This incomplete list contains only the major characters and their storylines featured in the three films of the Star Wars original trilogy.

Background

The original Star Wars trilogy, formerly marketed as the Star Wars Trilogy (and colloquially referred to as the 'original trilogy'), is the first set of three films produced in the Star Wars franchise, an American space opera created by George Lucas. It was produced by Lucasfilm and distributed by 20th Century Fox, and consists of Star Wars (1977),^[a] The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983). Beginning in medias res, the original trilogy serves as the second act of the nine-episode Skywalker saga. It was followed by a prequel trilogy between 1999 and 2005, and a sequel trilogy between 2015 and 2019. Collectively, they are referred to as the "Skywalker Saga" to distinguish them from spin-off films set within the same universe.^[1]

The original Star Wars film received widespread acclaim from critics for its storytelling, characters, John Williams' musical score and its groundbreaking visual and sound effects.

Thousands of actors were assessed in the search for the trilogy's main cast.^[2] The selected actors are considered by many viewers to have onscreen chemistry even though some of them were inexperienced, with the notable exceptions of Alec Guinness and Peter Cushing.^[3][4] Some, like Ford, have called the dialogue in the scripts clunky, and several lines were unscripted; some of these are considered the most memorable moments in the films.^[b]

Cast

Main characters

Luke Skywalker

Luke Skywalker is a young adult raised by his aunt and uncle on Tatooine, who dreams of something more than his current life and learns about the Force and the Jedi. Eventually, he becomes a pilot in the Rebel Alliance and an apprentice Jedi. After training with Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda, he is one of the last living Jedi Knights.

The character was portrayed by Mark Hamill in all three films.

Lucas favored casting young actors who lacked long experience. To play Luke (then known as Luke Starkiller), Lucas sought actors who could project intelligence and integrity. While reading the script, Hamill found the dialogue to be extremely odd because of its universe-embedded concepts. He chose to simply read it sincerely, and he was cast instead of William Katt, who was subsequently cast in Brian De Palma's Carrie (Lucas shared a joint casting session with De Palma, a longtime friend).^[6][7] Robby Benson, Will Seltzer, Charles Martin Smith and Kurt Russell also auditioned for the role.^{[8][9][10][11][12]}

Han Solo

Hans Solo is a cynical smuggler and captain of the Millennium Falcon. He becomes a general in the rebellion, and Leia's love interest.

The character was portrayed by Harrison Ford in all three films.

Lucas initially rejected casting Ford for the role, as he "wanted new faces"; Ford had previously worked with Lucas on American Graffiti. Instead, Lucas asked Ford to assist in the auditions by reading lines with the other actors and explaining the concepts and history behind the scenes that they were reading. Lucas was eventually won over by Ford's portrayal and cast him instead of Kurt Russell, Nick Nolte,^[13] Sylvester Stallone,^[14] Bill Murray,^[15][16] Christopher Walken, Burt Reynolds, Jack Nicholson, James Caan,^[17] Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, or Perry King (who later played Han Solo in the radio plays).^[18][19]

Leia Organa

Leia Organa is the princess of the planet Alderaan who is a member of the Imperial Senate and, secretly, one of the leaders of the Rebel Alliance.

The character was portrayed by Carrie Fisher in all three films.

Many young Hollywood actresses auditioned for the role of Princess Leia, including Amy Irving,^[20] Terri Nunn, Cindy Williams,^[21] Linda Purl,^[22] Karen Allen,^[20] and Jodie Foster.^[23][24][25] Koo Stark was considered but ended up getting the role of Camie Marstrap, Luke Skywalker's friend, a character that didn't make the final cut of the film.^[26][27][c] Fisher was cast under the condition that she lose 10 pounds (4.5 kg) for the role.^[29]

Grand Moff Tarkin

Grand Moff Tarkin is the Imperial commander of the Death Star.

The character was portrayed by Peter Cushing in A New Hope.

Lucas originally offered the role to Christopher Lee but he declined.^[30] Lucas originally had Cushing in mind for the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi, but Lucas believed that "his lean features" would be better employed in the role of Tarkin instead. Lucas commended Cushing's performance, saying "[He] is a very good actor. Adored and idolized by young people and by people who go to see a certain kind of movie. I feel he will be fondly remembered for the next 350 years at least." Cushing, commenting on his role, joked: "I've often wondered what a 'Grand Moff' was. It sounds like something that flew out of a cupboard."^[31]

Obi-Wan Kenobi

Obi-Wan Kenobi, also known as Ben Kenobi or Old Ben, is an aging Jedi Master and veteran of the Clone Wars who introduces Luke to the Force.

