When it comes to Star Wars characters, everyone and their Aunt Beru has an opinion on which ones are great and which ones should be fan-petitioned out of the next saga film (sigh). However, one thing most fans seem to agree on is that the franchise has plenty of characters that are overrated in some capacity.
We here at Epicstream are no exception, so with that in mind, here are nine Star Wars characters whose bark is worse than their bite:
Greedo
The “who shot first?” debate has, for all intents and purposes, brought the Rodian bounty hunter Greedo far more attention than he really deserves. For the uninformed, the debate stems from Han Solo shooting and killing Greedo in the theatrical release of A New Hope, only to have the scene altered in the 1997 special edition so that Greedo shoots first (and misses) before he’s killed by Han. In 2004, it was changed yet again so that the two men shoot practically simultaneously, but at the end of the day, all Greedo is notable for is dying so that fans could see how much of a scoundrel Han really was.
Viceroy Nute Gunray
Viceroy Nute Gunray was present throughout the prequel era, including all three episodic films and a handful of episodes of The Clone Wars. However, besides being manipulated by Darth Sidious and murdered by Darth Vader, he doesn’t really do a whole lot. It’s funny because he’s actually a crucial piece in Palpatine’s plan to form the Galactic Empire, but at the same time, he’s really quite useless.
Mace Windu
Not even the star power of Samuel L. Jackson is enough to save the reputation of arguably the worst member of the Jedi High Council, Mace Windu. Arrogant doesn’t even begin to describe him, and what’s more, he was naïve enough to be manipulated by Palpatine, despite the high regard in which he held himself. We also can’t forget that, for someone with such disdain for those who strayed from the Jedi code, he was prepared to murder Palpatine instead of apprehending him, so he’s a hypocrite, too. As far as Jedi go, Mace Windu is highly overrated and a stellar example of the High Council’s hubris.
Captain Phasma
In the lead up to The Force Awakens, all fans were talking about was that striking, chrome-armored Stormtrooper played by Gwendoline Christie. However, in the film itself, Captain Phasma had minimal screen time, and when she did appear, she didn’t do anything of importance. Then, to top it all off, she was literally thrown in the trash, only to be brought back in The Last Jedi to have one interesting fight scene before being seemingly killed off for good. Talk about overhyped.
General Grievous
General Grievous was the Supreme Commander of the Separatist Droid Army, not to mention a skilled lightsaber duelist who killed several Jedi Knights. That being said, the “Jedi killer” immediately has two of his four arms cut off by Obi-Wan Kenobi and is never actually shown killing any Jedi in the prequel trilogy. In fact, his bark is literally worse than his bite, as he’s more memorable for his annoying, cybernetic coughing fits than anything else he did.
Darth Maul
Despite some interesting storylines in The Clone Wars and Rebels, along with a brief cameo in Solo, casual Star Wars fans will only remember Darth Maul for being the devil-faced Sith in The Phantom Menace who doesn’t say much and who is sliced in half by Obi-Wan Kenobi. Cartoons, novels and comic books can only do so much to erase that fate from the minds of fans.
Jango Fett
Without Jango Fett, there wouldn’t be Clone Troopers, Stormtroopers or even Boba Fett. The problem, though, is that Jango Fett’s importance in the Star Wars universe was established retroactively, and despite his reputation as being the best bounty hunter in the galaxy, he was swiftly beheaded by Mace Windu during the Battle of Geonosis. Perhaps if we saw him do more on-screen, he wouldn’t be on this list, but as it stands, Jango’s legacy is helping expand on the backstory of Boba Fett, making him far less interesting in the process.
Supreme Leader Snoke
In The Force Awakens, Supreme Leader Snoke was built up to be the Emperor Palpatine of the sequel trilogy. Then, in The Last Jedi, his story seemingly came to a close when he was chopped in half by Kylo Ren. This sat wrong with countless fans who wanted to know more about Snoke’s backstory, and while we won’t debate whether Rian Johnson killing him off was the right decision, we will say that his death instantly erased any of the intrigue surrounding the character.
Boba Fett
Boba Fett is the epitome of overrated, overhyped Star Wars characters whose bark is worse than their bite. He was first introduced in the much-maligned 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special before making his big-screen debut in The Empire Strikes Back. Then, in Return of the Jedi, he was knocked into the Sarlacc Pit by a still-blind Han Solo, having never done anything of note in either film aside from looking cool. Sure, he has some great moments in the Expanded Universe and in the new canon ancillary materials, but that doesn’t change the image of him rolling down the sandy slope of the Great Pit of Carkoon that’s ingrained in fans’ heads.