Star Wars: 10 Best Characters In The Force Awakens

With The Force Awakens, a new era of Star Wars was born. The Disney acquisition of Star Wars had only happened three years before the movie’s release, and this was the first truly major part of the new canon. It got fans immensely excited. A huge part of the anticipation before the movie, as well as the success of it, was the new characters, many of whom impressed fans in their first outing.

Of course, the trilogy as a whole lacked planning, and some characters suffered from that. In The Force Awakens alone, though, many characters stand out regardless of where they ended up in the trilogy, even if that comes into play through hindsight.

10 Captain Phasma

Captain Phasma was a memorable character that was cheated out of being incredible by the sequel trilogy, impressing in The Force Awakens, but never getting the chance to fulfill her potential properly.

She displays ruthlessness and selfishness during The Force Awakens between massacring the Jakku village and taking down the shields on Starkiller Base. Couple that with her standout design, and there is a solid character who never really got the chance to shine bright enough here.

9 General Armitage Hux

General Armitage Hux had an inconsistent time throughout the trilogy tonally. In this film, he was solely single-minded, a one-dimensional Nazi-esque villain who left an impression on the audience.

Hux’s speech to the First Order building up to the Hosnian Cataclysm is an underrated moment of his. His rivalry with Kylo Ren as they vie for power is also very engaging. Hux is hardly the greatest character in the movie, but he is a solid part of it and a memorable figurehead within the First Order.

8 Maz Kanata

After The Force Awakens, Maz Kanata is done a serious disservice by the trilogy. She is such a fascinating being and may be a victim of J. J. Abrams mystery box, with fans leaving the trilogy with more questions than answers about the character.

Nevertheless, in the vacuum of the one movie, Maz is great. She has an attitude and wisdom that makes her incredibly enjoyable for her limited time on screen. There is then her role in Rey’s story and how she affects the heroes while they are on Takodana, making her significant to the plot as well as entertaining.

7 Leia Organa

Leia’s role in The Force Awakens is less prominent than in the other two sequel trilogy movies. But she still has a part to play, and as always, she is a great leader.

Leia has always been a fairly tragic character, having grown up fighting in the rebellion before losing her whole planet, family included. In this movie, the tragedy continues as she is thrust back into the war and has lost her son to the dark side. Her resilience is admirable, her heroics are amazing, and she is nothing short of a legend.

6 Han Solo & Chewbacca

Sticking with original trilogy heroes who returned in the sequels, one of the very best moments in the build-up to The Force Awakens was the moment fans first saw Han exclaim, “Chewie, we’re home.”

Han and Chewbacca were pivotal to The Force Awakens. Not only did they help kickstart the journeys of Rey and Finn, but they helped stop Starkiller Base from ending the Resistance. Han’s death is one of the most heartbreaking moments of the sequel trilogy while also showing Han’s importance once more as he makes a serious impact on his son’s arc.

5 BB-8

Replacing the prominence of R2-D2 and C-3PO (who is also great in his brief time in this movie) is no easy feat, but in BB-8, the sequel trilogy found a winner.

The spherical astromech droid stole every scene he was in. From his rolling to his beeps to his thumbs-up, the droid is totally adorable, and his friendship with Poe as well as his blossoming friendship with Rey are both great to watch unfold. Story-wise, BB-8’s biggest contributions are helping Rey and Finn as well as carrying the map to Luke, making him far more than just a ball of bolts.

4 Finn

Understandably, there are many who are disappointed that Finn never became a Jedi in the sequel trilogy, only revealing himself to be Force-sensitive. Despite that disappointment, though, Finn is great in The Force Awakens.

Seeing a stormtrooper overcome by his own conscience was amazing, and his relationship with Poe immediately sucked fans into the ride. Finn is a consistent badass; whether it be his wielding a lightsaber, going after Rey, or helping the Resistance, The Force Awakens kicks off his arc in an exceptional way.

3 Poe Dameron

Reminiscent of Han Solo with his charm, charisma, and fly-boy attitude, Poe Dameron is not only a top-notch pilot but an unforgettable character who impressed an overwhelming majority of fans with his debut.

Poe’s character dynamics are great, whether it be his bromance with Finn or his love for BB-8. On top of that, seeing him in action in an X-wing was perhaps better than any outing of a pilot in a singular starfighter since Luke blew up the Death Star. Poe’s arc became a bit up and down over the rest of the trilogy, but he was consistently great throughout The Force Awakens.

2 Kylo Ren

Kylo Ren is debatably the best character of the sequel trilogy, and a huge part of that is thanks to Adam Driver, who delivers three of the best performances in Star Wars history, starting here.

The torn nature of Kylo is fascinating to watch. He has such a short fuse and is so violent, clearly holding a lot of raw power. He is a compellingly interesting villain in the movie with many standout moments, not least of all the killing of his father, his introduction, and the final duel on Starkiller Base.

1 Rey Skywalker

Kylo’s visually stunning duel during the finale was, of course, fought with Rey (& Finn), who in The Force Awakens is a long way away from picking up the Skywalker moniker given to her by Luke and Leia.

With so much emotional range, a sense of relatability, and vulnerability, Daisy Ridley delivers in spades as Rey, a fierce, independent hero who has shades of Luke Skywalker in her. For all the criticisms of the sequel trilogy and each individual movie, both Kylo Ren and Rey are consistent in how great they are, even if some fans do not support narrative choices made for the characters.