The two continuities of the Star Wars franchise include a plethora of legendary pilots, with many being Jedi. The Jedi Knights, ultimately, strive for peace in the galaxy, but they are also aware that nefarious forces – from pirates and crime syndicates to the dreaded Dark Lords of the Sith – prevent them from being pacifists. Because of this, the Jedi are among the most formidable warriors in the galaxy, and although they are most famous for battling their foes with lightsabers, they can be equally formidable in the cockpit of a starfighter.
Most Jedi are proficient pilots, particularly with starfighters. In the Star Wars Legends continuity, there was even a specific discipline among Jedi called Jedi aces, a sub-discipline of Jedi Guardians. Jedi aces were trained to hone their piloting skills to an even greater degree than most Jedi, combining their Force abilities with their piloting skills. The modern Star Wars canon has shown that the Jedi have a long history of flying craft designed specifically for the Jedi Order. While there are many incredible pilots throughout Jedi history, the following are perhaps the best in both Star Wars continuities.
10 Obi-Wan Kenobi
Obi-Wan Kenobi, famously, dislikes piloting, yet – like lightsaber combat – he is undoubtedly excellent at it. As noted in Matthew Stover’s novelization of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Obi-Wan Kenobi was one of the finest Jedi strategists, warriors, and pilots, despite his humility and disdain for fighting. Throughout his appearances in both the original Legends and modern canon continuities, Obi-Wan’s phenomenal piloting skills are well-documented.
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Kenobi pursued and evaded Jango Fett – a highly skilled pilot in his own right – in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, and both the Legends-era’s Clone Wars multimedia project and the modern canon’s Star Wars: The Clone Wars frequently showcase his piloting skills as well. Obi-Wan frequently led clone fighter squadrons into battle, expertly flying the various models of Jedi Starfighters alongside expert pilots, from Oddball to Anakin Skywalker. Kenobi’s piloting skills served him particularly well during the Battle of Coruscant, where he blasted through waves of Separatist droid fighters to rescue Chancellor Palpatine.
9 Mace Windu
Mace Windu is by far one of the greatest warriors of the old guard Jedi Order, mastering Vaapad (a Form VII lightsaber combat variant of his creation) and utilizing the rare ability of shatterpoint, yet his piloting skills are rarely shown. Like Obi-Wan Kenobi, Mace Windu was not a Jedi ace, but his skill at the controls of a Jedi Starfighter was undeniable. In the modern canon, Mace Windu flew a Delta-7B with R8-B7, while in the original Legends continuity, he flew an Eta-2 Actis with R4-M6.
The 2003 Star Wars: Clone Wars microseries includes the finest demonstration of Mace Windu’s piloting skills, with the Master of the Order taking flight during the Battle of Coruscant. Mace Windu shot down numerous CIS Vulture droids and Droid Tri-Fighters, but a mid-air collision, sadly, resulted in the destruction of his fighter and the loss of crewmember R4-M6. Windu commandeered a Vulture droid before hitting the ground, however, turning it into a makeshift fighter craft for a portion of the battle.
8 Ahsoka Tano
Ahsoka Tano is exclusive to the modern Star Wars canon, having been Anakin Skywalker’s Padawan during the Clone Wars. Although Ahsoka never became a true Jedi, having left the Jedi Order as a Padawan, Skywalker nevertheless passed down many of his skills to her. This includes mastery of lightsaber combat, mechanic skills, and, of course, piloting skills.
Ahsoka Tano’s formidability in starfighter combat was shown as early as the first seasons of The Clone Wars, with Ahsoka leading Clone V-19 Torrent fighters into battle during the Battle of Ryloth – despite her tactical inexperience leading to disastrous results. Before that, Ahsoka gained piloting experience aboard the Twilight, a spice freighter commandeered by her and Skywalker on Teth. Even after the Clone Wars, Ahsoka proved to be a highly skilled pilot, as shown in the Ahsoka TV series, with Tano executing advanced maneuvers in her T-6 Shuttle.
