Star Wars: The Last Jedi is just around the corner, my young Padawans. So, before we all trample each other to get to the theaters for Episode VIII, This Chick is counting down the Top 15 Star Wars Characters. Stay tuned this week for a full (spoiler free) review of The Last Jedi as well!

15.  Padme Amidala

Starting off a best of list for Star Wars with a prequel-only character might be a tad divisive. But really, they’re not all bad. Padme’s not your average privileged royal tart. Elected Queen at 14, she later went on to serve her planet in the Galactic Senate, and was on the front lines for the first battle of the Clone Wars.

14. Wicket

Wicket is more of a personal preference than anything else. He’s an adorable living teddy bear who you just need to squeeze! But don’t get too close, because this little guy will kick your ass and eat it for dinner. Don’t underestimate him or his tribe, because when the intergalactic civil war comes to their doorstep on Endor, these little guys gear up and bring the noise.

13.  Finn/ FN-2187

The franchise’s latest devilish rogue, Finn bursts onto the scene as the series’ first unmasked Stormtrooper (of the films anyway). He soon casts aside his Imperial shackles and joins the Resistance, flying with Poe Dameron, fighting with Han Solo, and putting up a decent lightsaber duel with the deadly Kylo Ren. Not too shabby for a rank and file trooper.

12. Poe Dameron

Poe might just be the best pilot the Resistance has. Probably why he gets tasked with the most crucial mission of all. Recovering the intel necessary to find Luke Skywalker! Captured, escapes. Crashed, survives. And he’s right back in the sky blasting Tie Fighters with his buddies. Luke blew up a “small moon.” Poe destroyed a planet-sized gun!

11. Darth Maul

Mysterious, intriguing, the only Sith with a double-bladed lightsaber, and bisected far too soon, Darth Maul was an instant classic and probably the best part of Phantom Menace. He had the look, the voice, the skills, and the paint job to be a terrifying villain for the prequel trilogy, but alas, Obi Wan ruins everything.

10. Chewbacca

Everyone’s favourite walking carpet makes the list at number 10. Chewie is not a character to mess with. He’s strong, steadfast; loyal to his friends, the mission, and his own damn will. Try to cuff him, sass him or hurt his friends, and you’re in for a beatin’. Just as a lovely reminder, he is known to rip people’s arms out of their sockets when he loses.

9.  Rey

One of the newest additions to the Star Wars fam, Rey dominates on screen and demands our full attention. With both grace and terrifying strength and speed Ray kicks empiral ass and shows no mercy. As one of the most talented (untrained) Jedi’s with raw power unmatched in the Star War series thus far, all eyes are on this character.

8. Yoda

Never assume Yoda to be a innosent old puppet when venturing into The Dagobah System. That was Luke’s mistake. Yoda is not a Jedi Master to question. He takes on foes of all sizes and makes it look easy despite the height difference. When 900 years old you reach, look as good you will not.

7. Ben Solo/ Kylo Ren

The newest dark lord of the Star Wars saga, Kylo Ren is not a “Sith” like Vader or Palpatine, but the master of the Knights of Ren, a group of radicalized dark force users. He’s young, reckless, and full of unfocused rage and conflict. This unchained emotion, coupled with his raw power makes him much more unpredictable and dangerous than other enemies previously faced.

6. Obi Wan (Ben) Kenobi

Obi Wan probably has to take MVP for the whole series if we’re being honest. He kills the first Sith the Republic has seen in a thousand years, raises the “chosen one” to be a powerful Jedi Master, and also nearly single-handedly ends him when he becomes a threat to the Republic and the Jedi. Then, sacrificing the rest of his life to protect a young boy from the Empire. And when the time is right, he guides him to the Force, and sets into motion events that will end the evil regime.

5. Princess Leia Organa

Inheriting her mother’s bad ass qualities with none of the whiny side affects, Leia turns the very concept of the “damsel of distress” on its head. With her natural ability to command and lead she is the very embodiment of a warrior princess.  Never piss off this lady when a gun is readily available.

4. Luke Skywalker

The hero we all know and love. From the handsome young moisture farmer from Tattooine who destroys the Death Star, to the Jedi Knight who wins the war for the Rebellion, Luke’s legend is timeless. The force is strong in his family, and like his father, he masters the ways of it in no time, becoming the ultimate hero for Light, and giving kids the galaxy over a beacon of hope against the Dark Side.

3. Emperor Sheev Papatine/ Darth Sidious

The Emperor is the ultimate puppet master. The unseen force pulling the strings on all sides of every conflict. He starts the Separatist movement to consolidate his power within the Republic, before molding it into his own galactic empire. And may we remind you, he is also the man responsible for both the creation and demise of Darth Vader.

2. Han Solo

Good old Han Solo, he is the every man to every man. He is crass yet kind, manly yet vulnerable, and entertaining enough to hold our attention through countless generations of movie goers, yet never the lead. He smuggles goods, fights the power, flies the galaxy with his co-pilot Chewbacca, and gets the girl. What’s not to love? Just never tell him the odds, and don’t loan him money.

1. Anakin Skywalker/ Darth Vader

This can’t be surprising. Star Wars and Darth Vader have become entirely synonymous over the last 40 years. The Dark Lord of the Sith, the Commander of the Galactic Empire, and father to Luke and Leia, his legacy IS the Star Wars legacy. See his mask, that’s Darth Vader from Star Wars. Hear him breathing, that’s Darth Vader from Star Wars. What character can be identified solely by breath? The goddamn Vader, that’s who! Disagree? Well, This Chick finds your lack of faith disturbing. . .