One of the things that has always made the Star Wars franchise so special is its massive catalog of amazing characters. Whether they are the best characters from the original trilogy or more recent additions from the Disney spin-offs, few franchises can boast of having so many popular characters.

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While many fan favorites are heroic Jedi like Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka Tano, many of Star Wars' best characters are less traditionally heroic. It doesn't matter if it's the Empire or Republic in charge; the Star Wars galaxy is a dangerous place, and many people have to paint between the lines to survive. Outlaws and rogues play a big part in the mythos, and with Star Wars Outlaws on the horizon, there's never been a better time to highlight the best of the bunch.

1 The Jedi (Post-Order 66)

From Law-Keepers To Outlaws

In a galaxy far, far away, the Jedi were once the ultimate peacekeepers and the upholders of galactic law. With the odd exception of Jedi who fell to the dark side, a typical Jedi was about as far away from being an outlaw as one could be. Then the Clone Wars happened, and the Order's gradual fall from the light began.

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Following Order 66, all the remaining Jedi became outlaws in that their entire existence was literally against the law. However, many of them also embraced the outlaw lifestyle. Before becoming a hero of the rebellion in Star Wars Rebels, Kanan Jarrus (a member of the Ghost's crew) kept himself busy making a living smuggling and doing odd jobs for unsavory types. Other Jedi heroes like Ahsoka and Cal Kestis also dabbled in crime during this period. With their Force-enhanced abilities, Jedi made skilled outlaws, but luckily most of them held on to their moral codes.

2 The Bad Batch

Super-Soldiers, Super-Outlaws

The Bad Batch was first introduced in the final season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars as the Republic's most elite and unconventional clone force. Unfortunately, not long after their introduction, Order 66 was put into action, and the Bad Batch quickly found themselves at odds with their commanders. In one of the best Bad Batch episodes, given the choice between betraying their ideals or going AWOL, four of the five chose the latter.

As AWOL soldiers, the Bad Batch pretty quickly turned to a life of crime. In the first two seasons of Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Clone Force 99 made pretty decent outlaws. Sure, they had the skills, but they were like fish out of water in the seedy criminal underworld. While they had no problem breaking the rules, their discomfort with doing the morally objectionable ultimately led them to part ways with their fixer, Cid, and gravitate towards the fledgling Rebellion.

3 Din Djarin, aka The Mandalorian

Respects The Creed, Not The Law

While not all bounty hunters in Star Wars are outlaws, most of them at least bend the rules from time to time. Din Djarin throws the whole rule book out of the cockpit. He has zero time for laws, whether they be Imperial or New Republic.

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Din starts The Mandalorian as a pretty standard bounty hunter but quickly becomes a full-fledged outlaw after rescuing the adorable Grogu. At times, Din has both the Imperial remnants and the New Republic hunting him, but it never seems to phase him. Din is fine with breaking villains out of jail, killing on demand, and working for criminal scum, as long as it doesn't break the Creed. He's such an outlaw, he even carried around one of the best blasters in Star Wars, the Amban phase-pulse blaster, a weapon so deadly it's illegal.

4 Asajj Ventress

Padawan, Apprentice, Assassin, and Outlaw

Asajj Ventress's life has been quite the roller coaster. Initially a padawan, she turned to the dark side after her master was killed and began studying under Count Dooku. After her burgeoning powers began to worry Darth Sidious, she was betrayed by Dooku and left to die.

Initially, Ventress dedicated herself to killing Dooku, but after failing repeatedly, she opted for a life of crime instead. Ventress became a bounty hunter and outlaw, working for whoever could pay her fee. Towards the end of Star Wars: The Clone Wars and The Bad Batch, Ventress was revealed to have edged ever closer to the light side but had little interest in becoming a law-abiding citizen, becoming more of a morally gray anti-hero.

5 Fennec Shand

A Feared Assassin

Before the fall of the Empire, Fennec Shand made a name for herself as one of the Galaxy's most feared assassins. While many others relied on gimmicks or enhanced abilities, all Fennec needed was a decent rifle to take down her prey. Fennec found infamy working for the biggest criminal syndicates, and her reputation earned her a certain level of immunity from both the Empire (which wasn't opposed to hiring the likes of Fennec) and other criminals.

