16 More Game of Thrones Stars Who Should Join Star Wars

When news first broke that Gwendoline Christie would be joining the cast of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, nerds around the world rejoiced at the possibility of seeing Brienne of Tarth from Game of Thrones wield a lightsaber. Hearing that Christie would play Captain Phasma, the most elite soldier in the First Order’s army who donned a chrome suit of armor, fans became even more exciting. Sadly, Phasma didn’t get as much screen time as fans had hoped, and we never even saw Phasma unmasked, so devout Brienne fans were left wanting more.

With the recent announcement that Emilia Clarke will be joining the upcoming Han Solo stand-alone film, she makes the second fan-favorite Game of Thrones star to head to a galaxy far, far away. Considering the massive amount of talented actors we’ve seen spend time in Westeros, hopefully these two aren’t the only members of the cast who drop their swords to pick up a lightsaber.

Check out our picks for which stars of Game of Thrones would be best suited to fit into the world of Star Wars and make sure to let us know who we missed in the comments.

Sean Bean

Having already proven his prowess in the fantasy realm with The Lord of The Rings, Sean Bean fit perfectly into the world of Game of Thrones as Ned Stark, a man torn between obligations to his family and obligations to justice. We only got to enjoy Ned for a single season, but Bean is a man born to wield a sword and spew regal dialogue about mythical realms and events, so if you put a lightsaber in his hand, he’d make for an incredible aging Jedi.

Lena Headey

Although it’s taken seven seasons for the show to fully embrace it, audiences knew early on just how much power Cersei Lannister held in Westeros by watching her manipulate her husband, her brother, and basically anyone she ever crossed paths with. Headey has already portrayed a master manipulator in Dredd, and with Star Wars lacking female villains, she would fit in perfectly. However, playing another villainous character might be too easy for the acclaimed actress, so we’d really love to see her play any character, so long as we get to hear her pronounce the word “Jedi.”

Peter Dinklage

Despite Tyrion Lannister’s storyline getting pushed to the backburner in recent seasons, earlier storylines made Dinklage’s character a quick fan-favorite and audiences couldn’t get enough of him. Other than Yoda’s CGI spectacle in Attack of the Clones and the makeshift obstacle course created by the Ewoks in Return of the Jedi, Star Wars hasn’t really showcased strong characters of shorter stature. Whether he played a brash warrior or a calm and collected master of the Force, Dinklage has the screen presence and acting chops to highlight the diversity of powerful characters in the world of Star Wars.

Jerome Flynn

Speaking of Tyrion Lannister, one of the few characters who’s given the Imp a run for his money in being insulting while also charming is Bronn. The mysterious character has clearly led an interesting life and his charisma is reminiscent of Han Solo, but there’s a much harder edge to the character that assures you when push came to shove, he’d have no problem shooting Greedo first, or virtually anyone who stood in his way.

Rory McCann

In early seasons of Game of Thrones, The Hound came across as a ruthless killer whose devotion to his orders trumped how unspeakable those actions would be. When The Hound spent a good chunk of his time  traveling the countryside with Arya Stark in later seasons, we saw that he could maintain that ruthlessness, even when paired up with a young girl, and audiences couldn’t get enough of seeing the vastly different duo working together. Whether he was good or evil, Jedi or Sith, seeing McCann as a merciless mercenary would make fans go wild.

Maisie Williams

In the past seven years, audiences have watched Williams’ Arya go from a clueless little girl doing whatever she had to do to stay alive to a girl willing to leave behind her entire identity just to devote her life to becoming a faceless assassin. Considering how many characters in the Star Wars series have conflicted arcs that deal with identity, loyalty, and a “greater good,” Williams would fit right in as a Padawan struggling to learn life lessons while questioning her mentor. And luckily for the young star, Daisy Ridley in The Force Awakens and Felicity Jones in Rogue One have both paved the way for a massive movie resting on the shoulders of a female protagonist, a relatively new concept in the world of Star Wars.

Natalie Dormer

Audiences first met Margaery Tyrell as a love interest for the young king Joffrey Baratheon, but she quickly proved herself as a deceitful debutante whose skills of deception rivaled her soon to be mother-in-law Cersei Lannister. The show highlighted Dormer’s character’s powers of manipulation, but her screen presence also leads us to think she could pull off an action hero intensity while also maintaining an air of regality in much the same way Carrie Fisher did as Princess Leia.

