The Found Families of Star Wars

Found family refers to a group of people who have formed a family by choice, not by blood. Usually unrelated by genealogy, they are nonetheless just as close, if not closer, than those they have literal physical ties to. This found family trope is used throughout pop culture, but it’s particularly prominent in Star Wars™.

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, there lived the greatest of friends and found families. Some came together willingly, others begrudgingly, but all found love and companionship beyond measure once they finally discovered the places and people with which they belonged. From clans of two to Rebel cells and more, let’s take a look at a few Star Wars found families below.

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The Mandalorian and Grogu

Star Wars: The Mandalorian™

“A foundling is in your care.” “You are a clan of two.” These are iconic quotes from The Mandalorian, the Star Wars TV show that won over audience’s hearts everywhere with the introduction of The Child, later known as Grogu™. We first followed Din Djarin™ — the titular Mandalorian™ — on ruthless bounty hunting quests. He completed all his jobs with practical precision. But a single mission changed everything.

The Mandalorian was struck by the presence of that small green baby. When he handed The Child over to its captors, he felt immeasurable guilt that compelled him to violate his codes and contract to safely retrieve the baby. The Mandalorian spent the rest of the show as the father of Grogu. They were on the run from Moff Gideon™ and the emerging First Order™, but that didn’t stop The Mandalorian from showering Grogu with love and affection, and the man never deviated from his plan to reunite Grogu with his own kind.

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The Ghost Crew

Star Wars: Rebels™

The adorably dysfunctional, constantly bickering, yet beloved crew aboard The Ghost are a force to be reckoned with. The team is composed of Captain Hera Syndulla™ and her faithful droid Chopper™, Jedi Kanan Jarrus™ — formerly Caleb Dume™ — Ezra Bridger™, Garazeb “Zeb” Orrelios™, and Sabine Wren™. They all found each other through extraordinary circumstances. Sabine was a defected T.I.E. fighter pilot™, Zeb was on the run as the last of the Lasat™ people, Kanan was in hiding due to being a Jedi™, and Ezra was an orphan with Force sensitivity.

Somehow Hera shaped these ragtag misfits into a functioning family. Sure they botch missions and get on each other’s nerves all the time, but what else is a family living in close quarters supposed to do? In between all the arguing and jibes, the Spectres found the courage to help incite the first sparks of the Rebellion as the Phoenix Squadron, and did so through the power of their connections to one another.

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Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, and Chewbacca

Star Wars Original Trilogy™

Although Luke Skywalker™ and Leia Organa™ are twins, they didn’t know they were siblings when they first met — so we could call it fate that they even crossed paths and decided to stick together. Add infamous smuggler duo Han Solo™ and Chewbacca™ to the mix and you get a quartet of the galaxy’s greatest heroes.

Beyond being heroes for the Rebel Alliance™, these four were constantly rescuing and rooting for one another. Leia got the boys out of scrapes. Luke saw the best in Han even when Han couldn’t see it himself. Chewie stuck with Han despite his years of shenanigans. And Han cared about them all so much that he completely changed as a person, proving his gruff exterior was hiding a heart of gold. And in the end, they formed their own lasting family unit; Luke and Leia realized they were related, and Leia and Han went on to have a son together — Ben Solo™/Kylo Ren™, who would alter the Skywalker legacy forever.

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Ahsoka Tano and Anakin Skywalker

Star Wars: The Clone Wars™

Throughout The Clone Wars series, Anakin Skywalker™ was more than a Master and mentor to Padawan Ahsoka Tano™. He genuinely became family to the orphaned Togruta™, stepping in as the big brother figure she needed in her personal life. The nickname “Snips” came from Anakin, and although Ahsoka Tano developed her own unique personality, she mirrored a lot of Anakin’s impulsive and emotional ways. When Ahsoka left the Jedi Order™, she did so proudly. Yet she forever regretted leaving Anakin behind at the Temple.

She kept Anakin in her heart, however. When fixing bikes and flying speeders with Trace™ and Rafa™, Ahsoka gave the name Skywalker Academy as her training school. She also told the girls that her older brother taught her her mechanical skills. Finally, in Rebels, Ahsoka risked her life to subdue Darth Vader™ because she believed she owed it to Anakin to destroy the monster that destroyed him. Her destiny and feelings were always entangled with his, as any strong family is bound to stick with us through the test of time.

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Omega and The Bad Batch

Star Wars: The Bad Batch™

The Kaminoan™ clones were bound by duty and by their maker. Yet the Bad Batch™/Clone Force 99™ were a band of misfits that had been ostracized from their peers because of their supposed abnormalities. Elite, deadly, technically defective soldiers, Hunter™, Wrecker™, Tech™, Crosshair™, and Echo™ were also odd men who had stronger — and stranger — personalities than their “normal” clone trooper™ counterparts. Because of this, they were mocked, yet they found purpose and belonging with each other in a way that surpasses simply brothers-in-arms.

During the animated series, these four men — Crosshair excluded, as his programming caused him to betray his brothers — also adopted a kid sister. Omega™, an unaltered clone, was the only female clone on record and she felt an instant connection with the Bad Batch. They cared for her endlessly, with Hunter developing the strongest paternal instincts toward the girl.

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Jango Fett and Boba Fett

Star Wars Prequel Trilogy™

Like Omega from The Bad Batch, Boba Fett™ was an unaltered clone, meaning he aged in real time rather than the rapid process for clone troopers. This was no accident or experiment. Rather, the bounty hunter Jango Fett™ agreed to provide his genetic material for the clones as long as he could receive an unchanged child for himself. Thus, Jango chose to adopt Boba and begin a family as a single father.

Jango’s life and death impacted Boba Fett tremendously. Already receiving survivalist training from his father, Boba took up the bounty hunter mantle after Jango’s early demise. His armor and fighting style even resembled Jango’s. His continued vendetta against Jedi and other heroes was developed because of the circumstances surrounding his dad’s death. And the Fett legacy lived on through Boba and friends such as Fennec Shand™, who he allied himself with in The Book of Boba Fett™ to take over Mos Espa™.

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Which found family in Star Wars is your favorite? Share your thoughts with other fans at side.show/geekgroup, and don’t forget to Let Your Geek Sideshow!