To say that theStar Warsfranchise is a successful one would be an understatement, as few franchises in film history have been as adorned with critical praise and as significant on the development of popular culture. More so than anything, it’s the characters of the galaxy far, far away that are why it’s been so successful for such a long period of time. Even those that have never seen a frame of any of the films or television shows are likely familiar with characters like C-3PO, Chewbacca, and Darth Vader.
However,Star Wars’ characters haven’t been individually recognized by awards voting bodies in the ways that they should have been. In fact, the franchise itself has been notoriously absent at the Academy Awards. While the originalStar Warsreceived ten nominations at theOscars, it ended up losing Best Picture toAnnie Hall, with George Lucas losing both Best Director and Best Original Screenplay to Woody Allen. To this day, the only actor who has ever received an Academy Award nomination for their performance in aStar Warsmovie is the late great Alec Guinness, whose performance as Obi-Wan Kenobi earned him a nod for Best Supporting Actor.
It’s become too common for theStar Warsfranchise to be ignored by awards voters, but it’s also not that surprising considering the Oscars’ notorious bias against science fiction and fantasy projects. Even thoughThe Lord of the Ringstrilogy earned a record-breaking number of wins and nominations (with 2003’sThe Lord of the Rings: The Return of the Kingtying the all-time record for most wins withTitanicandBen-Hur), the only actor to receive a nomination for the trilogy was Ian McKellen, whose role as Gandalf the Grey inThe Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ringearned him a nomination for Best Supporting Actor. That being said, these performances inStar Warsfilms certainly deserved Oscar nominations.
7Ewan McGregor — Revenge of the Sith
Ewan McGregorhas shockingly never received an Oscar nomination. Considering that he has starred in such classics asTrainspotting, Moulin Rouge, Shallow Grave, The Impossible, Beginners,andBig Fish, this seems to be particularly egregious!
While theStar Warsprequel trilogy has been divisive overall in terms of its quality, even the trilogy’s most hard-pressed haters would have to admit that McGregor’s performance as Kenobi was pretty excellent. While he’s equally great in all three films, McGregor’s delivery of Obi-Wan’s final heartbroken lines to his former apprentice Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) in 2005’sStar Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sithcould have made waves in the Best Supporting Actor race.
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6Carrie Fisher — Return of the Jedi
Carrie Fisheris simply one of the most underrated artists of all time; as an actress, writer, and comedian, Fisher was unflinchingly honest in a way that her fans are still uncovering. It’s a shame that the Oscars never recognized Fisher for any of the performances or writing she did in her career, but a nomination for theStar Warsfranchise might have been a great way to honor her entire career. Similar to McGregor’s role as Obi-Wan, it would be hard to choose which film represents her best contributions. However, 1983’sStar Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jediput Princess Leia Organa in the action first and foremost.
5Woody Harrelson — Solo: A Star Wars Story
Woody Harrelsonhas shockingly never won an Oscar, despite his nominations for Best Supporting Actor inThe Messengerand Best Actor inThe People vs. Larry Flynt. Harrelson was one of the bright spots of 2018’sSolo: A Star Wars Story, a truly great spinoff that embraced the western influences of the genre. Harrelson’s scene-stealing role as Han Solo’s (Alden Ehrenreich) Tobias Beckett would have been a fun addition to the Best Supporting Actor race in 2018; he may in fact have been a better winner then Mahershella Ali forGreen Book, a film frequently accused ofracism and historical inaccuracy.
Related:Ranking Every Live-Action Star Wars Project Under Disney From Worst to Best
4Peter Cushing — A New Hope
Peter Cushingis a legend among genre fans, as his roles in the Hammer horror films and the originalDoctor Whoseries were integral to those franchises; in fact, one of Cushing’s most frequent co-stars was Christopher Lee, who would go on to appear as Count Dooku inStar Wars: Episode II - Attack of the ClonesandStar Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith.
It would have been nice to see Cushing receive a nomination for the original film,A New Hope, alongside Alec Guinness. While theStar Warsfranchise has many great villains, Grand Moff Tarkin is a much more realistic antagonist who represents the cruelty of politicians.
3Daisy Ridley — The Force Awakens
Daisy Ridleyadded a feisty, heartfelt leading character to theStar Warsfranchise that re-energized the series moving forward. Seeing Ridley get a nomination forStar Wars: The Force Awakenswould have made sense; Rey deals with more complex issues inStar Wars: The Last Jediand is the victim of terrible writing inStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, but her energy and youthful ingenuity comes across brilliantly inThe Force Awakens.
2Mark Hamill — The Last Jedi
Mark Hamillis one of the fewStar Warsactors to get a serious Oscar campaign for their performance.J.J. Abrams statedthat Hamill’s performance inStar Wars: The Last Jediwas worthy of recognition, as Luke must reckon with the consequences of his choices and reinstate his belief in the Jedi Order.
1Frank Oz — The Empire Strikes Back
Similar to the ways that voice actors, stunt artists, and motion capture performers have long been denied Oscar recognition, puppeteers are not given proper respect. There aren’tmany puppet performancesin film history more powerful thanFrank Oz’s work as Yoda inStar Wars: Episode V - The Empire StrikesBack. Seeing Oz get a nomination would have been a great way to honor an entire field of snubbed artists for a craft that is extremely demanding.
