5 Most Satisfying Character Endings (& The 5 Least)

Summary

• In the
  Star Wars
  franchise, character endings can be both satisfying and unsatisfying, depending on the execution and the impact on the story.
• Some of the most satisfying endings include noble sacrifice or showcasing character growth from beginning to end.
• On the other hand, some character endings fall short of their potential or are unsatisfying due to poor storytelling decisions.

The Star Wars saga is filled with some of the most compelling characters in science fiction and often gives them highly memorable endings, but not all are equally satisfying. Compelling character arcs elevate expectations for how their story will end, which can lead to incredible resolutions or deeply disappointing ones. Even if the general idea behind a character ending is good, it can be ruined by poor storytelling choices and uninspired execution. However, when Star Wars gets a character ending right, it makes the overarching story even more satisfying.

Because Star Wars is such a massive franchise that constantly tells new stories, it is inevitably revealed how most of the characters die, meaning many of the most memorable character endings involve death. Alternatively, not every character’s fate has been revealed, so some character arcs conclude in a meaningful way without them having to die. Across the official canon and the original Star Wars Expanded Universe, now known as Legends, 5 endings offered the most satisfying resolution to their characters, while 5 others became the most disappointing the franchise has to offer.

10 Ben Solo/Kylo Ren

Least satisfying

Many fans regard Kylo Ren as one of the best Star Wars sequel trilogy characters, but the end of his story left something to be desired. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker chose to have Ben Solo’s death mirror Darth Vader’s sacrifice in Return of the Jedi, and while their stories were always similar, this leaves Ben’s ending feeling like a hollow imitation of the original. It doesn’t help that the movie features two fake-out deaths for Ben, another fake-out of him being alive, and finally having him die without saying a single word to Rey.

The sequels had a chance to differentiate Ben’s story from Anakin Skywalker’s and explore new possibilities. Star Wars: The Last Jedi already paralleled Return of the Jedi by having Kylo Ren team up with Rey, only for him to commit to the dark side. The Rise of Skywalker could have kept him the main villain or had him turn back to the light but survive and spend the rest of his life atoning for his actions. It isn’t all bad, but the last movie of the Skywalker Saga needed a better conclusion for one of its best characters.

9 Anakin Solo (Legends)

Most satisfying

Meanwhile, the Star Wars Legends timeline featured a much more satisfying heroic sendoff for the son of Han Solo and Leia Organa. Anakin Solo was the younger brother of Jaina Solo and Jacen Solo, but unlike his brother, Anakin believed in using the Force to play an active role in the galaxy. Unfortunately, Anakin carried a terrible burden, as he was forced to leave Chewbacca to die to save others at the beginning of the Yuuzhan Vong War. This created a rift between Anakin and his father, and he spent the next few years trying to redeem himself.

This created a compelling character for Anakin throughout the Star Wars: The New Jedi Order book series and made his final sacrifice feel like a fitting end to his story. Whereas Chewbacca gave up his life to save Anakin at the start of the war, Anakin gave up his life to save his siblings and friends, ensuring their mission would succeed and saving the Jedi Order. As tragic as Anakin’s death was, he died fighting a swarm of Yuuzhan Vong warriors, letting the Force flow through him and shining as the ultimate embodiment of the light side.

8 Padmé Amidala

Least satisfying

Padmé Amidala’s death in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith is one of the most infamous deaths in the franchise, and it’s easy to see why. The film offers little to no explanation for why Padmé died, with a medical droid claiming that she lost the will to live, making it seem as though she died of a broken heart. This isn’t an entirely fair analysis, as the droid itself admitted that she was dying for reasons they couldn’t explain, and she clearly wanted to raise her children. Her last words affirmed her belief that there was still good in Anakin, hardly the mindset of someone who has given up.

It’s possible that the bond between Anakin and Padmé through the Force contributed to her death, but the movie doesn’t do enough to make this clear. It’s also disappointing that Padmé spends most of the film just being pregnant and comforting Anakin after being a Queen, Senator, and fighter throughout the first two movies. Most of her storyline about working with other Senators to lay the foundation of the Rebel Alliance was cut from the final film, making the end of her story in the Star Wars prequel trilogy somewhat underwhelming.

7 Finn

Most satisfying

Star Wars is a dramatic space opera spanning countless generations, so the most memorable character endings usually involve death. However, because The Rise of Skywalker is currently the end of Finn’s story, he is a notable exception to this pattern. It’s no secret that much of Finn’s potential was wasted in the sequel trilogy, especially toward the end. The first movie set up a brilliant character arc for Finn and kept him on mostly equal footing with Rey, only for the second film to abandon the idea that he could be Force-sensitive and give him a repetitive, underwhelming storyline.

The final film was the worst offender, making Finn feel more like a supporting character until closer to the end. However, Finn’s overall character development throughout the trilogy is still incredible, going from a deserting stormtrooper with no desire to get involved to a Resistance general protecting his new family. The final scene with Finn embracing Rey and Poe is a beautiful moment, conveying his relief at not having lost the friends he never could have imagined he would gain. The road to that moment may have been bumpy, but it’s a satisfying ending nonetheless.

6 Luke Skywalker

Least satisfying

The conclusion of Luke Skywalker’s hero’s journey in the original Star Wars trilogy may be one of the greatest character endings of all time, but the same can not be said for his treatment in the sequel trilogy. Return of the Jedi ends with Luke becoming a true Jedi, ready to embrace a future of hope for the Order as he celebrates with friends. The Force Awakens immediately undercuts this by revealing that Luke’s New Jedi Order was already destroyed between films and that he walked away from everything instead of helping his family when they needed him most.

