The Star Wars galaxy is full of many kinds of heroes and villains across different eras. And while fans know about the main female characters from the canonical films and series, not everybody remembers the important women from the Star Wars video games. Taking the stories beyond the scope of the established Star Wars canon, the presence of these ladies from a galaxy far, far away was felt in very big ways.

But who are some of the female characters in the Star Wars games that everyone should know? You'll be missing out on a great many things if you don't explore the stories of these impressive women that shouldn't be forgotten. Here are five female Star Wars game characters that you really need to know about.

5 Trilla Suduri (The Second Sister)

The vengeful Inquisitor

Many fans enjoyed playing Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order from Respawn Entertainment because of its original story, which was set between the events of Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. One of the main reasons the plot of the game was received so well was because of its antagonist, Trilla Suduri, who is also known as the Second Sister of The Inquisitorius. Trilla was once a Jedi padawn learning the ways of the Force under Master Cere Junda. However, once the events of Order 66 took place, Trilla and her former master were captured and tortured by the newly risen Galactic Empire, turning her to the dark side.

Through her pain, Trilla took on a new identity as one of Darth Vader's Inquisitors, being given the title of Second Sister. Her ability to use the Force was an asset to the Empire, and her cruel nature against enemies was something that the Emperor approved of greatly. Eventually, her assignments put her in pursuit of the Jedi survivor known as Cal Kestis and her former master Cere. The conclusion of her story was tragic, but her impact on the cast of Jedi Fallen Order lingered on into the game's sequel, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.

Most Star Wars fans bring Trilla up as one of the highlights of Respawn's Jedi series, alongside another female character who appeared in Jedi Fallen Order named Merrin. However, Trilla's importance to the plot of Jedi Fallen Order is much more interesting in different ways. The biggest one being that she is a character that remains aligned with the dark side for most of the game, which is not that common in more recent Star Wars stories. She may have turned towards good in the last seconds of her time in the game, but her presence as a complex and major threat to Cal Kestis was very powerful.

4 Rianna Saren

The hero before Rogue One

Before the world knew the name Rogue One, the story of how the Rebels obtained the Death Star plans was told in a very different way. Part of that story was bounty hunter Rianna Saren, who appeared in the game Star Wars Lethal Alliance for the PlayStation Portable and Nintendo DS handheld consoles. Rianna is a Twi'lek who was once enslaved by a slave master named Zarien Kheeve, who cut off one of her tails when she was young. After escaping from Zarien some time later, Rianna fled to the planet Coruscant, working as a petty criminal and eventually a mercenary to survive.

Years later, during the civil war between the Empire and the Rebellion, Rianna would come into contact with a man named Kyle Katarn. The two of them would team up on multiple missions that assisted the Rebel Alliance. Rianna's efforts on these missions would help capture a portion of the plans for the Death Star, eventually leading to its destruction by Luke Skywalker during the Battle of Yavin. Shortly after the Death Star was destroyed, Rianna would travel to the planet Danuta and get her revenge against her former slave master Zarien.

Rianna Saren is a selfish mercenary-turned hero that doesn't use the Force. Instead, she relies on bounty hunter weapons and equipment, including a droid named Zeeo that helps her infiltrate hostile areas. Rianna's story also retcons a previous story from another Star Wars video game, Dark Forces. Originally, Kyle Katarn was said to have obtained the plans for the Death Star before the Battle of Yavin. However, the release of Star Wars Lethal Alliance would change things by showing how both Kyle and Rianna worked together to obtain portions of the Death Star plans for the Rebel Alliance.

3 Arden Lyn

Master of steel fists

The only official fighting game ever released by LucasArts was Star Wars: Masters of Teräs Käsi. While the game itself was not received well by Star Wars fans, it did include one unique character that is still talked about to this day. Arden Lyn was a warrior who mastered the martial art of Teräs Käsi, a form of combat created by the Followers of Palawa which focused on lethal melee attacks. Taking punches from someone adept in Teräs Käsi would mean never walking away from the battle. Arden Lyn went through the training to master the martial art, and became one of the galaxy's deadliest warriors.

Nearly 25,000 years before the Battle of Yavin, Arden Lyn was put into a Force Trance after a battle against a Jedi Grand Master. Shortly after the destruction of the first Death Star, Arden was reawakened by Darth Sidious and recruited to his cause as one of the Emperor's Hand, assassins who serve the Emperor. Her tasks put her under the command of Darth Vader, and she eventually clashed with Luke Skywalker. Adren served the Emperor for a time in hopes of him keeping a promise to resurrect one of her long-dead masters, but their alliance broke down, and she fled into hiding.

