From ex-jedi to droids–yes, droids–bounty hunters are one of the most awesome parts of Star Wars. The Clone Wars did a good job of bringing them to center-stage, and Rebels brought back many favourites.
10: Zam Wessel: Darth Sidious ordered Count Dooku to assassinate Padme. Dooku hired Jango Fett, Jango in hired Zam Wessel, Zam made a droid do the job. The droid dumped two toxic worms in the window to kill Padme. Obviously that failed, but Zam is still a pretty cool bounty hunter–and a shapeshifter.
9: Aurra Sing: Aurra Sing was supposed to be a Jedi padawan, but her training wasn’t going well. Apparently, she had an argument with her master and decided she had had enough of Jedi. She defected from the Order, and became a bounty hunter. She was a natural-born leader, succeeding in commanding the team of bounty hunters after Sugi, and worked for young Boba Fett in his quest for revenge on the Jedi.
8: Asajj Ventress: Ventress was a dark side acolyte, but the Rule of Two prevented her from becoming a true Sith. After a skirmish with a former ally Savage Oppress, she defected from the Seperatists to become a bounty hunter. Using her twin bent-hilted lightsabers and force powers, she became one of the most successful bounty hunters of the late Clone Wars.
7: Bossk: If there is one thing we can’t forgive a villain for, it’s hunting wookiees, and that’s exactly what Bossk does in his spare time. The reptilian has been seen in the Clone Wars hunting wookiees and working for Boba, in The Empire Strikes Back hunting Han Solo for Vader, and even in Rebels! “Given the size of your mortar gun, and the way you don’t mince words, it’s my impression that you’re a professional bounty hunter.”―Ezra Bridger.
6: Dengar: Dengar was a bounty hunter who used sheer firepower to eliminate his enemies. He thought very highly of himself, which was only partially justified by his nearly unbroken track record. He used a combination of mini-grenades, his blaster rifle, and deadly skill to take down almost any foe. In Twin Engines of Destruction, Dengar and Boba Fett worked together to track down a fake who stole Boba’s identity.
5: IG-88: though not the only one, IG-88 is one of the very few droids who “escaped their programming” and became bounty hunters. He is no doubt one of the greatest bounty hunters ever; his chief rival for capturing Solo was Boba Fett. He is a modified IG-86 sentinel droid made from–uhh, recycled Mos Eisley Cantina parts left over from filming. Really, google it. Nonetheless, he’s pretty dang awesome.
4: Embo: There’s nothing bland about Embo: a bowcaster, a pet anooba called Marrok, an undecodable language, and downright colorful appearance. Not to mention the hat that doubles as a shield and triples as a snowboard. Though a quiet individual, he is completely ruthless when it comes to capturing his bounty. During the Clone Wars, his skills were second only to Cad Bane. <<You’re outmanned, laserblade.>>
3: Jango Fett: Having several million clones is not the only thing that makes Jango awesome. Extreme bounty hunting is really his thing; he knows that his clones will be for the Republic and that it was a Separatist who hired him, so he was willing to start a galaxy-wide war, as long as he gets payed. Besides, a guy who fights his own clones in his spare time has to be in the top three.
2: Cad Bane: Bane is one of the most notorious bounty hunters ever, going to massive lengths to achieve his goal. Breaking out of a Republic prison, kidnapping force-sensitive children pretending to be a jedi, infiltrating the Jedi Temple to steal a holocron, and holding the entire Senate as hostages are just a few highlights from his eventful career. Plus, he also has a genuinely evil droid, Todo 360. “I’ll take on any job…for the right price.” – Cad Bane.
1: Boba Fett: clone, bounty hunter, son of a mercenary, and Mandalorian. Boba was raised as a bounty hunter by a bounty hunter to become a bounty hunter. Capturing Han Solo and bringing him to Bespin was only one out of many jobs he completed. While he was young, he and a gang of other bounty hunters tracked down and nearly killed Mace Windu, the Jedi who killed his father. In Twin Engines of Desruction, he and Dengar tracked down and killed a fake pretending to be Boba. In addition, he’s the only person in the galaxy who dares to question Darth Vader.
Dengar: “So, did Cass Yllek get boogled out by your sarlacc scars? Those things’l probably never go away. No wonder you never show your face.”
Boba: “This is my face.”
Bonus: 4-LOM was originally a protocol droid, but somehow “escaped his programming” to become a bounty hunter. He modified himself to work like an insect. He also busts the myth that IG-88 is the only droid bounty hunter.
Not mentioned, but still pretty cool: Seripas (little dude in the big bad suit), Greedo (did not shoot first), 4-LOM (protocol droid gone bad), Onyo Wren (Sabine’s sister).
