Thoughts just from the movies?
No EU considerations?
I was a kid when Star Wars came out and it left a major imprint on my life as a neek (nerd-geek), so it would make sense that I have strong ties to the first three which would later be the next three films, primarily the first which ended up not being fourth...ah well, we do love our complexities.
Obi-Wan...old and new versions...that Dad I never had (I had a father, 38 to my mother's 15, yikes right? who left before I was born and then the hippie/cult leader who adopted me at 1yr old...thanks
) but wished I had...he fits the Dad and Grandfather role as well as favored teacher/professor or even trade master (I liked to consider him a master carpenter or artist)...Obi-Wan was written to be appreciated by all, the actors in question did much to help this process...hard not to like the character and the performances.
Han...bad boy with a heart...we all wanted to be him or date him (being generous here, I for one did not want a date)...and he was that first taste of being bad but doing good for many of us...a pirate with a heart...again, hard not to like the character and especially the actor...American acting royalty IMO.
Leia...at 11-12yrs old I was not looking at her as Comeon Iwanna but she was certainly a first interest level or entry level lady...a bar to measure others with lol...sassy and intelligent...
And the rest of the basic profile of liking what was presented to me...for the most part I like most all of the characters in some significant value...I am a fan of Star Wars as a whole.
But to pick a favorite character, one (good and evil)...
(good) I would say Han Solo made the first three (ok 4-6) movies what they were and Obi-Wan made the later (1-3) movies what they were...these two were the catalysts for the others to bond with each other and the stories
(evil) Vader is a pinnacle of the human process, anyone who has lived a full life with ups and downs, mistakes and successes, etc. will come to appreciate this character as a sad story, and pity him...or fear him...depending if you are working for him or not...but I would put Dooku as my favorite bad guy...the actor, iconic...the character, unforgiving in his darkness...elegant and lethal, proud and powerful, on paper a real bad arse and a threat to anyone
There was a mention of how much cheese was involved with Obi-Wan taking out Greivy...well might I mention a certain pruneface getting to wipe the table with a couple of true Jedi fighting heroes without them getting to fight back?
I do appreciate the pruneface angle, even though he is a real short Richard...it shows the sith to be what they truly are...selfish to the end, corrupted by power.