Star Wars Sequel Trilogy Cast & Character Guide

Summary

• Disney fast-tracked a Star Wars sequel trilogy that reintroduced familiar icons alongside fresh faces like Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver.
• The ensemble cast of the sequel trilogy includes both well-known actors from other franchises like Andy Serkis and John Boyega.
• The new characters introduced in the sequel trilogy, like Rey Skywalker and Finn, played significant roles in shaping the Star Wars universe.

The cast of the Star Wars sequel trilogy includes some of the most renowned actors of their time playing exciting new characters in a galaxy far, far away. When Disney acquired Lucasfilm, the first project the studio fast-tracked into development was a Star Wars sequel trilogy that picks up three decades after Return of the Jedi. These Star Wars movies brought back familiar icons like Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher in their beloved roles from the original Star Wars trilogy, but it also cast a bunch of fresh faces like Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver as brand-new characters.

Some of the actors in the Star Wars sequel trilogy were already well-known stars from other franchises before joining the ensemble, like Andy Serkis and Gwendoline Christie, while others were launched to international stardom by their Star Wars characters, like John Boyega and Oscar Isaac. The sequel trilogy introduced some promising new figures to the Star Wars universe, like a Force-sensitive ex-stormtrooper and a droid shaped like a beach ball. The Star Wars sequel trilogy cast the perfect actors to play each of these new characters alongside returning legends like Luke Skywalker and Han Solo.

Daisy Ridley Is Rey Skywalker

Date of Birth: April 10, 1992

Daisy Ridley was born in Westminster, London, and grew up training in musical theater at the Tring Park School for Performing Arts, located in Hertfordshire, England. Ridley played several roles early on in her career, but her big break arrived when she was cast as Rey in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. She has since gone on to star in a number of other movies, including the dystopian sci-fi thriller Chaos Walking and the Disney-made biopic Young Woman and the Sea.

Character: Rey is the powerful Force-sensitive scavenger at the center of the Star Wars sequel trilogy. Rey spends the trilogy trying to figure out her parentage while also joining the fight against the First Order. She carves her own path while she helps to lead the Resistance, choosing to find light in the darkness even when no one else does.

John Boyega Is Finn

Date of Birth: March 17, 1992

Peckham, London, England, John Boyega became a well-known star in the United Kingdom with the lead role of Moses in the alien invasion comedy Attack the Block. Prior to his casting in Star Wars, Boyega was even one of three finalists for the role of Eggsy in 2014’s Kingsman: The Secret Service, though he ultimately lost the role to Taron Egerton. He has since appeared in several projects across many genres, from 2018’s Pacific Rim: Uprising to 2023’s They Cloned Tyrone.

Character: Finn, also known as FN-2187, is a stormtrooper who defects from the First Order after being horrified by the effect of his military actions on civilians. With the help of Poe Dameron, he escapes to Jakku, where he meets Rey and BB-8 – ultimately leading him to join the Resistance. Finn becomes a key leader in the fight against the First Order, something his Force-sensitivity helps him with even more later on.

Oscar Isaac Is Poe Dameron

Date of Birth: March 9, 1979

Oscar Isaac was born in Guatemala City, Guatemala and graduated from The Juilliard School in 2005. Isaac is a prolific actor known for a variety of roles, though his first major role arrived when he played Joseph in 2006’s The Nativity Story. He has since starred in many movies and TV shows across many different franchises, though Isaac is also an extremely talented guitarist and vocalist who still does performances to this day.

Character: Poe Dameron, the son of two key members of the Rebel Alliance, is one of the Resistance’s most skilled X-wing pilots. Formerly working with spice runners in his youth, Poe has since grown into one of the Resistance’s most valuable members and leaders, especially as somewhat of a right-hand to Leia Organa herself. As a gifted starfighter pilot and a cool-as-ice gunslinger, Poe was pitched as somewhere between Luke and Han.

Adam Driver Is Ben Solo / Kylo Ren

Date of Birth: November 19, 1983

Born in San Diego, California, Adam Driver is an extremely decorated actor. Prior to his Star Wars role, Driver was best known for playing Adam Sackler in the HBO dramedy series Girls, as well as supporting roles in Lincoln and Frances Ha. After the role of Kylo Ren made him a more recognizable star, Driver went on to work with such directors as Jim Jarmusch on Paterson, Martin Scorsese on Silence, and Spike Lee on BlacKkKlansman. Driver is one of the rare actors to have been nominated for an Oscar, an Emmy, and a Tony.

