Summary
Star Warsis a franchise known for its retcons, and these 10 are the very best throughoutStar Warsmovies and TV shows. BecausetheStar Warstimelinehasn’t moved in just one order but rather has moved around in time, retcons are common in the franchise. In fact, this began even in the original trilogy, where most of the major plot twists were really retcons or decisions made after the fact.
While the term retcon may have a negative connotation, particularly as of late in the franchise, it can mean incredible character updates and storylines. In fact, many ofStar Wars’best movieshave major retcons. Of all the many retcons throughoutStar Wars, these 10 represent the best.
The 15 Best Star Wars Characters
Star Wars has a decades-long legacy, and with that comes a number of incredibly popular characters—these 15 are the very best in the whole franchise.
Omega
The clones have had an incredible journey inStar Wars, coming quite a long way from their minimal role in the prequel trilogy, which saw them as little more than soldiers.Star Wars: The Clone Warsbegan this journey, with clones becoming main characters. In fact, Captain Rex very quickly became a fan favorite. However,Star Wars: The Bad Batchtook this one step further, by focusing entirely on the clones' stories, specificallyClone Force 99.
Alongside this arc,The Bad Batchretconned the clone story to include an unaltered female clone, Omega. While some may have bristled at this addition,this retcon ended up leading to one of the most beautiful stories inStar Wars. Over time, Omega truly became the daughter of Clone Force 99, although Hunter in particular.The Bad Batchalso shocked viewers by giving these clones a very rare happy ending.Star Warsmay also see the return of Omega, as she was confirmed to be joining the Rebellion inThe Bad Batchfinale.
Asajj Ventress
In addition to introducing Omega,The Bad Batchalso briefly saw the return of Asajj Ventress, a very popularClone Warscharacter who was once Count Dooku’s assassin but then became a bounty hunter. Excitingly, it seemed Ventress had grown even more since then, as she showed up with yellow lightsabers, indicating a possible return to the light side of the Force. Further supporting this was Ventress' willingness to test Omega in the Force.
It has been confirmed that Ventress will be back in an unidentified upcomingStar Warsshow or movie.
This too was a retcon, asVentress died in the canon novelDark Discipleby Christie Golden. AlthoughThe Bad Batchdidn’t explain how Ventress came back from the dead, seeing her return toStar Warswas thrilling all the same. Moreover, it has been confirmed that Ventress will be back in an unidentified upcomingStar Warsshow or movie, proving her story isn’t over yet.
Jyn Erso
One of the plot points that hasn’t made sense from the very beginning of the franchise was why Luke Skywalker could destroy the Death Star so easily inA New Hope. Yes, he used the Force, but it also took very little effort for this incredible super weapon to be blown up. Thankfully,Rogue One: A Star Wars Storycame up with a brilliant explanation.
InRogue One, Galen Erso and Jyn Erso were introduced as an estranged father and daughter pair, with Galen having been forced to rejoin the Empire and work on the Death Star. Although Jyn had lost faith in him, Galen proved that he had never truly assimilated to the Imperial ways, ashe intentionally built a weakness into the Death Star. With Jyn’s help, Galen was able to get this information to the Rebels, ensuring that, in the end, they were able to destroy it.
Darth Maul
AlthoughStar Warsis beginning to have a bit of a problematic pattern with bringing dead characters back to life (Palpatine, Ventress, and Boba Fett, for example),the return of Darth Maul inThe Clone Warswas genuinely a good retcon. This is in part becauseStar Warsso successfully built upon his story, making it forgivable that it made little sense for Maul to have survived being cut in half and falling down a reactor shaft. Despite his spider legs, though,The Clone Warsmassively improved Maul’s story with his return.
Not only did Maul get to reveal his bitterness over being replaced so quickly by Darth Sidious, but he also ended up being a truly formidable opponent for the Jedi even outside the Sith master and apprentice dynamic. In fact, Maul even successfully took over Mandalore at one point, sadly killing Obi-Wan’s love interest, Satine Kryze, in the process. Maul’s role has continued even beyond that, with a major arc inStar Wars Rebelsand a cameo inSolo: A Star Wars Story.
Leia Organa
The decision to reveal that Luke and Leia were actually twins inReturn of the Jediwas downright shocking, particularly in light of their kiss inThe Empire Strikes Back. However, in the long run, making Luke and Leia twins paid off for generations. For one,it massively informed the prequels, which in part led to the relationship between Anakin and Padmé(although, so did the shocking twist that Vader was really Luke’s father).
In the long run, making Luke and Leia twins paid off for generations.
