February is Black History Month, a perfect time to honor the incredible contributions of Black actors to the galaxy far, far away. From the series' nascence with the original trilogy, representation within the Star Wars franchise has been relative to its time, undeniably. In some ways, the series has done a commendable job of evolving with the time, but there is certainly room for improvement and expansion.
From the incomparable contribution of James Earl Jones as the greatest film villain of all time to Samuel L. Jackson's fan-favorite Mace Windu years later, Black actors are vital to the legacy of Star Wars.
1 James Earl Jones (Darth Vader)
.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=1500&dpr=1.5)
Vader's mission to turn his son Luke (Mark Hamill) to the dark eventually led to him rescuing his son and killing Emperor Palpatine. He died redeemed, and became a force ghost.
James Earl Jones characterized Vader in such an iconic way. By commanding authority and power with just his voice, the fact that the character has transcended Star Wars is a real testament to his talent. Known for delivering the most iconic movie line of all time, it is practically impossible to imagine the success of the franchise without him.
2 Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian)
Lando was first seen betraying Han Solo after being left with no choice on Bespin. He would soon redeem himself by blowing up the second Death Star by the end of Return of The Jedi.
Calrissian is obviously iconic, and that is completely down to the performance from Williams. Having a great dynamic with Han Solo, his turn from a debatable villain to a hero cemented his legacy. He was even brought back in the Rise of Skywalker, but should've been given more screen time.
3 Samuel L. Jackson (Mace Windu)
Windu was perceived as one of the most powerful Jedi on the council in the prequel trilogy. He was eventually murdered by Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), which led to Order 66.
Samuel L. Jackson is so iconic, and George Lucas wanted him so badly that he accepted his request for a now-iconic purple lightsaber. Despite perhaps epitomizing the delusion of the Jedi Order, Windu was by far one of the most compelling characters of the prequels. Jackson was a screen-commanding presence throughout.
4 John Boyega (Finn)
Finn turned to the side of the Resistance after seeing through the evil ways of the First Order. His path led to a new life battling for what was good.
Sadly, Finn's potential as a character was wasted after The Force Awakens. It was such a shame, considering how incredible the set-up for Boyega's character was in that movie. He was fantastic in the role, and it was wonderful to see the Star Wars cast become more diverse. It was just a shame to see the series underuse an actor of Boyega's talent.
5 Ahmed Best (Jar-Jar Binks)
After being rescued by Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson), the Gungan joined him on his journey. Binks made further appearances throughout the rest of the prequel trilogy.
Whilst Binks was negatively received, it was heartbreaking to see the abuse that Best would face as a result. Serving as a comic relief character, Binks' influence became increasingly less after this film. Best deserves a lot of credit for this role, especially with his words in 2018 that the backlash led to him considering taking his own life.
6 Forest Whitaker (Saw Gerrera)
Seen on screen in Rogue One, Gerrera was the foster parent and mentor of Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones). He was also the leader of the Partisans.
Such an interesting character, Gerrera represented a unique aspect of the rebellion, not just in Rogue One. Whitaker was quite underused, and it was a shame to see his character's trajectory in that film. Following a great, well-received extended appearance in video game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, fans would be thrilled to see Saw appear elsewhere.
7 Lupita Nyong'o (Maz Kanata)
Maz was introduced in The Force Awakens, as an old associate of Han Solo (Harrison Ford). She presented Rey (Daisy Ridley) with Luke Skywalker's iconic old lightsaber.
Academy Award winner Nyong'o is already a great advocate for Black actresses, and has built up a great career for herself. However, it must be said that her character was criminally underused in the Star Wars sequel trilogy. She was reduced to cameos after the first film, which was a tragic waste of a great actress. Not letting it get to her though, Nyong'o will star in A Quiet Place: Day One.
8 Moses Ingram (Reva)
The Third Sister began Obi-Wan Kenobi looking to hunt down the titular character. However, everything changed as we learned her true intentions.
Whilst some noted that a focus on Reva took away some of the attention from Ewan McGregor himself, Reva's character development was fantastic in the show. It was also disgusting to see the abuse that Ingram herself had personally received for her role. A very layered character, she was compelling throughout.
9 Donald Glover (Lando Calrissian)
In Solo: A Star Wars Story, the beginning of the relationship between smuggler Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich) and Calrissian was shown. He owned a ship fast enough for Han and his associates to use in stealing raw starship fuel.
Glover chewed the scenery in this film, and his performance was certainly lauded as one of the main highlights of it. He made the iconic character of Calrissian his own, without stepping on Billy Dee William's feet, and it would be interesting to see him return as the character in the future.
10 Hugh Quarshie (Captain Panaka)
In The Phantom Menace, Panaka served the Royal House of Naboo as the Head of Security. He helped to prevent invasion from the Trade Federation.
Whilst Panaka's role in the film franchise was quite limited (the character appeared elsewhere in the lore), he was brought to life well by Quarshie, who brought a genuine sense of likability to the character. He brought some much-needed diversity to the first prequel's cast, and it was sad not to see him return for future installments.