Many of the best Star Wars characters originated in the Legends continuity, but some have returned in the new canon. After Disney purchased the Star Wars franchise, Lucasfilm wanted to give filmmakers creative freedom, so the official continuity was rebooted and the original Star Wars Expanded Universe was rebranded as Legends. In the decade following this change, new stories have offered opportunities for certain Legends characters to make their canon debut.
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A few of these characters have been featured prominently in canon, either onscreen or in another medium. However, others have only been mentioned, but this still leaves room for them to return in future Star Wars projects. 10 Star Wars Legends characters who have become canon are the most memorable for their distinct traits, impact on the galaxy, or their accurate translation to the new Star Wars timeline.
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- Rukh
- Crimson Jack
- Prince Xizor
- Beilert Valance
- Durge
- Naga Sadow
- Captain Pellaeon
- Exar Kun
- Darth Revan
- Grand Admiral Thrawn
10 Rukh
A deadly Noghri bodyguard and assassin
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First Legends Appearance |
Star Wars: Heir to the Empire |
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First Canon Appearance |
Star Wars Rebels season 4, episode 7 “Kindred” |
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Rukh first appeared in the Thrawn trilogy by Timothy Zahn, a member of the Noghri species and personal bodyguard to Grand Admiral Thrawn. Although used sparingly throughout the story, Rukh is notable for his intimidating appearance and his ability to sneak up on anyone, executing those who failed Thrawn on more than one occasion. However, Rukh redeemed himself when his people learned how the Empire had deceived them, killing the Grand Admiral in his command chair.
In canon, Rukh appeared earlier in the timeline but served the same role in Star Wars Rebels season 4. Thrawn tasked Rukh with hunting down the rebels on Lothal, engaging them several times and proving himself a worthy opponent. Sadly, Rukh did not have the chance to redeem himself as he had in Legends, meeting his end in the Rebels series finale when Zeb Orreios trapped his leg inside a shield generator just before the electric current was activated.
9 Crimson Jack
A pirate captain and rival of Han Solo
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First Legends Appearance |
Star Wars (1977) #7 |
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First Canon Appearance |
Star Wars: Halcyon Legacy #1 |
Crimson Jack is notably one of the first Expanded Universe characters created after the release of the original Star Wars film in 1977. Before Han Solo could pay back Jabba the Hutt with the reward money he received from the Rebellion, Jack’s pirate crew intercepted the Millennium Falcon and took the money for themselves. This kicked off a series of encounters between Jack and the rebels, culminating in a final showdown where Han shot him through the chest.
Related Who Is Crimson Jack, Star Wars’ First Pirate Master & Han Solo’s Rival?
One of the first original Star Wars villains to ever appear in Star Wars non-movie materials is Crimson Jack, a pirate leader and rival to Han Solo.
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Jack returned to canon in the comic miniseries Star Wars: Halcyon Legacy, this time 30 years after A New Hope instead of immediately after. In Star Wars: Skeleton Crew season 1, episode 3 “Very Interesting, As An Astrogation Problem,” the former pirate captain Jod Na Nawood is also referred to as Crimson Jack. It is currently unknown if these are meant to be the same character or if they are two separate characters who used the same alias.
8 Prince Xizor
The leader of the Black Sun crime syndicate
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First Legends Appearance |
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (novel) |
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First Canon Appearance |
Mentioned only |
As the leader of the deadly Black Sun crime syndicate, Prince Xizor held immense power during the reign of the Galactic Empire. He attempted to earn favor with Emperor Palpatine by eliminating Luke Skywalker and nearly seduced Princess Leia Organa using powerful pheromones native to his species. However, he was ultimately killed when Darth Vader learned of his plan to kill Luke, ordering his Super Star Destroyer to destroy the orbital skyhook Xizor was on.
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While Xizor has yet to appear in a canon story, he has been mentioned and referenced a few times. In Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, a small Xizor figurine was placed among the many stand-ins for the crowd during the podrace, but this didn’t fully count as a canon appearance. His first official mention was in Star Wars: Build the Millennium Falcon #53, followed by a reference in Star Wars: Crimson Reign #1.
