Star Wars: Every Character Featured in The Rise of Skywalker’s Pivotal Scene

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker!

A pivotal moment in the finale of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker brings together characters and voices from literally all corners of the franchise. As Rey finds herself beaten in her fight against Emperor Palpatine, she channels her energy and focuses on the Jedi of the past, and in that moment she hears many of them speak to her through The Force. Some of these characters were even making their “big screen debut” even if they didn’t appear on screen and could only be heard, in the end they were all named in the closing credits for the film.

So who were they? Some of the voices were clearly more recognizable than most, but some might leave fans of the films scratching their heads. The scene not only brings back iconic actors and characters from each of the preceding eight “Skywalker Saga” movies, but also characters that have previously only appeared in the animated series spin-offs and in very minor roles in the episodic movies. To find out who appeared in the scene (and to confirm your suspicions if you can’t place a name to the voice) keep scrolling!

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is now playing in theaters.

Luminara Unduli

This character may not be familiar by name to some fans, but she made her first appearance on the big screen in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (where she was played by Mary Oyaya). For her lines in The Rise of Skywalker, voice actress Olivia d’Abo played the part, reprising her from appearances in the animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Fay David appeared as the character as well in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith.

StarWars.Com describes the character as follows: “A green-skinned Mirialan, Luminara Unduli served the Jedi Order during the final years of the Galactic Republic, and trained the capable Padawan Barriss Offee. A no-nonsense Jedi Master, Luminara fought in Clone Wars battles such as Geonosis and Kashyyyk, and was thought to have perished during Order 66. In reality, she’d been taken into Imperial custody and executed, with holographic transmissions of her captivity used as bait to capture fugitive Jedi.”

Ahsoka Tano

A fan favorite character from Star Wars: The Clone Wars, the character has been voiced by Ashley Eckstein since she debuted in 2008, with Eckstein lending her voice to the vocal cameo in The Rise of Skywalker as well. 

A female Togruta, the character began her journey as the Padawan to none other than Anakin Skywalker. The character’s co-creator Dave Filoni recently responded to the implication of the movie that she was dead.

Aayla Secura

Though first appearing in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones and later Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (where she was played by Amy Allen), the Aayla character gained notoriety and fan interest from the animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars where Jennifer Hale provided her voice, which she reprised for Rise of Skywalker.

StarWars.Com describes her as follows: “With an athletic build, an exotic beauty, and blue skin, Aayla Secura stood out among the many faces of the Jedi ranks. A cunning warrior and Jedi Knight during the rise of the Clone Wars, Aayla fought alongside Clone Commander Bly on many exotic battlefields. Having mastered the emotional detachment necessary in the Jedi Order, she always tried to pass on what she had learned to others. Aayla was killed, along with many other Jedi Generals, when her troops turned on her in reaction to Supreme Chancellor Palpatine’s broadcast of Order 66.”

Mace Windu

Samuel L. Jackson’s jedi makes another appearance having previously appeared in all three of the Prequel Trilogy movies. Given he met his demise thanks to Palpatine it makes sense that he’d be eager to help Rey bring him down in the end.

StarWars.Com describes him as follows: “A grim Jedi Master with an amethyst-bladed lightsaber, Mace Windu was the champion of the Jedi Order, with little tolerance for the failings of the Senate, the arguments of politicians, or the opinions of rebellious Jedi. As the Clone Wars intensified, Mace sensed the dark side of the Force at work, and knew the Jedi’s enemies were plotting to destroy the Order and end its stewardship of the galaxy.”

Adi Gallia

Actress Gin Clarke first appeared as the character in Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace with Angelique Perrin taking on the role for Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Perrin went on to lend her voice to the character’s brief vocal cameo in The Rise of Skywalker.

StarWars.com describes her as follows: “Jedi Master Adi Gallia was a member of the Order’s High Council during the Clone Wars. She and the other members of that ruling body would convene in a temple high above the Coruscant landscape, deciding important matters of the Jedi. Stern and focused, she would remark upon the more outrageous tactics carried out by Anakin Skywalker or Obi-Wan Kenobi in the course of the war, but would rarely condemn their effective actions. Though not as brash as Anakin, Adi Gallia was known to be an aggressive warrior who had no problem bringing the fight to the enemy.”

Kanan Jarrus

First introduced in Star Wars Rebels, Kanan was voiced by Freddie Prinze Jr. in the series and also in the recent film. A survivor of Order 66 from the Clone Wars, he traveled the galaxy in secret and working underground while keeping his lightsaber unassembled. Kanan would lead the “Ghost” crew before the events of the Original Trilogy, sacrificing himself to save them. 

Yoda

Frank Oz once again lent his voice to the character, though he previously said he wasn’t in the movie which was a clever deflection. This marks the second “appearance” by the tiny green Jedi master in the Sequel Trilogy, having appeared in ghost form in a critical moment in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Though Yoda never actually met Rey, he mentions her by name in that film so it makes sense he would chime in here too.

Qui-Gon Jinn

Liam Neeson once again voices his The Phantom Menace character, whose death had major ramifications for The Force and the Jedi for decades afterward. A notable detail about the character was how he became the first Jedi in this era of the galaxy to return from beyond and manifest himself as a voice to other Jedi, something he accomplished in Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

Obi-Wan Kenobi

Both Ewan McGregor and Alec Guinness are credited with lending their voices to the return of Obi-Wan. The same vocal trick used by the team at Lucasfilm from Star Wars: The Force Awakens was repeated for Guinness, with his line from the 1977 film “Don’t be afraid’ cut down to ‘Rey. Before him though, McGregor says “These are your final steps Rey. Rise and take them,” a fitting conclusion since his original voice cameo in Force Awakens was: ‘Rey, these are your first steps.’

Anakin Skywalker

Though James Earl Jones also reprised his role as Darth Vader in the beginning of the film, Hayden Christensen was able to lend his voice to the sequence, delivering a line as Anakin Skywalker (and receiving top billing with all the other “Voices of Jedi Past” in the final credits!)

Luke Skywalker

Naturally the other Jedi master that trained Rey, even though in the most slight and obtuse definition of the word, had a place in the sequence. Mark Hamill appeared prior to this moment as Force Ghost so it’s not surprising his voice would be among the chorus of Jedi in Rey’s head.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is now playing in theaters.