The Rise of Skywalkeris in theaters and fans can finally see how J.J. Abrams brought an end to the sequel trilogy. The director called on some extra help for Rey, Finn, Chewbacca, Poe, and the rest of the usual suspects. Billy Dee Williams' Lando Calrissian is back for the first time sinceReturn of the Jediand Keri Russell’s Zori Bliss is introduced toStar Warsfans, along with Naomi Ackie’s Jannah. As for The First Order, Kylo Ren is back with General Hux and Emperor Palpatine is back. With that said, there are a wealth of cameos, big and small, that we’ll go through below. There areSPOILERSforThe Rise of Skywalkerbelow, so read ahead at your own risk.
One of the first cameos to pop up inThe Rise of Skywalkeris Supreme Leader Snoke as we learn that he is acreation of Emperor Palpatine. We even get a hint of Andy Serkis providing his voice when Palpatine reveals to Kylo Ren that he has been behind the First Order since the start. James Earl Jones can also be heard as the voice of Darth Vader at this point. Another one of the more interesting cameos comes when we see Rey’s parents for the first time. They are briefly shown and portrayed by Jodie Comer and Billy Howle.
Though we knew Mark Hamill would be back asLuke Skywalker, his role could be considered a cameo, especially considering how little screen time he receives. His little Porg pals even show up for 2 seconds.
Perhaps the biggest cameo inThe Rise of Skywalkerwas one that nobody saw coming. Harrison Ford is back as Han Solo for the final time. He shows up as a memory of Ben Solo’s after Kylo Ren is defeated and then healed by Rey. Ford delivers the iconic “I know” line to Adam Driver, which some fans either love or hate. Regardless, it’s pretty huge that Ford showed up for the final movie at all.
Greg Grunberg is back asResistance pilot Snap Wexley, though we already knew that fromThe Rise of Skywalkerpromotional material. Speaking of Resistance pilots, Wedge Antilles, played by Denis Lawson, also makes a return. The fighter pilot from the original trilogy makes a short cameo in the final battle. Lawson’s cameo was another one that was guarded very well, along with iconicStar Warscomposer John Williams. The composer can be seen as the droid shop guy on Kijimi in a blink-and-you-miss-it cameo. J.J. Abrams even gets his voice cameo in by playing the scared new droid D-0.
There are a number ofJedi voice cameosin the movie near the end, with Rey hearing the many fallen Knights. We get to hear the return of Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor, Alec Guinness), Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson), Mace Windu (Samuel L. Jackson), Yoda (Frank Oz), Olivia d’Abo as Luminara Unduli, Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein) fromThe Clone Warsanimated series and Kanan Jarrus (Freddie Prinze Jr.) fromRebels. Sat Witwer’s character has not been revealed. But perhaps the biggest Jedi cameo is that of Anakin Skywalker, with Hayden Christensen’s voice being the final one we hear.
Mike Quinn and Kipsang Rotich return as the performer and voice of Nien Nunb, respectively, which is another huge one forStar Warsfans. Lin-Manuel Miranda plays a Resistance fighter and even co-wrote a song forThe Rise of Skywalkerwith J.J. Abrams. In another very brief cameo, we learn that the Ewoks survived. But mainly Warwick Davis' Wicket, who shows up at the very end of the movie. Musician Ed Sheeran plays a Stormtrooper in the movie, though were not sure if he’s one of the few who Rey used the Jedi Mind Trick on. Finally, Shirely Henderson is credited for droid-smith Babu Frik. There could be some more that we missed, so hopefully theofficial StarWars.com websitewill reveal more as the movie plays in theaters.