7 Beilert Valance
A stormtrooper turned cyborg bounty hunter
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First Legends Appearance |
Star Wars (1977) #16 |
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First Canon Appearance |
Solo: A Star Wars Story Adaptation #1 |
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Beilert Valance was a former Imperial stormtrooper who was rebuilt as a cyborg following a terrible injury. Ironically, Valance hated droids, but an encounter with Luke Skywalker, C-3PO, and R2-D2 changed his views and gave him hope for a galaxy where cyborgs like him could flourish. In a fight with Darth Vader, Vallance fell into corrosive waters but managed to keep the Sith Lord from learning about Luke.
Valance became one of the few characters to appear in a
Legends story published after the canon reboot in 2014, returning for
Star Wars
#108 as part of Marvel Comics’ 80th anniversary.
Valance became one of the few characters to appear in a Legends story published after the canon reboot in 2014, returning for Star Wars #108 as part of Marvel Comics’ 80th anniversary. His cyborg body was recovered and reactivated, only for Vallance to sacrifice himself just as he found the Great Life Jewels that made him human again in his final moments. Vallance has been prominently featured in the canon Marvel Star Wars comics set during the original trilogy.
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6 Durge
A nearly invincible bounty hunter
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First Legends Appearance |
Star Wars: Republic #51 |
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First Canon Appearance |
Star Wars: Doctor Aphra (2020) #11 |
The Separatists had many impressive warriors during the Clone Wars, yet few were as deadly as Durge. He was a Gen’Dai bounty hunter, which gave him the ability to reform his body when damaged and live for nearly 2,000 years. Due to his hatred of Mandalorians, Durge agreed to fight for the Separatists, as it would mean killing clones of the Mandalorian Jango Fett. He fought Obi-Wan Kenobi on multiple occasions but was eventually killed by Anakin Skywalker.
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Durge survived the Clone Wars in canon and continued operating as a bounty hunter during the reign of the Galactic Empire. It was during this time that he encountered the rogue archaeologist Doctor Aphra and even teamed up with Boba Fett, an interesting twist given his distaste for Mandalorians in Legends. Durge’s size, near invincibility, and ruthlessness in combat make him one of the most formidable opponents in both Star Wars timelines.
5 Naga Sadow
A brutal Dark Lord of the Sith
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First Legends Appearance |
Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi – Dark Lords of the Sith #1 |
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First Canon Appearance |
Mentioned only |
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Naga Sadow lived 5,000 years before the Star Wars movies as a powerful alchemist within the Sith Empire. Unlike many isolationists, Sadow believed the Sith Empire should expand by conquering new systems, and an opportunity presented itself when two explorers stumbled upon the Sith Empire, revealing the location of the Republic. Sadow took control of the Empire and began the Great Hyperspace War, but his forces were defeated and exiled to Yavin 4.
In canon, Sadow was first referenced in Star Wars: Build the Millennium Falcon #23. The junior novelization of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker also confirmed that one of the Sith statues on Exegol was of Naga Sadow. The references to Sadow in canon seem to imply that most of his history from the Legends timeline carried over to the current continuity.
4 Captain Pellaeon
Grand Admiral Thrawn’s right-hand man
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First Legends Appearance |
Star Wars: Heir to the Empire |
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First Canon Appearance |
Star Wars Rebels season 4, episode 15 “Family Reunion – and Farewell” (voice only) |
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Captain Gilad Pellaeon proudly served Grand Admiral Thrawn during his campaign against the New Republic and continued to lead the Imperial Remnant following Thrawn’s death. However, he eventually realized that the Empire would never defeat the New Republic and became instrumental in forging peace in their decades-long war. Pellaeon even became the supreme commander of the Galactic Alliance military, the successor state to the New Republic.
Pellaeon’s role in canon has been limited thus far but seems to be following an outline similar to the Thrawn trilogy. After serving Thrawn in the years before the beginning of the Galactic Civil War, Pellaeon became the leader of the secret Imperial Shadow Council following the Empire’s defeat. Pellaeon claimed to be acting on Thrawn’s orders, and while Ahsoka season 1 suggests that this was false, the two will likely team up in future Star Wars projects.
