All 14 Star Wars Characters Who Have Been Brought Back From The Dead – & Why

Death has not always been the end in Star Wars, as many characters have returned for new stories after their apparent demise. The first Star Wars movie revealed that Jedi could return as Force Ghosts, while droids could be repaired after being heavily damaged by blaster fire. Subsequent Star Wars stories have found increasingly clever and unexpected ways to bring back characters after death, from Sith spirits bound to the physical realm to Nightsister zombies. Han Solo even returned as a memory in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, convincing Ben Solo to renounce the dark side.

However, none of these examples involve living beings who came back to life or were thought dead but revealed to be alive. Only a handful of Star Wars characters cheated death, barely escaped it, or were retconned to have survived their apparent deaths. While this can diminish the impact of death in Star Wars by showing that it can be undone, it can also give characters a chance to continue their respective arcs after facing their own mortality. 13 Star Wars characters meet these criteria in canon, showcasing a variety of methods for writers to bring individuals back from the dead and how doing so can significantly impact the narrative.

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14 Aurra Sing

Died In: Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 2, episode 22 “Lethal Trackdown”; Resurrected In: Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 3, episode 7 “Assassin”

Bounty hunter Aurra Sing was presumed dead in the season 2 finale of Star Wars: The Clone Wars after Ahsoka Tano damaged her ship and caused a crash landing. However, Ahsoka began having visions of Aurra assassinating Padmé Amidala, though almost everyone thought they couldn’t be trusted. However, Ahsoka confirmed that Aurra had survived, preventing her from killing Padmé. Aurra later escaped from prison and aided fellow bounty hunter Cad Bane in taking the Republic Senate building hostage, and Solo: A Star Wars Story revealed that Tobias Beckett ultimately killed her.

13 Ahsoka Tano

Died & Resurrected In: Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 3, episode 16 “Altar of Mortis”

Ahsoka was infected with the dark side of the Force in the Mortis arc of The Clone Wars season 3, falling under the Son’s control and being forced to fight Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi. The Son then killed Ahsoka and attempted to kill the Father with the Dagger of Mortis, but the Daugther threw herself in front of the blade. As the Daughter’s life drained away, the Father guided Anakin as a conduit to transfer the last of her energy to Ahsoka and save her life. Following her experience on Mortis, Ahsoka retained a connection to a convor called Morai, who had a spiritual bond with the Daughter.

12 Darth Maul

Died In: Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace; Resurrected In: Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Darth Maul was seemingly killed off in his first appearance in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, cut in half by Obi-Wan before falling down a reactor shaft. While it seemed impossible for any character to survive such an encounter, George Lucas was adamant about bringing Maul back in some form, using the Sith Lord for his treatment of the Star Wars sequel trilogy and approving his return in the canceled video game Star Wars: Battle of the Sith Lords. Maul was eventually revealed to have survived in The Clone Wars season 3, episode 14 “Witches of the Mist” before fully returning in season 4, episode 21 “Brothers.”

11 Echo

Died In: Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 3, episode 19 “Counterattack”; Resurrected In: Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 7, episode 1 “The Bad Batch”

Introduced early in The Clone Wars, Echo became a recurring character who went from failing cadet to 501st member to ARC trooper. Echo was seemingly killed off in the Citadel arc of The Clone Wars season 3, but following the show’s cancelation, concept art showed that Echo would have been revealed to have survived his apparent death. These canceled episodes were initially released as unfinished story reels for “The Clone Wars Legacy” project in 2015 and eventually completed when the show returned for a seventh and final season. The arc ended with Echo joining Clone Force 99, setting up his role in Star Wars: The Bad Batch.

10 Captain Phasma

Died In: Star Wars: The Force Awakens; Resurrected In Star Wars: Captain Phasma #1

Captain Phasma was initially meant to die following her brief appearance in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but director Rian Johnson wanted to use her in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. This was made possible by the four-issue comic miniseries Star Wars: Captain Phasma by Kelly Thompson and Marco Checchetto, where Phasma escaped from Starkiller Base and tracked down the only First Order officer who knew she lowered the station’s shields. Phasma then returned for a final fight with Finn in The Last Jedi, dying for good by falling into the fiery ruins of the Supremacy.

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9 Ransolm Casterfo

Died In: Star Wars: Bloodline; Resurrected In: Star Wars: Resistance Reborn

Ransolm Casterfo first appeared in Star Wars: Bloodline by Claudia Gray as a member of the New Republic’s Centrist political party that opposed Leia Organa’s Populist Party. Despite their differences, Ransolm and Leia became political allies until he learned she was Darth Vader’s child and exposed her to the Senate. Ransolm discovered too late that several Centrists were agents for the First Order, and they arranged for Ransolm to be arrested and sentenced to death on his home planet. However, Star Wars: Resistance Reborn by Rebecca Roanhorse revealed that Ransolm survived to be rescued by Leia.

8 Palpatine

Died In: Return of the Jedi; Resurrected In: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

Emperor Palpatine was thrown down a reactor shaft in Return of the Jedi, causing an explosion of energy that seemingly made it impossible for him to return. However, that didn’t stop J.J. Abrams from bringing the Sith Lord back in The Rise of Skywalker and revealing him as the true mastermind behind the First Order. Abrams explained that Palpatine was brought back to connect the sequels to the first six Star Wars films and that “…his absence entirely from the third trilogy would be conspicuous.” The Rise of Skywalker novelization by Rae Carson confirmed that Palpatine survived by transforming his spirit into a clone body.

