Star Wars - the Sci-fi Powerhouse Doubles as Comedy Blockbuster

We don't immediately link Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker or Yoda with classic slapstick or sophisticated comedy, but if you pay attention, Star Wars contains some of the funniest moments ever on the silver screen.

In no particular order, here are the funniest characters in that epic star saga.

C3PO

I may have trashed this gleaming cyber butler in another article, but I must give the wacky droid props when it comes to laughs. His crisp, dead pan delivery of some of the silliest lines in Star Wars never fails to amuse. There are many prime comedic moments, but one of the funniest is in The Empire Strikes Back. C3PO, ambling around Bespin, Lando Calrissian's cloud city meets another protocol droid identical to his model. C3PO politely greets his counterpart, who promptly spits out "Eechuta!" We never get a translation, but since C3PO reacts with "How rude!" we clearly know it wasn't very nice.

R2D2

His shape alone gives R2D2 an eternal comic cute factor. But it doesn't end with physical design. This resourceful droid compliments C3PO in a Laurel & Hardy, Abbott & Costello comic dynamic, while his beeping, chirping language offers up a singularly unique comic ploy in the Star Wars universe. Too many comic bits exist for a complete list, but a favorite is when Yoda trains Luke in The Empire Strikes Back. Luke uses the force to raise objects along with R2. When he's distracted by worry over Leia and Solo's fate, R2D2 crashes down to the ground, as he falls, he shrieks with more funny flair than most veteran comedians.

Han Solo

This guy has one liners down to a science. From "Laugh it up fuzzball!" admonishing a laughing Chewbacca to the classic he shot Princess Leia, "You could use a good kiss!" makes Harrison Ford's roguish, pilot for hire the most sarcastic, yet endearing of the Star Wars yucksters. There's so many lines, but a favorite is in Return of the Jedi when after being freed from carbonite, he remarks, "I go away for awhile and everyone gets delusions of grandeur!"

Princess Leia

Carrie Fisher is one funny lady. Now highly respected for her writing - with the majority of her work comedy - Fisher's Leia not only compliments on screen love Han Solo, but also provides moments of sheer comedic brilliance alone. For me, the funniest winning line is in The Empire Strikes Back, As Han Solo is about to leave the rebels, Princess Leia chooses to tell him off one last time. "I'd just as sooner kiss as Wookie!" Solo retorts, "I can arrange that!"

Jabba The Hutt

This big guy loves to laugh. We meet the mountainously obese Jabba in Return of the Jedi, unfortunately he doesn't last long. Before the enslaved Princess Leia sends Jabba off to his slimy reward, J Hutt utters several comedic gems. When a disguised Leia threatens him with a thermal detonator bomb, jolly Jabba jibes, "This bounty hunter is my kind of scum!" What's most enjoyable about Jabba's comedy is the great visual spectacle of his puppeteer propelled girth and that his lines are translated into captions. Jabba's hearty, bass laugh alone gives us more yucks than most full feature funny flicks.

Jar Jar Binks

I'll lose some points with this one. But it's undeniable, this silly fool is a clown, however annoying. Although geared to the much younger set, or those who like humor truly mindless, Mr. Binks still delivers some chuckles. I find myself cringing when he appears, and I've punched the fast forward button more than once while watching Star Wars: The Phantom Menace on DVD, but seeing kiddies laugh uncontrollably at lines like "Ex-Squeeze me!" isn't so terrible.

Yoda

I may have saved the best for last. Yoda always delivers laughs. Whether it's purposely being silly, trying to determine if Luke is up to being his student in The Empire Strikes Back by playing an eccentric, simple creature trying to steal gadgets from R2D2, or madly hopping about trading light saber thrusts with Count Dooku, Yoda's a laugh man. Supplying his voice is Frank Oz, master muppeteer, voice of comic icon Miss Piggy and respected film director in his own right. It's no wonder when Luke defiantly shouts he's not afraid to be a Jedi, Yoda slyly replies "Oh... You will be. You will be."

Great drama is tied to great comedy. It's nearly impossible to do one well without the other. Star Wars is a shining example of a grand story loaded with thrills, chills, pathos and that most human of pastimes - laughter.