One of the key facets of the Star Wars franchise is its penchant for redemption arcs. Whether characters began their onscreen roles as mechanics or outright villains, Star Wars writers have found a way to make us cheer for these characters. We want them to claw their way out of darkness because the franchise believes that there is always good in them. From Han Solo (Harrison Ford),the mercenary who changes his mind to join the rebellion in Star Wars: A New Hope to the bounty hunter Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal)going against his code to a save a young life in The Mandalorian, redemption in the franchise wears many faces.
With the return of Hayden Christensen in the Disney+ spin-off Obi-Wan Kenobi, we take a look at some of the best redemption arcs in on-screen Star Wars properties.
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Cassian Andor in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
The first time we see Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) he kills a helpless man who is obstructing his escape. The act is horrifying, but the obvious toll it takes on Cassian is a sign of his morality. In Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,Cassian is an intelligence officer with the Rebel Alliance—his job is dangerous, but his orders are often worse.
During the film, Cassian is ordered to kill the creator of the Death Star, Galen Erso(Mads Mikkelsen), which doesn’t sit well with him, especially after he sees how hopeful Jyn (Felicity Jones) is about being reunited with her father. This is a man who’s literally known nothing but imperial occupation and the fight against it. Yes, Cassian can be harsh, but he’s also understanding, as is obvious when he helps a delirious Bodhi Rook (Riz Ahmed). The film makes sure that Cassian isn’t painted as a cold-blooded killer. Instead of following orders, Cassian chooses to spare Galen’s life so that Jyn and her father can reunite—as he says, ‘rebellions are built on hope’, and Cassian gave Jyn that hope. Despite his shady introduction, Cassian followed his heart and was a better character because of it.
Lando Calrissian in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
We hear a lot about Lando Calrissian(Billy Dee Williams) before we see him. The untrustworthy scoundrel that Han deliberates over meeting is disarmingly charming when he first appears in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, but that façade soon falls away when it turns out that Lando has made a deal with Darth Vader (David Prowse/James Earl Jones). Admittedly, the deal with Vader was an impossible choice for Lando—he had worked hard to become a legitimate businessman and was only trying to protect Cloud City from the Empire, but unfortunately, that meant he had to throw Han and the heroes to the wolves.
And yet Lando more than made up for his actions by successfully rescuing Han, becoming a General in the Rebel Alliance, and later in the sequel trilogy, working with Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) to try and stop the First Order. Lando’s redemption is especially important in Star Wars since Billy Dee Williams was the first visible Black actor in the franchise, and him being cast as a villain would have been a stereotypical and regressive move, even in the 1980s.
Galen Erso in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
He's the man who created the Death Star, and yet Galen Erso’s death in Rogue Oneis one of the more tragic ones in the franchise. He’s not really a villain—Galen is captured by the vindictive Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn) who insists Galen work on the project. To protect his young daughter, the only living family Galen has left, he agrees to join Krennic.
Though much of Galen’s actions take place off-screen, the viewer is aware of the efforts he makes to ensure the Empire doesn’t win. Despite the danger to himself, Galen sabotages the Death Star and convinces Imperial pilot Bodhi Rook to defect and deliver the message about the Death Star’s weakness to the Rebel Alliance. The fact that Galen, despite being trapped by Krennic and the Imperials, continues to do good, and even becomes a mentor to Bodhi Rook, is a testament to his decency. Countless lives, and all of Alderaan, were lost, but Galen still comes through for the Rebellion, and most importantly, he dies knowing that he’s redeemed himself in the eyes of his daughter Jyn.
Alexsandr Kallus in Star Wars Rebels
Agent Alexsandr Kallus (voiced by David Oyelowo) is the absolute worst. A member of the Imperial Security Bureau, he had drunk all the kool-aid and firmly believed the Empire was the catalyst for restoring order in the galaxy. For the majority of the first two seasons of Star Wars Rebels, Kallus proudly participated in the Empire’s worst actions—including genocide—and was the bane of the Ghost team’s existence. He pursued them relentlessly, despite multiple failures. But people change.
