Not companions, not major enemies, maybe faction leaders.
Traders, quest givers, people you meet and interact with. They can be humorous, they largely set the mood of the whole rpg.
Remember any who stood out as particularly awesome?
For what reason?
What kind of NPC's would you like to see in PE?
A few examples.
Icewind Dale (and 2). Nym the Drow merchant.
Now I don't remember what kind of dialogue he had, but I do remember that I do remember him.
Maybe it was just that he had a good selection of items and a some kind of a good reason to have that selection.
Not a good guy, not super evil either. Was there even a chance to fight him in iwd 2?
Fallout 2, First Citizen Lynette.
OMG what an arrogant uptight b*****. Set the tone for the whole vault city experience just perfectly. It's not an evil place and she's not evil, but... hell. And she's kind of a major NPC, so breaking my own rules straight away..
Fallout NV, Little Buster
Now he's a minor NPC. Doesn't give missions, doesn't really help you at all, doesn't say much, but every single line he has is quotable comedy gold.