Unfortunately for her, following the Empire's fall, Fennec quickly found herself at the top of a host of most-wanted lists. This led to her fateful encounter with Din Djarinn, during which she was shot in cold blood by the amateur bounty hunter Toro Calican. Lucky for fans, she was saved by Boba Fett, becoming a cyborg in the process. Working in conjunction with the legendary Fett, it seems likely Shand will become one of Star Wars' most feared outlaws.

6 Hondo Ohnaka

Former Pirate King

Hondo first appeared in The Clone Wars as a pirate king with few scruples who managed to kidnap not only Dooku but Anakin and Obi-Wan too. Ever-ambitious, he plays the Jedi and Separatists against each other by demanding ransoms from both. As a powerful pirate king, he thinks he has nothing to fear from either side. His next appearance, during which he attacked Ahsoka and a band of younglings, proved he was willing to do just about anything to make a few credits.

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However, throughout The Clone Wars, he gradually softened, becoming more of an ally to the Jedi. Considering what happened to them, that was probably a mistake. It's never fully explained why, but by the time Hondo meets Ezra Bridger in Rebels he's gone from pirate king to outlaw on the run. Despite his fall from infamy, Hondo remains a force to be reckoned with. Even as an outlaw, things have a habit of always going his way in the end. His ability to swindle everyone he meets has led some fans to compare him to Star Trek's Ferengi.

7 Cad Bane

A Jedi Hunter

Star Wars has a lot of assassins and bounty hunters, but Cad Bane is arguably one of the deadliest. In both The Clone Wars and Rebels, fans watch Bane go up against the Jedi several times and emerge victorious repeatedly. Cad Bane was willing to work for everyone and anyone and wasn't afraid to threaten his clients if he felt they weren't paying enough.

Cad Bane is pretty much the opposite of Fennec and Hondo. Whereas those two outlaws had some kind of redemption, Bane remained a villain throughout his life. In his last appearance, Bane was still a proud outlaw, working for the cartels against the recently returned Boba Fett. When the two legendary outlaws finally came face-to-face, Bane would learn too late that he wasn't the best after all.

8 Darth Maul

Sith Apprentice, Crime Lord, And Leader Of The Death Watch

Before his return in The Clone Wars, few fans would have said Maul was one of the prequel trilogy's best characters. Then Dave Filoni brought Maul back from the dead and made him one of the most fearsome outlaws in Star Wars history. Maul's status as an outlaw was cemented after his and his brother's first tangle with Obi-Wan Kenobi.

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As a Sith apprentice, Maul had killed Qui-Gon Jinn, something the Jedi were unlikely to ever let go of. Maul's lust for power led him to try and succeed in taking over and uniting the galaxy's criminal cartels under his rule. At the same time, he commandeered control over the terrorist organization Death Watch. If all this wasn't enough, he then carried out the ultimate crime by using his criminal power to take over all of Mandalore. No other Star Wars outlaw can claim to have stolen an entire planet. Maul's victory was short-lived, however, and ultimately he became another outlaw on the run, his quest for power and revenge never-ending, but ultimately doomed.

9 Boba Fett

A Chip Off The Old Block

For many fans, Boba Fett is THE Star Wars outlaw. He first appeared as a bounty hunter working for Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back and returned in Return of the Jedi in Jabba's palace. His cool demeanor, impressive skills, and intimidating armor made him a fan favorite from day one.

Ironically, working as a bounty hunter for the Empire meant that, originally, he was a villain, but wasn't an outlaw. However, after escaping the Sarlacc pit and deciding to do his own thing, Fett becomes an outlaw and a hero. In The Book of Boba Fett, the character explains his rather romanticized view of being an outlaw and a crime lord. Tired of doing others' bidding for so long, Fett has decided he'd rather be an outlaw but free than be someone else's trigger man.

10 Han Solo

A Scoundrel And A Rogue

Han Solo and his best friend Chewbacca are Star Wars' original outlaws. Solo first appeared in A New Hope in a meeting during which he may or may not have killed Greedo in cold blood. Either way, his first appearance made it clear: Solo was a lovable rogue who made a living smuggling and running spice, the Star Wars version of drugs.

While that film quickly turned Han into a hero, he made sure to gripe every time he had to do anything even slightly selfless or heroic. Throughout the original trilogy, Han tries to leave the Rebellion behind to return to his outlaw lifestyle. Fans thought he'd turned over a new leaf after being rescued from carbonite by Luke, but The Force Awakens later revealed that, in the end, Han couldn't help but return to his old ways. For Han Solo, it was a case of once an outlaw, always an outlaw.

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