During one of Kallus’ senseless chases, he becomes trapped in a cave with Ghost team member Garazeb “Zeb” Orrelios (voiced by Steve Blum). The two form a surprising bond, and Zeb spares Kallus’ life. Soon after, Kallus becomes a secret rebel spy, helping the Alliance and especially the Ghost team. And Kallus didn’t hide in the shadows for long—he joined the rebels on the ground and fought side-by-side with them. He stopped betraying the person he was and finally stood for what he believed in. Kallus has, probably, the best redemption arc in all of Star Wars. Over four seasons, he believably transformed from being a deplorable imperial officer to a rebel spy, to Zeb’s adoptive brother.
Tamara Ryvora in Star Wars Resistance
Team Fireball on Star Wars Resistance is composed mostly of young mechanics, including Tamara “Tam” Ryvora (voiced by Suzie McGrath). She’s an expert in her field, so it’s no wonder she feels sidelined when her boss and mentor Jarek Yeager (Scott Lawrence) spends all his time forgiving the errors made by the new guy, Kazuda Xiono (Christopher Sean). Tam doesn’t know that Kaz is a secret Resistance spy and Yeager is helping him—so it’s no wonder that she leaves her team for greener pastures. Unfortunately, her new opportunity is with the First Order.
Tam is seduced by the allure of recognition and protection by the First Order, and they recruit her when she’s at her lowest. The writers of Resistance made sure that Tam never directly participates in any atrocities; she almost loses favor with her superiors because she refuses to shoot down her fellow cadets in competition. In the end, Tam’s eyes are opened to the true nature of the First Order, and she rejoins Team Fireball, who never stopped believing in her. Eventually, she was the missing piece of the puzzle the team needed to save the day and their corner of the galaxy.
Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi and Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Anakin Skywalker (Christensen) is the trend-setter for Star Wars redemption arcs. As Darth Vader, he was ominous and forbidding, but George Lucas humanized the villain under the helmet in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. The subsequent prequel trilogy, and especially the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series, added depth and layers to Anakin to make his turn to the dark side that much more heart-breaking. The combination of the prequels and The Clone Wars actually added greater weight to his redemption.
Anakin was far too young and immature to be inducted into the Jedi Order, and Anakin’s fear of losing the ones he loved made him an easy pawn to be manipulated by Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) when he worked with the Senate. The tragedy is that Anakin always had good in him, but Palpatine twisted that to his own ends, transforming Anakin into a remorseless killing machine. What Anakin needed was someone to believe in him with no strings attached, and he got that in his son Luke Skywalker. Anakin saved Luke and ended Palpatine’s tyranny (for a few decades) and went out on his own terms. Anakin’s redemption is an extremely satisfying conclusion to his arc.
Kylo Ren/Ben Solo in Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) was introduced as a knock-off Darth Vader in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, with good reason—he’s Anakin’s grandson. Similar to his grandfather, Ben Solo was once seduced by the dark side and goes on to wreak havoc in the galaxy. Kylo is a petulant, vengeful man-child, especially in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. But, as the son of Han Solo and Leia Organa (the late Carrie Fisher), could he really have ended his arc without turning back to the light?
Kylo’s redemption is controversial, but much-needed, and makes for a heart-warming moment in the franchise. Kylo literally peels off the layers to become Ben Solo again, and he fights—to the death—armed with his father’s blaster and his family’s lightsabers. Kylo did a lot of terrible things, not least torturing two out of three of the sequel trilogy’s new heroes, and the deaths of countless people throughout the galaxy are on his hands. While his evil acts can hardly be forgiven, he was yet another pawn for the Sith, particularly Palpatine. Like his grandfather, Kylo, or rather Ben, went out on his own terms and honored the legacy of his family in the end.
