Star Wars: 10 Best Characters In Return Of The Jedi

The epic finale of the original Star Wars trilogy has never been held in as high a regard as the two movies that came before it, generally speaking. Nevertheless, Return of the Jedi is a feel-good, brilliant end to the trilogy. Such a crucial part of the film’s quality is the characters within it, with the movie bringing about some of the best character moments in Star Wars.

Some characters had their only real outing in this movie and impressed, whereas others continued and finished their trilogy long arcs in spectacular fashion. While not every individual had their best time in Return of the Jedi, all the usual suspects got their chance to shine.

10 Lando Calrissian

After debuting in The Empire Strikes Back and immediately making an impact with his suave and charisma, Lando Calrissian returned to be a more heroic part of the story, a General in the Rebel Alliance.

Lando is prominent throughout the whole movie, having a role in rescuing Han and eventually having a great conversation with his old friend before the rebel briefing. Of course, Lando’s highlight in Return Of The Jedi is piloting the Millennium Falcon and spearheading the assault on the Death Star, destroying it. Lando’s charisma shined, but audiences also got to see his piloting skills in action and got to enjoy him being simply a hero.

9 R2-D2/C-3PO

C-3PO and R2-D2 may never have a role in a Star Wars film as good as theirs in A New Hope, but separately they played roles in Return of the Jedi and were immensely enjoyable.

Seeing them open the movie walking in Tatooine again was great, and the pair shined in Jabba’s Palace. Threepio with his worry, Artoo with his sass, and eventually Artoo in his role of helping the heroes. Their role was far from over, of course, as the Ewoks worshiped Threepio, and the pair did all they could to help the ground assault on Endor.

8 Jabba The Hutt

Jabba Desilijic Tiure, better known as simply Jabba the Hutt, is one of the most instantly recognizable characters to come out of the Star Wars franchise and a villain who played a key role in Han Solo’s story in the original trilogy.

With such a disgusting, fantastic design, Jabba and the various aliens who inhabit his Palace at the time of the rescue of Han Solo are a great part of Return of the Jedi. The likes of Max Rebo, Bib Fortuna, Salacious B. Crumb, and others are all so beloved and stuck in fan’s minds. Jabba is the centerpiece, though, and his presence helped make Return of the Jedi’s opening so entertaining.

7 Admiral Gial Ackbar

There are a good few memorable characters whose only movie is the trilogy’s finale, including Admiral Gial Ackbar, who led the rebels during the space portion of the Battle of Endor.

Ackbar is not on-screen for too long, but the ever-amazing design of the Mon Calamari, as well as one of Star Wars’ most iconic quotes, “It’s a trap.” has helped cement his place in Star Wars folklore.

6 The Ewoks

Undoubtedly the most divisive characters of Return Of The Jedi are the Ewoks. Nowadays, though multiple generations have grown up with the Skywalker saga as children, they are more popular than ever.

The Ewoks, such as Teebo, Wicket, Nanta, Chief Chripa, Logray, and others, are not only extremely adorable creatures but play a crucial role in the Battle of Endor. There are critics of the cutesy nature of the Ewoks and how they should not have been able to help out against the Empire so easily. But for those who do not care about that, the Ewoks are a great addition to the movie.

5 Han Solo

After Han Solo is rescued from Jabba’s Palace, he is a full-blown rebel for Return of the Jedi, with all the doubt from the previous two movies removed, with all of his charm and scoundrel personality still intact.

Han Solo is always fantastic, although, in Return of the Jedi, he does not give his best outing of the trilogy, which is more of a testament to how great he is in the first two films. Being Han Solo means he has some incredibly memorable moments throughout, from his being rescued to his role in saving the Galaxy and destroying the shield generator on Endor.

4 The Emperor

The Emperor, as he was known in the original trilogy, is such a phenomenal layer to the trilogy added by Lucas, a master to the character fans originally believed to be the big bad in 1977 and one who is a brilliant character in Return of the Jedi.

Every line out of Ian McDiarmid’s mouth is gold, and the sheer singular evil that radiates off him in every scene, combined with his excellent theme, makes him a joy to watch. While some believe the events of the sequel trilogy hurt his appearance in Return of the Jedi, his role in Anakin’s story, in Luke’s story, in the epic end of this movie remains unchanged and unbelievably good.

3 Leia Organa

General Leia Organa is another character who is always a joy to watch, and in Return of the Jedi, Carrie Fisher arguably gives her best performance of the trilogy as the iconic former Princess of Alderaan.

Leia’s outing in this film is packed with iconic moments and looks, from her disguise as Boussh to killing Jabba the Hutt to her connection with the Ewok’s and help with destroying the Death Star. It is a joy to watch Leia have a happy ending after having such a tragic time over the years; she got Han, she found out she had a brother, and the Empire was on the brink of being eradicated.

2 Darth Vader

After the shocking reveal at the end of The Empire Strikes Back, Darth Vader became a character with a whole new level of depth in Return of the Jedi, even ignoring all the future storytelling fans would get regarding Anakin Skywalker.

Clearly torn between his son and the dark side of the Force, Vader is exceptional in every scene. While he is still an intimidating presence, especially in his duel with Luke, his vulnerability and torn nature in scenes like talking to Luke on Endor and his heartbreaking unmasking make him terrific in this movie.

1 Luke Skywalker

As great as the likes of the Emperor, Leia, and Darth Vader are in Return of the Jedi, the movie belongs to Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight, and the hero of the Galaxy, whose outing in this movie made so many fans aspire to be like him.

Now donning all black (with the great detail of it being white on the inside) with a green lightsaber, Luke Skywalker is a fully-fledged Jedi. He is immense from start to finish in the movie, rescuing Han, being there with Yoda (who deserves a special mention), and helping out on Endor. Of course, Luke’s highlight is the highlight of the movie as he refuses to kill his father and deems himself a Jedi, inciting the return of Anakin and helping save the Galaxy from the Emperor and the Empire.