Along with the core cast of the “Star Wars” Disney+ series “Ahsoka” — Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson), Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo), Hera Syndulla (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and the loyal droid Huyang (David Tennant) —the show’s creator and sole writer, Dave Filoni, has welcomed a regular procession of legacy “Star Wars” characters from the movies and TV shows that pre-date the storyline initiated by “The Mandalorian.” In anticipation of the show’s season finale on Oct. 3, we’ve ranked them in order of lowest to highest impact those cameos have had on the show — and the joy they’ve sparked inside our withered souls.
Jai Kell
Image Credit: Lucasfilm On “Rebels,” Jai was an ex-Stormtrooper trainee (voiced by Dante Basco) who gets pulled into the rebellion instead. On “Ahsoka,” he shows up (played by social media star Vinny Thomas) for the briefest cameo as the newest senator for his home world, Lothal, where he gives an awkward impromptu speech. What a glow up! Happy for him! Moving on! —Adam B. Vary
Ryder Azadi
Image Credit: Lucasfilm What do “Star Wars,” “John Wick” and “The Boys” all have in common? They’ve all been blessed by the presence of veteran actor Clancy Brown. And he’s no stranger to “Star Wars.” Brown has previously voiced Savage Opress, the brutish brother of Darth Maul, in “Clone Wars” and the Sixth Brother in “Tales of the Jedi” — not to mention countless other iconic voice roles across film and TV. In “Ahsoka,” he brings to life his “Rebels” character Ryder Azadi, the governor of Lothal, and makes his official “Star Wars” live-action debut. —Jordan Moreau
Mon Mothma
Image Credit: Lucasfilm Genevieve O’Reilly has been playing the Chandrilan senator and eventual leader of the rebellion since 2005’s “Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith” (though virtually all of her scenes were cut for the theatrical version); she most recently reprised the role on “Andor,” giving an Emmy-worthy performance full of striving and grit. Which makes her appearances on “Ahsoka” so far kind of underwhelming: She basically just stands there, presiding as a chancellor of the New Republic with seeming little influence to aid Ahsoka, Sabine and Hera. That may be a commentary on the dangerously ineffectual nature of the fledgling New Republic, but it also does Mon Mothma a little dirty. —A.B.V.
Hamato Xiono
Image Credit: Lucasfilm Fans of “Star Wars: Resistance” — the animated series that tracked the fight against the First Order decades after the events of “Ahsoka” — know Hamato Xiono (voiced on the show by Tzi Ma) as the somewhat judgmental father of resistance spy Kazuda “Kaz” Xiono. So it certainly tracks that as a younger man, Hamato Xiono (played by Nelson Lee) is a stridently judgmental senator from Hosnian Prime who attempts — and fails! — to court martial General Syndulla for going to Ahsoka’s aid. —A.B.V.
Captain Rex
Image Credit: Lucasfilm A “Clone Wars”-era reunion between Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka seemed likely, but nobody would’ve guessed that the clone trooper himself, Captain Rex (voiced by Temuera Morrison), would also make a cameo. Rex has always been the O.G. clone. After first appearing in the “Clone Wars” movie, then becoming a fan-favorite character in the TV series, he’s also popped up in “Rebels,” “Bad Batch,” “Tales of the Jedi” and even more comics, books and games. It’s about time Rex gets the live-action treatment he deserves. —J.M.
Leia Organa (by name only)
Image Credit: Lucasfilm Given that “Ahsoka” takes place just a few years after the events of “Star Wars: The Return of the Jedi” — and that a digitally de-aged Mark Hamill has appeared as Luke Skywalker standing next to Ahsoka on “The Book of Boba Fett” — it was probably inevitable that Luke’s sister Leia would also play some kind of role within the Mando-verse. Without Carrie Fisher, of course, that role is entirely off screen, when Leia intervenes to save Gen. Syndulla from her New Republic tribunal. Just the mention of Leia’s name is enough to jolt everyone to attention, though, including the audience — and enough to rank Leia higher than half of this list! —A.B.V.
C-3PO
Image Credit: Lucasfilm Leia’s message to save Gen. Syndulla is delivered by none other than everyone’s favorite gleaming, golden protocol droid, played once again to perfection by Anthony Daniels. Yes, C-3PO is just a proxy for a character who can no longer physically appear in the “Star Wars” universe. And, yes, using him is a shameless act of fan service. But who cares! It’s C-3PO! —A.B.V.
The Purrgils
Image Credit: Lucasfilm The Purrgils may not be as famous as the Ewoks or Wookies, but the alien species holds an important spot in “Star Wars: Rebels” lore. Like “Free Willy” in space, they’re essentially giant, sentient whales that float around in the galaxy and can travel through hyperspace. Their majestic return signaled that Ezra and Thrawn weren’t far behind, and by following their migration route Ahsoka was able to find her missing pal Ezra, who had been lost since the Rebels finale. —J.M.
Grand Admiral Thrawn
Image Credit: Lucasfilm Here he is, standing at 6 feet tall with skin bluer than Bantha milk, Grand Admiral Thrawn, the baddest of the bad, the scheming scoundrel and No. 2 to Emperor Palpatine himself, enters the live-action “Star Wars” ring at last. It’s been a long road to get here. After starring in a trilogy of novels that were later removed from the canon, Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen) returned in “Rebels” and is now primed and ready to be the biggest villain in the galaxy since Supreme Leader Snoke. —J.M.
Ezra Bridger
Image Credit: Lucasfilm Rocking a beard that would make Luke Skywalker from “The Last Jedi” jealous, Ezra Bridger, played by Eman Esfandi, finally made his long-awaited return in “Ahsoka.” It took five years, but “Star Wars Rebels” fans now have more than just closure on what happened to Ezra in the animated series finale; he’s ready to be a leading character in the live-action canon. His and Sabine’s touching reunion warmed the coldest of Hoth-frozen hearts, but we’re still wondering how he maintained that scruffy beard on the remote planet of Peridea. —J.M.
Anakin Skywalker
Image Credit: Lucasfilm The return of Hayden Christensen as Ahsoka’s Jedi master was one of the worst kept secrets in “Star Wars” fandom — really, not bringing him back on a show called “Ahsoka” would have felt like a dereliction of duty. What makes Anakin’s return so deeply satisfying, however, is the way that Filoni does it, by weaving together Anakin’s time with Ahsoka on “The Clone Wars” and alluding to their fateful confrontation on “Rebels.” Christensen made a full meal of the opportunity, giving fans a glimpse of what Darth Vader would have been like had he not been burnt to a crisp on Mustafar — and who Anakin could have been had he never turned to the dark side. —A.B.V.