Star Warsisn’t a franchise one typically associates withromance. If we really dive into things, however,tension, kisses, and heartbreaking endings characterize the series as much as lightsaber duels and spaceship dogfights. A rebellion can’t thrive without love, andStar Warsvalues all kinds of love — familial, platonic, and romantic.
However,Star Warsalso loves inevitable tragedies. One might almost say it specializes in them,given how few happy endings its romantic couples have lived to see. It doesn’t matter whether the doomed lovers experience heroic sacrifices, cruel accidents, or poetic ironies —Star Warsnever hesitates to ruin our hearts. Here are the franchise’s most tragic couples across live-action,animation, films, andtelevisionseries.
10Osha and Qimir
‘The Acolyte’ (2024)
Yes, Qimir/the Stranger (Manny Jacinto) kills Osha’s (Amandla Stenberg) friends. Yes, he’s an established villain, and she becomes one byThe Acolyte’s final episode. But we love bad guys in this house. Osha’s corruption arc is tragic, and that’s the point of creatorLeslye Headland’s series —a different kind of Sith origin story, and one that makes the phrase “seduced by the Dark Side” less metaphorical.
Even though these two meet during a moment of terrifying carnage, their dynamic evolves into an odd kind of mutual understanding, acceptance, and attraction.Qimir, the big, bad, dangerous man, shows Osha kindness, patience, and a lot of alluring skin. He never directs his violence toward her; they never kiss, either, but holding hands over a lightsaber might be better. Qimir and Osha’s tragedy is two-fold:two people who embrace evil because they feel betrayed and broken by the Jedi, andThe Acolyte’s cancellation meanswe won’t see them burn the galaxy together.
The Acolyte
The Acolyte is a mystery-thriller that will take viewers into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark-side powers in the final days of the High Republic era. A former Padawan reunites with her Jedi Master to investigate a series of crimes, but the forces they confront are more sinister than they ever anticipated.
9Asajj Ventress and Quinlan Vos
‘Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld’ (2025)
Asajj Ventress (Nika Futterman) and Quinlan Vos' (Al Rodrigo) romance only happens withinStar Wars: Tales of the Underworld’s opening sequence. The first few minutes heavily draw from the spin-off bookDark DisciplebyChristie Golden, which adapted plans for an eight-part, unproducedStar Wars: The Clone Warsarc thatwould conclude Ventress' story. InDark Disciple,the Jedi and the former Sith apprentice fall for each other. With Quinlan, Ventress finds love and kindness for the first time since her childhood. She sacrifices herself to save his life, and a grieving Quinlan returns her body to Dathomir.
Tales of the Underworldpicks up with a resurrected Ventress scraping her way through the galaxy and trying to find Quinlan — the reasonshe came back to life. Ultimately, however,Ventress chooses to forge a (non-evil) path instead of reuniting with her lover. She denies her own happiness, while Quinlan continues to believe his love has died.
Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld
8Rey Skywalker and Kylo Ren
The Sequel Trilogy (2015–2019)
From the moment they meet inStar Wars: The Force Awakens, Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) share an ambiguously charged chemistry.Star Wars: The Last Jediclarifiestheir dynamic into onemany fans hoped for, thanks to the Force Dyad’s shared visions, intimate finger-touching, andback-to-back lightsaber duels. These foes on opposite sides of a war,the symbols of the Light Side and the Dark, discover each other’s humanity.
Kylo’s mini-redemption arc inStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalkersolves the biggest obstacle to Rey and Ben becoming an official power couple: him craving galactic domination while she champions galactic freedom. But once Ben makes his choice,he never says a word, and promptly dies after saving Rey’s life. The enemies-to-loversshare one bittersweet kissbeforeThe Rise of Skywalkerdenies them their happy, hard-won future.
Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker
In the riveting conclusion of the landmark Skywalker saga, new legends will be born-and the final battle for freedom is yet to come.
7Obi-Wan Kenobi and Satine Kryze
‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars’ (2008–2020)
“Had you said the word, I would have left the Jedi Order.” That’s not a sentiment we expect from Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregorandJames Arnold Taylor), the Jedi’s unofficial poster boy in two of three movie trilogies plusThe Clone Warsseries. As peacekeepers and caretakers, the Jedi should have empathy for all living beings, but the Order forbids them fromindulging in individual attachments. Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) mishandling his love for Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman) only facilitatedthe fall of the Republic— no big deal, right?
Yet inObi-Wan’s youthful, impulsive days, he fell for Duchess Satine Kryze (Anna Graves), the eventual ruler of Mandalore, and she fell in love right back. Despite separating due to their incompatible lifestyles, they never stop pining for one another into adulthood. Once Darth Maul (Sam Witwer) realizes Obi-Wan’s hidden affections,he murders Satine in front of a helpless Obi-Wan. All the Jedi can do for his beloved Duchess, and the chances they denied themselves, is tenderly cradle her body in his arms.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Jedi Knights lead the Grand Army of the Republic against the droid army of the Separatists.
6Dedra Meero and Syril Karn
‘Andor’ (2022–2025)
Dedra Meero (Denise Gough) and Syril Karn (Kyle Soller) are another case of “yes, they’re the bad guys, but.“Andorhumanizes its villains by showing the systematic influences that shaped them. Dedra and Syril both fall victim to the Imperial war machine’s propaganda at a young age and choose toperpetuate it as loyal officers, always aspiring for higher ranks and greater achievements. Neither has known genuine affection, either;as a couple, they create their best approximation of love.
As Imperials with severe emotional hang-ups, their romance was destined to be unhealthy. Syril idolizes Dedra, crediting her for restoring his hope and his purpose. Dedra never utters a word about her feelings, but she trusts Syril enough to integrate him into her regimented life, and, like the good enforcer she is, defends him against his hypercritical mother (Kathryn Hunter).They make a good team, but his misplaced idealism and her Empire-first pragmatism split them apart.Their toxic, uncomfortable, and sadly sweet affair ends in violence, betrayal, death, andDedra spiraling into an emotional crisis.
