10 Star Wars Deaths That Should Never Have Happened

Admittedly, some deaths are definitely necessary along the way when telling such an epic tale like the ones found in Star Wars

With the loss of powerful Jedi Masters, despicable villains and lovable rogues

helping to add emotional weight or delivering a much-needed win in various projects over the years

But then there are those sudden fatalities that just felt like a gigantic waste of some of the coolest and most intriguing figures this franchise has ever known

So I'm Gareth, this is WhatCultureStarWars, and here are 10 Star Wars deaths that should never have happened

10. Val Introduced during the spin-off tale known as Solo, A Star Wars Story, Val was a rather spiky criminal seen working alongside the likes of Tobias Beckett and Han Solo early on in the flick

But then, just as viewers were beginning to warm to the initially quite cold but undeniably cool scoundrel

Val suddenly sacrificed herself in order to give her team the best chance of completing the mission to steal some coaxium off a transport

This wasn't actually the original plan, though. According to the terrific Tandyway Newton, the star bringing Val to life on screen

her character actually survived in the script, instead just falling away and disappearing after the aforementioned explosion

so she could potentially show up in another Star Wars story. In the end, the fact that moment was too huge a set piece to create

resulted in a change of plan. It was simpler to just have Val die instead, as Newton recalled

But it's hard to argue with the actor's opinion of the entire thing being a big, big mistake

After Star Wars finally opted to introduce the first black woman with a quote-unquote real role in one of these movies

only to stupidly kill her off within the first 40 minutes. Now I want to know who was your favourite character in a Star Wars spin-off story

Was it Val before she was stupidly killed? Or somebody else? You let me know in the comments section down below

9. Maroc From the moment a certain red spinning lightsaber-wielding figure popped up during the trailers for Disney Plus' Ahsoka series

folks began speculating about exactly who this potential Inquisitor was. Said mystery continued on throughout the first few episodes of The Marvelous Show

with the spooky helmet-wearing mercenary known as Marok, largely just knocking around with Balen's skull and Morgan Elsbeth

or clashing with Ahsoka Tano, all without officially revealing who slash what was underneath said mask

Would Marok ultimately reveal himself to be one of Ahsoka's old enemies from her past

or even a more recognisable and shocking face like Ezra Bridger? Sadly not

He was just unceremoniously killed during his second duel with Anakin Skywalker's apprentice in Episode 4

with the only real clue as to who Marrock was coming in the form of the green mist and screams that escaped his body

after Tano unleashed the fatal blow. Was he actually a night brother all along

That green gas certainly looks similar to the magic used by the Nightsisters seen elsewhere in the series

a power that has also been used to bring the dead back to life. Perhaps Dave Filoni and Cole still have plans for the strange force-sensitive villain in the upcoming Season 2

and will find a way to reanimate one of the biggest mysteries in recent Star Wars history

If not though, most would likely agree the intriguing new antagonist was taken way too

soon, being disappointingly cut down without ever fully explaining what in the hell Maroc

even was 8 Admiral Ackbar The iconic fish Star Wars military commander who famously let audiences know it was a TRAMP during the original trilogy had a decent old run in the Skywalker saga

but you would be lying if you said you weren't even a little bit frustrated about the way the great Admiral Giel Ackbar's time in the galaxy far, far away was brought to an end

After surviving the Clone Wars, helping the Rebel Alliance take down a Death Star

and eventually going on to serve in Leia Organa's resistance, the Mon Calamari legend was swiftly murdered in the most underwarming way

imaginable in Episode VIII, The Last Jedi. When said daughter of Vader was blasted out of the Rattus by the First Order

Akbar was among the many blown to smithereens during that shocking attack

That was it. One of the most respected military leaders ever to fight the good fight in Star Wars

just gone. And with only a throwaway line acknowledging his sudden death

Though Akbar was never a starring figure in those original flicks or his TV appearances

he definitely deserved a more dramatic and emotional send-off or sacrifice than the waste of an off-screen end he was given in the sequels

Fans aren't the only ones who were annoyed by the way this death went down either, with Tim Rose, the man inside the suit

also expressing disappointment over such a lackluster conclusion for the rebel hero

