It’s hard to overstate the excitement for the upcoming Star Wars Ahsoka live-action series. The first trailer for Ahsoka broke the internet and the hype train is still rolling. The show looks like a fascinating dive into the adventures of the ex-Jedi. The series has been in the works since her first appearance in The Mandalorian.
At Star Wars Celebration 2023, the Walt Disney Company gave an update that included some surprises. Every time there’s a new Star Wars show new characters are introduced. But old characters from other shows are introduced. There’s a bewildering number of Star Wars characters these days.
Thankfully we’ve got you covered with our comprehensive list.
Warning: Spoilers for The Mandalorian, Book of Boba Fett and Ahsoka.
The List
- Ahsoka Tano – Played by Rosario Dawson and Savannah Steyn
- Sabine Wren – Played by Natasha Liu Bordizzo
- Hera Syndulla – Played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead
- Baylan Skoll – Played by Ray Stevenson
- Ezra Bridger – Played by Eman Esfandi
- Shin Hati – Played by Ivanna Sakhno
- Grand Admiral Thrawn – Played by Lars Mikkelsen
- C1-10P “Chopper” – Voiced by Dave Filoni
- Mon Mothma – Played by Genevieve O’Reilly
- Senator Mawood – Played by Maurice Irvin
- Senator Rodrigo – Played by Jacqueline Antaramian
- Senator Hamato Xiono – Played by Nelson Lee
- Unnamed Gran Senator – Played by Erica Duke
- Captain Enoch – Played by Wes Chatham
- Huyang – Voiced by David Tennant
- Morgan Elsbeth – Played by Diana Lee Inosanto
- Zeb Orellios (Rumored) – Voiced by TBA
- Anakin Skywalker / Darth Vader (Rumored) – Played by Hayden Christensen
- Din Djarin (Rumored) – Played by Pablo Pascal
- Boba Fett (Rumored) – Played by Temuera Morrison
Ahsoka Tano – Played by Rosario Dawson and Savannah Steyn
The title character needs no introduction to Star Wars fans. Ahsoka Tano is introduced as Anakin Skywalker’s Jedi Padawan in the animated film Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008). She later appeared in the Clone Wars animated series. Ahsoka later returns as a member of the Rebel Alliance codenamed Fulcrum in the animated sequel series Star Wars Rebels (2014). Ashley Eckstein voiced the character from the beginning. Eckstein also reprised the role as a voiceover in a blink-and-you-missed- it cameo in the feature film Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019); and in the miniseries Tales of the Jedi (2022).
Rosario Isabel Dawson is a 43-year-old American actress and film producer. She made her film debut in the 1995 independent drama Kids. Dawson also has major roles in movies like He Got Game (1998), Men in Black II (2002), Rent (2005), Death Proof (2007), and Zombieland: Double Tap (2019). Dawson has also worked as a voice actor for Disney/Marvel, Warner Bros./DC Comics, and ViacomCBS’ Nickelodeon.
Dawson is also known for several roles in comic book films and television adaptations. These include Gail in Sin City (2005), and Claire Temple in the Marvel/Netflix series Daredevil. She also appears in Space Jam: A New Legacy and Barbara Gordon/Batgirl in The Lego Batman Movie. IndieWire named Dawson one of the best actors who never received an Oscar nomination. We listed her as one of the Geeks Women Love.
British actress Savannah Steyn will be playing young Ahsoka Tano in flashbacks. She’s known for roles in Crawl (2019), House of the Dragon (2022), and 5lbs of Pressure.
Rosario Dawson said she was a huge fan of the character and the producers of Mandalorian decided to cast her in the role. In the second season of The Mandalorian, she plays the live-action version of Ahsoka Tano. She reprised her role in The Book of Boba Fett. The Ahsoka show will focus on her hunting down Thrawn.
Sabine Wren – Played by Natasha Liu Bordizzo
Sabine Wren first appeared in the animated series Star Wars Rebels. She’s a Mandalorian warrior, explosives expert, and graffiti artist. Wren needed all these skills against the Empire. Her Mandalorian armor showed her personalized style. It reflected her creative and rebellious spirit. As part of the Ghost crew, Sabine used her bomb-making skills to great effect against the Empire, often marking her work with spray paint.
Later she came into possession of the Darksaber. She hoped to use it to unite the Mandalorian people and free them from the Empire.
