The issue at Zero Company is that it hands players a cast of heroes and then demands they rank them from worst to best. That ranking turns out to be proof that a tactics game is more than mere chess. It is chess played with characters players actually care about.
A writer who spent weeks with the game reached its final stretch while still restarting entire hour-long missions from scratch to protect certain heroes. That writer admits going in expecting to enjoy the tactical depth, but came out enthralled by the cast instead.
Hawks and the Blank Slate
The ranking considers Hawks to be the least engaging hero in the game, which is logical since Hawks serves as the player character and must remain a neutral figure. Players are given six Star Wars species to pick from, yet they are ultimately restricted to controlling the familiar sci-fi RPG lead: a calm leader who frequently cracks jokes while holding back real feeling until the story reaches its close.
The writer praises Erica Luttrell’s vocal performance here, noting that FemHawks is celebrated in this house just as FemShep was.
Kabb’s Rhyme Thing Gets Old
Kabb lands at number seven on the list, and the writer makes no attempt to soften the reason: his rhyming gimmick grew stale long before the 35-hour mark. The joke had a limited lifespan, and the game failed to show any restraint toward it.
The brooding and mysterious Mandalorian Cly Kullervo comes in at position six. Her life has been marked by decades of violence, and she carries deep regret for it, yet the plain fact remains: Cly is really, really skilled at violence. Among her powers is a dart gun she can fire at any target within her line of sight, shocking not just those struck by the darts but also anyone standing near them. With patience and careful arrangement, the whole battlefield can be cleared in a single turn. Cly has assisted the writer through more difficult moments in Zero Company than can be numbered.
Jae Mordant and Tel-Rea Vokoss
The writer ranks Jae Mordant fifth, and she has saved the writer’s ass more times than can be counted. Her special power allows her to deal a free attack on any foe that another squad member fails to finish off; with it fully leveled, Jae removes any enemy who isn’t instantly slain in the opening turn, stopping them from getting their own retaliation in. Jae is an amazing force in battle, though the writer holds her in higher regard for what she stands for: Jae is a wealthy heiress who gives up guaranteed generational wealth to strike a serious blow against a fascistic regime.
Star Wars still manages to keep some of its whimsical touch, which is pleasing to behold.
Star Wars Zero Company ranks Tel-Rea Vokoss fourth, and the writer enjoys that she isn’t much of a Jedi. The game lets you play as Anakin Skywalker for one mission, and he, naturally enough, absolutely wrecks house as an effectively invincible murder machine. In contrast, Tel-Rea feels fragile yet kinetically powerful — a hero who is just as likely to get seriously hurt in a turn as she is to wipe out an entire squadron of battle droids by herself. Zero Company could have given you a party member who deflects blaster bolts from all angles and carves through armies with ease. Instead, it chose a relatively unskilled Padawan, and that makes her far more interesting to play.
Luco Bronc and Trick
Luco Bronc earns his third place ranking for being a bit of a dick. He joins your party and starts fights for no good reason, struts around acting like he owns the place, and cannot shoot for shit. There comes a moment when you are actually given the chance to dismiss him. But if you keep him around — and in the writer’s experience, spec him as a medic sniper — he softens up and turns into a critical team member on the battlefield. His relationship with Trick — two soldiers used by their countries, who begin as rivals but bond over their shared animosities — stands among Zero Company’s emotional centerpieces.
Trick is the clone soldier who was dishonorably discharged after years of service to the Republic, and he gets the closest thing to a true three-act narrative arc in the game. His greatest desire is to return to his brothers in arms, yet he would never betray his family to achieve it. Eventually, Trick becomes an essential part of what may be the best-executed twist in Star Wars history (besides that whole “I am your father” thing), and his story reaches its climax in the final act.
BR-1 and the Droid Slot
The astromech droid BR-1 leads the rankings. It can absorb damage, raise your defense, allow you to carry out several actions during a single turn, spend items at double the rate of any other character, and throw grenades, which makes it a solid fighter on its own. It manages all of this without ever uttering a sound.
Modern Star Wars entries tend to follow a rule: they must add a new droid to the canon list. That list includes BD-1, K-2SO, and B2EMO!!! BR-1 has proven worthy of joining it.
The Ranking’s Real Point
The ranking depends heavily on how a player’s personality and practical use in the game weigh against their raw numbers. Hawks lands at the bottom spot because he serves as the player character, not due to any weakness in himself. Kabb sits lower down because his gimmick has aged poorly, not because he fails to be useful. Trick rises higher because his story arc draws players in, not because his attack power stands at the very top.
The joy of a tactics game does not come from treating your pieces like mere chess pieces. It comes from caring deeply about which pieces you are actually moving.
Key Facts Box
- Game: Star Wars Zero Company (also known as ZCOM)
- Ranking scope: Major playable heroes only; Runa does not count
- Writer’s position: Near the end of the campaign, at the final boss mission
- Kabb’s rhyme thing: Got old before the 35-hour mark
- Anakin Skywalker mission: One-time playable character
- Best twist: Arguably the best-executed twist in Star Wars history
- Droid canon entries: BD-1, K-2SO, B2EMO
The Definitive Ranking
- BR-1 (Your Astromech)
- Trick
- Luco Bronc
- Tel-Rea Vokoss
- Jae Mordant
- Cly Kullervo
- Kabb
- Hawks
This list comes from a personal point of view, and it shows it. The author confesses they did not anticipate forming attachments to these people, and they wound up doing exactly that. That unexpected connection is the heart of the matter.
Source material: “Every Star Wars Zero Company Hero, Ranked From Worst to Best,” Polygon.
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