Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is continuing to take the box office by storm and is rounding out the latest trilogy of Star Wars movies. Across these three sequel films, we’ve seen old favorites return and new characters brought into the mix.
What’s surprising is that some very iconic characters, as well as individuals that fans have loved to watch from the wider canon, did not appear in these films. We’re taking a look at 10 characters we’re surprised did not return in some capacity into this latest trilogy. Warning there are spoilers ahead.
QUI-GON JINN
Liam Neeson breathed life into this Jedi master during the prequel trilogy and he became a huge part of this universe very quickly. However, during his first appearance on screen, he was killed by Darth Maul, putting an end to his story.
Although we do hear the voice of Jinn in the latest Star Wars film, we always thought that he could return as a force ghost in some way. What may be preventing this is that force ghosts often return to those who knew the person when they were alive.
AHSOKA TANO
We’re not sure where Ahsoka is or what age she even would be during this period of the timeline, but we know she must be out in the galaxy somewhere. Her story has been one of the most interesting character arcs across any Star Wars media.
Over the animated series, books, and comics, Ahsoka has become one of the most inspirational and iconic force users and it would have been really interesting to see her return in a Yoda-like role, training Rey for her final mission in balancing the force.
OBI-WAN KENOBI
Much like Qui-Gon Jinn, we thought that Obi-Wan Kenobi could appear as a force ghost for this trilogy of films. Of course, there are actually people still alive who knew Ben Kenobi, so it would have made it more likely for him to turn up.
Although the role would have had to have been reprised by Ewan McGregor rather than Alec Guinness, we’re surprised there wasn’t a small appearance during the final moments of the Rise of Skywalker, if only to promote the upcoming Disney Plus series.
THRAWN
Thrawn was such a good villain that he was brought over from the Legends universe into this newly expanded canon that Disney has created. Through the animated series and a new trilogy of books, as well as comics, Thrawn has thrived in this updated galaxy.
Although the ending of Rebels made it unclear where he could appear next, if he wasn’t already dead, there was a large amount of speculation that Matt Smith could actually appear as the blue imperial. Sadly, we have still not seen the alien in live-action.
QI’RA
While Solo: A Star Wars Story wasn’t exactly well-received from fans and critics alike, it did introduce some fascinating characters. One was Qi’Ra, who we last saw dipping her toes further into the criminal underworld and working closely with Darth Maul.
Of course, Maul is now dead in this universe but we have no idea where Qi’Ra ended up. It seems rational to think that she could have played a small role in this new trilogy, to tie the films closer together; perhaps as a reformed informant from Kijimi.
ANAKIN SKYWALKER
The legacy of Anakin Skywalker and his alter ego, Darth Vader, permeates throughout this trilogy of films. Indeed, Kylo Ren appears to constantly want to live up to his grandfather, even fashioning a mask similar to that of Vader.
This is why it’s so surprising that Darth Vader, or at the very least Anakin Skywalker, never returned to the franchise in some way. We were sure that a force scene or flashback could have Ren confronted by Vader, showing him the truth of his redemption.
CAPTAIN REX
Captain Rex, one of the key Clones that defected to the light side and defended the Jedi, was last seen at the Battle for Endor. Many years have passed since then and at that stage, he appeared to be an old man; although we’re not sure of his actual age.
Clones have been known to age differently to the average human, so perhaps Rex could have had a much longer life than many others, but it would have been so interesting to see an old Rex give some emotional final words of wisdom from his days on the front line.
THE HUTTS
Jabba the Hutt was a key part of the finale of the original Star Wars trilogy. The Hutt Clan has reappeared throughout the canon and through various mediums. Having one of them included in these final films would have only been appropriate.
They are always the ultimate foil to any hero and are an easy set of characters to use if there need to be some added stakes or tactical conflict. A Hutt can confuse or complicate a situation very easily and it would have been great to see this at play again.
MACE WINDU
Mace Windu was another voice that we heard in Rey’s head during the final climactic battle with the Emperor. Windu was presumed dead, killed by Palpatine during their battle on Coruscant; although the films never presented us with a body.
There’s been speculation for years that Mace Windu never died, although he would be too old by now to appear in these films. However, there are always ways around this and we thought there could be a possibility of some kind of appearance from the Jedi with the purple lightsaber.
BOBA FETT
We know, it’s been said a million times, that Boba Fett probably isn’t dead after all. The jet pack using, blaster wielding bounty hunter hasn’t appeared in the film series since his run-in with a Sarlacc Pit on Tatooine.
That hasn’t stopped fans from creating any number of ways that he could have appeared in this new series. Although it was never likely, it wouldn’t have actually been surprising if Lucasfilm and Disney did manage to weave the most popular Mandalorian into this trilogy.