Mandalorian warriors, soldiers of the Republic: these are the best clone troopers from the Clone Wars, ranked. Sorry, no Republic Commandos!
7: Thorn: A shocktrooper commander who fought and died on the planet Scipio, Thorn is a force to reckoned with. When the Seperatists launched an invasion, Thorn’s battalion fought to the last man. Thorn was the last one standing, using his blaster carbine at close-quarters like a club, but was surrounded and gunned down by a squad of B2s. “For the Republic!”- his last words.
6: Gregor: Gregor was a clone commando who crashed on a remote planet called Abafar not long after the Battle of Geonosis, and suffered from amnesia. He remained there, unaware that he was a clone, until a Republic ship crashed on the planet. He sacrificed himself for the safety of the envoy. We assumed he died there…until he showed up in Star Wars Rebels!
5: Ninety-Nine: CT-99 is more than just a defect. He supplied the 501st Legion with weapons at the Battle of Kamino, where he lost his life. Ninety-Nine proves that you don’t have to be perfect to be a hero. Echo even gave him a clone army graduation medal. “He really was one of us”- Rex.
4: Fives: CT-5555 “Fives” was best known for uncovering the problem of a fellow trooper’s (Tup’s) malfunctioning biochip that caused Tup to execute a jedi long before Order 66. Besides that, Fives also fought on Umbara next to Rex and the 501sts and helped in the execution of Pong Krell, a jedi turned to the dark side. He and Echo were promoted to ARC after the battle of Kamino, another battle where Fives was a major player.
3: Wolffe: the commander of Wolfpack, a famous division of the 104th battalion, Commander Wolffe served under Jedi General Plo Koon. From Kavado to the Malevolence, Wolffe has seen it all. He lost his right eye to Asajj Ventress’s lightsaber on Kholm. (He later installed a cybernetic implant.) Personally, every time he takes off his helmet, I’m surprised at how young he is.
2: Cody: A seasoned veteran affiliated with the 7th Sky Corps and the 212th Attack Battalion, Clone Commander Cody is Obi-Wan Kenobi’s most trusted ally. Even after having served under him for years, (“Come on, general, have I ever let you down?”), Cody mercilessly executes Order 66, attempting to kill Obi-Wan with an AT-TE walker’s laser cannon.
1: Rex: When someone says “clone trooper,” Rex is probably the first to come to mind. Serving under both Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano, he commanded the feared 501st Legion, and led the attack on the Jedi Temple next to Darth Vader. Rex fought in the battles of Bothawui, Felucia, Saleucami, Umbara and Kamino, just to name a few, and showed up in Star Wars Rebels.
Han Solo could be her father, but Han and Leia would not care so much about Ben/Kylo that they would forget about their other child; Rey was abandoned on a desert planet after all. If it turns out they are her parents, there’s got to be a good explanation (maybe Luke told them to send her off to a desert planet, but I don’t see why he would want that).
Proton torpedoes: the Slave 1 has two torpedo launchers on the very tip of the nose (a concealed turret). Proton torpedoes are heavier firepower than standard laser cannons.
Despite holding the symbolism to the first movie in each previous trilogy, TFA also brings in entirely new elements to the plot. Poe Dameron is one of those elements. Leader of Black Squadron, he entrusted BB-8 with the last piece of the map to Luke Skywalker.
BB-8 completes the droid due to a trio, immediately accepted by the other two. Despite playing a central role in TFA, (holding the remaining piece of the map to Luke Skywalker, who has mysteriously vanished), what BB-8 does best is simply being cute.
Maz Kanata resembles Yoda in more than just looks. She is not a Force user, but she is wise in its ways.
Phasma, captain of the First Order’s troops, is not nearly as awesome as she could have been. Some posters, including the one on my door, (not the one pictured above) lead to speculation that there may be a romance between the her and Kylo Ren, which would be interesting as we haven’t seen one between villains in the Star Wars galaxy. This turned out to be a false alarm. In the end, she was thrown into a trash compactor by Han, before the planet imploded, and although she may have gotten away, her chances aren’t too good.
Whenever a new villain is introduced, we need a demonstration of how evil they are. Vader killed Obi-Wan. Maul killed Qui-Gon Jinn. But both of those characters had only been known for one movie (at the time; Obi Wan was made legend by the prequels, but we saw him die before they were released). Han Solo had been known and loved throughout the original trilogy, becoming everyone’s favourite smuggler-turned-hero. There has been an awakening in the light and the dark. And the dark has awakened in Kylo Ren. Chewie’s shot of fury hit him square in the chest, and he hardly took a step back; this guy is not kidding. Kylo Ren is not a Sith, but he is a threat to the Republic.
Shadow Squadron 