After decades of waiting on a Star Wars movie to once again give fans the sense of fun and adventures the originals gave us, the Force Awakens brought new life to the franchise. In true Star Wars fashion, the film gave us fantastic new characters who we instantly latched on to; Rey, Kylo Ren, Finn, and BB-8 have all earned their spots in this beloved galaxy. But nobody can deny one of the selling points of this new film was the return of our favorite heroes from the previous films to pass the torch to the new generation. From major players like Han and Leia to more obscure, but no less loved, heroes like Admiral Ackbar and Nien Nunb. Now the next step in this new Star Wars trilogy is quickly approaching let us look at some other fan-favorite characters we would like to see pop up.
Lando Calrissian: It is no doubt one of the biggest selling points of the Force Awakens was the return of; Luke, Leia, Han, Chewie, and the droids. But there was gap missing where another major character from the original trilogy belonged, Lando Calrissian. Originally his character was brought in to take the place of Han Solo, should Harrison Ford opt not to return, and with the fate of Solo sealed perhaps it is time for Lando to finally fulfill that role. Despite the passing of time Billy Dee Williams is just as smooth and charismatic as ever, just throw his trademark cape on and let the man do what he does best.
Ezra Bridger and Sabine Wren: The animated series Star Wars: Rebels went a long way towards repairing the damage done by the prequel trilogy and restoring a sense of fun and excitement to the Star Wars franchise. This is due in no small part to the likable rag-tag characters who bring a Firefly-edge to Lucas' universe; from roguish Jedi Kanan Jarrus, to the pugnacious Zeb Orrelios. With the time gap between the beloved series and the Force Awakens spanning several decades, it is doubtful many of the Ghost crew would still be around; but Jedi-in-training Ezra Bridger and artistic Mandalorian Sabine Wren are young enough at the dawn of the Rebellion that they could still pitch in against the First Order. For fans of Star Wars: Rebels it would be interesting to see if Bridger became a full-fledged Jedi and perhaps had a hand in trying to keep Kylo Ren from going to the dark side. And Sabine, brings a sense of fun that so few characters in Star Wars have, so seeing her on the big screen would undoubtedly be a treat.
Wedge Antilles: We already covered a major character from two of the flicks in the original trilogy, but what about an often forgotten character who played an oft-forgotten role in all three of those films. Wedge Antilles was the only X-Wing pilot not named Luke Skywalker to make it out of the attack on the Death Star in one piece. In the Empire Strikes Back he and his co-pilot tested Luke's theory on how to bring down an AT-AT with a harpoon and tow cable. When Lando flew the Millennium Falcon deep into the belly of the Death Star in Return of the Jedi, Wedge was flying right beside him. As the Resistance prepped for their attack on the Starkiller base, fans saw many favorite from the Rebel Fleet, including Admiral Ackbar and Nien Nunb, but Antilles is a cameo which fans would have loved to see as well. Given the heavy casualties the Resistance experienced at the hands of the First Order, perhaps the return of an experienced X-Wing pilot is in order for Episode VIII.
Corran Horn: What many of us grew up on as the Expanded Universe is now classified as the Legendary Universe. One of the most intriguing characters from this timeline was ace X-Wing pilot and Jedi Master Corran Horn. Horn was an interesting combination of soldier and peacemaker who would be a great asset to filmmakers in this new trilogy. Perhaps he could be one of the students of Skywalker who went into hiding when Kylo Ren began his crusade.
Emperor Palpatine: In the original trilogy whenever the likes of Obi Wan Kenobi or Yoda fell, it was not their true end as they returned as Force ghosts. It is only fair that the Dark Side have a similar ability to balance out the scales. Kylo Ren is an absolutely fascinating villain as warrior committed to the ideals of the Sith. Why not give him a spiritual guide in his journey just as Luke had with Kenobi. Palpatine oversaw Ren's grandfather in his journey to the Dark Side, so he would be the perfect villain to take on this role.