7 Chewbacca

Died & Resurrected In: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

One of the shortest Star Wars “deaths” came in The Rise of Skywalker when Rey believed she destroyed the transport Chewbacca was on with Force Lightning. However, it was quickly revealed that Chewbacca was taken on a second transport, and after sensing he was alive, Rey and her friends led a rescue mission. This showed Rey the potential consequences of her power but also gave her a reason to board Kylo Ren’s ship and retrieve the dagger. It means Chewbacca is one of the few main characters from the original trilogy to survive the sequels, unlike in the Legends timeline, where he was one of the first to die.

6 Rey

Died & Resurrected In: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

Another brief yet memorable death in The Rise of Skywalker was Rey, who sacrificed herself to destroy Palpatine during the Battle of Exegol. Immediately after her death, Ben Solo saved Rey’s life by returning the Force energy she had used to heal his wound, bringing her back but sacrificing himself and becoming one with the Force. These were incredibly shocking moments that showed just how close Rey came to death, and it was tragic seeing Ben redeem himself only to die as Anakin had. With the Skywalker bloodline ended, Rey honored their memory by adopting their name as she set out to build a New Jedi Order.

5 Boba Fett

Died In: Return of the Jedi; Resurrected In: The Mandalorian

Boba Fett seemed to have met his end when he fell into the sarlacc pit in Return of the Jedi, but Lucas and several Expanded Universe authors always believed that the bounty hunter had survived. The Aftermath trilogy by Chuck Wendig hinted that Boba Fett was alive in canon, but this wasn’t confirmed until The Mandalorian season 2, episode 1 “Chapter 9: The Marshal,” leading to three more appearances in season 2. The bounty hunter finally received a spinoff show, The Book of Boba Fett, revealing how he escaped the sarlacc and joined a tribe of Tuskens, filling the gap between Return of the Jedi and The Mandalorian.

4 Fennec Shand

Died In: The Mandalorian season 1, episode 5 “Chapter 5: The Gunslinger”; Resurrected In: The Mandalorian season 2, episode 6 “Chapter 14: The Tragedy”

When Boba Fett made his return in The Mandalorian season 2, he was accompanied by Fennec Shand, who was presumed dead after being shot in season 1. Fennec swore loyalty to Boba Fett after he found her in the desert and had her wounded abdomen replaced with droid parts, becoming his second in command in The Book of Boba Fett. Having Boba Fett find Fennec was a clever way to hint at his return in The Mandalorian season 1, and having her left for dead on Tatooine created a connection between them. She later made her animated debut in The Bad Batch, set 28 years before The Mandalorian.

3 Burryaga Agaburry

Died In: Star Wars: The High Republic – The Fallen Star; Resurrected In: Star Wars: The High Republic – Tales of Light and Life “All Jedi Walk Their Own Path”

Several Jedi were killed in Star Wars: The High Republic Phase I, but the Wookiee Jedi Knight Burryaga Agaburry was one of the few revealed to have survived. Burryaga was believed to have perished during the fall of Starlight Beacon, but he stayed alive in the bottom half of the station. His friend and fellow Jedi, Bell Zettifar, refused to believe that Burryaga was dead and led a successful rescue operation. The High Republic era was the golden age of the Jedi and the Republic, a time of hope for the galaxy, so having the Jedi refuse to abandon each other perfectly represents this part of the Star Wars timeline.

2 Sskeer

Died In: Star Wars: The High Republic (2021) #15; Resurrected In: Star Wars: The High Republic (2023) #2

Star Wars: The High Republic Phase III features the most recently revived Jedi, Master Sskeer, who was also presumed dead after the fall of Starlight Beacon. Sskeer was confirmed to be alive and active in the galaxy, likely consumed by a degenerative disease that caused him to fall to the dark side, which fits with the theme of The High Republic. This was an era of hope but also great peril, the beginning of the slow decline of the Jedi Order, and only time will tell if Sskeer returns for more High Republic stories.

1 Asajj Ventress

Died In: Star Wars: Dark Disciple; Resurrected In: Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 3

The franchise’s most recent resurrection will come in Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 3, thanks to a surprising appearance by Asajj Ventress in the trailer. She appeared to die in Star Wars: Dark Disciple by Christie Golden, and Quinlan Vos laid her body to rest on Dathomir. While no official explanation has been given for Ventress’ survival, the Star Wars Legends continuity may provide the answer, where she faked her death by going into a Sith trance and using a healing technique. Given her connection to the Nightsisters in canon, it would make sense if she did something similar.

Funnily enough, this is not the first time Star Wars has considered resurrecting Ventress in canon. The character of Mika Grey in Star Wars Resistance was originally going to be an aged Ventress, culminating in a duel between her and Supreme Leader Kylo Ren. The team behind The Bad Batch is finally delivering on her return, which could lead to Ventress stories set in the sequel trilogy era or a reunion with Quinlan Vos. The number of possibilities created by Ventress’ return makes her one of the most exciting Star Wars characters to have been brought back from the dead.