The Disney Star Wars trilogy has been controversial, to say the very least. Many have lamented a poor plot, weak characters and a counter-narrative that destroyed longtime fan expectations. Regardless of which side you sit on, it's easy to argue that Disney could have drawn from much stronger source material in the form of the Expanded Universe, now referred to as "Legends." Since Disney's purchase of LucasFilm back in 2012, the Expanded Universe is no longer considered official canon, which is a shame from a creative perspective.
Here's 10 characters from the "Legends" universe that should have appeared in Disney's Star Wars trilogy. Each one would have fit right into the story, while giving Disney plenty of creative avenues to branch out with for future films.
WINTER CELCHU
It's no secret that audiences weren't too thrilled with Laura Dern's character of Vice iral Amilyn Holdo in The Last Jedi. The controversial character would have seen better reception if she'd been replaced by Winter Celchu. Both characters appear close to Leia Organa, but Winter has a much broader and richer backstory to take advantage of.
Winter and Leia were raised together on Alderaan before it was destroyed by the Empire's first Death Star. Later, she would engage in Rebel spy missions and help raise Han and Leia's children. Though similar in some respects to the character of Amilyn Holdo, Winter would have been a better and stronger choice, by far.
TALON KARRDE
There was room for another smuggler in the Star Wars universe, and Talon Karrde was an excellent choice. As a smuggler and information broker, Karrde managed to stay under the radar of both the Empire and the New Republic before being drawn out by Grand iral Thrawn.
Karrde's appearance in the Disney trilogy could have played a major role by allowing the character to implement the Smuggler's Alliance, which had been used several times against Imperial and Yuuzhan Vong forces in the Expanded Universe novels. He could also have played business partner to Lando Calrissian, giving him someone to play off of.
IRAL DAALA
General Hux didn't have quite the impact audiences were hoping for in the Disney trilogy. He existed essentially to scream orders and get tossed around by Snoke, only to get cut down unceremoniously after an anti-climatic plot twist in The Rise Of Skywalker. iral Daala would have served as a far better antagonist for the part.
Daala was unpredictable and aggressive, with no clear vision of who's side she was truly on. She wreaked a campaign of havoc against the galaxy in retaliation for the death of Palpatine, before eventually aiding the New Republic, and later becoming its Chief of State. It didn't last long, however. Her ambitious rage was eventually quelled by an uprising from the Jedi Order, and her eventual political defeat during a run for Imperial Head of State.
KYLE KATARN
Katarn is best known for his appearance in the Jedi Knight series of Star Wars videogames where he plays an active role in preventing Dark Jedi from gaining access to the long-fabled Valley of the Jedi. This former Imperial Stormtrooper later became a secret operative for the Rebel Alliance, before eventually courting his blossoming Force powers and becoming a Jedi Knight.
An older Katarn would have been a welcome sight for the Disney trilogy as one of the few Jedi who managed to escape death at the hands of the Knights of Ren. It might also have set up an excellent final act fight sequence where Katarn faces them down, and gets a little payback.
KYP DURRON
It could be argued that Kyp Durron was a virtual character template for what would later be Kylo Ren. Both are driven largely by trauma, and both were taken advantage of by extremely powerful Dark Siders who corrupted their thoughts and turned them into weapons of destruction.
Though Durron might not have been a strong enough character to take Kylo Ren's place as the penultimate baddie, he could have served as Ren's apprentice, or a wild card seeking revenge against the First Order, much the same as his Expanded Universe character sought vengeance against the Empire.
JORUUS C'BAOTH
Joruus C'Baoth is a fascinating antagonist, mainly because he was the first post-ROTJ clone to make an official appearance in series canon. In contrast to the original Jedi Master Jorus C'Baoth, Joruus was corrupt down to his very core; a maniacal psychopath who was neither truly Jedi nor Sith, but capable of wielding both sides of the Force with equal fury. He eventually turned his sights to Luke Skywalker, whom he tried to corrupt and turn into his apprentice before failing outright.
C'Baoth's appearance in the Disney trilogy would have given the story a much-needed secondary villain to play off, much the same as Count Dooku did for George Lucas' prequel trilogy. It would also have expanded more on the cloning technology used to maintain the spirit of Darth Sidious.
JAGGED FEL
Jagged Fel might be lesser known among Star Wars fans, but he's an important character that shaped the Expanded Universe timeline in huge ways. Raised by the Chiss and brought up in their cultural ways, this human climbed the ranks from ace starfighter pilot to eventual head of the Imperial Remnant. He would later become Emperor of a newly reformed Empire that brought back much of its Palpatine-era underpinnings, but with a focus on honor, duty and goodness instead of oppression and cruelty.
The Fel Empire even had its own version of the Jedi Order known as the Imperial Knights, who rejected both Jedi and Sith teachings in favor of a balanced mantra. This could have served as an excellent narrative end to the Disney trilogy, allowing Fel to reform the First Order into a force for goodness in the wake of Palpatine's demise, while hinting that proper Force Balance is attained through centrist ideals.
JACEN & JAINA
A slight cheat with this one, but it's impossible to truly separate the Solo twins from each other, due to the impact both had on the Expanded Universe material. The original children of Han Solo and Leia Organa, Jacen and Jaina played important parts in several major galactic conflicts before the latter was forced to slay the former in a lightsaber duel after he'd fallen to the Dark Side.
Although Ben Solo/Kylo Ren did eventually serve as the canonized child of Han and Leia, he could have benefited greatly from having Jacen and Jaina as siblings to play off of during the events of the Disney trilogy. They might also have served as key figures in bringing Ren back from the Dark Side.
MARA JADE
Mara Jade will forever be a fan favorite, thanks to her incredible story arc. Originally Emperor Palpatine's trusted Hand, Jade was plagued with an implanted desire to kill Luke Skywalker, the man responsible for his death. In the end, Jade broke free of Palpatine's psychic conditioning and eventually became his ally, and later his wife.
Jade should have made an appearance in the Disney trilogy and given Luke Skywalker a better character arc than the controversial one so disliked by fans. As a former ally to Talon Karrde, she would also have had a backstory to introduce herself to new audiences who'd never heard of her, before.
GRAND IRAL THRAWN
The biggest of the Expanded Universe bads is undoubtedly Grand iral Thrawn. He is one of the few characters to be officially canonized in the Disney Star Wars timeline, thanks to a prominent role in the animated Star Wars: Rebels series.
This master tactician would have been a far sight better villain to lead the First Order, rather than Supreme Leader Snoke. Also, their deaths are quite similar, with both suffering their demise at the hands of a trusted ally. Replace Snoke with Thrawn, and the story might have taken a better turn, thanks to a villain with a lot more substance and a connected backstory.
