Every hero needs a buddy, a confidant, an assistant, a sidekick to get through their journey. Whether it’s throwing a magic ring into the pit of a volcano, making record time on the Kessel run, bringing the heroes back to life or just providing some comic relief, these sidekicks go above and beyond the call of duty and steal our hearts in the process.

Chewbacca, Star Wars original trilogy (1977-1983) — Chewy (Peter Mayhew) is Han Solo’s (Harrison Ford) right hand…uh…wookie. He’s there with his trusty crossbow when Han finds himself in a fight, bellowing at droids and maybe ripping some arms off along the way. Without his help, Han probably would have died a long, long time before he was able to meet up with Luke and Leia, saving the Rebel Alliance and defeating the Galactic Empire. The original trilogy is where Chewy and Han’s relationship shines, but in “The Force Awakens” he’ll make you cry. Who knew a 7-and-a-half-foot tall walking carpet would have such an effect on people? Stream the original trilogy on Disney Plus or rent it from Google Play or YouTube.

Samwise Gamgee, “The Lord of the Rings” (2001-2003) — Frodo (Elijah Wood) wouldn’t have made it very far without his Sam (Sean Astin) and even he knew it. The homebody hobbit followed his friend Frodo to the land of the Elves, through Orc camps and to the fires of Mount Doom without many complaints. He was there when Frodo needed help the most, saving his skin several times throughout the trilogy and literally carrying him up the mountain so he could destroy the One Ring. He may be a sidekick, but Samwise the Brave is the real hero. Stream the trilogy on HBO Max or rent them from Amazon Prime, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu or YouTube.

John Watson, every Sherlock Holmes adaptation — Brilliant detective Sherlock Holmes needs someone to ground him and former army man Dr. John Watson is just the man for that job. In every adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories, Watson is often the voice of reason and in newer versions, occasionally saving Holmes through the performance of Jude Law and Martin Freeman. Watson is the one who tells the world of Holmes’ escapades and how he solves each case. Stream “Sherlock” featuring Martin Freeman on Netflix. Rent “Sherlock Holmes” featuring Jude Law on Amazon Prime, Google Play, Vudu or YouTube.

Goose, “Top Gun” (1986) — A literal wingman, Nick “Goose” Bradshaw (Anthony Edwards) is the best friend and radar interceptor to Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise) and helps him out where the ladies are concerned. The cheesy and quintessential ‘80s movie paints Goose as the slightly more level headed of the duo and the one who saves Maverick but unfortunately isn’t so lucky himself and dies while ejecting from their plane. Maverick is then overcome with guilt and keeps his dog tags as a remembrance and eventually to help give him the strength to keep flying. Stream it on Hulu or Amazon Prime (until Sept. 30) or rent it from Google Play, iTunes, Vudu or YouTube.

Cosmo Brown, “Singin’ in the Rain” (1952) — The song and dance man played by the incomparable Donald O’Connor opposite hoofer and leading man Gene Kelly in one of the greatest musicals of all time. Kelley obviously gets a lot of praise for his portrayal of silent film actor Don Lockwood but Conner’s Cosmo brings another level of delight. Tied to the hip since they were kids Don and Cosmo worked their way to Hollywood and while Don got the spotlight and Cosmo got the piano, they’re both still inseparable. When their studio switches to talkies, Cosmo is the one to help Don along the way. Full of laughs and one of the greatest bits of physical comedy on screen, Cosmo steals much of the film. Stream it on HBO Max or rent it from Amazon Prime, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu or YouTube.

Wilson, “Cast Away” (2000) — Only Tom Hanks could give that much weight to a volleyball. When FedEx executive Chuck Noland’s (Hanks) plane crashes on a deserted island, he has to make do with the elements around him and a few packages that washed up on shore, one of which is a volleyball. As the days tick by, Noland creates a friend named Wilson from the ball to help keep him somewhat sane (or as sane as you can be talking to sports equipment). Wilson helps Noland stay alive and fight to eventually make his way home. Stream it on HBO Max or rent it from Amazon Prime, Google Play, Vudu or YouTube.

Grim Reaper, “Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey” (1991) — Bill and Ted films were never meant to be anything more than a silly, superficial comedy about two airheads (Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves). What they managed to do in the second installment was give Bill and Ted a kind of unexpected sidekick with the Grim Reaper (William Sadler). It’s Death himself that brings the heroes back to life after they are unceremoniously killed off by evil robot versions of themselves. Borrowing from Bergman, the Grim Reaper and the boys play a game to see if they make it out of the underworld. When they keep winning, Death ends up joining them in the journey to save the world through song and along the way becomes the best part of the movie. Stream it on YouTube or rent it from Google Play, iTunes or Vudu.

Walter Sobchak, “The Big Lebowski” — The Coen Brothers’ comedy seems to have only grown in popularity as the years pass by with images of The Dude (Jeff Bridges) being made into pop art and regular screenings where moviegoers don their best dingy bathrobe and jellies while sipping on White Russians. But without Walter Sobchak (John Goodman), the movie falls apart. He’s The Dude’s best friend and bowling buddy with a hairpin trigger and probably some PTSD from his days fighting in Vietnam. But through his stories and anecdotes, we learn more about the main characters and what they’re game is sprinkled in with some great lines throughout. Stream it on Cinemax or rent it from Amazon Prime, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu or YouTube.