Star Wars has included quite a few iconic and well-recognizable characters over the course of its decades of popularity, but that hasn’t stopped creative fans from reimagining what they might look like with a few tweaks to their designs and storylines. Beginning as a single movie that soon erupted into a trilogy, Star Wars soon elaborated on the galaxy’s history with the prequels. Novels, comic books, TV shows, and other media also began to swirl around the franchise, enriching the stories to the point of dividing them between canon and non-canon events.
Through the imagination of the fans, Star Wars characters can be explored more thoroughly. Whether it’s looking at them with a different personality, in an alternate universe where they made different choices, or in a completely new world, these fan-inspired design changes will challenge everything that those characters originally meant. Sometimes, those new ideas make the characters even more exciting!
17 Smuggler Rey
Rey already has many similarities to her hero, Han Solo, so it would make sense to see them share a career as well as the Millennium Falcon. This fan art makes a few changes to her past, imagining her in a new occupation besides living as a scavenger. It’s not too hard to envision the resourceful Rey becoming a smuggler if she hadn’t felt tied to the planet Jakku in the hope that her parents would return.
16 Cyberpunk Luke
The world of Star Wars is an interesting blend of high-tech space and ordinary, almost rural everyday life. This fan art of Luke Skywalker kicks the technology into high gear with a cyberpunk theme. Digital artist Jeronimo Gomez posted his 2-D reimagining of Star Wars to Art Station. Using neon colors and replacing Luke’s Jedi robes with a leather trench coat, the scene looks closer to Blade Runner than Star Wars. Even R2-D2 and C-3PO got a sleeker, more high-tech makeover to complete the look.
15 Hogwarts Professor Qui-Gon
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Crossovers between fandoms are always an interesting thing to see, especially when blending two incredibly popular series such as Star Wars and Harry Potter. This artist examined several Star Wars characters and “sorted” them into the Hogwarts House that they imagined fit them the best. Qui-Gon Jinn is pictured as the head of Ravenclaw House, which is characterized by their focus on wisdom and curiosity. Though he only appeared in one movie, Qui-Gon certainly embodied those traits.
14 Dark Padmé
When Padmé confronts Anakin on Mustafar about who he’s becoming, he invites her to join him and rule the galaxy at his side. This chilling cosplay paints a picture of what she might look like if she had accepted his offer. With her shrewd politician’s mind and history as a queen, it’s not hard to imagine how easily she’d fit in the role of ruling the galaxy with her husband.
13 Senator Anakin Skywalker
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Anakin may not have had much inclination toward politics in the movies, but this clever reexamination of the character explores what might have happened if he’d joined Padmé in the senate. If his expression is any indication, it seems like Anakin might enjoy making decisions for the Republic off the battlefield for once. It’s hard not to wonder if Palpatine would have been as successful in turning Anakin if he’d been in the world of politics instead of the Jedi Order.
12 Jedi Leia
Though it did take place after the events of Return of the Jedi, Leia’s Jedi training has tragically little screen time and comes to an end much too soon. This fan art takes a closer look at her time as a Jedi and expands it into something worthy of an action hero. With Leia’s firey personality to match her father’s, it’s a shame that the original trilogy missed out on a chance to show her sharing Luke’s journey as a Jedi.
11 Prince Luke Skywalker
Luke Skywalker never liked being confined to his uncle’s moisture farm, and with a queen for a mother and princess for a sister, he might have been onto something. This fan art gives him the taste of luxury that his sister enjoyed during her childhood on Alderaan. He eventually became a great leader despite his humble beginnings, so being raised among diplomats would likely only put him a step or two ahead.
10 Unsuited Vader
Darth Vader’s suit is one of the most iconic costumes in film history, but what would Vader look like if he didn’t have to rely on the life support system that the suit provided? The mechanical-looking suit and mask kept Vader mysterious, which seemed to only make him more terrifying. But this artwork focuses on the fact that Vader is still only human – this makes his rage and sheer power much more evident. Had Anakin been the victor on Mustafar instead of Obi-Wan, he would have been an even more powerful Sith.
