15 Best Pilots in Star Wars Galaxy (Ranked)

While we often look at the entire Star Wars plot as a storyline that follows the Jedi and the Sith in battles involving lightsabers and the Force, there are also other different battlefields in this large galaxy. Of course, considering that the Star Wars storyline takes place in a whole galaxy, the characters needed to fly their spaceships to travel from one planet to another or to fight with other spaceships. And that also means that the characters needed to learn how to become good pilots.

While piloting is an art form in the Star Wars galaxy, there are a few characters that are a lot better than the others due to their natural talents and their experiences. Some have even become heroes due to the fact that they are great pilots, especially when it comes to dogfights in space. As such, let’s look at the best pilots that the Star Wars galaxy has ever seen.

15. Kylo Ren

Kylo Ren, also known as Ben Solo, has the genetics of two of the greatest pilots in the history of the galaxy. He is the grandson of Anakin Skywalker and the son of Han Solo. As such, he is a natural when it comes to flying a ship, just like how he was a natural in the ways of the Force. And while we didn’t see him a lot of times in a starfighter in Star Wars, we do know that he has the bloodline of a great pilot.

There is also the fact that he is strong in the Force, which seems to be a natural ally for pilots as it allows them to become more intuitive with their approach. And because he is one of the most feared characters in Star Wars during the time of the First Order, he is also one of the best pilots we’ve seen.

14. Rey

Rey is the granddaughter of Emperor Palpatine, and that means that she is naturally strong in the Force and is also innately talented. Things seemed to come naturally for her as she learned how to use a lightsaber and her Force powers quite quickly without training for a long time. Of course, the same goes for her piloting skills

Even though Rey never left Jakku onboard a spaceship, she was a natural at piloting the Millennium Falcon, which isn’t the easiest ship to maneuver due to how old it is. In fact, she was such a natural at piloting the ship that Han Solo was quite impressed with her knowledge of ship repair and her ability to pilot a ship.

13. Chewbacca

While we often look at Han Solo as the one in the pilot seat of the Millennium Falcon, let’s not forget that Chewbacca has also been the ship’s pilot for a long time as well. As the best friend of Han Solo, Chewy learned how to pilot a ship really well, especially during the events of the sequel trilogy when he flew the Falcon through a crystal maze during the time that the First Order was chasing him.

Of course, the experience that he gained as a smuggler for years was able to help Chewbacca’s piloting skills. As such, he is not only a good best friend and co-pilot but is also an incredibly skilled pilot as well. And it takes a skilled pilot to be able to fly the Millennium Falcon effectively due to how old and outdated that ship is.

12. Adi Gallia

Those who are strong in the Force seem to have a natural affinity for piloting starfighters, as was the case for Adi Gallia, who was a Jedi Master during the time of the Clone Wars. And during the Clone Wars, she was known as one of the best pilots that the Jedi Order had to offer.

During the battle against the Separatists on Geonosis in the Clone Wars series, Mace Windu chose Adi Gallia to lead the space battle against their enemies. She actually became the commander of several other Jedi pilots during that dogfight in space. That means that the Jedi Order recognizes how exceptional her piloting skills are, even when compared to some of the other powerful Jedi during the Clone Wars.

11. Iden Versio

Yes, Star Wars: Battlefront II is considered canon in terms of its storyline. That means that Iden Versio is a canon character as well, and that is the very same reason why she is on this list. Of course, we know for a fact that Iden’s piloting skills are exceptional.

As a former Galactic Empire fighter that ended up defecting to the New Republic, Iden Versio was skilled at piloting a TIE/LN starfighter as she was the leader of the Inferno Squad. That means that her piloting skills were so exceptional that she was made the leader of an entire elite squad of starfighters. Of course, she also found herself in a lot of different battles throughout her history as a character.

10. Luthen Rael

We haven’t seen a lot of Luthen Rael, but there are rumors that he could be a Jedi due to how intuitive he is. Regardless of that, Luthen has displayed his abilities as a pilot in the few times that we saw him in Andor. And episode 11 of Andor was a good example of how good of a pilot he might be.

Despite piloting a Haulcraft that was never meant to have any combat capabilities, Luthen was able to outmaneuver two TIE fighters and even escaped the tractor beam of an Imperial cruiser. Granted that his ship was heavily modified and had a special AI droid, he was still calm and collected enough to be able to handle that situation and fly his way through the entire mess.

9. Din Djarin

The Razor Crest wasn’t meant to be a ship known for its speed and maneuverability, but Din Djarin, the titular Mandalorian character in The Mandalorian, was actually quite impressive in his use of his somewhat bland yet effective assault ship. This means that he is also a capable pilot in his own right.

Of course, Din Djarin replaced his bigger Razor Crest with a smaller N-1 Starfighter that packed more juice in terms of its speed. Despite the fact that this starfighter was exceptionally fast and was quite possibly the fastest ship we’ve seen, the Mandalorian was able to fly and maneuver that ship without much trouble.