7 Plo Koon
In addition to being a legendary and feared warrior within the old Jedi Order, Jedi Master Plo Koon was also a Jedi ace and one of the finest in the prequel era. In Revenge of the Sith – which belongs to both continuities – Plo Koon is shown flying a Delta-7 Jedi Starfighter on Cato Neimoidia, leading Clone ARC-170s into battle when Order 66 is enacted, tragically resulting in the Jedi Master’s death. The modern canon shows Plo Koon’s piloting skills far more often, with the Kel Dor Jedi ace often flying the Delta-7B Jedi Starfighter Blade of Dorin in The Clone Wars.
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Plo Koon’s piloting skills were well-regarded in both continuities, with Anakin Skywalker taking particular note of them in the modern canon. Blade of Dorin was, notably, a gift from Skywalker to Plo Koon, implying that the craft was perhaps modified and upgraded by Anakin. Renowned pilots Obi-Wan Kenobi and Mace Windu also took note of Plo Koon’s piloting abilities in the modern canon, making his frequent leadership of clone fighter squadrons unsurprising.
6 Corran Horn
It is unknown if the New Jedi Order of the original Star Wars Legends continuity had a Jedi Starfighter Corps like the prequel-era Jedi Order, but Jedi aces were nevertheless extremely common in Luke’s Order. The New Jedi Order was formed during the Galactic Civil War, shortly after Operation Shadow Hand and the final death of Emperor Palpatine, so it is unsurprising that many of its Knights came from military backgrounds or at least became war veterans sooner or later. One such Jedi is Corran Horn, a Corellian pilot whose skills in starfighter combat were legendary before joining the Jedi.
Corran Horn was a pilot on his homeworld, having flown an X-wing for Corellia’s law enforcement agency, CorSec. Upon joining the New Republic, Horn was skilled enough to be part of Rogue Squadron, the most elite fighter squadron in the New Republic Starfighter Corps (and the Rebel Alliance Starfighter Corps before that). As a highly-trained Knight of the New Jedi Order, Corran Horn’s piloting skills only increased, making him one of the galaxy’s finest Jedi aces.
5 Jaina Solo
In the original Star Wars Legends continuity, Princess Leia and Han Solo had three children, with their only daughter being Jaina Solo. Like her twin brother Jacen and her younger brother Anakin, Jaina Solo had an extremely strong connection to the Force. However, Jaina had far more in common with her father than her mother, taking after Han Solo in many ways, including having a knack for mechanical work and becoming an ace pilot at a young age.
Jaina Solo would eventually gain the title of Sword of the Jedi, but her legendary skills went beyond lightsaber combat – she was also one of the finest Jedi aces in the New Jedi Order. Jaina out-flew Corran Horn in a training course, joined the famous Rogue Squadron in the New Republic, and was a veteran of multiple wars. Jaina Solo flew starfighters like the Jedi-exclusive StealthX in conflicts like the Yuuzhan Vong War and the Second Galactic Civil War, proving time and again to be one of the galaxy’s greatest pilots.
4 Adi Gallia
Jedi Master Adi Gallia has a long and storied history in both Star Wars continuities, especially in the original Legends timeline. Gallia was one of the most respected members of the prequel-era Jedi Order, having had a seat on the Jedi High Council, and while her skills in lightsaber combat were incredible – with Gallia favoring Form V’s reverse-gripped Shien variant – she was also an equally effective Jedi ace. Adi Gallia was one of the first Jedi to fly the Delta-7 Jedi Starfighter, making the most of the craft during the Separatist Crisis and the Clone Wars.