Character: The main villain of the Star Wars sequel trilogy, Kylo Ren is one of the sinister leaders of the First Order. Kylo Ren’s real name is Ben Solo, and he’s the estranged son of Han and Leia, having fallen to the dark side due to nearly life-long manipulations from Sheev Palpatine and Supreme Leader Snoke. Kylo Ren begins to fall even further after murdering his own father, but with the help of Rey and his mother, Kylo still questions his place in the First Order and the dark side of the Force.

Mark Hamill Is Luke Skywalker

Date of Birth: September 25, 1951

Mark Hamill was born in Oakland, California and majored in drama at Los Angeles City College. Making his debut on General Hospital in 1963 but getting his big break in the original Star Wars, Hamill has since become a very prolific actor, especially when it comes to voice work. He has played the Joker in Batman: The Animated Series and various other DC Comics adaptations, as well as Fire Lord Ozai in Avatar: The Last Airbender and Skips in Regular Show.

Character: Luke Skywalker is a Star Wars hero who needs no introduction, but in the sequel trilogy, he becomes a very different person. After his attempt to rebuild the Jedi Order ends in tragedy due to his nephew’s fall to the dark side, Luke exiles himself to Ahch-To. His disillusionment with the Jedi and the former Order continue to dictate the rest of his story, even as Rey attempts to change his perspective.

Carrie Fisher Is Leia Organa

Date of Birth: October 21, 1956

Born in Burbank, California, Carrie Fisher was the daughter of singers/actors Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds. Her role as Princess Leia Organa in the original Star Wars trilogy launched her into stardom. Though Fisher tragically passed away in 2016, Star Wars was able to use old footage to complete Leia’s story. In addition to Star Wars, Fisher also appeared in such classic movies as The Blues Brothers and When Harry Met Sally and became a prominent script doctor in Hollywood. She was also a renowned author who wrote the novel Postcards from the Edge and the memoir Wishful Drinking.

Character: After the fall of the New Republic, Leia is back to leading a struggling rebel force, now known as the Resistance. Her son, Ben Solo’s, fall to the dark side has led to her and Han Solo’s separation, though the two briefly reunite when Rey intertwines their paths. Leia is focused on her role as a general of the Resistance, though she also acts as wise counseling for many characters, including Rey and Poe Dameron.

Harrison Ford Is Han Solo

Date of Birth: July 13, 1942

Harrison Ford was born in Chicago, Illinois, briefly taking on a career as a carpenter before his acting career hit the ground running. While his role as Bob Falfa in American Graffiti was Ford’s comeback, his big break also arrived in the original Star Wars. Ford has since become a well-known as an action star, having gone on to play the titular explorer in the Indiana Jones franchise (also created by George Lucas), the android-hunting cop Rick Deckard in the Blade Runner movies, and Jack Ryan in the spy thrillers Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger.

Character: Han Solo has returned to a life of smuggling with Chewbacca when he returns in the Star Wars sequel trilogy. After coming across Rey and Finn inside the Millennium Falcon, Han becomes a mentor to the young girl, leading him back to the Resistance – and Leia. He goes on to confront his estranged son, the villainous Kylo Ren, though their meeting doesn’t end as expected.

Kelly Marie Tran Is Rose Tico

Date of Birth: January 17, 1989

Born in San Diego, California, Kelly Marie Tran has gone from a Star Wars hero to a Disney princess. Though appearing in a variety of TV shows and movies since her debut in 2011, Tran’s breakout role arrived with Rose Tico in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Tran has since gone on to play the eponymous princess in the Disney animated movie Raya and the Last Dragon and Dawn Betterman in The Croods: A New Age and its streaming spinoff The Croods: Family Tree. She also starred alongside Elizabeth Olsen in the Facebook Watch series Sorry for Your Loss.

Character: Rose Tico is a Resistance engineer who, after her sister’s tragic fate, joins Finn on a side quest to Canto Bight. Rose is an Everywoman and an audience surrogate who opens Finn’s eyes to the widespread corruption across the galaxy. Nearly sacrificing her life to save Finn’s on Crait, Rose goes on to become another key figure in the fight against the First Order.

