Here’s 4 Star Wars Characters Who Were Once a Huge Deal (Then Completely Disappeared)

Throughout Star Wars‘ nearly 50 years, there have been innumerable characters, particularly when thinking beyond just Star Wars movies and TV shows. However, there have certainly been characters that have stood out among the rest. While that would most obviously include the members of the Skywalker family as well as other prominent Jedi like Master Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi, important Star Wars characters aren’t limited to just the Skywalkers and the Jedi. In fact, in Andor, Senator Mon Mothma proved herself yet again as a pivotal character, and she has actually been in a staggering number of shows and movies, dating back to the original trilogy.

Yet, there are also many characters who were seemingly going to be very important to the larger franchise, only to be cast aside or disappear completely. There are several relatively minor Star Wars for which this is true, such as Jar Jar Binks, whose fate remains unknown (as does, ironically, Kelleran Beq, the other character Ahmed Best has played), and Star Wars Rebels’ Agent Kallus, who turned from the Empire to the Rebellion, but there are multiple Star Wars characters whose disappearances have proven even more shocking because of how crucial their role seemed to be when they were first introduced or based on their repeated appearances in the franchise. Of all of those examples, these four are among the most significant.

Asajj Ventress

Although many Star Wars fans might know Asajj Ventress first from Star Wars: The Clone Wars, as that was her first canon appearance in the franchise, she had actually had her on-screen debut in the previous non-canon series Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003). She proved to be a fan favorite in The Clone Wars, despite being on the dark side because she was fierce and powerful but also because she was so witty and sarcastic. Perhaps due to that popularity, Ventress’ final appearance wasn’t in The Clone Wars. She actually had a surprising cameo in Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 3, at which point she showed off yellow lightsabers—suggesting a turn to the light side—and tested Omega’s potential Force powers.

Even after that, Ventress returned once more, getting her own three-episode arc in Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld. Although that series was released just last year, and that might seem like not long enough to constitute a “disappearance,” Ventress does seem to fit into this category because of how much significance she seemed to have. Particularly after The Bad Batch, in fact, it seemed like Ventress was on track to take on a new role in Star Wars as someone who was identifying, testing, and perhaps even saving Force-sensitive children during the Dark Times. This actually seemed like a perfect story arc for her character based on her complex storyline, but with Tales of the Underworld, that seemed to be brought to an end. It’s possible she will return, but signs currently point to her being among those who have simply disappeared.

Qi’ra

Yet another character who seemed to be firmly on the path to getting a significant Star Wars story arc was Qi’ra, who was introduced in Solo: A Star Wars Story, shockingly as a love interest of Han Solo’s before he met Princess Leia. In the movie, she unfortunately ended up going from a heroic character who was close with Han to someone with a much more complex position in the galaxy as a member of the crime syndicate the Crimson Dawn. Given that we know she obviously didn’t end up with Han or seemingly even maintain a connection to him beyond this point, Solo seemed to perfectly lay the groundwork for her own story to be told as a spinoff, and the movie even concluded with a shocking cameo from Darth Maul, making her Star Wars future potentially all the more significant.

Despite that potential, though, Qi’ra has actually never returned to the Star Wars screen after Solo. She has appeared in myriad Star Wars novels and comics, which are canon, and those have continued her story. However, that’s not what many fans were wanting or expecting for this character. Solo truly did seem to be setting her up for her own show or perhaps even movie. Presumably, this decision was made because Solo is not necessarily seen as one of Star Wars’ best movies; in fact, it faced quite a bit of criticism and is generally regarded as one of the franchise’s weaker films. Even so, it’s a shame that, in the eight years since, Qi’ra has never returned to the Star Wars screen, and at this point, she doesn’t seem likely to.

Rose Tico

Rose Tico is perhaps the single most controversial example of Star Wars’ trend of having characters drop off after seeming important to the future of the franchise. Rose was introduced in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and she was quickly established as a pivotal new figure in the Resistance and, by the end of the movie, as even a potential love interest for Finn. Many had therefore expected Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker to pick up Rose’s story with the same level of focus and importance, but that was unfortunately not the case. Rather, Rose was essentially entirely sidelined in The Rise of Skywalker with very little explanation.

As with all other sequel trilogy characters, Rose has yet to make her way back to the Star Wars screen in a story set after The Rise of Skywalker. However, whereas Rey is expected to return in New Jedi Order, and there was even chatter once upon a time about Ben Solo’s possible return with The Hunt for Ben Solo, Rose is on a list of characters like Finn and Poe Dameron who have no clear upcoming return or even, seemingly, the possibility of a return. It’s quite possible that we won’t ever see Rose Tico on screen again, which would make her The Rise of Skywalker story arc and subsequent disappearance all the more frustrating.

Cal Kestis

Finally, Cal Kestis is yet another Star Wars character who seemed destined for major things but has all but disappeared in the last few years. This canon character and survivor of Order 66 was introduced in the video game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and its sequel game Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, which came out in 2019 and 2023, respectively. This means that it has been three years since Cal Kestis’ last appearance, but perhaps even more than that, there is currently no publicly confirmed project for Cal Kestis that would see the character debuting in a movie or TV show. This is truly shocking, as the character is incredibly popular, and there was a massive push for the character to be introduced in a live-action show or movie, with even the actor in the games, Cameron Monaghan, expressing interest in playing the role.

Of course, it’s possible that something is in the works behind the scenes and it simply hasn’t been announced yet. After all, Star Wars Celebration 2027 will mark the franchise’s 50th anniversary, and there’s no doubt that there will be numerous major announcements throughout that event. A live-action Cal Kestis project may very well be among them. Bewilderingly, though, we currently have no indication about any such project, and Cal Kestis, despite his popularity, is among the Star Wars characters who have simply disappeared.