The character was portrayed by Alec Guinness in all three films.

Lucas's decision to cast "unknowns" was not taken favorably by his friend Francis Ford Coppola and the studio, so Lucas decided Obi-Wan Kenobi should be played by an established actor. Producer Gary Kurtz said, "The Alec Guinness role required a certain stability and gravitas as a character... which meant we needed a very, very strong character actor to play that part."^[32] Before Guinness was cast, Japanese actor Toshiro Mifune (who starred in many Akira Kurosawa films) was considered for the role.^[33][34] According to Mifune's daughter, Mika Kitagawa, her father turned down Lucas' offers to play Kenobi and Darth Vader because "he was concerned about how the film would look and that it would cheapen the image of samurai... At the time, sci-fi movies still looked quite cheap as the effects were not advanced and he had a lot of samurai pride."^[35] Guinness was one of the few cast members who believed that the film would be successful; he negotiated a deal for 2.25% of the one-fifth gross royalties paid to Lucas, which made him quite wealthy in later life. He agreed to take the part of Kenobi on the condition that he would not have to do any publicity to promote the film.^[36] Lucas credited him with inspiring the cast and crew to work harder, saying that Guinness contributed significantly to the completion of the filming.^[37] Harrison Ford said, "It was, for me, fascinating to watch Alec Guinness. He was always prepared, always professional, always very kind to the other actors. He had a very clear head about how to serve the story."^[32]

C-3PO

C-3PO is a protocol droid affiliated with the Rebellion who is "fluent in over six million forms of communication".

The character was portrayed by Anthony Daniels in all three films.

Daniels auditioned for and was cast as C-3PO; he has said that he wanted the role after he saw a Ralph McQuarrie drawing of the character and was struck by the vulnerability in the robot's face.^[38][39] Initially, Lucas did not intend to use Daniels' voice for C-3PO. Thirty well-established voice actors read for the voice of the droid. According to Daniels, one of the major voice actors, believed by some sources to be Stan Freberg, recommended Daniels' voice for the role.^[38][40] Mel Blanc was considered for the role, but according to Daniels, Blanc told Lucas that Daniels was better for the part.^[41][42] Richard Dreyfuss was also considered.^[43]

R2-D2

R2-D2 is an astromech droid and C-3PO's companion, who is carrying the Death Star plans and a secret message for Obi-Wan from Princess Leia.

The character was portrayed by Kenny Baker in all three films.

When filming was under way in London, where additional casting took place, Baker, performing a musical comedy act with his acting partner Jack Purvis, learned that the film crew was looking for a small person to fit inside a robot suit and maneuver it. Baker, who was 3 feet 8 inches (1.12 m) tall, was cast immediately after meeting George Lucas. He said, "He saw me come in and said 'He'll do' because I was the smallest guy they'd seen up until then." He initially turned down the role three times, hesitant to appear in a film where his face would not be shown and hoping to continue the success of his comedy act, which had recently started to be televised.^[44] R2-D2's recognizable beeps and squeaks were made by sound designer Ben Burtt imitating "baby noises", recording this voice as it was heard on an intercom, and creating the final mix using a synthesizer.^[45]

Chewbacca

Chewbacca is a Wookiee, Han Solo's sidekick, and first mate of the Millennium Falcon.

The character was portrayed by Peter Mayhew in all three films.

Mayhew learned of a casting call for Star Wars, which was being shot in London, and decided to audition. The 7-foot-3-inch (2.21 m) tall actor was immediately cast as Chewbacca after he stood up to greet Lucas.^[46][47] He recounted, "I sat down on one of the sofas, waiting for George. Door opened, and George walked in with Gary behind him. So, naturally, what did I do? I'm raised in England. Soon as someone comes in through the door, I stand up. George goes 'Hmm [looked up].' Virtually turned to Gary, and said 'I think we've found him.'^[46] As a result of his height, Mayhew was eligible for either the role of Chewbacca or Darth Vader, ultimately choosing the former because he wanted to play a hero in the story.^[47] Mayhew modeled his performance of Chewbacca after the mannerisms of animals he saw at public zoos.^[48]

Anakin Skywalker / Darth Vader

Darth Vader is Obi-Wan's former Jedi apprentice, who fell to the dark side of the Force.