Prequel series to Star Wars' ‘Rogue One’. In an era filled with danger, deception and intrigue, Cassian will embark on the path that is destined to turn him into a Rebel hero.
5Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala
The Prequel Trilogy (1999–2005)
It was a surprise when the prequel trilogy revealedAnakin Skywalker didn’t become Darth Vaderfor traditionally villainous reasons, like ambition and greed. No – it was for love.Anakin loves deeply and lacks proper support or guidance for managing those feelings. Even though there are good reasons to question whether the Jedi forbidding romantic attachments is more harmful than valid, Anakin’s love for Padmé overwhelms him — and makes him vulnerable to the soon-to-be Emperor Palpatine’s (Ian McDiarmid) manipulations.
Terrified about his visions of Padmé’s death, Anakin chasesvague promises of powerat the cost of his soul. And becauseStar Warsloves its cruel ironies,Anakin embracing the Dark Sidecontributes to Padmé’s death. As punishment, Vader half-exiles himself to adark fortress on Mustafar, the same planet where he lost everything. Worst of all, Padmé, a former queen and staunchly moral politician, dies of heartbreakwithout getting the story she deserves.
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones
Ten years after initially meeting, Anakin Skywalker shares a forbidden romance with Padmé Amidala, while Obi-Wan Kenobi discovers a secret clone army crafted for the Jedi.
4Han Solo and Leia Organa
The Original and the Sequel Trilogy (1977–1983, 2015–2019)
Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) and Han Solo (Harrison Ford) are the blueprint for argumentative chemistry. A courageous rebel princess and a rule-avoiding smuggler shouldn’t be soulmates — both parties find theirpersistent, unavoidable romantic tensionequally infuriating.Yet they perfectly match, and the results are rightfully iconic. What’s more romantic than defeating the authoritarian Empire together?
But tragedy comes for everyone inStar Wars, especially legacy characters. Han and Leia losing their son to the Dark Side fractures their marriage. Theirlove for each othernever diminishes during their estranged years, but they can’t heal the open wound that is Ben Solo.The biggest tragedy here isn’t just Han’s death, but what it means for Leia; byThe Force Awakens, she has already lost her birth mother, her adoptive parents, and her entire planet, not to mention her twin brother (Mark Hamill) vanishing. Her son murders his father, the love of his mother’s life, while Han is trying tobring their only child home.
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back
After the Rebels are overpowered by the Empire, Luke Skywalker begins his Jedi training with Yoda, while his friends are pursued across the galaxy by Darth Vader and bounty hunter Boba Fett.
3Cassian Andor and Bix Caleen
Cassian (Diego Luna) and Bix (Adria Arjona) really do find love in a hopeless place. Afterescaping an Imperial manhuntinAndor’s first season, the long-time friends-turned-lovers become Luthen’s (Stellan Skarsgård) agents in the growing Rebellion. Tucked away on various planets, constantly hiding for their lives,they still build a safe haven filled with tenderness and compassion, cherishing every stolen second they can. (Get yourself a manwho supports your revenge!)
Bix’s choice to sacrifice their romancebecause of her belief in the Rebellion and Cassian’s importance to it makes her one of the Rebellion’s biggest heroes.They never reunite, despite hoping otherwise, andCassian dies without knowing he has a son. Bix living in peace with their child representsthe future Cassian sacrifices himselfto ensure, but the price is brutal.
2Kanan Jarrus and Hera Syndulla
‘Star Wars Rebels’ (2014–2018)
With all due respect to Cassian and Bix, Kanan Jarrus (Freddie Prinze Jr.) and Hera Syndulla (Vanessa Marshall) ofStar Wars Rebelsdid it first. Similar narrative beats drive both romances:Kanan, a Jedi Knightin hiding, doesn’t want to join another organized cause. Hera, a Rebellion pilot-general born into a revolutionary family, refuses to surrender the galaxy without a fight. The messy little crew they assemble becomes a found family, whileKanan and Hera eventually make their will-they, won’t-they official.
Before Hera can confess her love out loud, however,Kanan willingly sacrifices himselfto protect her. If that simple fact wasn’t painful enough,the Force returns Kanan’s eyesight during his final seconds— letting Hera, the woman he adores, be the last image he sees. Even worse (yes, it gets worse), Kanan’s courage also saves the life ofhis and Hera’s unborn son. At the moment, Kanan doesn’t know Hera is pregnant, and his heart-wrenching deathguarantees he never will.
Star Wars Rebels
The crew of the spaceship Ghost defends those who cannot fight for themselves against the Empire, providing the spark for a rebellion.
1Vel Sartha and Cinta Kaz
Part of Luthen’s rebel network, Vel (Faye Marsay) and Cinta (Varada Sethu) become a couple sometime before the events ofAndor’s first season. Balancing romance while devoting one’s all to the cause isn’t easy, but Vel is determined to make both work. Cinta, affected by the horrifying Aldhani heist as much as her own convictions,reluctantly decides she can’t afford to focus on anything except the Rebellion.
…The same night Vel and Cinta reunite and reaffirm their love, a stray blaster bolt kills Cinta.
After years of mutual yearning, the same night Vel and Cinta reunite and reaffirm their love, a stray blaster bolt kills Cinta. Her deathstings more this way— instead of choosing to go out in a blaze of glory,it’s an unnecessary accident and a preventable tragedy, both of whicha tyrannical regime makes inevitable. Longing and lost chances apply to almost every couple on this list, but these two steadfast, vulnerable heroes never had enough time.