One of the standout characteristics of Arden Lyn is her prosthetic arm, which she gained after losing her original arm in a battle after being reawakened by the Emperor. Despite this handicap, Arden is still a deadly fighter who can also use the dark side of the Force against her enemies. She has appeared in very few pieces of Star Wars media outside the game Masters of Teräs Käsi for the PlayStation. Her final appearances and references are often considered not canonical to her story from the game.

2 Iden Versio

The inferno commander

Despite what many have said otherwise, the Galactic Empire has many supporters willing to fight for their cause. One big supporter was Iden Versio, an Imperial TIE Fighter pilot who served the Empire for many years. She appears in EA's Star Wars Battlefront 2 as the leader of Inferno Squadron, a group of special forces commandos who serve the Empire. Her father, Admiral Garrick Versio, put together the group after the destruction of the first Death Star and kept them in service long after the destruction of the second Death Star in the Battle of Endor.

After the death of Emperor Palpatine, a secret contingency plan was put into effect called Operation Cinder. This would target worlds as a final blow against the Emperor's enemies, but it would also target the home world of Iden Versio in the process. Because of this, Iden turned her back on the Empire and defected to the Rebel Alliance, joining the New Republic that was being formed. Iden went on to fight with the Rebellion during the Battle of Jakku in the final year of the war. Years later, Iden would have a daughter whom she saves in a struggle aboard a Star Destroyer, before being fatally wounded just prior to the Battle of Starkiller base.

Iden is another character that gives fans a deeper look into the villain side of the Star Wars galaxy, starting off fighting for the Empire. She eventually changes her alliance to the Rebel Alliance, but the campaign of Battlefront 2 lets us see the battles from the side of the Imperial Navy. It's a point of view that is uncommon in Star Wars stories that are considered canon, especially those that are not aligned with the Jedi or the Sith. While Iden Versio wouldn't live far into the era of The First Order, her actions made her a key figure in the aftermath of the events from Return of the Jedi.

1 Bastila Shan

Legendary Jedi of the Old Republic

The Old Republic is an era of Star Wars that fans love to revisit. Within that timeframe is an ensemble of characters that have major impacts on the galaxy, despite being over 4,000 years prior to the events of the movies. Bastila Shan is considered one of the best Jedi characters to come out of this era after appearing in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic for the Xbox. Bastila was a human who joined the Jedi Order at a young age and went on to train in the ways of the Force. She became a powerful Force user and had the unique ability of Battle Meditation. This was an ability that enabled her to boost the morale and combat abilities of an army, enabling them to turn the tide of major battles and ultimately break down an enemy faction.

But as strong as Bastila was, her story took a big turn when she encountered Darth Revan during the Jedi Civil War. After a major battle aboard his flagship, Bastila, along with the Jedi Council, would reprogram Revan's mind in hopes of turning him back to the light side, which would establish a force bond between them. Sometime later, the two would team up against Revan's former ally Darth Malak. This would take the two of them on a quest to find the Star Forge before the Sith can obtain it.

Bastila Shan goes through many twists and turns during the events of Knights of the Old Republic. She not only faces temptation from the dark side, but is also a key figure in the major plot twist of the game involving Revan. Bastila is also one of the few characters that we see front and center often with a double-bladed lightsaber, which became popular after the release of The Phantom Menace, which became a staple of The Old Republic era. Her unique look and deep story with Revan in the game captivated players and enticed Star Wars fans to want to explore more of what took place during The Old Republic. In future Star Wars game releases, Bastila Shan would be referenced in other Star Wars games, and her descendant, Satele Shan, would go on to become a Jedi Grand Master and major player in the Star Wars: The Old Republic game for PC.

Ladies from a galaxy far, far away...

Although many of the stories from Star Wars video games are not considered official canon, they are still worth anyone's time seeing through. The female characters you meet within them showcase some of the most intriguing and creative ideas to be added to the Star Wars series. Most of them have become so popular that Star Wars fans have been vocal about Lucasfilm officially bringing aspects of the characters into the canon.

Star Wars video games have taken advantage of opening up the series' lore to include great women that fans can support. Whether aligned for good or bad, the ladies in the Star Wars games thrill us with exciting stories of the ongoing battle between the light side and dark side. And as more tales about heroes and villains continue to expand the Star Wars galaxy, there will be more heroines and villainesses to meet along the way.