8 of the best original Star Wars characters ranked from weakest to strongest

1. Emperor Palpatine

Palpy, the grandmaster of galactic shenanigans, sits pretty in first place. Imagine living in a galaxy far, far away, filled with lightsaber-wielding Jedi, scruffy-looking smugglers, and rebellious princesses. Who's the puppet master pulling all the strings? Good ol' Palpy. This guy's like the ultimate chess player in a universe where everyone else is playing space checkers. He's not just a bad guy; he's THE bad guy. He's got this sinister cackle, a face like a crumpled paper bag, and a wardrobe that screams "I didn't come here to make friends." But it's not just about the looks or the laugh - it's his brain and the sheer malice that land him in the number one spot.

Palpatine's as sly as a space fox. He starts as this unassuming senator and plays the long game like nobody's business. One day, he's shaking hands in the Galactic Senate; the next, he's declaring himself Emperor of the galaxy. He's the dude behind the clone army, the fall of the Jedi, and even convinces the galaxy's biggest hero, Anakin Skywalker, to join the dark side. That's like convincing your cat to take a bath – seemingly impossible, but he does it. In the world of Star Wars, where lightsabers and Force lightning are what make you stand out, Palpatine is the one pulling the strings, making him the undisputed champ of the original trilogy.

Regardless of how you personally rank these iconic characters, one thing will never change: they've made themselves part of our pop culture forever.