Most of the time. Star Wars is a serious space opera about war, politics, conflict, drama. Sometimes, though, it is a really great place to find some cuteness. You remember BB-8, right? Seriously. Ask anyone obsessed with The Mandalorian.
After the success of the aforementioned Baby Yoda’s space dad show, it’d be fun to look back on all Star Wars properties and pull together some of the most adorable and awesome kids across all of Star Wars. There have been some seriously cute younglings with astounding potential. They deserve a list of their own.
Luke and Leia Skywalker
At the top of the list, we cannot ignore the sheer power of baby Luke and Leia. While they didn’t have much screen-time and fans didn’t watch them grow up, they had a significant impact on the galaxy as a whole.
For one, their existence is the reason Anakin started toeing over that dark side line. Second, they eventually turned the tide against that darkness. Despite their complicated upbringings, they become bright forces for good that helped redeem the wrongs their father committed. They aren’t exactly an exciting onscreen pair of children, but their worth can’t be ignored.
Rotta Hutt
Between the cuteness factor and his importance to the Republic, Rotta Hutt is probably the biggest force for good in the entire Hutt family. After all, most of the others have underhanded motives. Rotta is just a cute baby doing his best.
All the time Ahsoka and Anakin spent protecting Rotta makes up some of the cutest moments in Star Wars history. And to think, anyone could start finding a Hutt cute. While Rotta doesn’t do too much, he’s certainly one memorable Star Wars kid with a great story of family love. If only his family wasn’t so sleazy.
Barriss Offee
It’s hard not to be impressed with how cool the young padawan Barriss Offee is. She became a padawan late, after surviving the Battle of Geonosis. But she dedicated herself to learning the Jedi ways and becoming a strong combatant. Even though she saw so much suffering at a young age, she pushed herself to become stronger to protect others. She even became friends with the famous Ahsoka Tano. However, her dedication wavered after the war kept on going.
While Barriss’ methods were violent, her disillusionment with the Jedi was a powerful statement in the middle of such an intense war. She was too radical, but she figured out early that the rest of her fellow Jedi were doomed.
The Gathering Initiates
A great arc in the Clone Wars involves Yoda and some Jedi initiates trying to earn their place in the Jedi Order. They are a diverse group of force-sensitive children with their own strengths and abilities. A whole list could be done comparing these kids, but since we’re trying to cover so many generations of great young characters.
Some serious highlights in the group are Gungi, a Wookie initiate, and Katooni, a spitfire, brave, and warm-hearted Tholothian. These kids didn’t just work together in the Gathering ritual, but they also pulled off an insane rescue mission. Extra points to Katooni for befriending the pirate Hondo Ohnaka.
Anakin Skywalker
Most of Anakin’s story is told when he’s an adult, especially when considering the latter two prequels films, the main trilogy, and the Clone Wars series. However, there was that whole first film, where fans get to see Anakin as a young child.
While the kid had an uncomfortable amount of smooth moves at the age of eleven (much more than when he was an adult) he was very powerful and was a force-sensitive mystery. Also, the kid could fly a pod-racer and a star-fighter like nobody’s business. He could even fix up complex droids on his own. A big downside though has less to do with Ani and more the writing. The kid was totally too perfect and an annoying MacGuffin of a character.
Rey
Fans only see snippets of Rey as a child, and it’s mostly just running after her parents abandoning her on Jakku. However, the implied journey of Rey’s childhood is worth a lot of points in the “best Star Wars kid” contest. After her parents sold her, Rey had to fend for herself on Jakku, becoming a scavenger from a young age to earn herself food. It’s a miracle she even survived. No matter her parents’ decision or even the Palpatine connection, she did all that on her own.
Most of the best Star Wars kids have a mentor of parent figure to help them, but Rey had no one. She deserves credit for that despite all the suffering she went through.
Wee Dunn
Okay, sure, there’s some cute bias here. But look into this baby Rodian’s adorable galaxy eyes, filled with stars and hope, and say that he isn’t a great boy and deserves so much fan love.
Wee Dunn survived the harrowing experience of Cad Bane’s kidnapping and still remained a strong, apt, force-sensitive young kid. Also, he was the perfect, heartstring-pulling bait for saving the little kids from brainwashing. To pull him from the grips of the conditioning machines? So satisfying. Now, let’s not think about the fact this sweet, adorable boy probably won’t survive the wars. It’s too much.
Boba Fett
While Boba Fett is in no way a good person, he is a good character. Losing his father at the start of the Clone Wars really set the tone for the rest of Boba’s life. Especially when all the clone troopers shared his dad’s face. That must’ve absolutely torn him apart.
Watching moments of Boba’s journey throughout the Clone Wars, from delinquent to bounty hunter, really helped flesh out this vague, oddly beloved character from the original trilogy. And luckily, Clone Wars was smart about not overdoing it and made him feel like a real, complex, angry person.
Ahsoka Tano
Young padawan Ahsoka Tano stole fans’ hearts from the second she popped up on screen. Whether it was her adorable toddler self meeting Plo Koon for the first time, or a headstrong Anakin calling his equally headstrong pre-teen padawan Snips, she’s always been one of the best things to ever happen to Star Wars. Her strong convictions and dedication to helping others made her a great hero amidst a very complicated war.
She learned so much over the seasons and grew so much as a person. By the time she’s a full-grown adult in Rebels, her journey is by far one of the most compelling to ever grace Star Wars fans. Everyone’s always been very lucky to have her.
The Child
While Ahsoka Tano is beloved by all, this is a best kids list. And what makes Ahsoka the best isn’t her kiddish-ness, it’s her growth as a character. The true, best kid of all kids, is The Child from The Mandalorian. Part of his great charm is the fact he’s a wide-eyed, innocent kid. Even though he has immense power at his fingertips, all he wants is safety, snacks, and a family to call his own. Luckily, Mando provides all three.
Whenever the second season of The Mandalorian comes out, The Child will definitely charm fans with all his cuteness all over again, seeing how his life with Mando has brought out the strengths in him. (Look at all the fan art already!) But even better, fans will get to see him blossom during his unique, insane childhood.