9 Old-Time Skywalker Family Portraits
Star Wars is largely the story of the Skywalker family, and nothing says “family” like an old-timey family portrait. This digitally altered photo creates the illusion of an old black-and-white photo, giving it the nostalgic and angsty feel of something unearthed from an old trunk. The generational trauma that fuels the entire Star Wars storyline is palpable in this ominous picture of Luke Skywalker standing with an old-fashioned looking Darth Vader. Attached to the post is a collection of other 19th century-inspires twists on the familiar characters.
8 Ezra Bridger in the Jedi Order
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Since he lived after the fall of the Jedi Order, Ezra had a much different Padawan experience than the one shown in the Star Wars prequels. This fan art shows Ezra in flowing Jedi robes and rocking the iconic Padawan braid that Anakin and Obi-Wan wear in the prequel trilogy. Sadly, Ezra’s Jedi training was much more chaotic than the traditional Padawan experience, and it would have been fascinating to see how he would have progressed if given the conventional training.
7 Darth Obi-Wan Kenobi
Anakin and Obi-Wan always made a great team, but one popular alternate universe among Star Wars fans examines the possibility of Obi-Wan joining his apprentice’s defection to the Sith, or even turning to the dark side instead of Anakin. Where Anakin made a terrifying Sith Lord because of his raw power and uncontrolled emotions; Obi-Wan’s devotion to technique and his mind for strategy would make him quite a formidable opponent. Armed with a red lightsaber and the telltale yellow eyes of the Sith, a fallen Obi-Wan Kenobi would certainly be bad news for the Jedi.
6 Clone Wars General Qui-Gon
Qui-Gon was killed about a decade before the Clone Wars began, but it’s still fun to speculate what kind of Jedi he would have been during that period of change in the Jedi Order, as artist Uzuri Art has done. Qui-Gon was never one to go along with things without questioning it, and there is no doubt he would be skeptical of the direction that the Clone Wars takes the Jedi. Seeing Qui-Gon in Clone Wars armor begs the question: Would Qui-Gon have seen through Palpatine’s manipulations?
5 Samurai Obi-Wan
The Jedi take many inspirations from the samurai, from their blade work to their clothes to the Code they live by. Obi-Wan is an incredible warrior, and his devotion to not only his lightsaber skills but his mindfulness and focus on the Force as well only makes him a more powerful Jedi. This art reimagines him as a samurai, which brings all his best features to the forefront.
4 Leia Raised on Tatooine, Luke on Alderaan
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Though they were born together, the Skywalker twins lived very different lives prior to their eventual meeting. This fan art reverses the twins’ roles and imagines how they might have looked living out one another’s lives. What would have changed if Luke had been on the rebels’ mission to steal the Death Star plans and Leia had been the one to receive his distress call with Obi-Wan Kenobi?
3 Historical Portraits of Star Wars Villains
This fan art takes some of Star Wars’ most fearsome villains and places them in portraits inspired by Earth’s military history. Outfitted in medal-adorned uniforms rather than the robes of the Sith or dressed in assassin’s clothes these villains suddenly seem a lot more real and, if possible, even more sinister.
2 Emperor Skywalker
As Anakin slips further into the dark side, he admits to Padmé that he believes himself to be more powerful than Sidious and wants to overthrow him. This incredible art imagines what Anakin might have become if his plans had worked out the way he imagined before his fateful duel with Obi-Wan.
1 Light-Side (Redeemed) Darth Vader
Vader’s redemption is a pivotal part of Star Wars canon, but this art takes it a bit further. Flipping the version of Vader without his suit, this alternate imagining of Vader’s redemption paints a picture of what Anakin might look like after his redemption if he had lived after returning to the light. He would still require the life support system that his suit provided, but the more menacing aspects, such as the dark colors and mask that hid his face, are replaced with a more relaxed design. He would also have a more functional suit, as Sidious used outdated technology to keep Vader on his leash.