Natasha Liu Bordizzo will be joining the Ahsoka cast playing Sabine. She’s an Australian actress of Chinese descent. Bordizzo made her film debut playing Snow Vase in Netflix’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny series. She played the character of Helena in Netflix’s The Society. Last year, she portrayed the character of Heather in Netflix’s Day Shift.
Sabine’s hair isn’t as wild as it is in the animated series. Maybe she grew out of that phase. Or the actress likes her hair the way it is.
It’s very cool of Star Wars to cast a Chinese actress to play Sabine Wren. The character on Rebels isn’t explicitly Asian. She’s Mandalorian. But the voice actress for her on Rebels is. Tiya Sircar, is an Asian American, but the character doesn’t look anything like her. So Kudos to Star Wars for adding a little flair to the character.
Hera Syndulla – Played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead
Hera Syndulla (Mary Elizabeth Winstead)
The captain of the Ghost crew, Hera Syndulla, is a gifted pilot and leader. Hera is a strong commander but also warm-hearted and thoughtful. She became the mother figure of the group. The Twi’lek managed to bring out the best in her team even though they had very different personalities. She helped them believe in their fight against the Empire, themselves, and each other. Hera developed a strong bond with the late Kanan Jarrus. The two had a son named Jacen.
Mary Elizabeth Winstead is an American actress and singer. Her first major role was Jessica Bennett on the NBC soap opera Passions. She then appeared in series such as Tru Calling (2004) and movies such as the superhero film Sky High (2005). Winstead gained attention through her roles in horror films like Wolf Lake, Monster Island (2004), and Final Destination 3 (2006).
After she met Ewan McGregor on the set of the television series Fargo she began a relationship with him. Their son Laurie was born on June 27, 2021. Winstead and McGregor married in April 2022.
I’m assuming it’s a total coincidence that Ewan McGregor’s wife is cast in a Star Wars show. Disney doesn’t do stuff like that right? Billie Lourd we’re looking in your direction…
Baylan Skoll – Played by Ray Stevenson
Baylan Skoll is an original character. He’s new to Star Wars television shows and the larger universe. But he has roots in the prequels. He’s a former Jedi who survived Order 66 by fleeing to the Unknown Regions.
Order 66 took place 32 BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin). The Ahsoka series takes place around 9 ABY (After the Battle of Yavin). It’s unlikely that he was a youngling like Inquisitor Reva. He’s too old. Most likely he was a Padawan or a Jedi Knight. We’ll find out more when the show gets into his past.
While Skoll is new to Star Wars actors Ray Stevenson is not. George Raymond Stevenson is the voice of Mandalorian Gar Saxon in Star Wars Rebels and Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The Irish actor portrayed two Marvel characters so far. He plays Frank Castle/The Punisher in Punisher: War Zone (2008) and Volstagg in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Skoll is Thrawn’s ally and master to another new character named Shin. He carries an unusual lightsaber. Unlike other lightsaber colors, it has an orange hue. Producer Dave Filoni has gone on record to say it’s not accidental.
“That was very intentional,” he said when asked about the color by ScreenRant. “I didn’t make them like just a stark red. I remember as a kid that Vader’s lightsaber kind of fluctuated from visual effects to visual effects, being a little bit more orange. I didn’t want to go like straight up orange, but it’s identifying a little bit of something, maybe to kids, that they might not straight up be what you think they are in the beginning.”
Frankly it would have been cool to get a live action Joruus C’Baoth. But this dude looks excellent.
Ezra Bridger – Played by Eman Esfandi
Ezra is an orphaned street urchin and con artist who joins the Ghost crew. He joins to liberate his home planet of Lothal from the tyranny of the Galactic Empire. Kanan Jarrus takes him under his wing and trains him in the Jedi arts. Later, Ezra and his crew join the Rebel Alliance to help them liberate the entire galaxy. They face enemies like the Inquisitors, Darth Vader, and Grand Admiral Thrawn. Ezra sacrifices himself to defeat Thrawn who disappears with into the unknown. regions of the galaxy. Ezra Bridger made his film debut in the 2014 animated film Star Wars: Rebels. Taylor Gray voiced the character from the beginning. Bridger grew from a Force-gifted orphan to a Jedi-trained rebel.