8. Hera Syndulla

As the captain of the Ghost ship that the main characters of Star Wars: Rebels flew in, Hera Syndulla is an exceptionally skilled pilot and was actually the best that the Rebels had to offer at that time. In fact, while all of the members of the Ghost crew had their own specialties, Hera specialized in the art of flying a ship as she was able to maneuver through the Empire a lot of times in the series.

During her time as a pilot, we saw how Hera was able to escape the Empire in times when it seemed like it was impossible for her and her crew to escape the Imperial forces. On top of that, she has also shown that she is not afraid of standing up to bigger and faster ships, as she has destroyed Imperial cruisers and TIE fighters during her time as the pilot of the Ghost.

7. Saesee Tiin

While he didn’t see plenty of action during his time as a Jedi, Saesee Tiin was regarded as one of the best pilots of the Jedi Order during the time of the Clone Wars. In fact, he became one of the Jedi that went on to train other Jedi in the art of flying a ship. That means that the Jedi Order respected how good of a pilot he was.

During his time as a pilot, Saesee was known to be skilled at using Force when it came to undertaking different types of space missions. He actually knew how to use Force abilities to redirect missiles and projectiles, all while he was in the cockpit of his starfighter. It takes exceptional skill to be able to do that.

6. Plo Koon

Plo Koon is one of the many different Jedi Masters that weren’t given a lot of screen time in the prequel movies but were actually allowed to have their own fair share of moments in Star Wars: Clone Wars. Of course, there is a good reason why Plo is on this list, as he was often considered second only to Anakin Skywalker in terms of his skills as a pilot.

Even though he may be older than Skywalker, Plo Koon was able to earn himself a reputation for being on par with Anakin as a pilot, as he was the only one that could keep up with him when they were piloting their own starfighters. Nevertheless, his skills as a pilot didn’t serve him well enough when the clones shot him from behind during Order 66 before he could even react.

5. Wedge Antilles

Not a lot of heroes in the Star Wars galaxy could match the fame and popularity of Luke, Leia, and Han. But Wedge Antilles was one of the unsung heroes of the Rebellion as he was always one of the most capable pilots during their many battles against the Empire. The fact that he survived battles that killed a lot of skilled pilots is a testament to just how good Wedge was.

Wedge Antilles was the co-founder of the Rogue Squadron during the events of the original trilogy, as he participated in many different battles. And he was one of the heroes that helped in the destruction of Death Star II during the events of Return of the Jedi.

4. Han Solo

He was always known more as a renegade pilot but made no mistake about the fact that Han Solo was always skilled at flying. As the pilot of the Millennium Falcon, he was particularly skilled at flying a ship that was known to be a piece of junk due to its age. But the fact that he was able to earn the Falcon the reputation of being the fastest ship in the galaxy means that he is good at flying an old piece of junk.

Of course, Han’s experience as a pilot came during his time as a smuggler because he needed to learn how to evade a lot of different opponents and obstacles while making his runs. He may be a lucky pilot, but it takes more than just luck to be one of the best at evading some of the most notorious criminals and bounty hunters the galaxy has to offer.

3. Poe Dameron

Poe Dameron was known as the best pilot of the Resistance during the time of the sequel trilogy, as he was always the one that the Resistance relied on when it came to missions that needed only the best pilots available. As such, he was the one entrusted with the mission of transporting the map of Luke’s whereabouts to the Resistance during Episode VII: The Force Awakens.

During the entire sequel trilogy, he showcased his combination of skills, bravery, and recklessness as a pilot as he was able to maneuver his way through different enemy starfighters several times. Poe was also notorious for being quite economical in using his ammo because he made sure to shoot down his enemies with as few shots as possible. And he was even particularly skilled at adapting to starfighters he never flew before.

2. Luke Skywalker

Aside from the fact that he inherited his father’s natural affinity with the Force, Luke Skywalker had innate piloting skills that allowed him to excel in flying a starfighter the moment he first entered the cockpit of an X-Wing. Since then, he became the best pilot that the Rebellion had to offer, as he knew how to use his natural gifts and his affinity with the Force to good use.

Luke’s ability to evade attacks from different enemy ships and starfighters was impressive. But the fact that he was able to impress Darth Vader with his skills was proof of the fact that he was indeed a great pilot. After all, not a lot of pilots are able to impress the greatest pilot the Star Wars galaxy has ever seen.

1. Anakin Skywalker

Ever since he was a young boy, Anakin Skywalker was always a great pilot as he participated in pod racing during his time in Tatooine and even went on to win the entire event after suffering a setback during the start. Meanwhile, when he entered the cockpit of an N1 Starfighter during the climax of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, he was a natural and was able to destroy the droid control ships just outside of Naboo.

As he grew older, Anakin’s skills as a pilot improved and became legendary even among the Jedi. His skills as a pilot made him the best that the Jedi Order had to offer during the time of the Clone Wars, and that was the reason why he and Obi-Wan were often sent together on missions that required his expertise with a ship. Of course, as Darth Vader, he carried over his skills as a pilot, especially during the time when he flew his persona TIE fighter in the Battle of Yavin.