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Star Wars has some of the most iconic characters in cinema. They're part of what make the films so unforgettable. It's only natural that they show up again in supplementary material like books and TV shows. That's not all, though.
They're particularly popular in games. Fans love seen their favorite faces in this interactive medium, be it in direct adaptations of films or other tales across the galaxy. That said, some appear more than others for various reasons. Those reasons range from how long the franchise has been around to how popular certain eras are. As a result, certain Star Wars characters show up so often that even the most devoted fans might get sick of them.
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5 Boba Fett
The irony with Boba Fett is that he barely shows up in the movies, yet he's practically a star in the games. This bounty hunter usually functions as a boss, often in adaptations of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. He's not just a pest in the direct tie-ins, though.
Fett rears his helmed head in several stories outside the films. He's a recurring adversary in the Dark Forces series, the Force Unleashed duology, and the recent Jedi: Survivor. Considering most Star Wars boss battles tend to be lightsaber duels, Fett's fights are a nice change of pace. On top of that, he's not just an antagonist.
Boba is a playable character in numerous titles. These are usually party or racing games. Star Wars Demolitions, Super Bombad Racing, and Kinect Star Wars are a few examples. On the other hand, some action-oriented titles include multiple eras and, thus, have Fett in their character rosters. The Battlefront and Lego Star Wars franchises are the most prominent. What all of these examples cement is that Boba Fett has endured through the power of popularity.
4 Luke Skywalker
As the main protagonist of the original trilogy, Luke Skywalker would obviously have a prolific presence in Star Wars games. Initially, most of his appearances stem from the films. As fans play through the cinematic stories, they control Luke as he hones his Jedi skills. This is natural to convey a sense of progression. Even when later games encompass more films, Luke always represents the original trilogy. He does this in the Battlefront games, Lego Star Wars, and the various party/racing titles. That said, developers could only retread the same ground so many times.
Creatives eventually branched out to show what happened after Return of the Jedi. The Dark Forces, Jedi Knight, and Jedi Academy titles are fine examples. Here, Luke adopts a supporting role as a seasoned Jedi Master, guiding players and fighting alongside them. It's a great way to see the character again without going over the same story.
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Of course, certain games offer a more unorthodox approach. The Force Unleashed, for instance, contains a handful of what-if scenarios. The console versions have a DLC chapter where Starkiller--Darth Vader's apprentice--fights Luke on Hoth and turns him to the Dark Side. The PSP variant includes Historic Mode. Here, players can experience Luke rescue his friends from Jabba the Hutt's barge. It seems familiar at first glance, but the noble Jedi now has lightning, shockwaves, and other crazy Force powers at his disposal. These alternate takes are utterly ridiculous, but they let fans see the hero in a new light.
3 Yoda
This ancient Jedi Master has the advantage of being in both the original and prequel trilogies. In games from the former era, Yoda is mainly a mentor figure. He mirrors his role in the movies by running players through tutorials. He also makes the occasional cameo in stuff outside the films, such as The Force Unleashed 2. However, because he's in hiding during this time and dead after Return of the Jedi, he's not as prolific as the central characters. That changes with the prequels.
When Yoda unveils his lightsaber skills, he becomes more viable as a playable character. The Revenge of the Sith tie-in lets fans jumped around as their favorite swamp frog in bonus levels. The Lego Star Wars and Battlefront games make him one of the souped-up Jedi units. He even joins Darth Vader as a guest fighter in Soul Calibur 4. Considering how his small size breaks the game, though, it's one appearance that fans could do without. Thankfully, they have plenty of others to choose from.
2 C-3PO & R2-D2
They may be just a couple of droids, but C-3PO and R2-D2 are the only characters to appear in all nine Star Wars films. For better or worse, they're the unofficial mascots of the franchise, showing up in games from all three trilogies. Granted, most of these are in the background or cutscenes. The droids have no combat abilities to speak of, so they rarely function as playable characters.
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A select few titles buck this trend. The Lego games, for instance, are famous for letting players control even the most insignificant figures. The Star Wars entries are no exception. In these games, fans play as R2 and 3PO to hack terminals and solve puzzles. Granted, they aren't remotely as fun as lightsaber or blaster characters, but it is refreshing to see them used for more than just a cameo or token appearance.
1 Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader
This is easily the most iconic character in the whole franchise. A Sith Lord and leading face of the Empire, Darth Vader is the main antagonistic force throughout the original trilogy. He's the greatest obstacle that Luke must overcome, and players naturally want to do the same. This makes Vader a boss in virtually every movie tie-in title, but these are only the beginning. Fans also fight him in other games set in this era, such as the Force Unleashed and Jedi: Fallen Order series.
All of them let players take a shot at the famous villain. That's not even counting the time before he became said villain. Vader was once Anakin Skywalker, a Jedi Knight. Because of that, he headlines numerous games based on the prequel trilogy. He's also a central figure in the Clone Wars, so he appears in a handful of titles depicting that conflict and the subsequent TV show. He obviously plays differently than Vader, even though they're technically the same character.
That contrast comes into sharper focus in titles encompassing both trilogies. Once again, look at Battlefront and Lego Star Wars. These series make both Anakin and Vader available to play. The radical distinction demonstrates how much a man can change. Moreover, it gives fans two characters for the price of one. That sums up this guy in a nutshell.