Relative newcomer Eman Esfandi is playing the live-action Ezra on the small screen. He’s known for The Inspection (2022), King Richard (2021), and Red 11 (2018). His mother and father immigrated to the United States from Ecuador and Iran respectively, and he was born and raised in the border town of Laredo, Texas.
Besides his film work, he also produced and directed two short films. The first, Pepito, had its World Premiere at the 2018 Austin Film Festival. The second, 120 was accepted into the Cannes Short Film Corner.
Shin Hati – Played by Ivanna Sakhno
Shin Hati is Baylan’s apprentice who is a dark Force user. We can tell she’s a Padawan of Skoll because of the distinctive braid she wears. Like her master, she uses an orange lightsaber. Baylan commands her to pursue Ahsoka.
Ivanna Anatoliyivna Sakhno is a Ukrainian-American actress. She’s best known for her roles as Viktoriya in Pacific Rim Uprising (2018) and the assassin “Nadejda” in the 2018 action comedy The Spy Who Dumped Me. She has gained some notoriety in Ukraine, after appearing in the first Ukrainian-language sitcom Lesia + Roma in 2005 and the biopic Ivan the Mighty (2013).
Interestingly the names Hati and Skoll have a history. In Norse mythology, there are two wolves named Hati and Skoll. They chase the sun and moon across the sky in hopes of devouring them. The two play a key role in the mythical end of the cosmos, known as Ragnarok when they finally catch their prey.
The ancient Jedi are often associated with white moonlight. So their very existence poses a grave threat to the future of the Jedi order.
Grand Admiral Thrawn – Played by Lars Mikkelsen
Thrawn is an officer of the Chiss Ascendancy and Grand Admiral of the Imperial Navy during the period of the Galactic Empire. He’s an alien Imperial officer with distinctive light blue skin and red eyes. Thrawn is known as a brilliant and ruthless strategist. He believed that to be victorious in war, one must know the enemy. So he devoted himself to understanding the philosophy, art, and culture of his opponents, like the Twi’leks and Mandalore. Grand Admiral Thrawn worked to crush the rebellion piece by piece.
Timothy Zahn created Grand Admiral Thrawn and he first appeared in the 1991 novel Heir to the Empire. That led to the Thrawn Trilogy of novels. Those books are no longer considered canon and exist outside of the Star Wars universe.
But in the third season of Star Wars Rebels, Thrawn was finally introduced into the Star Wars canon. He was last seen being taken into hyperspace by Ezra and the Purrgil. Lars Mikkelsen provided the voice of the Chiss leader in Rebels.
Unlike many of the other voice actors Lars Mikkelsen is reprising his role in the Ahsoka cast. Lars Mikkelsen is a Danish actor best known for playing Charles Augustus Magnussen in the third series of Sherlock and Russian President Viktor Petrov in Netflix’s House of Cards.
The guy is the perfect casting. He has the high cheekbones and angular face that Thrawn is known for from the comics. Who knew he was right there the whole time!
C1-10P “Chopper” – Voiced by Dave Filoni
C1-10P referred to as “Chopper”; or “Chop” is a droid responsible for maintaining the spaceship Ghost. Chop was active during the Clone Wars and the early years of the Galactic Empire. He is a member of the Spectres, a rebel cell led by Captain Syndulla and Jedi Kanan Jarrus that fought against the Empire. because of his lack of regular maintenance and advanced age Chopper has developed a quarrelsome, argumentative, and mischievous personality. Despite these quirks, he’s a faithful member of the crew. Later, Chopper and his fellow rebels joined the Phoenix Cell, which was part of the rebellion.
On the show Rebels, he was voiced by creator and executive producer Dave Filoni. Like Mikkelsen, he’s reprising his role as the cantankerous droid.
Mon Mothma – Played by Genevieve O’Reilly
Senator Mon Mothma of Chandrila was one of the founders of the Rebel Alliance. She first appeared in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi and is played by Caroline Blakiston. Genevieve O’Reilly took over the role for most Star Wars live-action productions. Her first time was in a deleted scene from Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005). She also reprised her role in Rebels. Most recently she guest-starred in the series Andor.
Besides her television appearances, O’Reilly is also known for her career in film. She played Dash MacKenzie in the 2004 film Avatar and the 1999 period drama The Young Victoria in 2009. In 2016, O’Reilly appeared as Tarzan’s mother in The Legend of Tarzan.
O’Reilly always carries herself with a regal air, so it’ll be fun to see her again.
