Welcome to the quarterfinals of our Star Wars character top trumps. We’re down to the % of the vote. final eight characters, as voted by you in our daily Twitter poll.
Round 2 was a time for heroes; only Darth Vader survived the cull of big bads that saw Leia, Chewbacca, Rey, Luke, Han, Poe and Yoda make it to round three. But then, was there ever any doubt that one of the great movie villains of all time would cut a swathe through the ranks of characters across the eight movies to date?
So let’s get on to our first battle…
Battle 1: Darth Vader vs Princess Leia
This was a titanic battle to open our quarterfinals on; father versus daughter, dark vs light. The Dark Lord of the Sith quickly attempted to break Leia Organa to his will, but her determination was resolute. When she refused to bow to her will, he had her arrested but she soon got hold of a gun and blasted her way out of prison.
Next he tried intimidation, but she wasn’t to be broken. Princess Leia is one strong character and not a weak mind to be played with. At the same time, any attempt to have him blasted out of the nearest airlock was met with cool disdain; he didn’t even need to raise his hand to turn of the controls and crush her one attempt to defeat him.
This was the ultimate standoff and no one was going to win this battle. With 50% each, both Darth Vader and Princess Leia upset the odds and head off to fight another day in the semifinals.
Battle 2: Rey vs Luke Skywalker
We don’t know how Star Wars: The Last Jedi is going to turn out, but in this quarterfinal battle, the Jedi heroes of their respective trilogies came face to face for an epic battle of lightsabers and wills.
Rey certainly had a fierce streak, coming fresh from her defeat of Emperor Palpatine in the previous round. But Luke too had proven he was not to be messed with, having taken out Darth Maul. There was plenty of sparring, but Luke was the wiser and more skilled of the two and defeats Rey in combat. She humbly bows out of the competition and Luke Skywalker joins his sister and Dad for the semifinals with 69% of the vote.
Battle 3: Yoda vs Chewbacca
The tough, green little Jedi versus the Wookie with a bowcaster battle it out in this latest round. Both have mad fighting skills and plenty of attitude. Chewbacca decides he’s had enough of this little green muppet and fires a few shots. Yoda leaps to the side, deflects the laser blasts with his lightsaber and sets his sights on victory.
But Chewbacca is having none of it. He slaps Yoda aside when he gets to close and then finds himself dangling mid air. This little green Jedi has been around for nine hundred years and he is not going to an insolent Wookie get the better of him. He locks Chewbacca in a box and leaves him howling as he trots off to the semifinal with 59% of the vote.
Battle 4: Han Solo vs Poe Dameron
The quarterfinals end with the battle of two charming heroes; the General who helped destroy the first Death Star versus the Resistance pilot who helped destroy the First Order’s version of the planet killer. They’re both cool, skilled and heroic, but one one can make it through to the semifinal.
But which one is the best pilot. Han Solo challenges Poe Dameron to a race through an asteroid field; he’s done it before and half the Imperial Starfleet was destroyed. Being the best pilot in the Resistance, a confident Poe accepts and heads off in his X-Wing. After all, Han’s Millennium Falcon is just a piece of junk right? Except the Falcon ran the kessel run in 12 parsecs in Han proves he isn’t just a dab hand at navigating asteroids, his ship is also the fastest. He leaves a stunned Poe in his wakes and soars into the semifinal with 92% of the vote. Poe didn’t stand a chance…
And there you have it. Five characters vying for two spots. Who will make it into the final?