Best Redemptive Villain Arcs In ‘Star Wars’

Star Wars

May 4

Star Wars is known for giving audiences some of the most interesting and dynamic characters of any franchise. This is especially true for the villains that we have been given over the last four decades. Regardless of how horrifying some of the villains are, many of them have incredible redemptive arcs that only Star Wars could manage to pull off. Darth Vader AKA Anakin Skywalker is one of the best examples of this. Let’s take a look at five Star Wars villains that have had truly amazing redemptive arcs. Warning: contains spoilers for Star Wars: Rebels, Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order, The Book of Boba Fett, and the sequel trilogy!

5. Kylo Ren/Ben Solo (Sequel Trilogy)

Love him or hate him, Kylo Ren was a formidable villain, and his redemptive arc was heartwrenching. Our first real introduction to the depths of his villainy was when we watched him murder his father at the end of The Force Awakens. In a full circle moment, it is his father’s spirit that helps him to see how wrong he was and finally turns him back from the dark side. He then goes on to battle his demons in the form of his Knights and the mentor he once believed to be his grandfather (Darth Vader) and Snoke.

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4. Hondo Ohnaka (Star Wars Rebels)

Hondo is one of the funniest characters to come out of any of the animated series. When we are first introduced to him in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, he is a pirate only interested in taking care of himself and the crew that sometimes follows his orders. He kidnaps Dooku, Obi-Wan, and Anakin, proving that he pledges allegiance to no one. We don’t see his redemptive arc until the end of Star Wars: Rebels when he finally gives up on greed to aid Ezra Bridger and the rebellion.

3. Boba Fett (The Book of Boba Fett)

Boba is another character that regardless of how you feel about them their redemptive arc is undeniable. He started out as a bounty hunter happily working for the Empire and wanting revenge on the Jedi, to being the leader of Mos Espa and fighting to protect his people from the Hutts and pirates. His time with the Tusken Raiders was a great way to show his character growth and how his redemptive arc truly began to take shape. He also rescued Fennec Shand after she was shot and left for dead and came to Din Djarin’s aid when he was attempting to protect Grogu in season two of The Mandalorian. His character went through the most intricate redemptive arc with its finale in The Book of Boba Fett.

2. Agent Kallus (Star Wars Rebels)

I love Agent Kallus and his redemptive arc! When we first meet him, Kallus is a truly terrible person that not only supports the Empire and its actions fully, but he also flaunts the slaughtering of Zeb’s people to his face. After he and Zeb are trapped on a frozen moon together, Kallus is forced to reevaluate the Empire, its actions, and his own. Soon after, he becomes the Rebellion’s new Fulcrum and begins to feed them information from within the Empire. He risks his life to help make amends for the atrocities that he carried out, and he becomes an invaluable resource for the Rebellion.

1. Cere Junda (Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order)

Cere has one of the saddest stories in the Star Wars franchise and the Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order game. After she was captured and tortured by the Empire after Order 66, she gave up the location of her padawan, Trilla. If that wasn’t bad enough, the next time Cere sees Trilla she learns that her padawan has given into the dark side and is now an Inquisitor. Cere flies into a rage and taps into the dark side which leads to her killing everyone in the room except for Trilla. Cere then turns away from the force altogether for fear that she will fall into the dark side again. To make amends she not only rescues Cal Kestis from the inquisitors, but she helps on his journey to track down the list of force-sensitive children that Vader and the inquisitors are after.

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