Senator Mawood – Played by Maurice Irvin
Not much is known about Senator Mawood. We know he’s a senator. Obviously. He appears alongside Senator Rodrigo (Jacqueline Antaramian), Chancellor Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly), Senator Xiono (Nelson Lee), and Gran Senator (Erica Duke). We know he and the New Republic gang are trying to help find Ezra.
Maurizio “Mo” Irvin is an American film and television actor, best known for playing Nurse Tyler Christian on the medical television series Grey’s Anatomy. He’s also worked on Snowfall and Five Points.
Looks like I’ll be updating the list of black actors in Star Wars.
Senator Rodrigo – Played by Jacqueline Antaramian
Senator Rodrigo also appears in the hologram next to Chancellor Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly), Senator Mawood (Maurice Irvin), Senator Xiono (Nelson Lee), and Gran Senator (Erica Duke). She’s also a high official in the New Republic.
Jacqueline Antaramian is an Armenian actress known for Side Effects (2013), The Siege (1998), and Hogarth’s doctor Dr. Zakarian on Jessica Jones (2015).
Senator Hamato Xiono – Played by Nelson Lee
This is probably the most exciting cast choice outside of Thrawn.
Senator Xiono appears in the hologram and is likely connected to a little-known character in the Star Wars universe. Kazuda Xiono is one of the pilots we first met in Star Wars Resistance, a short-lived animated series that aired from 2018-2020. It was created around the time The Force Awakens was released and the story crossed into the timeline. It’s possible that it’s a coincidence but Xiono isn’t a common name. It’s not like he’s named Smith.
The new Ahsoka cast member Nelson Lee is a Taiwanese-Canadian actor and director, known for Mulan (2020), Stargirl (2020), and Claws (2017).
Unnamed Gran Senator – Played by Erica Duke
In the search for Ezra there’s an unnamed New Republic Gran senator. The Gran are an alien race native to the planet Kinyen. They have pronounced snouts and a trio of eye-stalks. We don’t know anything about this one other than she’s a New Republic senator.
Duke is an actor who’s appeared in films like Aquarium of the Dead (2021) and Bullet Train (2022). But this isn’t her first time in a Star Wars shows. She played an unnamed Gran band member in The Mandalorian season three premiere.
If you didn’t know this Senator was a woman you’re no alone.
Captain Enoch – Played by Wes Chatham
The studio has revealed very little about Captain Enoch. He’s described as Thrawn’s right hand man.
We don’t know much about Captain Enoch at this point because he hasn’t made his Star Wars debut yet. Additionally, Lucasfilm and the rest of the Ahsoka team have yet to release anything about Captain Enoch’s background and profile. We do know Enoch will play the role of a trusted subordinate working under Thrawn. So he’s a man capable of fulfilling the tasks assigned to him by the Grand Admiral. Thrawn is a perfectionist. He only hires people he knows he can trust to get the job done.
John Wesley Chatham has appeared in films such as In the Valley of Elah, The Help, and played Castor in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 and Part 2. But he’s best known for playing Amos Burton in The Expanse.
Huyang – Voiced by David Tennant
Huyang first appeared in the 2012 episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars named “Test of Strength”. The ancient droid is a renowned architect and teacher. He oversaw the construction of Jedi lightsabers for centuries. Huyang served on the training ship named Crucible. The young Jedi would complete the task of retrieving a Kyber Crystal from the Ilum Ice Caves. Afterward, the droid led the youths in the construction of their lightsaber. Huyang helped them visualize the parts of their lightsaber and dug out the necessary supplies from his vast stash. His ancient storage systems held records of every lightsaber ever built. He was also a Jedi of the Jedi Order.
On Clone Wars he was voiced by Doctor Who actor David Tennant. When we last saw Huyang he had been rebuilt by his trainees after a pirate raid.
Disney has confirmed that David Tennant will be reprising his role as the centuries-old droid. Considering his role is to train young Jedi it’s not clear what his role will be but it’s fun to see him return. I’m sure he’ll bring his perfect wisecracks along for the ride.
Morgan Elsbeth – Played by Diana Lee Inosanto
Zeb Orellios (Rumored) – Voiced by TBA
Garazeb “Zeb” Orrelios is a cunning Lasat honor guard dedicated to the cause of rebellion against the Empire. He’s the muscle of the crew. Zeb loves beating up “bucket heads” which was his nickname for Imperial stormtroopers. Despite his strong build, Zeb was educated and articulate.