7. Captain Phasma Another eye-catching antagonist dispatched way too early into their run in the galaxy far, far away

popped up during the sequel trilogy, with the shiny badass known as Captain Phasma instantly turning heads

from the moment she popped up in Episode 7 The Force Awakens promotional material

I mean, just look at her. A rather uneventful showing in that first sequel flick got her off to a pretty poor start

as supposedly one of the First Order's most intimidating leaders. But there was still hope she could redeem herself after it was revealed

she'd survived the destruction of Starkiller Base in the 2017 follow-up. Sadly though, Phasma's return didn't last all that long

and she was ultimately beaten by Finn in what ended up being her only real duel in the series

Had Phasma somehow found a way to cheat death once again after her Episode 8 The Last Jedi Fall Through the Flames

then perhaps there's a world where Episode 9 ended with one hell of a rematch between the Chrome Captain and Finn

Watching a scarred and unhinged Phasma wrecking everyone in her path to finally get revenge on the traitor who ruined her life would have made for a seriously compelling addition to the poorest entry into the sequel series

It also would have kept the Stormtrooper from becoming yet another utterly wasted villain

6. Supreme Leader Snoke Whilst on that subject of completely fumbled bad guys in the Star Wars sequels

arguably the most unexpected and annoying murder of the entire Skywalker saga went down during Episode 8, The Last Jedi

After being built as the series' new big villain to be feared in the prior flick

and putting in a frightening shift during his first few moments in Rian Johnson's follow-up

the unsettling Supreme Leader Snoke appeared to be the real evil deal

Despite years of fans dreaming up compelling scenarios where he would have been revealed as Palpatine's master Darth Plagueis

or perhaps even the Mortis god known as the Sun though, Snoke was eventually chopped in two before those answers could be revealed in Episode 8

Then, if not getting the chance to see Snoke really flex his muscles as the galaxy's latest seemingly unstoppable villainous force wasn't bad enough

Episode 9 The Rise of Skywalker ultimately came along, and completely ruined the character by simply letting folks know he was just an artificial strangcast used by the returning Emperor Palpatine to control the galaxy from a fair As the apparent top villain of the films Snoke was always destined to be struck down at some

point of course, would have perhaps killed the need to foolishly resurrect old Palpatine as that

final film's main antagonist, and perhaps save Snoke from one of the silliest and most

dissatisfying origin stories in Star Wars history. Cheers for watching this video today

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This is where the fun begins. Number 5, General Grievous From the sequel's completely wasted baddies

to the prequel's collection of underutilized villains now, and to a merciless cyborg almost as formidable as Darth Vader himself

Bursting onto the scene during Episode 3, Revenge of the Sith, the grotesque and sinister General Grievous simply commanded your attention right away

his spluttering, cough-growling mechanical voice, and collection of lightsabers from many a defeated Jedi

quickly had folks interested in this new monster of a Kaleesh. Before they could learn much more about him on the big screen, however

Grievous was gunned down by a usually quite civilized Obi-Wan Kenobi. He would at least get a few more moments to shine in the Clone Wars animated series

with that show even exploring the General's fascinating lair. But had Grievous managed to wiggle out of danger once again

instead of falling to Kenobi after one of the more disappointing lightsaber duels of the prequels

there's every chance the Jedi-killing general could have continued serving Emperor Palpatine's new empire throughout the Rebels series

Imagine that! Or perhaps a magnificent clash with fellow cyborg Vader could have occurred

after Darth Sidious decided Grievous' talents were no longer needed. Either way, there were still a few interesting Grievous stories left to tell before his rushed death on Utapau

Number 4, Padme Amidala Padme Amidala's death was one of those that always had to go down at some point before the original trilogy got underway

But Luke and Leia's mother dying due to the fearless senator losing the will to live

was an utterly horrendous way to kill off the important figure, and should never have happened

