With the Star Wars franchise being over 45 years old, it’s no surprise that some characters that exist in the franchise have been created outside the established film that first started in 1977. Star Wars is always growing, and with a new place to grow on Disney Plus, new content is being produced every year, with both returning characters and original ones.
Many questions arise in the Star Wars fandom when these new and original characters are introduced. Fans question where these characters were during the films, and why if they are so important, they do not feature in one of the many movies.
8 Darth Plagueis
A Dark Lord of the Sith that was so powerful and so wise, that he could use the Force to influence the midi-chlorians to create life. Darth Plagueis is a truly threatening character for his intense intellect and power in the Force and would have been a great threat to the galaxy far, far away, if not killed in his sleep by his apprentice, Darth Sidious.
Darth Plagueis existed in the Star Wars timeline before The Phantom Menace. This master of the Sith had a lust for immortality, and the desire to cheat death. Although given a direct mention, Plagueis does not appear in the movies but is an extremely important character.
7 Cal Kestis
As one of the newest additions to the Star Wars mythos, Cal Kestis is the protagonist of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, as well as the upcoming sequel, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. Cal was a Force-sensitive Padawan that had to renounce and hide his connection to the Force after Order 66 killed his master.
After saving his friend, Cal begins his journey to becoming a Jedi Knight, armed with his broken lightsaber, and his inexperience in the Force. Cal Kestis’ journey has him come across Darth Vader and the Galactic Empire forces, but many questions about where this character was during the original trilogy, but perhaps Jedi: Survivor will answer that.
6 Ezra Bridger
In the canon animated series Star Wars: Rebels, audiences are introduced to the young human male, Ezra Bridger. This character discovered his connection to the Force and became a Jedi Padawan. Throughout his adventures with the Ghost crew, Ezra learned many lessons and skills and grew up as the seasons went on.
Ezra was instrumental in the creation of the rebellion but does not appear in the films. The questions on where Ezra Bridger is remains to be seen in Disney Plus’ Ahsoka series, as Ezra used the Force to make the purrgil take him and Thrawn into deep and unknown hyperspace.
5 Din Djarin
Considering that the Empire regularly tasks bounty hunters with doing their dirty work, it’s surprising that Djin Djarin does not take any of the jobs audiences see in the original Star Wars trilogy. The Empire Strikes Back has many bounty hunters going after Han Solo, all except The Mandalorian’s Din Djarin.
Din’s journey is not over, as The Mandalorian Season 3 is set to continue his adventures across the galaxy. However, Din does not appear in the Star Wars sequels, which exist after the fall of the Empire.
4 Grand Admiral Thrawn
Star Wars: Legends saw one of the greatest tactical minds and threats of the Star Wars universe. Grand Admiral Thrawn was a beloved character and was reintroduced to canon with a book trilogy, as well as the leading antagonist role in Star Wars: Rebels. Noted for his genius in battle, blue skin, and glowing red eyes, Thrawn would have been a great addition to the films.
However, Grand Admiral Thrawn is missing, and answers may be seen in the Ahsoka series. Thrawn was last seen trapped by the puurgil, with Ezra Bridger taking them both into deep hyperspace, thus, they both miss the action of the original Star Wars trilogy.
3 Grogu
Many fans adore Grogu, and nicknamed the character “Baby Yoda”. This is due to the mystery of their species being the same as the famed Grand Master Yoda. Grogu is powerful in the Force and only young for his species. They were Jedi Initiates, and survived Order 66, directly witnessing the atrocities of the clone troopers and Anakin Skywalker as Darth Vader.
Grogu has seen adventures with Din Djarin, Luke Skywalker, and Ahsoka Tano. His training is far from over, but his lack of appearance in the sequel trilogy is most likely because he abandoned the Jedi Path due to his attachment to the Mandalorian.
2 Darth Bane
Darth Bane was a legend amongst the Sith and a feared myth amongst the Jedi. Darth Bane was the sole survivor of the destruction of the Brotherhood of Darkness and existed thousands of years before the Clone Wars. Darth Bane was instrumental in the creation of the Rule of Two, which allowed for a Master and an apprentice of the Sith. No more, no less.
Darth Bane’s teachings as a Dark Lord of the Sith resumed even up until the Empire, with Darth Sidious taking his new apprentice of Darth Vader, thousands of years after Darth Bane’s death.
1 Ahsoka Tano
There is perhaps no new character integral to Star Wars in recent years than that of Ahsoka Tano. As the Padawan to Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka learned a lot of things from her master and became a veteran of the Clone Wars and the survivor of Order 66. Ahsoka Tano has endured a lot and exists outside the boundaries of Jedi and Sith.
Ahsoka Tano was first introduced in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and will star in her live-action series, Star Wars: Ahsoka. The character was essential in the rebellion but does not appear in any of the Star Wars films.