Steve Blum is part of the Mandalorian cast as the voice of Zeb. Blum voiced the character in Star Wars: Rebels. It hasn’t been confirmed the character or the actor will appear in Ahsoka. But considering the rest of the crew of the Ghost are in the show it’s a safe bet he’ll be there.
Anakin Skywalker / Darth Vader (Rumored) – Played by Hayden Christensen
Ninety-nine percent of people know who Darth Vader is. But, for the one percent, here’s a quick primer.
Darth Vader is the main villain of the original Star Wars trilogy. Anakin Skywalker is also one of the main characters of the prequel trilogy. The prequels focus on his transformation into the Sith lord Darth Vader. His masked face and helmet are some of the most iconic character traits of all time. Plus he really hates sand. It gets everywhere.
David Prowse played him on-screen and James Earl Jones performed his voice. Hayden Christiansen may be part of the Ahsoka cast playing her former mentor. He’s an actor best known for playing in Star Wars movies. But he began his career on Canadian television at the age of 13 and started doing American television in the late 1990s. Christiansen received critical acclaim for his performances as Sam in Life as a House and as Stephen Glass in Broken Glass. Christensen’s accolades include Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild nominations, and the Chopard Trophy at the Cannes Film Festival. His other notable work includes Awake (2007), Jumper (2008), Takers (2010), and Little Italy (2018).
After training Ahsoka Skywalker fell to the Dark Side and became the evil Sith Lord. Lucasfilm is being tight-lipped about his appearance on the show. But Ahsoka’s old master needs to appear. Just like in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series there needs to be some closure for her.
The character died in Return of the Jedi. Since this show takes place after Vader died in Return of the Jedi he’ll have to return in flashback or as a Force Ghost. Either way would be fun.
Din Djarin (Rumored) – Played by Pablo Pascal
It’s almost silly to call this a rumor but it hasn’t been confirmed that Din Djarin will be joining the cast of Ahsoka. But how could he not? He’s been integral to bringing her back to the galaxy and has had a major impact on her life.
Din Djarin, also known to some as The Mandalorian, or “Mando”, is a ferocious bounty hunter. He fights his way through a dangerous galaxy in a time of uncertainty. Now that he reunited with little Grogu, Djarin embarks on a new mission to reclaim his place in Mandalorian society. Meanwhile, his scattered people band together to confront the remnants of the Empire.
Pedro Pascal is an actor of Chilean origin. He’s best known for playing Oberyn Martell in the HBO series Game of Thrones (2011) and Javier Peña in the Netflix series Narcos (2015). He plays the title character in the Disney+ series The Mandalorian (2019) and Joel Miller in the HBO series The Last of Us (2023).
He has to appear one of the players on Ahsoka. This is the Way.
Boba Fett (Rumored) – Played by Temuera Morrison
Boba Fett is a criminal and former bounty hunter. His career spanned decades, from the fall of the Galactic Republic to the end of the Galactic Empire’s rule. He first appeared in the animated Star Wars Holiday Special. before in The Empire Strikes Back.
The prequels gave more of his backstory. He was an unaltered clone of famed Mandalorian bounty hunter Jango Fett. He raised the boy as his own son. Boba mimicked his father and gene donor by donning custom Mandalorian armor. His personal starship was the Slave I, owned by Jango. Fett was one of the most feared bounty hunters in the galaxy during the reign of Emperor Palpatine. He became a legend in a career that included contracts for the Empire and the wider criminal underworld. He was left for dead after falling into a sarlacc pit. But The Book of Boba Fett established he survived and took over the daimyo of Mos Espa during the New Republic era.
Temuera Morrison played Jango Fett and all the clone troopers in Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones. Morrison was the model for the CGI clone troopers in Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith. He also played and voiced clone commanders. He voiced Boba Fett in the 2004 DVD release of the original trilogy (replacing Jason Wingreen). Morrison made his live-action debut as Boba Fett in The Mandalorian episode “Chapter 9: The Marshal”.
We don’t know if he’ll appear in Ahsoka but considering he’s guest-starred on The Mandalorian there’s a good chance he’ll make an appearance.
That’s the list of the members of actors cast in Star Wars: Ahsoka. Both the confirmed and the rumored players in the Star Wars television show.