Star Wars Sequel Trilogy Supporting Cast & Characters

Andy Serkis as Supreme Leader Snoke: Kylo Ren’s evil overlord, Supreme Leader Snoke, is played via motion-capture technology by Andy Serkis. The actor previously played iconic motion-capture roles like Gollum in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movies and Caesar in the rebooted Planet of the Apes trilogy.

Lupita Nyong’o as Maz Kanata: Han’s resourceful yet mysterious old friend Maz Kanata is played by Lupita Nyong’o. The actress won an Academy Award for her turn in 12 Years a Slave and also starred in Jordan Peele’s Us and played the role of Nakia in the MCU.

Anthony Daniels as C-3PO: Anthony Daniels reprises his role as protocol droid C-3PO in the Star Wars sequel trilogy. Daniels is the only actor to appear in all the theatrically released Star Wars movies. He also voiced Legolas in Ralph Bakshi’s animated adaptation of The Lord of the Rings.

Kenny Baker and Jimmy Vee as R2-D2: Kenny Baker reprises his role as astromech droid R2-D2 in the sequel trilogy. When Baker passed away, the role was inherited by Jimmy Vee. Baker also appeared in Time Bandits, Flash Gordon, and The Elephant Man. Vee has played various aliens and creatures on Doctor Who, like Bannakaffalatta and the Graske.

Dave Chapman and Brian Herring as BB-8: The rolling droid BB-8 was puppeteered by Dave Chapman and Brian Herring. Chapman’s previous puppeteering work can be seen in movies ranging from Muppet Treasure Island to Prometheus. Herring also puppeteered the porgs and various other creatures in the Star Wars sequel trilogy and got his start on the British satirical series Spitting Image.

Peter Mayhew and Joonas Suotamo as Chewbacca: Peter Mayhew reprised his role as Han’s Wookiee companion Chewbacca in Star Wars: The Force Awakens before retiring from the character. After Mayhew stepped down, Joonas Suotamo took over the role. Mayhew had an uncredited turn as a Minotaur in Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger. Suotamo started out as a basketball player before becoming an actor and has since played The Scourge in Disney Plus’s modern fantasy series Willow.

Domhnall Gleeson as General Hux: General Hux, the First Order bureaucrat who commands the fleet, is played by Domhnall Gleeson. The actor is known for playing Bill Weasley in the Harry Potter series and for starring in About Time and Ex Machina.

Gwendoline Christie as Captain Phasma: Finn’s cold-hearted commanding officer, Captain Phasma, is played by Gwendoline Christie. The actress is best known for playing Brienne of Tarth in Game of Thrones.

Frank Oz as Yoda: Frank Oz reprised his role as Yoda as a Force ghost in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Before playing Yoda, Oz worked as a puppeteer on The Muppet Show and Sesame Street. As a director, he’s helmed such movies as The Dark Crystal and Little Shop of Horrors.

Ian McDiarmid as Emperor Palpatine: Ian McDiarmid reprised his role as Emperor Palpatine when the character was resurrected as the big bad in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Outside his Star Wars role, McDiarmid has appeared in such films as Sleepy Hollow and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.

Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrissian: Billy Dee Williams reprises his role as Rebel veteran Lando Calrissian in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Williams is also known for playing Harvey Dent in Batman and starring alongside Sylvester Stallone in Nighthawks.

Naomi Ackie as Jannah: Jannah, a fellow defected stormtrooper that Finn meets in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, is played by Naomi Ackie. The actress got her breakout role in the series The End of the F***ing World and later played Whitney Houston in the biopic I Wanna Dance with Somebody.

Richard E. Grant as Allegiant General Pryde: Allegiant General Pryde, the Imperial bureaucrat who usurps Hux in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, is played by Richard E. Grant. The actor is known for his breakout role in Withnail and I and his Oscar-nominated turn in Can You Ever Forgive Me?

Keri Russell as Zorii Bliss: Poe’s old spice-running associate Zorii Bliss is played by Keri Russell. The actress previously played leading roles in the TV series Felicity and The Americans.

Shirley Henderson as Babu Frik: Babu Frik, the tiny droid engineer who unlocks the secret Sith language buried in C-3PO’s programming in the final mainline Star Wars movie, The Rise of Skywalker, is voiced by Shirley Henderson. The actress is best known as Jude from the Bridget Jones movies and Moaning Myrtle from the Harry Potter franchise.