5 Most Heartbreaking Deaths From The ‘Star Wars’ Franchise

Star Wars had a lot of very heartbreaking deaths, as with any major story universe. While there are multiple deaths in Star Wars that could make it to the top of the list, there are five in particular that have hurt fans to their very core.

Possible SPOILERS for all the Star Wars films and The Clone Wars series.

5. Han Solo

This one probably hurt the fans that grew up with the original trilogy the most. Han Solo quickly became a favorite character in A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back. He was a smooth talking and very handsome space pirate. Apparently, the production team for The Empire Strikes Back seriously toyed with the idea of Han Solo dying in carbonite at the end of the movie. However, he became such a beloved character, that they decided not to kill him off, that is, until we got to The Force Awakens when Han Solo’s own son, Kylo Ren, decided that he had to kill his father to truly ascend to the Dark Side.

In The Force Awakens, we were introduced to a much older Han Solo who was estranged from his wife, Leia Organa. After reuniting with her, he realized that perhaps he should have done more to help their son, and wanted to make things right between his son and Leia. Han volunteered for a mission on Starkiller Base where he found his son, and persuaded him to come home. Kylo Ren, on the other hand, had other plans, and ended up stabbing Han in the gut with his lightsaber. Han’s last moments wee of him looking into his son’s eyes with forgiveness and love. It truly was a tearjerker of a death, especially for fans who love Han Solo.

4. Qui-Gon Jinn

In many of the stories that have ever been written, it is a common trope to kill off the character who is there to mentor the main character(s) so that the main character(s) can grow on their own. Star Wars did just that with Qui-Gon Jinn’s death in The Phantom Menace. Qui-Gon Jinn was Obi-Wan Kenobi’s Jedi Master who ended up finding a way to free Anakin Skywalker on Tatooine. Qui-Gon wanted to train Anakin to be a Jedi , but the Jedi Council did not want him to. Qui-Gon told Anakin he would be one anyway.

While on Naboo, Darth Maul encountered Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan and an epic battle ensued. While Obi-Wan was stopped by a force field, Darth Maul got the upper hand and stabbed Qui-Gon with his lightsaber. Obi-Wan was released from the force field after this and exacted revenge by slicing Darth Maul in half. While Qui-Gon was dying, he made Obi-Wan promise to teach Anakin the ways of the Force. He said that he believed that Anakin was the one to bring balance to the Force. His death truly was a loss, not only for the Jedi Order, but for the fans as well.

3. Satine Kryze

Jedi were not supposed to fall in love for get married. During The Clone Wars series, Obi-Wan Kenobi met Satine Kryze and could not help but fall in love. Unlike Anakin Skywalker who went and married Padme Amidala, Obi-Wan and Satine never took their relationship any further. Satine Kryze was a Duchess of Mandalore and a leader of the New Mandalorians during the Clone Wars. Satine and Obi-Wan first met when they were both very young. Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon Jinn had been sent to help protect her as she tried to end the civil war and take over as leader of Mandalore.

Obi-Wan and Satine saw each other several times during the Clone Wars. When Darth Maul seized Mandalore, he imprisoned Satine and a battle ensued between Maul’s Shadow Collective army and Vizsla and his Death Watch soldiers. Obi-Wan came to rescue Satine from her prison, but Darth Maul got there at the same time and murdered Satine in front of Obi-Wan in an act of revenge. As Satine died in Obi-Wan’s arms, she told him that she loved him. It was truly one of the most moving deaths of the entire Clone Wars series, and one that tugged at our heartstrings.

2. Order 66

Okay, this one was not just one death, but it was definitely one of the saddest parts in all of the Star Wars universe. The entirety Revenge of the Sith was one large heartrending tale of one of the most complex and beloved characters turning to the Dark Side. Then Chancellor Palpatine (Darth Sidious) had been whispering into Anakin’s ear for years, coaching and tempting him to join the Dark Side. Blinded by his fear of losing people, particularly after losing his mother (another very sad death), Anakin decided that Palpatine and the Dark Side had the answers he was looking for to save Padme and anyone else he loved.

Unfortunately, Palpatine knew that the only way that he and his new apprentice Anakin could take over the galaxy was by getting rid of all the Jedi. So, he masterminded Order 66. Order 66 activated an inhibitor chip in all the clone soldiers’ brains, ordering them to kill every single Jedi. Once Anakin had fully turned to the Dark Side, Palpatine activated the chip with his famous line, “Execute Order 66.” All the Jedi who had fought side by side with the clone soldiers against the Separatists t throughout the galaxy, suddenly found themselves gunned down by their allies and friends. Most of the Jedi did not make it out alive. The scenes in the movie where it cut back and forth to some of our favorite Jedi being mowed down by the clones was just heartbreaking. Not to mention that Order 66, with its goal being complete annihilation of all Jedi, also involved Anakin going to the Jedi temple to kill all the Jedi, including the younglings. It was just one of the most, if not the most, gut-wrenching and tragic turn of events in the Star Wars universe.

1. Darth Vader

Darth Vader was one of the most beloved characters, even before the prequels came out with Anakin’s backstory. Darth Vader first entered the scene as the classic villain chasing the good guys across the universe. In The Empire Strikes Back, we found out so much more about this character in the iconic black mask. He was Luke Skywalker’s father. By Return of the Jedi, it appeared that Darth Vader was not completely on the side of evil. Luke saw this as an opportunity to turn his father back to the Light Side. It did not go quite as planned, however. While Emperor Palpatine was torturing Luke, who had refused to turn to the Dark Side, Darth Vader made the ultimate choice to save his son. He picked up Palpatine and threw him down the reactor shaft, getting badly injured in the process.

After Luke helped him to a ship to get off the falling apart Death Star, Vader stopped Luke and instructed him to take off his helmet. They shared a touching father and son moment that was so bittersweet and really showed how the power of love could destroy evil. It was a feel good moment, yet also very sad. After seeing all the prequels, we realized Anakin's potential, and how very far down the wrong path he had come. Despite it being a death of someone who was technically a villain, it sure did not feel like one.

Written By Elizabeth Dresdow

Source(s): Screen Rant, Wookieepedia

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