After the purchase of Lucasfilm, Disney made the creative decision to rebrand the known Star Wars Expanded Universe, turning it into Legends. As a story in Legends, it’s distinctly non-canon, meaning that many fan-favorite Star Wars characters were left forgotten in preparation for Disney’s new direction of the Star Wars universe.
It’s been a few years since the Star Wars sequel trilogy, and the creatives involved with Disney Plus’ Star Wars content have been slowly adding Star Wars Legends characters back into canon. Many fans have listed some of the best Star Wars Legends characters that they want to be returned to canon.
10 Dash Rendar
Smugglers, scoundrels, and mercenaries don’t usually have the Star Wars light shun on them considering the priority is the Jedi or Sith. However, Dash Rendar brought in another Han Solo-esque character into Star Wars Legends. Rendar was a talented pilot, a great shot with a blaster, and a man who didn’t want to owe or be owed.
Rendar has the appearance one would expect from someone who has lost his family and developed a hatred for the Empire and the Black Sun syndicate. With a muscular physique and a rugged personality, Dash Rendar proved himself as a survivor and a skillful ally against the Galactic Empire. He could easily make a guest appearance on The Mandalorian.
9 Prince Xizor
Crime syndicates have made a resurgence in Star Wars thanks to The Book of Boba Fett and The Clone Wars. Yet, there is a notable lack of the man that started it all: Prince Xizor. This character was a Falleen Prince and was a powerful member of the underworld thanks to his criminal organization the Black Sun. Xizor had his headquarters high in society on Coruscant.
Prince Xizor would be an interesting character to adapt into the canon, as he was a character who influenced par with Emperor Palpatine himself, in part to his wealth and charisma. Xizor’s Legends story is tied with Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa before Return of the Jedi, so it would be interesting to see what Star Wars could do with this character.
8 Kyle Katarn
There’s a reason that despite being in Legends, Kyle Katarn lives on for fans of many. Kyle Katarn had great character development, starting as just a “guy with a lightsaber” to becoming a Jedi of the New Jedi Order that worked with Luke Skywalker himself. Kyle Katarn performed many missions for the Rebellion and the New Republic, including sabotaging Dark Troopers, which are now canon.
Kyle Katarn is a great character, but introducing him into canon may be difficult considering audiences know the canon way that Luke Skywalker’s Jedi Order ends. Nevertheless, Katarn’s story could be a good one told through animation or live-action on Disney Plus.
7 The Yuuzhan Vong
Audiences may be getting tired of Stormtroopers. Whether it’s the Galactic Empire or the First Order. Stormtroopers are cannon fodder, so it’s about time that Star Wars audiences got to see a real villain, one that could rival the powers of Luke Skywalker himself. Luckily, they have the Yuuzhan Vong for that.
This race of humanoids comes from far outside the known galaxy, with disturbing and scary armor that matches their motives: the destruction of sentient beings and total invasion. What made the Yuuzhan Vong so dangerous was not only their physical capabilities and pain tolerance but the fact they cannot be sensed through the Force.
6 Darth Nihilus
The Old Republic era is one ripe for stories left in Legends. The era itself is canon, but the stories are not yet written. One character within the Old Republic era is Darth Nihilus, a great entry point for Star Wars to enter some true horror roots. Despite a tragic past, it’s Nihilus’ time as a Sith lord that makes him memorable.
The disturbing whispers of his dialogue, and the fact that he is a wound in the Force, Darth Nihilus could bring about the ultimate destruction thanks to his appetite for planets, making for a rather good point on why Nihilus could be a central villain to the Old Republic era.
5 Mara Jade
As the Emperor’s Hand, Mara Jade held quite the role in the Empire, committed solely to the Emperor’s bidding. Mara Jade killed who needed killing, all out of service and loyalty to the Emperor. As a force-sensitive human female, Mara Jade is a great character from Star Wars Legends, integral to the story of the Skywalker Saga that deserves to join the canon fun.
Despite starting as Palpatine’s assassin, Mara Jade evolved past her resentments and hatred for Luke Skywalker and joined him as an ally, and then as a wife. The love story between Luke and Mara is one of beauty and tragedy, and it would be great to see that evolve with the technology possible now.
4 HK-47
Droids are often left forgotten and discarded when it comes to Star Wars. They serve as comedy relief or as a singular purpose. However, what happens when one of the most feared killers across the galaxy is a droid? HK-47 is the answer, an expert marksman who hates organic life with a passion.
HK-47 is an inherently funny character for his disgust and disdain for humans, yet, he is indebted to serve them. However, when the opportunity comes up to kill them, he takes the utmost pleasure in such a service and will let all know how much he enjoys it. Hopefully, this Old Republic character can appear someday.
3 Kreia
Few characters delve deep into the mystics of the force like Kreia. Kreia understands the Dark side and the Light side of the Force and believes that the only way for the Jedi to survive and move forward is to begin a new Jedi Order, where they are unshackled, and no longer slaves to the Force. Kreia’s deep understanding of the Force sees a total conquest for knowledge and philosophy.
Kreia is an interesting character and has served as a Jedi Master, bringing about grand characters like Revan. Kreia is another character from the Old Republic that at least deserves a mention, whether it’s her time as a Jedi Master or as the Sith Lord titled "Darth" Traya.
2 Darth Revan
Few Star Wars Legends characters are as popular as Darth Revan, the titular character of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Revan is indeed the face of the Old Republic era, thanks to the many stories they are involved in, and the mysteries that remain about them. Revan is iconic for a Mandalorian-inspired helmet and the dual-wielding of a purple and red lightsaber.
Revan has played a pivotal role in Star Wars Legends as both a Sith Lord and a Jedi Master, bringing about the conclusions of the Mandalorian Wars and the Jedi Civil War. Revan’s story is rooted in the suspense and plot twists known to Star Wars, making for a character worthy of being told in canon.
1 Starkiller
Ever since the release of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, players and audiences alike have been craving the return of Starkiller, the completely overpowered Force-sensitive who served as the personal assassin and apprentice to Darth Vader. Starkiller was famed for pulling starships out of the sky with the Force, battling Jedi and Sith alike in lightsaber duels.
Within Starkiller, is a man named Galen Marek, one that seeks love above all else. However, he is warped by the Dark side and manipulated by Darth Vader to embrace the evils and the oppression of the Empire. Canon could one day introduce Starkiller as a cloning experiment, or perhaps as a Sith Inquisitor.