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3 Exar Kun
A Jedi turned Dark Lord of the Sith
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First Legends Appearance |
Star Wars: Dark Apprentice |
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First Canon Appearance |
Mentioned only |
Exar Kun was a Jedi who lived 4,000 years before the Star Wars movies, but his lust for power led him to seek Sith knowledge. Declaring himself a Dark Lord of the Sith, Exar Kun waged war on the Republic, but when his forces were defeated, his spirit became trapped within the Massassi Temple on Yavin 4. Thousands of years later, Exar Kun attempted to kill Luke Skywalker and seduce his Jedi students, but he was finally defeated for good.
Exar Kun has not appeared in a canon story but has been referenced through guides and easter eggs. In Solo: A Star Wars Story, one of the artifacts in Dryden Vos’ office is an obsidian stone taken from Exar Kun’s Sith temple, although his first canon mention was in the 2016 sourcebook Nexus of Power. Most of Exar Kun’s history could fit into a canon, which already established his ability to return as a Sith spirit.
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2 Darth Revan
From Sith conqueror to Jedi savior
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First Legends Appearance |
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (video game) |
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First Canon Appearance |
Mentioned only |
One of the most compelling and complicated characters in the entire Star Wars Legends timeline is Darth Revan. Originally a Jedi who broke from the order to fight invading Mandalorians, Revan became a Sith and attempted to conquer the Republic. Revan was eventually redeemed and saved the Republic from his former apprentice, Darth Malak, and he also prevented the Sith Empire from invading the Republic for centuries.
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Revan nearly appeared as a Sith spirit alongside Darth Bane in Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 3, episode 17 “Ghosts of Mortis.” However, the scene was ultimately cut because George Lucas and Dave Filoni decided that preserving one’s life after death should be a light side ability. Revan was made canon again when the visual dictionary for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker labeled the 3rd Sith Eternal Region as the Revan Legion.
1 Grand Admiral Thrawn
The most cunning military strategist in Star Wars
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First Legends Appearance |
Star Wars: Heir to the Empire |
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First Canon Appearance |
Star Wars Rebels season 3, episode 1 “Steps Into Shadow” |
Out of all the Star Wars Legends characters who have become canon, Grand Admiral Thrawn has been featured most prominently. Thrawn became a fan-favorite character when Star Wars: Heir to the Empire came out in 1991, defeating his enemies with brilliant military tactics and adherence to long-term strategy. He nearly brought the New Republic to its knees, pushing the heroes to their limits and nearly resurrecting the Empire.
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All of these traits translated to canon when Thrawn appeared in Star Wars Rebels, and Timothy Zahn returned to pen more novels expanding on Thrawn’s backstory. Thrawn made his live-action debut in Ahsoka season 1, setting up his war against the New Republic that bears a striking resemblance to his campaign in Legends. Thrawn is a fantastic Star Wars Legends character and one of the best parts of the new canon, setting an example for future stories to follow.
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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.
Created by George Lucas First Film Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope Cast Mark Hamill , James Earl Jones , David Prowse , Carrie Fisher , Harrison Ford , Daisy Ridley , Adam Driver , Ian McDiarmid , Ewan McGregor , Rosario Dawson , Lars Mikkelsen , Rupert Friend , Moses Ingram , Frank Oz , Pedro Pascal TV Show(s) The Mandalorian , Andor , Obi-Wan Kenobi , The Book of Boba Fett , Ahsoka , The Acolyte , Star Wars: Skeleton Crew , Lando , Star Wars: The Clone Wars , Star Wars Rebels , Star Wars: The Bad Batch , Star Wars: Resistance , Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures , Star Wars: Visions Character(s) Luke Skywalker , Han Solo , Rey Skywalker , Emperor Palpatine / Darth Sidious , Obi-Wan Kenobi , Ahsoka Tano , Grand Admiral Thrawn , Grand Inquisitor , Reva (The Third Sister) , The Fifth Brother , The Seventh Sister , The Eighth Brother , Yoda , Din Djarin , Grogu , Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader , Leia Organa , Ben Solo/Kylo Ren Video Game(s) Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic , Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II – The Sith Lords , Star Wars Battlefront (2015) , Star Wars: Battlefront 2 (2005) , Star Wars: The Force Unleashed , Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II , Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order , Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Expand