8. Chancellor Palpatine

This may seem like a rather odd choice, but please hear me out. I do not love this character; he is practically the embodiment of evil, and I despise him and all the wicked deeds he commits. However, from the moment I first saw him in "The Phantom Menace," Palpatine (aka the Emperor/Darth Sidious) fascinated me. His plot to rule the galaxy is brilliantly planned (and for the most part, well executed), if not atrocious.

He appears to be sided with the good guys (the characters in league with the Galactic Republic), while also secretly supporting the villains who attack the Republic. Basically, he pits everyone against each other in the hopes of bringing himself to power in the midst of all the chaos. For many years no one catches on to his game. He is (apparently) on everyone's side, but ultimately on no one's side but his own. He is a villainous mastermind, and he greatly intrigues me.

7. Jar-Jar Binks

Okay, this one may seem downright laughable. Many people berate this character and partially blame him for the supposed "failure" that the prequel movies are. Although I always heard nothing but derogatory things about Jar-Jar, I loved him right from the beginning. Sure, he is clumsy and can be annoying. But if I'm being honest, I connected with him more than almost any other prequel character (go ahead and laugh).

6. Shmi Skywalker

Although not a major character in the overall scheme of things, this strong, kind woman nevertheless brings a powerful presence to the story. She endures great suffering throughout her life, from living as a poor slave, to watching her little boy leave for many years to be trained by a Jedi. Nevertheless, she never loses her patience, kindness, and wisdom. Even at the end (*minor spoiler*), when she lies dying in the camp of marauders, she shows no concern for her own fate, instead expressing her love for her son and her joy that she gets to see him one last time. Her patient, yet sad demeanor never fails to touch me, and her behavior (despite her circumstances) is greatly admirable.

5. Vice Admiral Holdo

Amilyn Holdo is a character who is often criticized for her seemingly poor decisions and abilities as a leader. However, the more times I watched "The Last Jedi," the more I liked her. She certainly possesses her faults (mainly, her poor communication with the people who look to her for guidance), but the core of her character is best summed up in the words of Leia Organa: "She was more interested in protecting the light than she was seeming like a hero."

4. General Leia Organa

Although I am not a huge fan of Princess Leia's character in the original trilogy, I absolutely love her in "The Force Awakens" and "The Last Jedi." This is a woman who, like her grandmother (Shmi Skywalker), has endured unimaginable loss – arguably more than anyone else in the entire Skywalker saga. She has lost her biological parents, adoptive parents, brother, husband, and her home planet…and as if that's not enough, she's lost her son to the Dark Side. Nevertheless, she remains fiercely loyal to bringing peace, freedom, and justice to the galaxy, despite facing formidable foes.

3. Rey

Rey is everything I usually don't like in a character: she is almost indefatigably cheerful and optimistic, and she is apparently good at everything she tries – even triumphing in her first lightsaber battle against the formidable Kylo Ren. I tend to love the dark, depressing, broken characters…but for some reason, I have always loved Rey.

Perhaps I love her most because she smiles even when she has no reason to. Abandoned by her parents at a young age, she raised herself and made a meager living off of scavenging in the desert. Yet for all of the cruelty and injustice she has endured, she is not hardened. She is strong and able to take care of herself, yes, but not in a way that makes her shun other people. She possesses such a kind and giving heart, and her sweet smile and enthusiasm are infectious to almost everyone she meets – even the big, bad villain of the story. As other people have commented on Tumblr, Rey possesses a typical villain's backstory, but she refuses to be defined by her circumstances. Instead, she chooses to be a good person, regardless of how much she's suffered.

2. Anakin Skywalker

Ahh, Anakin. Perhaps the most tragic "Star Wars" character of them all. I still can't get over the heartbreak of watching "The Phantom Menace" for the first time and realizing that this adorable, kind-hearted, sweetheart of a boy would grow up to be the menacing Sith Lord, Darth Vader. Though many people criticize Hayden Christensen's portrayal of Anakin in the prequel trilogy, I absolutely love the depth and backstory of this compelling character.

Anakin is far from perfect, but he humanizes the character of Darth Vader and creates sympathy in the audience, helping us see what drove such a good person to the Dark Side. He brings incredible suffering upon himself and those he loves, yet we can see how his motive for choosing evil springs from his deep love for his wife. As an emotionally volatile and deeply conflicted person, Anakin transitions from heroic protagonist to deadly villain over the course of three movies. Such a tragedy…and yet for all who have watched the original trilogy, we know that the spark of light in him is never fully extinguished.

1. Kylo Ren/Ben Solo

I love to say that Kylo Ren is everything Anakin Skywalker should have been, particularly in terms of how well each actor did playing his respective character. The truth is, as much as I love the character of Anakin, the portrayal of his character in the prequels did fall a bit short. In my opinion, the concept was on point, but the execution was not.

That being said, for the purposes of this list, I'm only judging on content of character, not acting ability. Even with acting talent (or lack of it) aside, I still prefer the character of Kylo Ren. Particularly with this character's journey in "The Last Jedi," I have developed a depth of empathy for a villain that I've never felt before. Kylo is indeed evil, but he experiences so much conflict, and he clearly reveals that there is still good in him – something we rarely glimpsed in Darth Vader. Even when he (*spoiler alert*) murders his own father, he shows such guilt and despair over his actions that I feel sorry for him, even though what he does is terrible.

Furthermore, understanding his backstory (even though it isn't shown onscreen) helps us realize that Kylo truly is a sad, broken boy. Even though nothing can excuse his actions, his life has been difficult, and we can pity him to a certain extent. He still must decide to choose good, but he has already shown that he is taking steps in that direction – making him more of an antihero than a villain, a unique take on the bad guy in a "Star Wars" movie.