Our 10 Favorite Characters From Star Wars: The Force Awakens

After more than three years of waiting, Star Wars: The Force Awakens is finally here. Since being released in theatres, everyone is talking about this return to a Galaxy Far, Far Away and what's next for the franchise. Before we get too wrapped up in the future though, it's important to focus on the amazing work J.J. Abrams did with Star Wars: The Force Awakens. That obviously includes the new characters he introduced to this world and the very different versions of the original ones who made their return here. However, of all the new and familiar faces who made their presence felt in this movie, which ones were the best? Here, you'll find a definitive ranking of the ten best Star Wars: The Force Awakens characters, with an in-depth look at what makes them great as well as a little speculation about what's in store for them down the line. Star Wars is back at last, folks, and it's brought a very cool collection of new heroes and villains to the table. 10) General Leia Not only was Carrie Fisher's Princess Leia a sex symbol of sorts after the release of the original Star Wars movies (particularly Return of the Jedi, for obvious reasons), but she also quickly became one of the franchise's most beloved characters, especially after moments like her standing up to Darth Vader and blasting through the forests of Endor on an Imperial Speeder. Star Wars: The Force Awakens puts her in a very different role, by making Princess Leia a General and having her serve as the leader of the Resistance. Thankfully, it works perfectly and feels like a natural role for her to have moved into following the events of the original trilogy. Her scenes in The Force Awakens are all excellent, but it's the time she spends with Han and their chemistry which is a definite highlight. 9) Captain Phasma Many fans were disappointed that Captain Phasma plays such a small role in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but the movie works well as an introduction for the character, especially as we know thanks to Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy that she'll return in Star Wars Episode VIII. While Gwendoline Christie may have only a few scenes as Phasma, what we see here is very enjoyable and she's certainly an extremely menacing character throughout (the way she appears and chastizes Finn for removing his helmet is surprisingly disconcerting and scary). Having now seen the movie, it's easy to picture Phasma becoming the Boba Fett of this new trilogy, though it would definitely be nice to see her get more screen time to make her presence felt in a bigger way come 2017. 8) Maz Kanata There's a scene in one of the early Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailers of Maz Kanata handing Luke's old lightsaber over to Leia, so it's hard to escape the feeling that a big chunk of her role in the movie has been scrapped. Regardless, what we do see of this unique new alien (played by Lupita Nyong'o) is still intriguing and she's hopefully someone we'll see a lot more of down the line. After all, she does have a history with Han Solo and Chewbacca, so the former character's upcoming spinoff is one possibility where she could show up, while it wouldn't be too surprising to see Maz pop up again in Episode VIII. Regardless, her being the one to set Rey on the path to becoming a Jedi was a smart way to handle that subplot, and she definitely connected with audiences by being the one to who has possession of Luke's lightsaber. 7) General Hux Domhnall Gleeson delivered an incredible performance in Ex Machina earlier this year, but showed a very different side of himself in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. When he's delivering that speech to The First Order before destroying the planet the Republic calls home, he really shines and comes across as mad, terrifying and oddly inspiring (if you're, you know, evil). On the other hand, he's just as good when he dials back his performances, too - the tension between him and Kylo Ren is fascinating - and the character himself is one that it should be fun to watch evolve as this trilogy continues. After all, we've grown so used to Imperials in General Hux's position being killed off after a single movie that it's kind of surprising that he'll be back in Episode VIII, but we're definitely glad that he will be. 6) Poe Dameron With Luke Skywalker unlikely to pilot an X-Wing again, Star Wars: The Force Awakens needed a new ace pilot, and Poe Dameron fits the bill perfectly. As the leader of that squadron of X-Wings, he makes a big impact in the movie and plays a massive role in the destruction of the Starkiller base when he flies into the damn thing to blow it up from the inside. Throw in the fact that he expertly piloted a stolen TIE Fighter, saved Han, Finn and Chewie from The First Order, and has a sidekick as awesome as BB-8, and he really does make a huge impact. It's clear going into Episode VIII that he'll still be fighting alongside the Resistance, though I'd like to see a little more of him teaming up with Finn and Rey, as Oscar Isaac and John Boyega shared a lot of great chemistry. 5) BB-8 Fans have been fascinated by BB-8 since the first teaser trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and while merchandise featuring the droid's likeness started selling out incredibly fast, there was always a chance that she could end up being this movie's Jar Jar Binks (even if it is pretty hard to imagine another character being damn as annoying). Thankfully, that didn't end up being the case, and as well as being one of the funniest characters in the movie, BB-8 is also every bit as loveable as expected. Surprisingly emotive and featuring a ton of personality, she puts even R2-D2 to shame. It's going to be fascinating to see what's next for her in Episode VIII (especially as she remained alongside Poe Dameron at the end of the movie rather than taking off with Rey). 4) Han Solo Seeing as Han Solo makes the ultimate sacrifice in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, I almost feel a little guilty not ranking him higher than this. From the second he appears, Harrison Ford effortlessly steps back into the role, and while he may be older, make no mistake about it; this is the same Han we all knew and loved in the original trilogy. However, he's also haunted by what's happened to his son, something which is easy to see in the scenes he shares with both Leia and Ben. 3) Finn Anyone who's seen Attack the Block knew to expect a great performance from John Boyega in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and he didn't let fans down. The actor takes Finn on one hell of a journey in this movie, as we witness him go from conflicted member of The First Order to a hero who will throw himself into harms way and do whatever it takes to save Rey. While it's perhaps a shame that he doesn't appear to be on the path to becoming a Jedi, there are still a lot of interesting places this new trilogy can take Finn, and it seems for now that he and Rey will be on very different paths. Still, the next movie exploring his bromance with Poe Dameron will be very entertaining, as the chemistry they share is a lot of fun to watch and definitely a highlight in The Force Awakens. 2) Rey As overjoyed as I am that this new Star Wars trilogy has a female lead, it's important not to overlook the fact that Rey is much more than a cardboard cut out female version of a male hero thrown into the movie just so Lucasfilm can boast about diversity. It's clear from the moment the terrific Daisy Ridley appears on screen that a lot of thought has gone into making Rey a role model and someone that fans can root for as they did with Luke Skywalker so many years ago, and her journey in Star Wars: The Force Awakens is extremely compelling. The second it becomes clear that Rey is the Jedi in this story, dozen of doors are kicked open for new and exciting storytelling possibilities. She's definitely a stand out in this incredible first instalment, and out of almost every other character in this new trilogy, we're most excited to see where she ends up going. 1) Kylo Ren As much as I now despise Kylo Ren, there's no denying the fact that he's a fascinating and emotionally complex character and one I would certainly like to spend a lot more time with moving forward. While he may have now turned his back on the Light for good, you could tell that he really was being torn apart before making the decision to murder his father. Ben Solo may be devoted to following in Darth Vader's footsteps, but he's far from a ripoff of that villain, something which is evident from the fact that he essentially throws temper tantrums. Despite that childishness, Kylo is well in touch with the Force and displays some frightening abilities, and with Supreme Leader Snoke set to complete his training, his journey to the Dark Side has only just begun.