The Star Wars sequel trilogy has a wealth of celebrity cameos, from Simon Pegg as a merchant alien to Daniel Craig as a stormtrooper. Thankfully, they have all been unobtrusive and easy to miss if one doesn’t know to look out for them. The most recent and final release, The Rise of Skywalker, has its share of celebrity appearances as well.
Like the prior films, even fans of said stars were likely to glance over them if they were unaware of the person behind the role. To help sort things out, this list will point out ten of these cameos. A couple were so fast, it is as if they aren’t in the movie at all. Still, milliseconds of screen time is better than nothing when it comes to Star Wars.
Denis Lawson
During the final battle on Exegol, countless ships come to the resistance’s aid to fight off the First Order once and for all. Rebel Alliance veteran Wedge Antilles, played by Denis Lawson, shows up to give old fans a great surprise.
His appearance in Rise of Skywalker is particularly special since it marks the first time he and Ewan McGregor, his nephew, appeared in the same Star Wars movie, even if the latter only lent his voice.
J.J. Abrams
Just because he is behind the camera directing the action, does that mean J.J. Abrams should miss out on all the fun happening inside the frame? He apparently doesn’t think so, which is why the filmmaker lent his voice to Dio, the fearful droid the crew runs into while tracking down the Sith Wayfinder.
It only has a few lines in the movie, so the time spent in the recording booth should not have too heavily distracted Abrams from his directorial duties. If we were directing one of the biggest movies of 2019, we’d put ourselves in it too.
Ed Sheeran
In a behind-the-scenes reel released to hype up the movie’s premiere, Ed Sheeran was spotted in a stormtrooper outfit. This led many to search arduously for his role in the film. As of now, many are unsure where he is, and some sources have even claimed he’s not in it at all.
If this is the case, what was he doing on set in the garb? Maybe he’s in there, but the producers were sure to make his appearance as subtle as possible so as not to create a similar backlash as his cameo appearance in Game of Thrones. Sheeran is said to be a joyful and nice person. Good for him for getting a chance to at least be on a Star Wars set.
Warwick Davis
It wouldn’t be a Star Wars movie without Warwick Davis. Thankfully, he got to partake in this film as well, reprising his role as Wicket from Return of the Jedi. He made it a family affair this time, too, since his son plays an Ewok in the same scene.
People often bemoan Ewoks as the first cracks in George Lucas’s creative genius, but the cuddly race resembling teddy bears don’t hurt the trilogy nearly as much as people say.
Chris Terrio
Admiral Ackbar tragically lost his life in The Last Jedi, but the legendary Mon Calamari had a son who is carrying on his legacy. Colonel Aftab Ackbar gets a solid amount of screen time in the new film and is voiced by Chris Terrio, who helped write The Rise of Skywalker’s screenplay.
Given his voice role, we wouldn’t be surprised if his first draft had Ackbar single-handedly taking down the First Order and personally punching Palpatine into oblivion, becoming the true savior of the Galaxy.
Shirley Henderson
Scottish actress Shirley Henderson has quite the catalog of work under her belt, from roles in the Harry Potter films to Danny Boyle’s Trainspotting and its sequel. Rarely does one see her pull off a funny voice, as the parts seldom call for one.
She finally got the chance in The Rise of Skywalker as everyone’s favorite miniature droidsmith, Babu Frik. No one would recognize her just from the voice, however, as Shirley doesn’t speak like that in real life.
Lin-Manuel Miranda
The creator of Hamilton already contributed to The Force Awakens’ soundtrack. He did the same for the trilogy’s closer and also got to show up on screen. Even knowing where he is, it will be hard for anyone to spot him. He is said to be one of the resistance troopers joyously celebrating the First Order and Palpatine’s demise.
While he may be impossible to see, even Lin-Manuel understands the moment is not about him, but the shared joy of concluding an epic cinematic saga forty-two years in the making.
Dhani Harrison
As if being the son of one of the most legendary musicians and songwriters of the twentieth century isn’t cool enough, Dhani Harrison had to go one step further and get a cameo spot in Rise of Skywalker. He is credited as FN-0878.
Dhani is far from the only musician in the attire. Along with the already-mentioned Ed Sheeran, producer Nigel Goodrich also dons the uniform for a bit part. If there’s a stormtrooper heaven, then you know they have a heck of a band.
J.D. Dillard
Blumhouse has had a string of celebrated horror films recently, not the least of which was Sweetheart, directed by J.D. Dillard. Hopefully, crafting a strong and terrifying narrative is a skill that translates to being a stormtrooper, otherwise the First Order is out of luck when it comes the filmmaker, since he donned the suit for a cameo role in the recent film.
While the evil army is out of commission now, here’s hoping his directorial career is just starting to take off.
John Williams
John Williams scored every single numbered film in the Star Wars franchise and has confirmed The Rise of Skywalker as his final work in the saga. Given his tenure with the space opera, it was only right to give him an onscreen role. His part is called Oma Tres, a bartender on Kijimi.
If his character is half as good at mixing drinks as the real person is at composing iconic soundtracks, then those patrons must be wasted twenty-four hours a day.
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