Adi Gallia was a highly experienced Jedi Master by 22 BBY, but like all the best Jedi, was always open to learning more. Under the tutelage of fellow Jedi ace Saesee Tiin, Adi Gallia quickly mastered the controls of the Delta-7 and learned to combine Force powers with starfighter combat. In addition to using enhanced reflexes and creating powerful shockwaves of Force energy, Adi Gallia could also conjure Force-powered shields and lightning, protecting her craft and making short work of enemies, as shown in engagements like the Attack on Point Modie and the Battle of Geonosis.
3 Saesee Tiin
The Jedi Master and Jedi High Council member Saesee Tiin had many talents. Tiin was one of the Order’s finest practitioners and both telepathy and telekinesis, and he was an exceptional warrior, preferring the brute strength of lightsaber combat Form V (Djem So). Of all Saesee Tiin’s specialties, however, his greatest was his piloting skills.
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Saesee Tiin was by far one of the Jedi Order’s greatest pilots, especially in his original Legends incarnation. Saesee Tiin tutored Adi Gallia, was the first Jedi to examine Darth Maul’s ship – the Scimitar – following his demise, and he even personally worked on the Jedi Order’s starfighters themselves. In addition to a Delta-7 and Eta-2 Actis (and a Delta-7B in the modern canon), Saesee Tiin also flew a personal starfighter called the Sharp Spiral in the Legends continuity. Like Adi Gallia, Saesee Tiin combined the Force with aviation, using his telepathic abilities to calculate hyperspace jumps without using his navicomputer.
Although Darth Maul died upon being bisected by Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Legends timeline, he survived in the modern canon.
2 Anakin Skywalker
Anakin Skywalker is one of the most famous Jedi pilots in both Star Wars continuities, with Obi-Wan Kenobi referring to him as the “best star pilot in the galaxy” in A New Hope. While the film would go on to demonstrate his lethal starfighter combat skills as Darth Vader, the prequel era frequently showed his legendary piloting skills as a Jedi. Before even joining the Jedi Order, a young Anakin was perhaps the only human capable of podracing (and winning the Boonta Eve Classic) and he proved to be a quick learner under pressure when flying a Naboo N-1 Starfighter.
During the Clone Wars, Anakin flew various models of Jedi Starfighters (including his heavily modified Delta-7, the Azure Angel), leading clone squadrons to victory in numerous battles. In the Legends continuity, Anakin’s victory at the Battle of Virujansi left a lasting impression on Garven Dreis, who would sadly be slain by Vader in the Battle of Yavin. In the modern canon, Anakin played an instrumental role in destroying the Malevolence’s ion canon superweapon, leading a squadron of Y-wings during the Battle of the Kaliida Nebula.
1 Luke Skywalker
Arguably the Star Wars franchise’s other most famous Jedi pilot in both continuities is Luke Skywalker, who also became an experienced fighter pilot before becoming a Jedi Knight. Having flown a T-16 Skyhopper in his formative years on Tatooine, Luke quickly transferred these skills to flying his signature T-65 X-wing (and many other fighter craft) for the Rebel Alliance. In both continuities, Luke would be a founding member and leader of the famed elite Rogue Squadron, flying for the Rebellion for three years before becoming a true Jedi.
Luke remained one of the galaxy’s greatest pilots after becoming a Jedi – continuing to fly his Rebellion-era X-wing (known as AA-589 in the Legends continuity and Red Five in the modern canon). In his original Star Wars Legends continuity incarnation, Luke Skywalker was the first Jedi ace of the New Jedi Order. Although Luke was renowned for his feats in lightsaber combat and Force powers as the Jedi Grandmaster, he was equally impressive as a pilot.
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Upcoming Star Wars Movies |
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The Mandalorian & Grogu |
May 22, 2026 |
Star Wars
Star Wars is a multimedia franchise that started in 1977 by creator George Lucas. After the release of Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope (originally just titled Star Wars), the franchise quickly exploded, spawning multiple sequels, prequels, TV shows, video games, comics, and much more. After Disney acquired the rights to the franchise, they quickly expanded the universe on Disney+, starting with The Mandalorian.