Being set among the far reaches of space, it’s no surprise that the many Star Wars projects over the years have provided us viewers with a huge variety of fascinating and endearing Star Wars aliens.
Some Star Wars movies and Star Wars series have embraced the aliens of the galaxy more than others. For example while Star Wars: Clone Wars volume one and two was filled with great Star Wars aliens, the sci-fi series Andor was generally alien-sceptic.
Still, alien Star Wars characters are an integral part of the galaxy far, far away. They’re what give the universe a sense of fantastical distance, life, and they’re vital to worldbuilding and tone. Often, they’re excellently designed with practical effects, and sometimes they’re animated or entirely CGI. Either way, the many Star Wars aliens are endlessly iconic, so we’ve done our duty to the galaxy and created a list of the best Star Wars aliens. There’s no real criteria here: just gut instinct.
Who are the best Star Wars aliens:
- Bossk
- Ki-Adi-Mundi
- Burg
- Max Rebo
- Kuill
- Nute Gunray
- Nien Nunb
- K’Krukh
- Greedo
- Roron Corobb
Bossk
Bossk is the badass Star Wars bounty hunter first seen in Empire Strikes Back. He’s a Trandoshan, which basically means space lizard, and we get to see a closer look at that species in The Mandalorian when Din Djarin is ambushed by a fiesty pair.
Bossk hasn’t had too much of a spotlight shone on him, even in the animated series Clone Wars where the bounty hunters get a greater focus. However, his design is just excellent, as is his bright yellow Star Wars costume. In Star Wars legends material, Bossk has a heated rivalry with Han Solo and Chewbacca, and even defeated Boba Fett on Tatooine proving that there’s a lot to explore with the Star Wars alien if there was ever the desire.
Ki-Adi-Mundi
Ki-Adi-Mundi is the first of a few Jedi on this list. Best known for his elongated forehead and as the Jedi master concerned about the Star Wars droids attacking the Wookies, Ki-Adi-Mundi also has a lot more to him than that. Firstly, he’s a Cerean, and this means that he is the only Jedi to be allowed to have a family and relationship. Second, as one of the most senior members of the Jedi council he played an important role in the Clone Wars.
However, it’s his role in volume one of the Clone Wars that we get the best look at Ki-Adi-Mundi. Here, he duels the Star Wars villain General Grievous at the Battle of Hypori and is the only Jedi who manages to really hold his own. His death scene in Revenge of the Sith is also a poignant one, and he’s one of the few Jedi warriors who is able to sense the betrayal before it happens.
Burg
One of the most notable Star Wars aliens of the modern era is Burg. Just as his short, simple name suggests, Burg is a total brute. He’s the enormous, Satanic-looking Devaronian who is involved in the heist to free Qin in The Mandalorian episode 6.
He provides the most resistance to Din Djarin, and the battle between the two is a tremendous amount of fun. His death scene, where he gets sandwiched between the closing doors, is one of the most savage Star Wars scenes around and a huge moment of relief after the building tension. It’s a shame that we can’t see more Burg because he was great, though not necessarily pleasant, company.
Max Rebo
Max Rebo is the famous, blue, squishy looking Star Wars alien musician who led the Max Rebo band at Jabba the Hutt’s palace on Tatooine and he is one of our favourite examples of a Glup Shitto, too. He played his instrument with his feet, and is always banging out funky tunes for the Hutt’s entertainment.
Other than the fact that he played ‘Jizz-style’ music (blame George Lucas, not us) Max Rebo isn’t known for much else. He’s just a lot of fun to look at, and would probably be a good guest at a party.
Kuill
The Ugnaught who befriends Din Djarin, helps him to repair his ship, and re-programmes IG-11 to protect Baby Yoda is the humble Kuill. Despite his small stature, he plays an important role in the Disney Plus TV series, and his absence leaves an oversized hole in our heart.
Kuill’s death scene is one of the few Star Wars scenes that might genuinely bring a tear to your eye. That’s because the ugly little Star Wars alien was selfless, loyal, and genuinely felt real thanks to a tremendous combination of voice acting and puppetry.
Nute Gunray
Nute Gunray is a slimy Star Wars alien who acts as a secondary antagonist throughout the prequel trilogy before being mercilessly murdered by the newly-knighted Darth Vader. The character gets some great lines, and has a tremendous fashion sense too (seriously, check out that hat).
Gunray is a Neimoidian, and a fun fact about Neimoidians is that George Lucas chose the name to piss off Leonard Nimoy, in a dig at the competing sci-fi series. Whatever floats your boat, George. Other than that, the best thing about Nute Gunray is his general snivelling demeanour, and he’s one of the few Star Wars aliens who is detestable right from the beginning.
Nien Nunb
Nien Nunb is a rare Star Wars alien who we see fight for the Rebellion. He’s most famous for co-piloting the Star Wars ship Millennium Falcon with Lando Calrissian in Return of the Jedi, and its this pair who fire the shot that destroys the second Death Star.
Nien Nunb also shows up again at another final battle, this time in the sequel trilogy. However, sadly for the veteran Sullustan pilot, this one didn’t end so well for him and he was killed by one of Emperor Palpatine‘s Force lightning blasts. That’s a fate that poor old Nien Nunb definitely didn’t deserve. We hope you’re proud of yourself, J.J.
K’Krukh
There’s a very decent chance that you’ve never heard of K’Krukh. Well, your ignorance is over. K’Krukh is a beautifully designed Jedi warrior who fought in the Clone Wars, alongside Ki-Adi-Mundi against General Greivous. He’s on this list purely because he looks so great, and that’s okay.
In Star Wars Legends material, the character survives this encounter (and many others), and is one of the remaining Jedi who helps Luke Skywalker to found the new Jedi order. In a parallel universe, that’s a story we’d like to see.
Greedo
Greedo is a contentious one, mostly because of the controversy over whether he, or Han, shot first. The truth is, either way, Greedo is a perfect Star Wars alien. He feels like he’s genuinely from another galaxy, and has one of the best Star Wars alien designs around.
His short scene with Han Solo in A New Hope was all that Greedo needed to establish himself as iconic, and is the perfect set up for getting to know Han Solo as well. So, while the Rodian bounty hunter might not always get the recognition he deserves, we owe him a lot.
Roron Corobb
Roron Corobb wins the award for the most alien looking Star Wars alien. This isn’t just a Star Wars character with face paint, or a few horns here and there: he’s genuinely alien-looking. And, that’s really cool.
What else is really cool is that the Ithorian Jedi master uses his alien physiology in battle. In the Star Wars: Clone Wars volume 2, he is one of the Jedi who is tasked with defending Emperor Palpatine during the Battle of Coruscant, when General Grievous attempts to capture him. He uses the power of his four throats to disrupt the cybernetic-Sith‘s attack, and collapse a hallway. Sadly, Corobb is killed by Grievous, but he gave us a lot with his short appearance.
For more on Star Wars, keep up to date with the Andor season 2 release date, or the Andor cast. Or if you’re as obsessed with Baby Yoda as we are, check out our The Mandalorian season 3 episode 1 recap or our guides to Din Djarin, Bo-Katan, and Mythosaurs.