Star Wars Battlefront 2 should give these heroes and villains their due

Star Wars Battlefront 2 is locked and loaded for November 17 later this year, and EA is sure to be rolling out a series of reveals for its playable hero and villain characters to help pass the time. If you didn't play the previous Star Wars Battlefront games, heroes give you a chance to instill courage or fear across a multiplayer map, promoting you from a nameless foot soldier to a recognizable, extra powerful presence straight out of the films. You can probably expect a mix of old and new hero characters in Star Wars 2 Battlefront 2, plucked from across the three eras of Star Wars' triple trilogies - but with the full roster still up in the air, now's the perfect time to employ a little wishful thinking.

I'm a fan of shining a spotlight on the little guys, like the Batman villains who could have made a comeback in the Arkham series. And with so many unique characters in the Star Wars universe, Battlefront 2 presents an amazing opportunity to give in-game prominence to these heroes and villains from throughout the main films. Given how relatively obscure weirdos like Dengar, Nien Numb, and Bossk all made it into the previous Star Wars Battlefront, there's no reason the following personalities can't make their grand debut in Battlefront 2's multiplayer.

Finn (The Force Awakens) 

We know that Rey will be swinging her new lightsaber around in Battlefront 2, so why not have The Force Awakens' other leading light-side hero available to fight at her side? Given just how important Finn is to The Force Awakens (and presumably the upcoming films), and the fact that actor John Boyega said what we were all thinking about the need for a full-fledged single-player campaign, it seems ludicrous that he wasn't part of the initial reveal to begin with. This First Order stormtrooper turned Resistance freedom fighter could be a hybrid hero with the ability to swap between a blaster and a lightsaber, given that he used both pretty adeptly in the film. Because he's not as Force-sensitive as Rey or Kylo Ren, Finn's lightsaber attacks could take on a more impulsive, brute force fighting style, and the Star Wars: Before the Awakening companion book highlights Finn's reputation as an expert marksman when he was still with the First Order. 

Roos Tarpals (The Phantom Menace) 

Gungans got a bad name after audiences reviled Jar Jar Binks, but it's time we all drop the hate against the amphibious species native to the deep waters of Naboo. Roos Tarpals, a captain in the Gungan Grand Army, is the one who reluctantly greets Jar Jar, Qui-Gon, and Obi-Wan upon their arrival at the undersea city of Otoh Gunga, and later fights against legions of battle droids during the climax of the film. But Roos actually plays a much bigger role in the recent Star Wars: The Clone Wars series, where he faced off against General Grievous. Putting Roos in Battlefront 2 would be a chance to showcase the unique Booma energy balls the Gungans use as weapons, be they chucked like grenades or affixed to the tips of weaponized staves. If Roos could dash around war zones while mounted atop a nimble Kaadu beast, so much the better.

IG-88 (The Empire Strikes Back) 

A spindly rogue droid turned infamous assassin, IG-88 got just as much screen time as his fellow bounty hunter buddies Dengar and Bossk - yet somehow he was snubbed for the previous Battlefront, despite being way cooler than some dumpy guy with gauze on his head or a nondescript lizardman. He's also the second best bounty hunter in the galaxy behind Boba Fett (who view one another as rivals), and was a boss in both Star Wars: Shadow of the Empire on N64 and a playable villain in original Star Wars Battlefront 2. That kind of pedigree makes IG-88 a perfect candidate to be the first playable droid in upcoming Battlefront 2 skirmishes.   

K-2SO (Rogue One) 

Speaking of playable droids whose presence would make sense during large-scale combat, Rogue One's towering Imperial security droid K-2SO would be another perfect fit in Battlefront 2. Cassian's righthand droid became a fan favorite with his wisecracking lines and grenade-catching skills, and his imposing, heavy-set frame would make him a fascinating melee fighter stomping (or slapping) his way through enemy forces. Perhaps the actor who portrays K-2SO, Alan Tudyk, would be up for reprising his voice role for maximum authenticity: Tudyk's previous video game voice acting credits include the Injustice games (as Green Arrow), Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, and Halo 3: ODST. 

Mace Windu (Attack of the Clones) 

I think we can all agree that being able to control a dang-near photorealistic rendering of Samuel L. Jackson in a video game is long overdue. Mace Windu is one of the few Jedi Masters capable of holding his own against Emperor Palpatine in close-quarters lightsaber combat, and Windu wielded his signature purple lightsaber to do work during the entirety of the Clone Wars. If you've watched the Clone Wars cartoon from the creator of Samurai Jack, you know just how big of a powerhouse Windu can be; take away the High Council member's lightsaber, and he'll still decimate a horde of B2 super battle droids with a combination of mighty Force pushes and his two bare fists. His Battlefront 2 iteration (for the new BF2, that is) could play off that same sense of agility, turning Windu into an frontline offense-focused whirlwind that could cut through swaths of enemies in a flash.

Malakili (Return of the Jedi) 

You probably don't know his name, but you definitely remember his face: Malakili is the husky beastmaster from Return of the Jedi, who you can't help but feel sorry for when he's an emotional wreck after Luke slays his beloved rancor Pateesa. Battlefront 2 could reunite Malakili and Pateesa by making the tamer and his alien animal pal into paired villains, with Malakili issuing commands to his colossal, bone-crushing companion. Admittedly, Malakili himself probably wouldn't be of much use in a fight, but being able to direct the aggression of a hulking rancor would be a superb Star Wars power trip that'd fit right in with all the other multiplayer chaos.

Max Rebo (Return of the Jedi) 

The likelihood that the frontman for Jabba the Hutt's house band makes it into Battlefront 2 are basically zero; it'd be awfully silly for EA to spend precious resources modeling a meticulously detailed rendition of this elephant-like Ortolan. But wouldn't Max Rebo and his red ball jett organ make the perfect 'bard' archetype on the multiplayer battlefield? The space-age grooves produced by Max Rebo's stubby blue fingers could buff up your allies or debilitate your enemies, helping teams make a courageous push or miraculous hold whenever Rebo plays a little ditty like Jedi Rocks, much like Overwatch's Lucio and his jams. That'd be amazing, right? No? Just me? Ok then.