Instead, having Padme go into hiding, while still sending Luke off to be with his uncle

and having the Organas look after Leia to protect her children from Darth Vader

could have led to a far more emotional and dramatic end later down the road

Amidala could have secretly helped build the Rebel Alliance that would oppose the oppressive Empire

and possibly even checked in on young Leia from time to time too

making the princess's eventual comments about her mother during Episode VI Return of the Jedi feel a little less odd in hindsight

Vader would have then no doubt discovered her at some point, which would have led to another awkward chat with a lying Palpatine

and perhaps a far more tragic death for Padme after she once again turned down the chance to join her hubby

without Obi-Wan there to tell him to let her go. Vader's anger at being lied to and betrayed would have likely taken over

before lashing out and killing his beloved in a fit of dark side rage

Number 3, Cad Bane Thankfully, the baddest bounty hunter in the galaxy not named Boba Fett

can still be found popping up in new Star Wars projects in the wake of his unexpected death in the Book of Boba Fett

But even with Cad Bane being confirmed to return in the Bad Batch's third season

set just after the Clone Wars, many are still upset over the fact this blue sharpshooter life was seemingly ended not long after his live debut Sure it was still awesome watching Fett clash with his old mentor during that aforementioned Disney Plus series finale

However, if this death is actually final, then Boba's stabbing of the Juros Cowboy has robbed fans of a number of equally compelling showdowns

Just imagine watching Bane exchange blaster fire with Din Djarin, clash with Ahsoka Tano once again

or possibly even share the screen with fellow blue-skinned villain Grand Admiral Thrawn in live action during the New Republic timeline

Hopefully then, like many of the other apparently dead Star Wars personalities over the years

this isn't actually the end for the beloved menace. Because if it is, the coolest gunslinger out there being taken out this early into his live-action run would be seriously anticlimactic

2. Morgan Elsbeth Hopping back to Disney Plus' latest live-action Star Wars TV adventure

the first season of Ahsoka saw another enigmatic individual getting killed rather unexpectedly

Before showing up in this show, Morgan Elspeth was last seen colliding with the titular Force Wielder during the Mandalorian's second season

Here, Ahsoka defeated the Magistrate, leading to Tano requesting information about Grand Admiral Thrawn's whereabouts

Jumping forward to the time of Ahsoka's first season, and after ultimately escaping the clutches of the New Republic

and discovering that her master was trapped on the extra-galactic world of Peridia

Elspeth eventually jumped to that galaxy to rescue Thrawn. And after all that hard work, she was then rewarded with the gift of shadows and powerful blade of Talzin

before agreeing to stay behind and keep Tano and co. from thwarting Thrawn's plans to get off-world

But it was that move which eventually resulted in this spooky Nightsister suddenly being taken out by Tano

after yet another wonderful duel between the two in the show's finale. Not long after seemingly being given a boost by the Great Mothers

and handed such an impressive weapon. Elsbeth was just given the same treatment as Marok

sliced through the stomach before she could ever really grow into a properly terrifying threat

which was a bit of a letdown, really. Again, Night Sister magic could help reverse her death

some feel was a waste of the character's potential later on, but for now, it does seem like Elsbeth's story has come to a frustratingly premature end

Number 1, Mace Windu After just being swatted away by the dark side duo of Darth Sidious and Anakin Skywalker in Episode 3 Revenge of the Sith

the chance to have the magnificent Samuel L. Jackson dust off his cloak in future installments as the unforgivably wasted Mace Windu

was seemingly and rather infuriatingly shot out of the window too. Making it so, this one-armed Windu instead fell from this great height and remarkably survived though

After all, Jedi can fall from amazing distances according to the actor himself

before then going into exile like Obi-Wan and Yoda did, could open up the opportunity for one last terrific ride for Jackson

in one of Star Wars' upcoming live-action series. Who wouldn't want to watch a live-action, grizzled old Windu

interacting with an older Ahsoka Tano? Or the son of the bounty hunter he decapitated on Geonosis all those years ago again, eh

As recently as 2022, Jackson was also talking about trying to convince Bryce Dallas Howard

to get him into the Mandalorian series. telling the Happy Sad Confused podcast that he was ready to return

and could learn lightsaber left-handed. So what are you waiting for, guys

It's time to undo one more Star Wars death and bring some mace back to this place