The character was portrayed by David Prowse in the suit. Lucas dismissed Prowse for the character's voice due to his West Country English accent, which led to him being nicknamed "Darth Farmer" by the other cast members.^[49] James Earl Jones served as the voice of Darth Vader; he was uncredited until 1983. Lucas originally intended for Orson Welles to voice the character after dismissing Prowse.^[50] However, determining that Welles' voice would be too familiar to audiences, Lucas instead cast then-relatively less recognizable Jones.^[51][52]

In Return of the Jedi, after Anakin is redeemed by his son, Sebastian Shaw portrays the character when the helmet is removed. He also portrays the Force Ghost of Anakin seen at the end of the film, though this footage was replaced with Hayden Christensen as the younger Anakin from the prequel trilogy in the Special Edition of the film.

Lando Calrissian

Lando Calrissian is the administrator of Cloud City, and an old friend and rival of Han Solo.

The character was portrayed by Billy Dee Williams in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.

Yoda

Yoda is a wise, centuries-old Jedi Master of an unknown diminutive alien species, who lives in exile on Dagobah and trained Luke.

The character was voiced and puppeteered by Frank Oz in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.

The Emperor

The Emperor is the founder and supreme ruler of the Galactic Empire and Darth Vader's Sith master

The character was first physically portrayed by Elaine Baker and voiced by Clive Revill in the theatrical release of The Empire Strikes Back. Ian McDiarmid would fully take over the role in Return of the Jedi, and the 2004 release of the Special Editions replaced the version in Empire with a new performance by McDiarmid to maintain internal consistency.

Other notable characters

Owen and Beru Lars

Owen and Beru Lars are moisture farmers on Tatooine, and they are the guardians of Luke Skywalker. They are killed by stormtroopers while Luke is away attempting to track down the lost astromech droid R2-D2. The characters have been portrayed by Phil Brown and Shelagh Fraser in A New Hope.

Outside of the original trilogy, the couple have been portrayed by Joel Edgerton and Bonnie Piesse in Attack of the Clones, Revenge of the Sith, and Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Greedo

Greedo is a Rodian bounty hunter employed by Jabba the Hutt. After confronting and threatening Han Solo in Mos Eisley cantina, Greedo is shot and killed by Solo.

Greedo is central to the "Han shot first" controversy introduced with the release of the Special Editions.

The character was portrayed by Paul Blake in A New Hope, with pick-up shots being portrayed by Maria De Aragon. The character's articulated head and pyrotechnic effect after being shot were designed and built by John Stears. Outside of the original trilogy, Greedo appeared in the Clone Wars episode "Sphere of Influence", voiced by Tom Kenny.

Wedge Antilles

Wedge Antilles is an X-wing pilot for the Rebel Alliance, serving under the call sign Red Two during the Battle of Yavin before being promoted to Red Leader during the Battle of Endor.

The character has been portrayed by Denis Lawson in all three films of the original trilogy. In A New Hope, the character's voice is provided by David Ankrum. Colin Higgins was originally cast as the character and appears in the Death Star attack briefing scene. However, Higgins reportedly had difficulty remembering in his lines, so he was replaced by Lawson in later scenes. Higgins' character informally acquired the nickname "Fake Wedge".

Biggs Darklighter

Biggs Darklighter is an X-wing pilot for the Rebel alliance, serving under the call sign Red Three. Darklighter is a childhood friend of Luke Skywalker on Tatooine, and he was shot down by Darth Vader during the Battle of Yavin.

The character has been portrayed by Garrick Hagon in A New Hope.

Admiral Piett

Boba Fett

Boba Fett is one of several bounty hunters hired by Darth Vader to track down the Millennium Falcon. Fett is the one to successfully track down the ship to the planet Bespin, where he works with Vader and Imperial forces to capture Han Solo and the rest of the crew, before delivering Solo frozen in carbonite to gangster Jabba the Hutt for the bounty. Fett frequents Jabba's Palace, and he is swallowed by the Sarlaac during Luke Skywalker's rescue mission.

Nien Nunb

Bib Fortuna

Jabba the Hutt

Jabba the Hutt is a gangster on Tatooine.

Wicket

Admiral Ackbar