However, it also meant that the sequel trilogy continued the relationship between Luke and Leia. While the sequels were largely met with backlash and criticism, it was nevertheless meaningful to see Luke and Leia together again. In fact, the sequels even confirmed that, in the end, Luke and Leia really were joined in the Force, as they both appeared as Force ghosts to Rey on Tatooine.
Obi-Wan Kenobi
One of the oddest plot holes the sequel trilogy created was calling into question why Leia cared so much about Obi-Wan Kenobi, as she named her son, Ben Solo, after him (or at least his alias from when he was hiding on Tatooine during the Dark Times). In Legends, it was Luke who named his son Ben, which made considerably more sense given all Obi-Wan had done and meant for Luke. However,there seemed little reason for Leia to have chosen that name based on her minimal interactions with him in the original trilogy.
One of the oddest plot holes the sequel trilogy created was calling into question why Leia cared so much about Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Moreover, the prequels had revealed that Obi-Wan had met Leia very briefly when she was born, so it seemed the two had no other connection. However,Obi-Wan Kenobiproved that there really was so much more between them, as Obi-Wan rescued Leia (multiple times) when she was just 10 years old. This was the perfect way to address the sequel trilogy’s choice, and it meant some incredibly exciting additionalStar Warscontent focused on Luke, Leia, and Obi-Wan Kenobi.
4Inhibitor Chips Were The Reason The Clones Betrayed The Jedi
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
AfterThe Clone Warsbegan to reveal the humanity of the clones and the bond they shared with their Jedi, the horrors of Order 66 became so much more intense, particularly because it still wasn’t clear why they would betray the Jedi so viciously. However,The Clone Warsalso fully revealed the true reason, and it ameliorated some of the pain of this event.Rather than genuinely turning on the Jedi, the clones were programmed to destroy them once Order 66 was executed, and they had no ability to stop it.
While this made the story quite a bit more tragic for the clones, who were acting against their own will, it was comforting in an odd way.
While this made the story quite a bit more tragic for the clones, who were acting against their own will, it was comforting in an odd way. For a time, it seemed like the clones' sentiments about their Jedi were disingenuous—which was particularly heartbreaking given characters like Rex. This retcon, however, brought some relief, as it proved that these actions really weren’t a choice by the clones at all.
Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader
Just like Obi-Wan having additional backstory with Leia inObi-Wan Kenobi, Obi-Wan also had a brand-new encounter with Darth Vader revealed in the show. In fact, the former master and apprentice had multiple encounters, the last of which ended in an epic battle rivaling that of the one on Mustafar inStar Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. This was a similarly effective retcon becauseDarth Vader’s comment inA New Hopeseemed to refer to an event never shown on screen.
Specifically, in that movie, Darth Vader said,“When I left you, I was but the learner. Now I am the master.“This was particularly confusing followingRevenge of the Sithbecause Anakin/Vader very clearly had not left Obi-Wan; rather, Obi-Wan had left him burning on Mustafar. However,Obi-Wan Kenobifinally made sense of this, as Vader and Obi-Wan had indeed met again beforeA New Hope.
Ahsoka Tano
Viewers were shocked and not universally pleased when theStar Wars: The Clone Warsmovie revealed that Anakin had a Padawan, as that hadn’t been indicated whatsoever inStar Wars: Episode II - Attack of the ClonesorRevenge of the Sith. However,Ahsoka Tano has truly become one of the best characters inStar Wars. ThroughoutThe Clone Wars, Ahsoka helped to flesh out Anakin’s story arc and character development considerably, bridgingAttack of the ClonesandRevenge of the Sithperfectly.
Ahsoka has also continued to be critical inStar Wars, appearing inRebels,The Mandalorian,The Book of Boba Fett, andAhsoka. This has also meant that Ahsoka moved from animation to live-action, which reflects how important she has become. Her story also isn’t over, asAhsokaseason 2 is confirmed to be in the works.
Luke Skywalker
The single greatest retcon inStar Warshas been the reveal that Darth Vader was actually Luke’s father. In addition to being an epic plot twist,this also set in motion the rest of the events of the Skywalker Saga, changing the franchise forever. Because the prequels had to tell this story, Anakin and Padmé had to come together, and Vader’s fall had to be especially tragic, as it was clear that, in the end, there was still good in him.
The single greatest retcon inStar Warshas been the reveal that Darth Vader was actually Luke’s father.
Clearly, although often controversial,Star Warslargely knows what it’s doing with retcons. Presumably, they will continue to be resisted by some corners of the fanbase, asStar Warsis a franchise that many have deep nostalgia for. Nevertheless, these 10 examples of retcons inStar Warstruly are the best and reveal how impressivelyStar Warscan change a story when it needs to.
