Highlights
- Luke Skywalker, one of the most iconic characters in fiction, died of old age in Legends, but still played a role in guiding his descendant, Cade Skywalker.
- Grand Admiral Thrawn, despite his rise to power, met his demise in Legends when he was stabbed by his once loyal fighter, Rukh, in a murder that was celebrated by the New Republic.
- Sheev Palpatine returned in clone form, but ultimately met his final death when the spirits of dead Jedi trapped his spirit within the Force, finally putting an end to his reign of terror.
There are some important characters in current Star Wars canon that have been killed, whether on or off screen. Audiences have lost heroes they grew up with, like Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Leia Organa, and more. These iconic Star Wars characters have fallen, but in Star Wars Legends, their names live on in the stories given to the now non-canon universe. However, that did not mean that Star Wars Legends was without death, and there were some major characters known from the films and the novels that were killed.
Not every character in Star Wars was safe from death, and George Lucas himself could not protect his creations from the ultimate demise. Yet, as any fan of Star Wars knows, death is not the end, as all things will be connected through the Force, creating a balance in life and death. Regardless, here are some major Star Wars deaths in Legends.
6 Luke Skywalker
Presumably Died of Old Age
- Year of Death: Between 45 ABY & 137 ABY
- Death Confirmed In: Star Wars – Legacy: Broken
Luke Skywalker, one of the most iconic characters in fiction, and one of the most pivotal characters in Star Wars, has led a pretty different life to his Disney-era counterpart. The Luke Skywalker in Legends went on to become the most powerful Jedi in the galaxy, one who fought off countless threats, whilst rebuilding the Jedi to become better than ever before. Even still, as remarkable in the Force as Luke was, not even he could avoid death.
Luke Skywalker is never shown to die in Legends, nor is it even implied how he died. One could deduce that he simply died of old age, as he appears as a Force ghost before Cade Skywalker, a descendant of Luke, over a century since the events of A New Hope. Luke may be dead, but that does not mean he’s gone, as he helped Cade several times over the years, even without a cool lightsaber.
5 Grand Admiral Thrawn
Stabbed In The Back By Rukh
- Year of Death: 9 ABY
- Died In: Star Wars: The Last Command
One of the most up-and-coming threats to the Disney Star Wars galaxy is Grand Admiral Thrawn, who recently made his live-action debut in Star Wars: Ahsoka. Thrawn is a tactical genius, one who can propel the Galactic Empire back into its glory and crush the new Republic. Thrawn’s skills are like no other when it comes to his war efforts and respect of art, so much so that he was a proud member of Palpatine’s order in both Legends and canon.
However, despite Thrawn’s imminent rise to power in Star Wars canon, this character had his fate sealed in Legends after he was assassinated by Rukh, a once loyal fighter to Thrawn, who stabbed the Chis through the chest. Thrawn’s death was a celebration amongst the New Republic, and even Thrawn could see how artistically done his murder was. Hopefully, if Thrawn’s fate is any similar in canon, it is done with such gravitas.
4 Sheev Palpatine (Clone)
Overpowered By Spirits of Dead Jedi
- Year of Death: 11 ABY
- Died In: Star Wars: Empire’s End
Somehow, Palpatine returned to the Disney canon, words that are seemingly met with frustration rather than confusion. Yet, this wouldn’t be the first time in Star Wars media that Sheev Palpatine was cloned to bring rise to the Sith and the Empire, as this Dark Lord of the Sith had found a way to cheat death, and preserved his spirit upon his demise at the hands of Anakin Skywalker on the Second Death Star, allowing him to steal the body of Jeng Droga, the Emperor’s Hand. From here, Palpatine devised a plan to create the perfect clone body for himself, one that eventually worked.
With Darth Sidious reborn, the sinister cunning of Emperor Palpatine had returned, along with new vigor from his youth. His powers were immense, and his clone bodies would decay rapidly due to his Sith abilities. Palpatine had many clones die, but perhaps his final death came from the spirits of the dead Jedi, which trapped his spirit within the Force, ending his reign of terror for good. Palpatine has been killed many times, shot by Han Solo, thrown down a tube by Darth Vader, blown up in a Force Storm, and perhaps even more.
3 Chewbacca
2 Killed After The Planet He Was on Collided With a Moon
- Year of Death: 25 ABY
- Died In: Star Wars – The New Jedi Order: Vector Prime
Perhaps one of the saddest deaths in Star Wars, Chewbacca’s demise was heartbreaking for many reasons. The loveable fuzzball was loyal to the end, and his life debt to Han Solo extended to his and Leia’s children, Jaina, Jacen, and Anakin. It was 25 ABY when the Yuuzhan Vong War ravished the galaxy, and Chewbacca’s life was taken all too soon during this first year of the war in the Destruction of Sernpidal.
Chewbacca died after Sernipdal’s small moon Dobido crashed into the planet’s surface, crushing Chewbacca. This was done to protect Anakin Solo, and the panel featuring Chewbacca’s death is still hauntingly tragic, as the Wookiee raises out his arms in a challenging roar to defy the death that took him. This was a death that Han Solo was never able to recover from, as he had lost his best friend.
1 Mara Jade Skywalker
Murdered By Her Nephew, Jacen Solo
- Year of Death: 40 ABY
- Died In: Star Wars – Legacy of the Force: Sacrifice
One of the most popular characters in Star Wars Legends, Mara Jade is one that many want to see appear in the new Disney era, especially after her relationship with Luke solidifies them as even grander characters. Mara Jade began her story as the Emperor’s Hand but ended it as a Jedi Master, and the wife of Luke Skywalker.
Mara Jade had many run-ins with death throughout her time in Legends, but her death would not come until the Second Galactic Civil War when she was killed by her own nephew, Jacen Solo. Jacen killed her after she had discovered he was a Sith. Their fight ended with her being hit by a paralyzing and poison-filled dart, where she died a slow yet painless death. Even sadder still, Mara did not become one with the Force, as she wanted her body to be left behind so that her husband and allies had evidence of her murder.
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