningful characters that almost everyone can relate to. From the moment Luke Skywalker appeared onscreen in A New Hope, audiences were supposed to identify with him and his journey to becoming a Jedi. The franchise has grown over more than 40 years and is still finding ways to bring meaningful characters and character arcs to audiences’ screens.

The expansion of Star Wars to television has given creators the opportunity to develop characters in a way that hadn’t been possible previously. Shows like Star Wars: The Clone Wars allowed audiences to gain additional knowledge of beloved characters from the Star Wars prequel trilogy while remaining true to what came before it. Other shows like The Mandalorian allowed Star Wars to provide audiences with new and interesting character studies that helped enrich the galaxy far, far away. At its heart, Star Wars has always been about its characters, and here are ten of their most underrated moments.

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10
Captain Rex Cries For His Brothers

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 7, Episode 12 “Victory and Death”

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Clone Captain Rex was introduced in the 2008 Star Wars: The Clone Wars movie, and was General Anakin Skywalker’s right-hand man for most of the Clone Wars. Rex was a loyal and hard-working clone who earned every commendation he got. Not only was Rex loyal to the Republic, but he was fiercely loyal and protective of his friends, like Ahsoka Tano, as well as his brothers. Rex was one of the few regulation clones who resisted Order 66 due to the effects of the microchip implanted in all clones’ heads.

While Rex ultimately succumbed to the effects of the microchip, Ahsoka Tano was able to remove it. This meant that Rex’s brothers in the 332nd company turned on him, as his unwillingness to follow orders was traitorous. Before their final standoff, Ahsoka caught Rex crying over what he was about to do. Rex had already lost so many of his brothers in battle, and he felt that this loss would be all his fault. This moment shows Rex’s humanity and is likely why Rex’s arc in The Bad Batch is all about saving as many clones as possible.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Seasons

7

Cast

Matt Lanter
, james arnold taylor
, Ashley Eckstein
, Dee Bradley Baker
, Matthew Wood
, Tom Kane
, Catherine Taber
, Terrence Carson
, Corey Burton
, Nika Futterman
, Katee Sackhoff
, Sam Witwer

Streaming Service(s)

Disney+

9
Grogu Tries To Speak

The Mandalorian Season 3, Episode 3 “Chapter 19: The Convert”

For three seasons, Grogu has not been able to speak, only communicating with Din Djarin through looks and his actions. However, in The Mandalorian season 3, it seemed like Grogu had taken many steps forward in his development. Not only was he more attuned with the Force after his time training with Luke Skywalker, but he seemed like he was constantly on the cusp of speaking his first words.

In The Mandalorian season 3, episode 3, Din Djarin, Bo-Katan Kryze, and Grogu are all aboard Bo-Katan’s ship. After Din Djarin and Bo-Katan state the iconic line “This is the Way,” Grogu gurgles behind them, seemingly in the same pattern they had. It indicates he was trying to speak and mirror his adoptive father. It’s an adorable moment, and the look Din Djarin and Bo-Katan share after Grogu tries to speak is hilarious. It’s moments like these that make The Mandalorian iconic.

8
Anakin Says Goodbye To His Mother

Star Wars Episode I—The Phantom Menace

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Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader

Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace introduced a young Anakin Skywalker to audiences and showed the beginnings of the boy who would eventually grow up to be Darth Vader. Something audiences learned early on was that Anakin was very attached to his mother, Shmi. Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn tried to free both Anakin and Shmi from slavery, but was unable to. One of the most heartfelt moments in the entire film came when Anakin had to say goodbye to his mother before leaving with Qui-Gon Jinn.

Shmi died in Anakin’s arms, making his just another one of his many steps towards the dark side.

Shmi Skywalker would become a touchy subject for Anakin moving forward, as his attachment to her was initially one of the reasons why the Jedi Council did not want Anakin trained as a Jedi. Additionally, in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, Anakin is haunted by nightmares of his mother and eventually travels to Tatooine to find that while she had been freed from slavery, she was taken by Tuskens. Shmi died in Anakin’s arms, making his just another one of his many steps towards the dark side.

Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace

Release Date

May 19, 1999

Cast

Ewan McGregor
, Liam Neeson
, Natalie Portman
, Jake Lloyd
, Ahmed Best
, Ian McDiarmid
, Anthony Daniels
, Kenny Baker
, Pernilla August
, Frank Oz
, Ray Park
, Samuel L. Jackson

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7
Han Saves Lando From the Sarlacc Pit

Return of the Jedi

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The beginning of Return of the Jedi saw Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, and Lando Calrissian free Han Solo from carbonite. After being frozen in carbonite for a year, Han was temporarily blinded. When Jabba the Hutt decided to send Luke and Han to the Sarlacc pit, chaos ensued. This included Leia killing Jabba, Boba Fett accidentally getting launched into the Sarlacc, and Lando falling overboard. The scene is filled with many different moving parts and while the action is great, the chaos of Han Solo’s situation is hilarious.

Chewbacca eventually ends up holding Han’s feet as he dangles over the side of the ship trying to save Lando. When the Sarlacc gets a hold of Lando’s leg, a mostly blind Han tries to shoot it, all while Lando is yelling at him. The moment amidst the other action is comical but also shows how good of a team Han, Chewbacca, and Lando are. While Lando didn’t like that a mostly blind Han was shooting a blaster in his direction, he still trusted that his friend would save him.

6
Ezra Force Pushes Kallus To Maintain His Cover

Star Wars Rebels Season 3, Episode 10 “An Inside Man”

Ezra Bridger

Created By

Dave Filoni

Cast

Taylor Gray
, Eman Esfandi

Star Wars Rebels introduced a wide array of new characters that nicely fit into the mix of the Rebel Alliance. Characters like Kanan Jarrus and his Padawan, Ezra Bridger, gave a different look at the struggles of Jedi of the time of the Empire. One of the funnier moments from the animated series came in season 3 when Ezra and Kanan are aboard an Imperial ship and run into ISB Agent Alexsandr Kallus. Kallus reveals that he had been the Imperial spy Fulcrum, and he would help Ezra and Kanan.

Before the Jedi leave, Kallus mentions that he needs to make it look like a struggle had occurred. In response, Ezra hilariously Force pushes Kallus through a pane of glass. To add insult to injury, Kanan replies that he was going to do that, and Ezra points out that if Kallus really was a rebel, he’d get his chance to do so. After causing the Ghost crew headaches for the better part of two seasons, it was just a little bit of harmless revenge the pair could take on their former enemy.

Star Wars Rebels

Seasons

4

Cast

David Oyelowo
, Steve Blum
, Freddie Prinze Jr.
, Tiya Sircar
, Vanessa Marshall
, Jason Isaacs
, Taylor Gray

Streaming Service(s)

Disney+

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5
Huyang Tells Sabine It’s Time to Begin Again

Ahsoka Season 1, Episode 2 “Part Two: Toil and Trouble”

Sabine Wren

Created By

Dave Filoni

Cast

Natasha Liu Bordizzo
, Tiya Sircar

After Sabine Wren is stabbed with Shin Hati’s lightsaber in the first episode of Ahsoka, the ancient droid Huyang comments that Sabine had obviously not kept up with her lightsaber training. Huyang is fairly cold but gives Sabine a harsh reality check. It seemed obvious that both Ahsoka Tano and Sabine did not like the way they had left things after Ahsoka stopped training Sabine, but Huyang seemingly had no qualms pointing the obvious out to both of them.

This moment was a turning point for Sabine, as by the end of the episode she had cut her hair and rejoined Ahsoka Tano.

In a conversation with Sabine, Huyang tells her that she would’ve never been admitted to the Jedi Order before the fall of the Republic and that her Force abilities are of the worst he has ever seen. However, he also points out that it is perhaps time for her and Ahsoka to start again. This moment was a turning point for Sabine, as by the end of the episode she had cut her hair and rejoined Ahsoka Tano in the search for the missing Ezra Bridger and Grand Admiral Thrawn.