The Last Jedi doubles down on this by making Luke feel like a completely different character, with only a few flashbacks and bits of exposition to explain this change. The ending gives him one last heroic stand and a powerful scene where he becomes one with the Force, but this doesn’t feel entirely appropriate after both movies stressed how important he was. His death means he has little to do in The Rise of Skywalker, and like Kylo Ren’s parallels to Darth Vader, Luke’s role mostly feels like a hollow repetition of Obi-Wan Kenobi’s scene in Return of the Jedi.

Luke Skywalker’s story was very different in the
Star Wars
Legends timeline, where he successfully rebuilt the Jedi Order and even started a family.

5 Kanan Jarrus

Most satisfying

Few deaths in the Star Wars franchise feel as heartbreaking as Kanan Jarrus’ in the final season of Star Wars Rebels, yet few are as powerful an ending for their respective characters. Viewers spent four seasons connecting to Kanan and seeing him grow as a Jedi by mentoring Ezra Bridger as his Padawan. Every member of the Ghost crew loved Kanan and connected with him differently, giving each one a reason to be devastated by his death. This makes it appropriate that Kanan died saving his friends and the woman he loved, Hera Syndulla, from a terrible explosion.

Kanan’s death is more impactful because he saw through the Force that it would happen but prioritized his friends and the Rebellion over his own life. He begins the series haunted by the death of his master after she saved him and told him to run, so having him die by protecting his own student brings his story full circle. While many Star Wars stories allow Jedi to see their masters as Force ghosts, Rebels affirms a few episodes that Kanan’s spirit has moved on, making his ending one of the most emotional in the entire Star Wars saga.

4 Jacen Solo/Darth Caedus (Legends)

Least satisfying

Almost 10 years before the Star Wars sequel trilogy introduced Kylo Ren, the Legends timeline had another Solo child fall to the dark side. Jacen Solo turned his back on the Jedi in the Star Wars: Legacy of the Force series and became a brutal Sith Lord called Darth Caedus, committing horrible atrocities and betraying his family. He became a tyrannical military leader, attempted to turn Ben Skywalker to the dark side, and even killed his aunt, Mara Jade Skywalker. This was especially heartbreaking for readers who spent nearly 15 years following Jacen’s life story through several books and comics.

While the story itself had potential, the execution was a bit messy at times, and the ending was disappointing. Ben Solo fully returned to the light and had a chance to redeem himself before his death, but Jacen did not have the same opportunity, leading to him being slain by his own sister. Jacen’s family believed he returned to the light in his last moments, but even Darth Vader had more redemption than he did. Subsequent Star Wars stories doubled down on Jacen’s fall by having his spirit try to justify his actions, making his unsatisfying demise even worse.

3 Obi-Wan “Ben” Kenobi

Most satisfying

Obi-Wan Kenobi was one of the first major Star Wars characters to die, and his ending is still one of the franchise’s most satisfying after almost 50 years. Although his death at Darth Vader’s hands is portrayed as tragic, especially for Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan meets his end with a smile and complete confidence that he will become one with the Force. He knows that Luke has taken his first steps on the Jedi path and that Vader’s actions will show Luke his true colors and make it harder for the Sith Lord to turn his son to the dark side.

It’s inspirational to see a character who lost so much in his life and lived in exile for decades not succumb to despair, choosing to die with purpose rather than feel sad in his last moments. On the other hand, it still manages to be a devastating scene, with Vader finally killing his former master and causing Luke to kill out of anger for the first time. Thankfully, George Lucas introduced the concept of Force ghosts soon after, allowing Obi-Wan to continue playing a role in the trilogy and see Luke help save the galaxy and restore the Jedi Order.

2 Emperor Palpatine/Darth Sidious

Least satisfying

Palpatine is the ultimate embodiment of the dark side in Star Wars, making his death in Return of the Jedi satisfying after all the suffering he inflicted on others. Sadly, The Rise of Skywalker made the mistake of resurrecting Palpatine at the last minute and not bothering to explain how he survived. As is a pattern for many characters in the sequel trilogy, Palpatine’s death at Rey’s hands is a mashup of his duel with Mace Windu in Revenge of the Sith and the throne room scene in Return of the Jedi, making the manner of his death more illogical.

Despite Mace Windu redirecting his lighting and scarring him for life, Palpatine seems to think that the same trick will work on Rey and somehow can’t stop when he realizes it won’t. It’s also not clear why the audience should believe Palpatine is dead when he already came back once and said that he wanted Rey to kill him so his spirit could pass into her. If the filmmakers wanted to bring back Palpatine, they should have found a new way to use the character. As it stands, Palpatine’s ending is easily one of the least satisfying in Star Wars.

Palpatine also returned after
Return of the Jedi
in the
Star Wars
Legends timeline.

1 Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader

Most satisfying

The story of Anakin Skywalker is a tragedy, but despite his equally tragic death, his redemption results in the Star Wars saga’s most satisfying character ending. Anakin begins his story as a good man haunted by his past and overwhelmed by his power, and his growing selfishness causes him to betray the Jedi and embrace the dark side. However, his choice to save his son and sacrifice himself shows that no matter how far a person has fallen, it’s never too late to turn back and do the right thing.

It’s a bold message to convey through a man as evil as Darth Vader, so Return of the Jedi balances this out by affirming the consequences of Anakin’s life. He dies having cast off the dark side, but it offers him and Luke a glimpse of the life they both could have had but never will. Anakin’s funeral is simultaneously heartbreaking and beautiful, perfectly embodying the contradictory nature of his story. It’s a conclusion that continues to stick with audiences, and future Star Wars stories can always look back to it as inspiration for creating a satisfying character ending.