Star Wars: The Biggest Death From Every Movie

George Lucas could never have imagined just how big Star Wars would become when he released the first movie in the series back in 1977. But, a whole 43 years later, there have been 11 movies set in a galaxy far, far away in total.

One of the biggest things to happen in every movie is a character dying, whether they’re fighting for the light side of the dark. We now take a look at all of the blockbusters in the franchise and pick the biggest death from every one. We’ll be going in chronological order so The Phantom Menace is first up…

11 The Phantom Menace: Qui-Gon Jinn

The Phantom Menace saw Liam Neeson sign on to play the mysterious Qui-Gon Jinn and, though the movie isn’t one of the most-popular in the series, the character was well-received. He’s a wise mentor to Obi-Wan Kenobi and takes Anakin Skywalker away from Tatooine to begin his training as a Jedi Knight.

Qui-Gon is unfortunately killed by Darth Maul during a fierce battle on Naboo. That death means that he’s unable to teach Anakin himself, leaving it to Kenobi instead, And we all know how that plays out…

10 Attack Of The Clones: Jango Fett

Fans were thrilled when Jango Fett appeared for the first time in 2002’s Attack of the Clones. He was a Bounty Hunter with cool looks and, unlike son Boba Fett later (chronologically) down the line, has some truly formidable skills to go to boot.

Jango is slick and skilled, nearly killing Obi-Wan Kenobi during an exciting battle on Kamino. He is eventually beheaded by Mace Windu on the planet of Geonosis in an act that sets son Boba on the path to following in his footsteps, shedding new light on the character in the process.

9 Revenge Of The Sith: Mace Windu

We’d had two movies of solid character development when it comes to the Jedi Knight – making it all that bit more emotional when he’s killed off. Palpatine does this with a little help from Anakin Skywalker, electrocuting Samuel L. Jackson’s character before throwing him out of his office window.

8 Solo: Val

Solo is a tamer Star Wars movie and one of the more unsuccessful ones, especially when it comes to the Box Office. But that didn’t stop us all being shocked when Thandie Newton’s character Val perished relatively early on in its runtime.

With Newton being an A-lister, everybody expected her to be a major character. But this wasn’t the case. She dies a heroic and noble death, sacrificing herself so that the likes of Han, Chewbacca and Tobias Beckett can escape Enfys Nest. Really, this one was surprising.

7 Rogue One: Jyn Erso And Cassian Andor

Rogue One is another movie where the death toll is huge – because just about nearly every character, from Forest Whitaker’s Saw Gerrera to Ben Mandelson’s Orson Krennic, bite the dust. Yet we’ve decided to go with Jyn Erso and Cassian Andor instead.

They both die together, right at the very end, after successfully transmitting the Death Star plans to the Rebel Alliance. This means they’re successful in their mission of aiming to thwart the Empire and their hard work pays off, with the Rebels managing to destroy the evil space station in the following movie. Speaking of which…

6 A New Hope: Obi-Wan Kenobi

Obi-Wan Kenobi, known as Ben Kenobi at this point, spends the years after Revenge of the Sith lying low and keeping a watch on Luke Skywalker. And, when he meets Luke, the pair decide to take the fight to the Empire head-on by saving Princess Leia Organa from their clutches.

Kenobi is instantly popular, with Alec Guinness’ acting stellar. That’s why his death at the hands of Darth Vader is truly emotional and it’s surprsing, too. especially given how he allows himself to be killed. That’s not the last we see of him, though, with Guinness reprising his role in both The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.

5 The Empire Strikes Back: Admiral Kendal Ozzel

We won’t waste much time on this one. Though The Empire Strikes Back is seen as one of the best Star Wars instalments, it’s death count is rather low.

It was between a Wampa or Admiral Kendal Ozzel, so we’ve gone with the latter. He’s force-choked to death by Darth Vader after failing to capture the Rebels on Hoth, paving the way for Firmus Piett to take his place. Piett is a good ally to Vader and the Emperor before the Empire’s fall at the Battle of Endor.

4 Return Of The Jedi: Darth Vader

George Lucas once said the Star Wars saga was all about Anakin Skywalker. And the last we see of the Jedi Knight who becomes Darth Vader is in Return of the Jedi, where he resorts back to his old, good self.

Vader turns on Emperor Palpatine in order to save son Luke Skywalker from certain death, throwing his master of over 30 years down the second Death Star. For years it was regarded as a noble sacrifice. But the fact that Palpatine returns from this one last time somewhat lessens the impact of such a iconic scene.

3 The Force Awakens: Han Solo

Fans were thrilled when it was announced that, 10 years after the last Star Wars movie, The Force Awakens would be releasing in 2015. Many left the movie theatre feeling devastated, however, after Kylo Ren murdered hero of the original trilogy Han Solo in cold blood on Starkiller Base.

Audiences are tricked into believing Ben Solo is showing remorse for turning to the dark side but he instead impales his father and allows Han’s corpse to fall down a bottomless pit. Out of all the deaths in the saga, it’s potentially the most-devastating.

2 The Last Jedi: Luke Skywalker

The Last Jedi reintroduced Luke Skywalker, who fans had last seen in Return of the Jedi. For the most part he’s a disappointment, a cranky old hermit who has no interest in saving the galaxy from a horrible fate.

But Luke has a change of heart and takes the fight to the First Order right at the very end of the blockbuster, saving the Resistance and perishing along the way. We’d hoped he would be around for the final movie of the sequel trilogy but Luke’s noble sacrifice shows he’s still the same heroic individual he was many years ago.

1 The Rise of Skywalker: Ben Solo

Ben Solo is the most-exciting character in the sequel trilogy. And, after two movies of being torn between the light side and the dark side, Ben Solo decides to shed the villainous identity of Kylo Ren following the death of Leia Organa.

Ben survives the battle with Palpatine but gives his life in order to save Rey, who passes away as a result of the fight. It’s another example of an individual making a big sacrifice and this one ensures that Daisy Ridley’s character survive and live to carry on the Skywalker legacy.