4
Cassian Andor and Other Rebels Join Jyn Erso To Go To Scarif

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

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Cassian Andor

Created By

John Knoll

Cast

Diego Luna

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was filled with powerful character moments, but one that often gets overlooked is what happens right after the Rebel Alliance decides not to have a mission to Scarif to retrieve the Death Star plans. Despite their denial, Jyn Erso seemed set on going, and moments later a group of other rebels appeared, led by Cassian Andor. This group was small, but mighty and would eventually use the call sign “Rogue One.”

It was a moment that proved that the statement ‘Rebellions are built on hope’ was true.

The moment is wonderful, as all of these characters would perish in the film’s final act, but audiences know that their sacrifice would lead to the destruction of the Death Star and the eventual end of the Empire. Jyn Erso seeing that other people believed her and believed in her enough to follow her to battle was a wonderful moment. It was a moment that proved that the statement “Rebellions are built on hope” was true.

3
Obi-Wan Tells Luke The Truth (From A Certain Point of View)

Return of the Jedi

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When Luke Skywalker returns to Dagobah in Return of the Jedi, he is met with the Force ghost of Obi-Wan Kenobi. After Darth Vader revealed that he was Luke’s father in The Empire Strikes Back, Luke needed confirmation that this was true. Luke confronts Obi-Wan and asks him why he lied and said that Darth Vader had killed his father. Obi-Wan’s iconic and controversial response was that he did tell the truth, but only from a certain point of view.

What makes this a great character moment is that it shows Obi-Wan still holding to the old ideals of the Jedi, who would tell half-truths and compartmentalize who knew what information. Additionally, the Star Wars prequel trilogy and The Clone Wars had shown how close Obi-Wan had been to Anakin. So, it’s not surprising that Obi-Wan thought it was better to think of his best friend as dead rather than as a Sith.

2
Cara Dune’s Blaster Jams During Battle

The Mandalorian Season 2, Episode 8 “Chapter 16: The Rescue”

The Mandalorian season 2 finale showed Din Djarin and his allies taking over Moff Gideon’s star destroyer. While in a battle with Fennec Shand, Koska Reeves, and Bo-Katan Kryze, Cara Dune’s blaster jams. In a moment of quick thinking, Cara decides to start hitting stormtroopers with her blaster instead of shooting at them. The moment is hilarious but also shows how good Cara Dune is at hand-to-hand combat.

The moment is continued as the four women get in an elevator together and Cara tries to un-jam her blaster. She hits it on the ground a few times, curses, and has Fennec Shand ask if she needs any help. The moment is made funnier when knowing that that moment was all adlibbed by the actors on set. While the moment is great, it’s now mostly overshadowed by Gina Carano’s firing from Star Wars and Carano’s current lawsuit against Disney over her firing.

1
Zeb Orrelios Inadvertently Recruits a New Rebel

Star Wars Rebels Season 2, Episode 17

One of the best episodes of Star Wars Rebels comes in season 2 when Zeb Orrelios is stranded on a moon of Geonosis with ISB Agent Kallus. The two at that point are enemies and each contemplates killing one another while stranded on the icy moon. However, as danger encroaches on their position, the two are forced to work together if they are to survive long enough for their respective allies to find them.

Their night on the icy moon unites the two in a way nothing else can.

Zeb aids Kallus with his broken leg, and the two share meaningful conversations, realizing the other isn’t as bad as originally thought. Kallus eventually even rescues Zeb before the ice monster on the planet can get him. Their night on the icy moon unites the two in a way nothing else can, and it inadvertently changes Kallus’ allegiances and makes him become a spy for the Rebellion. All of it is made better by Zeb having no idea about it until late in Rebels season 3.

At its heart, Star Wars has always been about its characters and their meaningful connections. While many iconic scenes are rightfully discussed, it’s often little moments that make these characters so beloved. While this list only highlights a few underrated moments, there are simply too many to count. With the Star Wars galaxy expanding with upcoming titles, there’s no doubt more meaningful character moments will be sure to happen in Star Wars.

All Star Wars movies and TV shows are available to stream on Disney+