Originally posted by Galan007
Non Force users:
Thrawn
Tarkin
Vanto Awww you DO like me.
Originally posted by Zentrex
Jedi:
Anakin
Obi-Wan
Qui-Gon
Sith:
Sidious
Vader
Nihilus
Non-Force User:
Thrawn
Han
Padme
Honestly couln't think of many people for that last one. I wanted to say Han because he can be entertaining in a lot of expanded universe stories, but I never really got a strong feel from from him.
Padme because despite the fact that her only good depiction is TCW (in Legends, at least), that depiction is really, really good. I actually enjoyed a lot of politics around the prequel era, and Padme was at the center of it, so that's something I guess.
Everyone loves Thrawn. A terrific exploration of motivations, and a respectably intelligent character.
There are so many others, but those are all off the top of my head.
As for Jedi, there's too many that I like. Although my top 2 are very easy: Anakin and Obi-Wan. I'm willing to say that the best time for Star Wars was the late 90's and early 00's, despite the Prequels. The Expanded Universe at the time got some of its best installments and it was the most active in that period. And because the Prequels were being made, Anakin and Obi-Wan got the attention of the best authors, so they're the most well-developed. And their basic outlines were personally created by George Lucas, who is brilliant when it comes to general ideas.
Qui-Gon, just because of how he connects to Anakin. If he'd lived, the story would have gone very, very differently. It's stupid how the entire Jedi Council is blind to the error of their ways, but at least we have a character who isn't.
As for Sith, I like almost all of them, but it's also pretty easy to pick my favorites.
Sidious, because he's the perfect embracement of narcisism and a power-hungry maniac.
Vader, because he's an intimidating presence. It's always good when you have a character that's fun to watch. He's great when he's doing the things he lives for; leading his people to expand the power of the empire.
I said Nihilus because he's the one with the most atmosphere around him. If I wanted to pick one character who perfectly embraced the eldritch dark side of the Force, I would pick either Palpatine or Nihilus. And that's what got him my 3rd place. Nice list and thank you for the detailed explanations!