The Star Wars Saga has been enthralling fans for decades. It taught generations of children what heroism really means, as well as showing them the depths of evil. The stories it tells have become part of the cultural lexicon and it’s one of the cornerstones of pop culture. The characters in Star Wars are some of the most popular in existence and mean a lot to many fans.
This is a double-edged sword and it brings up a little phrase: plot armor. Plot armor is normal in stories, but so many Star Wars characters have so many layers of plot armor to protect them, it’s honestly funny.
10 Chewbacca Has Developed Many Layers Of Plot Armor Since Disney Took Over
Chewbacca was always a secondary character even though he got a lot of screen time. Part of that is the fact that he didn’t speak English and also the sidekick nature of the character. However, fans grew to love Chewbacca and he became a beloved part of the movies. When he returned in the Sequel Trilogy, fans were happy.
His bait and switch death in The Rise of Skywalker spoiled a poignant moment and it revealed something—Chewbacca has massive plot armor. Disney’s Lucasfilm is all about milking nostalgia, and unlike other Original Trilogy characters, they just have to find someone to fit in the costume. Chewbacca will almost certainly be returning to Star Wars for years to come.
9 BB-8 Was Treated With Kid Gloves Compared To Droids From Other Trilogies
Droids were always a big part of Star Wars. Because of their mechanical nature, they were open to being hurt pretty badly. Both R2-D2 and C-3PO suffered catastrophic damage in the Original Trilogy and while they weren’t in as much danger in the Prequels, they still had some problems—C-3PO had his head taken off in Attack Of The Clones.
BB-8 was the main droid of the Sequel Trilogy and it was so protected. Nothing bad really ever happened to it, mostly because of the character’s popularity and cuteness that protected it so much. The plot armor around BB-8 was quite strong.
8 Darth Maul Coming Back To Life & Surviving Everything Thrown At Him For Ages Showed Off His Plot Armor
Darth Maul at first seemed to have anti-plot armor; he basically existed to die in The Phantom Menace. However, he returned in The Clone Wars and they riveted the plot armor on thick. He survived everything thrown at him, failing upwards, even surviving a fight with Palpatine himself.
He’d survive Order 66 on board a Ventator-class Star Destroyer full of clones and continue to fail upward, taking control of the Crimson Dawn at some point before Solo: A Star Wars Story. While he would eventually die at the hands of Obi-Wan Kenobi in Rebels, the fact he survived so long shows off his plot armor.
7 Ezra Bridger Should Have Been Taken Out By Vader In Their First Fight
Ezra Bridger was the main character of Star Wars: Rebels and while he became a great character, at first he was insufferable. Part of this was because a lot of the time, young protagonists can be annoying. It also didn’t help that he fit into the hyper-competent-Chosen-One-kid trope. Bridger was able to survive against some pretty hardcore villains, including Darth Vader.
Sure, he had help, but even then Kanaan was technically only a Padawan himself and no one else in the cell should have been able to stand up to Inquisitors or Darth Vader. Bridger surviving so long proved just how thick his plot armor was.
6 Captain Rex Was Good But It Got A Little Ridiculous
Captain Rex was the main clone trooper of The Clone Wars, helping out Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka. A highly trained ARC trooper, Rex was a fan favorite character almost from the word go. He survived every battle he fought, pretty much flawlessly, and was even able to survive the Empire’s hunters looking for AWOL clone troopers.
Rex was a great character but the amount of plot armor needed to keep him alive was unwieldy, at best. He barely even got injured in episodes where clone troopers were mowed down by the dozens. It was improbable, at best.
5 Din Djarin’s Plot Armor Is Literal
The Mandalorian is Disney’s big gun when it comes to new Star Wars content, as even fans who aren’t happy with the Sequels love the show. The titular Mandalorian, Din Djarin, has some hardcore plot armor and in his case, it’s actually literal—his beskar armor has made hurting him pretty much impossible.
Djarin walks into situations where he should die, yet the fact that he’s the star of the show means that there’s no chance of him dying any time soon. His Mandalorian armor protects him from any harm, literal plot armor to keep him going.
4 Grogu Is The Cash Cow, So He Can’t Die
Grogu brought back Star Wars merchandise in a huge way after Sequel merch died on the vine. Yoda was always a popular character, so a baby version of the character would be even more popular. Grogu scratched that itch and on top of that is very entertaining. There’s also no way he’s ever going to die.
Din Djarin has a much better chance of dying than Grogu. Star Wars has always been about merchandising—George Lucas famously kept merch rights for the movies instead of other profit options and basically printed money for decades. Disney is especially down with that, so there’s no chance that they’ll kill the cash cow.
3 Luke Skywalker’s Status As The Hero Of His Trilogy Saved Him A Lot
While Luke’s plot armor gave out by the Sequel Trilogy, it was alive and well during the Original Trilogy. Sure, Luke is a great Jedi but without his status as the main character, it’s doubtful he would have survived the Battle of Yavin, let alone any of the other shenanigans of A New Hope. The same with The Empire Strikes Back. He may have survived Hoth, but Vader? It’s a good thing Vader wanted him alive.
Luke’s plot armor was almost as thick as the Death Star itself. By Return of the Jedi, it was conceivable that he could survive just about anything, but before that? The kid should have been toast multiple times.
2 Ahsoka Tano’s Plot Armor Was So Powerful It Brought Her Back To Life
Everyone loves Ahsoka Tano. Her journey from annoying Padawan to fan-favorite Jedi was amazing to behold. However, she had amazing plot armor. She was easily Dave Filoni’s favorite character in The Clone Wars and that makes sense. He could actually do things with her character he couldn’t with the movie ones.
She returned in Star Wars: Rebels and even though she was killed by Darth Vader, Filoni brought her back to life at the end of the show. She’s since appeared in The Mandalorian and is about to get her own show where her powerful plot armor will keep her alive.
1 Rey Skywalker Is Most Famous For Her Plot Armor
Forgetting for a second that somehow she was able to survive her entire life with little to no help on Jakku, Rey Skywalker has the greatest set of plot armor in Star Wars. Kylo Ren should have ended her in seconds, even injured. Sure, she knew how to use a quarterstaff but that doesn’t mean she can use a sword as well, and it took her time to tap into the Force to get an advantage. She should have died.
Over and over again she survived things that she certainly shouldn’t have because of the magic of plot armor. Being the main character has its perks and Rey reaped all of them. Rey is a great Jedi but that plot armor kept her going more than anything else.
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