Coolest Star Wars Aliens
Get to know some of the coolest 'Star Wars' aliens from a galaxy far, far away without leaving your couch.
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That galaxy far, far away wouldn’t be quite as special without the coolest Star Wars aliens we all know and love. Some of these aliens make a huge difference in Star Wars canon, affecting generations after them. Others on this list are just plain awesome and we enjoy seeing them in action. From the lovable and loyal Chewbacca to the unique crowd that gathers at the Cantina and even the Sith Emperor, the coolest Star Wars aliens are an important part of the Star Wars universe. Most of these Star Wars aliens are from the seven movies but a few of the lesser known ones come from Star Wars Legends, because every alien deserves a little recognition from time to time.
Chewbacca
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Image via Deviant Art
One of the coolest Star Wars aliens is the very first that comes to mind: Chewbacca! Chewie isn’t the first aliens debuted in Episode IV: A New Hope, but he is the one we see the most. He’s a Wookiee, an 8' tall hairy biped from the forest planet Kashyyyk. Chewie is most memorable as Han Solo’s fearless companion, bodyguard, and copilot of the Millennium Falcon. He carries a crossbow blaster, he loves winning at tabletop games, and his bark is just as bad as his bite.
Chewbacca has a long and interesting history. His original debut was in 1977’s Star Wars (today known as Episode IV), and he was a loyal companion throughout the entire original trilogy. His chronological entry into the series is during the Clone Wars. He appears in the Clone Wars television series and in Episode III: Revenge of the Sith as a wartime general fighting against Count Dooku’s Separatists.
Chewbacca remained at Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, and Leia Organa’s side as the three humans were elevated to generals in the Rebel Alliance. Following the theatrical release of the digitally enhanced original trilogy in the 1990s, Chewbacca was originally killed off by the Yuuzhan Vong in the first New Jedi Order book, Vector Prime.
Darth Maul
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Image via Screen Rant
Everybody loves to hate on Episode I for a variety of reasons. (Whatever, most of you thought it was the greatest thing since color TV back in 1999 when America was under the first ‘Yay, Star Wars isn’t over yet!’ craze.) Regardless of anyone’s thoughts on Episode I’s quality as an epic film, Darth Maul is one of the all-time coolest Star Wars aliens and badass villains. Everybody who wasn’t dumber than a Bantha knew Darth Sidious was Palpatine, but the freaky horned guy with the red and black tattoos was entirely new and fresh.
Darth Maul has swift and powerful fighting moves and he wields a weapon with speed and ferocious intensity. Best of all, the fearsome Sith apprentice wields the double-bladed red lightsaber. In other words, Darth Maul has the coolest lightsaber ever… even cooler than Kylo Ren’s. Many parents when broke around Halloween time because of Darth Maul…
Darth Maul was resurrected in the fourth season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. I saw the episodes and frankly, I was highly disappointed. Instead of watching an awesome villain be ruined by Picasso-style CGI, I recommend catching one of the Star Wars Legends novels starring him. An awesome place to start is Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter, one I couldn’t put down!
Aliens at the Mos Eisley Cantina
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Image via You Tube
Some of the coolest Star Wars aliens include the motley ensemble of day-drinkers in the Mos Eisley Cantina. Everyone remembers the Bith band with their large, bulbous heads and their wind instruments, playing that song everyone knows that’s currently stuck in your head. Other Star Wars aliens in the cantina include Greedo the green-skinned Rhodian bounty hunter (whom Han most certainly shot first).
Of course, we can’t forget about Dr. Evazan, the maimed serial killer who threatened Luke Skywalker. Nor can we forget about his blue-skinned, walrus-looking companion Ponda Baba, who’s now a permanent lefty thanks to Obi-Wan’s lightsaber. The aliens from the Mos Eisley Cantina are some of the most memorable in the Star Wars galaxy, yet few people know anything about them.
As a special treat, I recommend the book Tales From the Mos Eisley Cantina, edited by Kevin J. Anderson. This book lets readers explore the Mos Eisley Cantina from the point of view of every alien in the cantina, plus the bartender and an Imperial Stormtrooper. It’s remained one of my favorites for years.
