We all have our assumptions as to who the most popular character in the galaxy far, far away is. Based off the merchandise sold and the way people freaked out when he wrecked shop in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, it’s safe to say Darth Vader is up there. There’s also the loveable scoundrel Han Solo, who Lucasfilm deemed popular enough to build a stand-alone film around.
However, these assumptions are deemed incorrect by a recent survey by Morning Consult, an American market research company. The survey reports that the character most people have a favorable impression of is Leia, the princess turned general who will make her final appearance in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. 73% of the people surveyed said they liked Leia, which was just good enough for the number one spot. There is a three-way tie for second place, with Luke Skywalker, Chewbacca, and Yoda all polling at 72%.
The poll had 2,200 participants, all adults, and was conducted between December 1st and 4th 2017.
There are a lot of surprises other surprises on the list. First of all, more people have a favorable impression of Jabba the Hutt than they do of Rey. Finn and BB-8 were also the most popular of the characters introduced in the new trilogy, polling at 39%. One of the factors that might have contributed to the low favorability of the new characters is the fact that kids weren't polled, but the results are still pretty surprising no matter who was surveyed.
Leia's victory is even more surprising when looking at past character popularity contests. For the last four years, the Star Wars Facebook page holds a character tournament called This Is Madness, and Leia has never made it past the round of 16. Expectations aside, it's nice to see that Leia is getting some recognition as we wait to see Carrie Fisher's final performance as the iconic heroine.
What surprised you most in this survey? Is it completely out of whack? Comment below!