Owen Lars' name will never be mentioned in the history books alongside the great warriors, military leaders and politicians of the galaxy. He was nothing more than a humble moisture farmer and family man. But it was Owen who raised a young Luke Skywalker, and thus he deserves recognition on our list, at least.
Owen originally came to Tatooine with his father, Cliegg. The pair established a farm and set about the thankless work of harvesting water from the arid desert. Both men eventually found wives to liven up the homestead. Cliegg bought Shmi Skywalker out of slavery, while Owen married Beru Lars.
Tragedy struck when Shmi was kidnapped by Tusken Raiders. Her son Anakin came to the rescue, but not in time to save her so he blamed the Lars for their inability to protect Shmi. Owen must have felt the burden of that blame because when it came time to adopt Anakin's son, Luke, he took on the responsibility.
Owen's greatest fear for his adopted son was that Luke would grow up to be like Anakin. As such, Owen kept the boy confined to Tatooine and squashed his dreams of joining the Imperial Academy. A chance purchase of two dingy droids led the Empire to Owen's doorstep. He and Beru were killed. Ironically, Owen became a catalyst for Luke's entry into a larger world. Luckily, it was the best thing that could have happened to a troubled galaxy.
