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Star Wars is one of the largest and most influential entertainment juggernauts on the planet. Many moviegoers are familiar with film trilogies and their numerous spin-offs, which flesh out beloved characters, like Solo: A Star Wars Story.
The Star Wars franchise has also transcended the silver screen, with multiple TV shows and even video games. Needless to say, it has become a cultural phenomenon involving countless actors and actresses. We all adore inspired castings, like Samuel L Jackson as Mace Windu and Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Movie fans are acutely aware of who plays who in the Star Wars universe, but it's not unusual for the franchise to sport cameo appearances. Some are fairly obvious, but others are so obscure that you'd never even know without some research.
There are so many cameos in Star Wars that it's hard to keep up, and some are so subtle that they quickly fade into obscurity after the fact. Fortunately, this is usually a good thing for a cameo. Guest appearances are almost always better as subtle inclusions than as breaks in the immersion of established lore.
Star Wars is no stranger to doing guest appearances the right way. Many special additions are nuanced, so slight that you likely won't even notice them unless you carefully scan the credits screen at the end of the film. Other cameos are so unusual, you can't even rely on the casting page. With this in mind, here's a selection of brilliant cameos you may have forgotten ever existed.
Ahmed Best Was A Jedi In The Mandalorian Season 3
Ahmed Best played Jar Jar Binks in the prequel trilogy. The Gungan, who eventually became a Senator, was a polarizing character, drawing ire from some vocal fans. Best admitted that playing Jar Jar Binks took a serious toll on his mental health and addressed the hatred in a recent interview.
Despite the backlash, Best returned to Star Wars in The Mandalorian as Kelleran Beq, a Jedi Master. Viewers likely won't recognize Best as he looks and sounds entirely different from his prequel character. He also plays a pivotal role in season 3, rescuing Grogu during Order 66.
Mark Hamill Voiced Darth Bane
Few characters in Star Wars are as legendary and iconic as Luke Skywalker, played by Mark Hamill. Many fans know that Hamill is also a talented voice actor, playing characters in numerous beloved franchises. He even played The Joker in Batman: The Animated Series.
Hamill is credited in many projects, but he even plays a character in another Star Wars property, and few fans even realize it. Mark Hamill voices Darth Bane in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. As the name implies, Darth Bane is a Dark Lord of the Sith.
In Star Wars lore, Bane is responsible for the established "Rule of Two," meaning there may only be two Sith at any time: a master and an apprentice. Thanks to Hamill's range, many viewers watched The Clone Wars without even knowing he voiced the character.
George Lucas Briefly Appeared In The Revenge Of The Sith
Star Wars may not even exist were it not for George Lucas and his creative vision. We're used to enjoying his work as a director, but he actually appeared in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. The same character also featured in Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
George Lucas plays Baron Papanoida. We briefly catch a glimpse of him in Episode III, and you likely never noticed, as he wears heavy blue makeup and robes.
Baron Papanoida also plays a small but more impactful role in The Clone Wars. While Lucas plays the character in Episode III, Corey Burton voices Papanoida in the animated series.
Daniel Craig Played A Stormtrooper
Daniel Craig is one of the most influential James Bond actors and played the famous spy for 15 years. He starred in Spectre in 2015, but also had a cameo in Star Wars that same year, a role most people don't even know about.
Craig played a Stormtrooper in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. He's named "FN-1824" in the movie, and he's the stormtrooper responsible for freeing Rey and dropping his weapon.
If you watch the scene back, knowing it's Daniel Craig, you can identify his voice, and it's unmissable once you hear it for the first time.
Temuera Morrison Voices Another Bounty Hunter In Star Wars Jedi Survivor
Some of the most beloved Star Wars characters outside the main cast are the bounty hunters. Jango Fett, in particular, is played by Temuera Morrison in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones.
Morrison also plays and voices the clones, as they are all copies of Jango. Interestingly, the actor makes a cameo appearance in several of the video games as a different character. Temuera voices Boba Fett in Star Wars Battlefront II and reprized that role again in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. He also played Boba Fett in Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga.
Ray Park Appears In Solo: A Star Wars Story
Ray Park is another fan-favorite Star Wars actor for his portrayal of Darth Maul in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) famously slices him in half at the end of the movie, but Park reappears in another piece of Star Wars media.
We briefly see Park reprise his role in Solo: A Star Wars Story. He does not appear in person, and fans catch only a brief glimpse of him as a hologram. It's worth noting that Ray Park did not voice Darth Maul in Episode I, and Peter Serafinowicz dubbed his few lines. Sam Witwer voiced him during Solo: A Star Wars Story, so his role in both is purely physical.
Doctor Who Voices Bendu
Few characters in pop culture have had as many different portrayals as Doctor Who. It makes sense for the character, and Tom Baker is arguably one of the most famous for his portrayal of the Fourth Doctor.
Baker voices Bendu in Star Wars: Rebels. He's a unique force-sensitive creature in the show and teaches Kanan to "see" using the force after his encounter with Darth Maul.
Bendu's voice is booming and mysterious, but you can certainly make out Baker's distinctive delivery.
Keira Knightley Was Padme's Handmaiden
Our next entry is less of a cameo and more of a notable casting choice. Still, Keira Knightley is one of Padme's handmaidens in Star Wars: Episode I, and once you spot her, you'll notice her immediately during a rewatch.
Knightley was fairly young in Star Wars: Episode I, but she does feature in numerous scenes. Most notably, the Pirates of the Caribbean star masquerades as Queen Amidala as she begs Boss Nass for help during the Trade Federation invasion.
Warwick Davis Plays Several Star Wars Characters
Warwick Davis is a veteran of the movie and TV industry, having starred in dozens of roles throughout his career. He's also played multiple Star Wars characters, although you'd never know unless you spotted his name in the credits.
Davis was only a child when Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi premiered. He played an Ewok in the film and returned to the franchise more than a decade later.
In Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, Davis played Wald, one of Anakin's friends. He also played a minor character, Weazel, in the same movie and in Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Tom Hardy Is In The Last Jedi
Our final entry is a cheeky one, easily forgotten since it became a deleted scene. Still, it's shocking to learn that Tom Hardy, who played Bane in The Dark Knight Rises, had a cameo appearance in a Star Wars movie.
Hardy was a stormtrooper in Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi. He notices Finn, who is undercover at the time, and exclaims, "I never took you for captain material." The deleted scene is lighthearted, which may explain why it was cut from the theatrical release ofStar Wars: The Force Awakens.
If you're a fan of Tom Hardy movies, you may recognize his voice, but there's no way to tell who he is otherwise. Considering the high stakes of the scene, it makes sense that Hardy's contribution was removed, but it's a fun piece of Star Wars movie lore nonetheless.
