To Celebrate The Arrival of 'Skeleton Crew', Let's Look at 5 Lovable Scoundrels of the 'Star Wars Universe

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew is about to drop on Disney Plus. Set around the same time period as The Mandalorian, the series follows a group of children who accidentally become lost in space, and unfortunately end up on the radar of a crew of vicious Space Pirates. The children eventually team up with a mysterious Force-user, Jod Na Nawood, played by Jude Law, who agrees to help them find their way home.

From the little we've seen so far, it seems Nawood will be a charming, lovable rogue/scoundrel, a character type that it is relatively common in the Star Wars universe.

1. Han Solo

The original lovable scoundrel of the Star Wars universe, Han Solo is still the most widely known and loved. Constantly accompanied by his Wookie sidekick, Chewbacca, Han Solo is introduced as a smuggler, hired by Obi-Wan Kenobi to transport himself and Luke Skywalker to Alderaan on his beloved ship, The Millenium Falcon. The plan soon goes awry, with Solo drawn deeper into the situation than he intended.

Initially planning to leave after the rescue of Princess Leia, Han ultimately opts to return and aid Luke in the final pattle of Episode IV: A New Hope. He eventually falls in love with Leia, becoming one of the greatest heroes of the Rebel Alliance.

2. Lando Calrissian

Lando Calrissian was introduced in The Empire Strikes Back, the second film 0f the Original Trilogy. A fellow smuggler and close friend of Han Solo, the rebels seek refuge with Lando in his home, Cloud City. Lando betrays the group to the Empire to protect Cloud City, but redeems himself in Return of the Jedi by helping Luke and Leia rescue Han from Jabba the hut.

Thereafter, he appears as a member of the rebel alliance. In the sequels, Lando appears to be a sleeper agent for the Resistance. He also appears in the final battle, taking the helm of the Millenium Falcon.

Later pre-OT content, such as Star Wars: Rebels, expands on Lando's time as a smuggler, while in Solo: A Star Wars Story, he is confirmed as the original owner of the Millenium Falcon.

3. Hondo Ohnaka

Voiced by the legendary voice actor Jim Cummings, Hondo Ohnaka first appeared as a recurring character in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. A Space Pirate Captain/occasional bounty hunter, Hondo would alternately appear as either an enemy or an ally of the Jedi, depending on which side would benefit him more at the time, and had no qualms causing fatal harm if need be.

However, late in the series, he befriends a Jedi Youngling, Katooni, who appears to have a significant effect on him. In some expanded universe content Hondo even has a ship named for her (this is a bittersweet realisation for many fans, considering that Katooni was most likely killed during Order 66).

Hondo has a more prominent recurring role in Star Wars: Rebels. Alone after the dissolution of his crew, Hondo has mellowed significantly by this series, still mostly self-serving, but more genuinely friendly and affable, particularly in his relationship with the Jedi Padawan Ezra Bridger. While you can never truly trust Hondo, you can't help but love him.

An animatronic Hondo greets arrivals to Black Spire Outpost in the Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge theme park, as he is involved in the frame story of the 'Smuggler's Run' ride, having 'Borrowed' the Millenium Falcon. With Skeleton Crew's pirate elements, and a suitable live action model already existing in Disney Parks, some fans hope the series will include Hondo Ohnaka's live-action debut.

4. Ezra Bridger

Ezra Bridger is introduced in the beginning of Star Wars: Rebels. A wily but charming orphan surviving through theft on the streets of Lothal, Ezra crosses paths with the Rebel crew of The Ghost when his own potential score is one of their targets, sorely needed to trade for supplies and credits. Reluctant at first due to Ezra's sneaky, mischievous nature, the rebel Kanan Jarrus (secretly a surviving Jedi Padawan by the name of Caleb Dume) takes him on as a Padawan Learner when it becomes apparent that Ezra is strong in the Force.

Over the course of the series, Ezra grows from a cheeky troublemaker into a valuable asset to the rebellion. He also becomes a true Jedi, sacrificing his own safety to protect his friends and the people of Lothal, though his path to this is not an easy one, having been tempted by the Dark Side various times along the way.

Ezra made his live-action debut in the Ahsoka series, played by Eman Esfandi, as Ahsoka Tano and Sabine Wren venture to a whole new galaxy, Peridea, to find and bring him home. While he has definitely matured, he never entirely loses that mischievous streak.

5. Phee Genoa

Phee Genoa, voiced by Wanda Sykes, is introduced in season two of Star Wars: The Bad Batch, as an associate of Cid's who wishes to recruit Clone Force 99 for a mission. Phee is a pirate, but prefers to think of herself as a 'Liberator of Ancient Wonders'. The youngest Bad Batcher, Omega, regularly reminds other characters of this, quickly coming to idolise Phee.

Some fans were initially reluctant to trust Phee given her association with Cid, who did in fact betray the Batch. However, Phee had already proven herself to be different to other Star Wars pirates (ie, Hondo), by being willing to return a treasure that proved dangerous when removed. Phee becomes one of the Bad Batch's closest allies, guiding them to a safe haven on her homeworld of Pabu, and even seeming on the verge of a romantic relationship with Tech before his tragic death.

In the show's third and final season, Phee is shown using her underground/piracy contacts to try and find information on M-counts, as the Batch believe Omega's is the reason the Empire is so desperate to retrieve her.

Time will tell how Jod Na Nawood will rank among the lovable rogues of Star Wars.