Tusken Raiders
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Image via Scientific American
Tusken Raiders, known by common folk on Tatooine as the Sand People, are among the most liked and the most disliked characters in the Star Wars universe. This makes them among the coolest Star Wars aliens. They may be portrayed as highly primitive nomadic savages, but they know how to do damage.
Movie audiences first met the Tusken Raiders in A New Hope when they ambushed Luke Skywalker and had to be scared away by Obi-Wan Kenobi. The Sand People were shown again in Episode I: The Phantom Menace taking pot shots at podracers with a sniper rifle. The most in-depth and disturbing look at the Tusken Raiders comes in Episode II: Attack of the Clones. The Sand People kidnap Anakin Skywalker’s mother and subsequently beat and torture her to the brink of death (she dies in her son’s arms). Anakin then slaughters the entire Tusken village, including the women and children.
The Sand People only appear in three movies but there’s one other in-depth appearance worth mentioning. In the first Knights of the Old Republic video game, players can explore the Tusken Raider camp near Anchorhead using TC-14 as an interpreter.
Grand Admiral Thrawn
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Image via Deviant Art
Without a doubt, Grand Admiral Thrawn is one of the coolest Star Wars aliens and one of the best villains in (and outside of) the galaxy. Thrawn originally made his debut in the Expanded Universe—what’s today called “Star Wars Legends.” His first appearance was in Timothy Zahn’s Heir to the Empire, the first book in a trilogy picking up five years after the destruction of the second Death Star over Endor as seen in Return of the Jedi.
There are several things that make Thrawn such a respectable villain. First, Mithrawnurodo (Thrawn for short) is a member of the Chiss species. Chiss are tall, blue skinned with jet-black hair, and they have glowing red eyes. Considering the Empire’s institutional prejudice against non-humans, it’s impressive that Thrawn is not only an officer in the Imperial Navy, but he’s a Grand Admiral—higher ranking than a 4-star Admiral.
Also, Thrawn is highly intellectual. He spends hours a day studying the art of various alien species so he can understand how they think. This helps him to win on the battlefield by operating in patterns that are completely foreign to the rebel scum aliens unfortunate enough to cross paths with his warship.
Originally Thrawn was confined to Star Wars Legends. His chronological order of appearances is: Outbound Flight (before Episode I: The Phantom Menace), Heir to the Empire (5 years after Return of the Jedi), Dark Force Rising, The Last Command, and the Hand of Thrawn Duology. Thrawn fought the Yuuzhan Vong over fifty years before they ravaged the galaxy in The New Jedi Order… and he won.
As of 2016, Thrawn is officially part of the new canon. His “official” debut will be in Season 3 of Star Wars: Rebels. Also in the spring of 2017 is a new Timothy Zahn novel, Thrawn, which covers the Chiss’ newly canonical rise in the Imperial ranks.
Vitiate, the Sith Emperor
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Image via Comic Vine
Vitiate shouldn’t be confused with Emperor Palpatine. The Sith Emperor actually predates Palpatine by 4,000 years. The original Sith Emperor is one of the Sith species (the “True Sith”) and responsible for a titanic string of events in Star Wars Legends. Vitiate, one of the last red-skinned Sith, is among the coolest Star Wars aliens. Those who have played Star Wars: The Old Republic or who are familiar with the Knights of the Old Republic video games and comic books know who Revan is.
The Sith Emperor is the one who originally corrupted the Jedi Revan and turned him into a Sith Lord. After defeating Darth Malak’s New Sith Empire, Revan searched for the Sith in the Unknown Regions until landing on Dromund Kaas. Vitian defeated the all-powerful Revan and kept his spirit prisoner for over 300 years. He has a reputation for killing all of his advisors if even one is rumored to be plotting against him. He doesn’t just kill his victims—he absorbs their entire life force.
Vitian appears in the Star Wars Legends novel The Old Republic: Revan and the Old Republic online video game. He’s also mentioned in the other three Old Republic novels. Vitian learned the secrets of immortality long before Darth Plagueis the Wise, and is believed to have lived for a thousand years. This is the power Anakin Skywalker sought when he turned to the Dark Side.
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