Kristian Nairn

Luckily for actor Nairn, Peter Mayhew and his portrayal of Chewbacca helped show there’s room in the Star Wars galaxy for a character that can command attention, regardless of whether or not the audiences can interpret what they’re saying. Relegated to merely saying “Hodor” in Game of Thrones, Nairn has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt how much emotion he can convey in a single word, so he could play virtually any type of unintelligible character, or better yet, allow him to deliver actual dialogue.  

Rose Leslie

As one of the Free Folk, Leslie’s Ygritte was brash, cocky, and deadly, making her a great character to make the know-it-all Jon Snow square off against. Ultimately teaming up with Snow proved fatal for Ygritte, but that frees up the actress to bring her impeccable combination of confidence and deadliness, with hints of vulnerability, to a galaxy far, far away.

Iain Glen

Audiences met Jorah Mormont as he served as an advisor to Daenerys Targaryen as she transitioned to help lead the wild Dothraki. Because he had been exiled to Essos from his former role as a spy, an advisor was the highest position he could obtain. Over the next seven seasons, we saw Glen’s character fall in love with Daenerys, have his devotions questioned, and willingness to win back her trust. Glen’s subtle performance as a man with a questionable past who tries to do what’s right could bring a lot of emotional weight were he ever to play a Jedi in disgrace.

John Bradley-West

Sam might have first appeared merely as comedic relief in the Night’s Watch, demonstrating that some of its members were banished there instead of pursuing a higher calling, but Bradley-West’s endearing performance quickly made him a fan-favorite. After all these years, Sam is still a reluctant hero who’d rather be in a library than face off against White Walkers alongside Jon Snow, and that’s thanks to Bradley-West’s earnest approach to conveying Sam’s humility. Bradley-West might not step to the forefront of an epic space adventure, but he’d make a wonderful addition to any ship’s crew, if only to help provide some comedic relief.

Kristofer Hivju

At first glance, Hivju could pass for any other wildling who lived north of the wall, but the more we saw Tormund Giantsbane, the more we learned that he was a conflicted leader whose devotion was to the safety of his people. Officers with the First Order or the Imperials are typically more clean-shaven than Hivju, but his confidence and determination would make him a convincing commander of any group of soldiers.

Carice van Houten

The sorceress Melisandre helped Stannis Baratheon eliminate the competition that stood between him and the Iron Throne, but his failures meant we saw less of her. In later seasons, we saw more of Melisandre’s sliding scale of morality while also conveying a variety of supernatural abilities, so a female Sith Lord would be a perfect opportunity for van Houten to bring something relatively unexplored to the saga.

Jacob Anderson

In her quest for power, Daenerys took over leadership of the Unsullied, a group of soldiers trained from birth to become elite warriors, even going so far as to become eunuchs. The Unsullied act as a unified group instead of a collection of individuals, but Anderson’s character Grey Worm managed to stand out from the rest, something Daenerys took note of when appointing him more of a leadership role. The Force Awakens saw a similar storyline play out with Finn rejecting his role as a mindless killing machine in the First Order, so Anderson’s abilities to show a conflicted warrior could make him a perfect ally or nemesis to John Boyega’s character.

Liam Cunningham

Davos Seaworth was a smuggler who joined Stannis Baratheon’s quest for the Iron Throne, but when he saw the lengths Stannis would go for victory and small chance of success, Davos questioned his convictions. Cunningham’s portrayal of a character who wants to do good but can never catch a break has proven quite compelling, so whether he’s a struggling Jedi in the face of defeat or a member of the First Order who reluctantly joined for all the wrong reasons, Cunningham would surely bring a heavy dose of humanity to a stereotypical aging warrior.

Aiden Gillen

There aren’t many subtleties in the Star Wars saga and most characters get what they want through brute force. We’ve seen characters use the Force to manipulate suggestible characters, a skill Gillen has honed as the conniving Littlefinger, playing many characters against one another to get what he wants. Gillen has mastered the skill of playing a conniving character who never has to rely on physical violence, making him perfect for an officer in the First Order or a spy for the Resistance.