In the 15 years since Ahsoka Tano was first introduced in the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, she has appeared in many other shows like Star Wars: Rebels, The Mandalorian, and most recently The Book of Boba Fett. Her wit, Force-wielding skills, and her desire to do good for the Galaxy even after leaving the Jedi Order have made her a fan-favorite character with fans eager to see her in a solo series.
Because Ahsoka has been involved in so many eras throughout Star Wars history from The Clone Wars to the New Republic, there are plenty of characters, both familiar and otherwise, that we can expect to see throughout the series. Ahsoka will feature the return of several Rebels and Clone Wars characters, as well as the introduction of new characters we haven’t yet seen in canon before.
The Ahsoka cast is stacked with talented and well-known actors, many of which are playing characters in live-action for the first time. Here are the characters you can expect to see in the series, and where you’ve seen these actors before.
Rosario Dawson is Ahsoka Tano
First introduced as Anakin Skywalker’s padawan in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Ahsoka Tano has since had a long and emotional journey that includes leaving the Jedi Order after being framed for a crime she didn’t commit, serving as a Rebel leader after the rise of the Galactic Empire, and fighting her former master. Rosario Dawson has since brought the character to life in live-action, starring as Ahsoka in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, where we’ve seen her continue to look for Grand Admiral Thrawn and Ezra Bridger after their disappearance in Rebels and help Luke Skywalker train Grogu at his new Jedi school. Dawson has also appeared in Marvel’s Defenders series of shows as Claire Temple, Rent, DMZ, Josie and the Pussycats, and the recent reboot of The Haunted Mansion (2023).
Natasha Liu Bordizzo is Sabine Wren
Sabine Wren is a Mandalorian warrior who found a home among the Ghost crew in Rebels after creating a weapon in the Imperial Academy that could be used to wipe out her people. She wielded the Darksaber briefly before giving it to Bo-Katan Kryze to unite their people and stop the Empire’s occupation of their homeworld. After Ezra Bridger’s disappearance, she joined forces with Ahsoka to try to find him and bring him back home. Sabine is stubborn, as most Mandalorians are, but she also cares deeply about her people and her family, including the Ghost crew. In Ahsoka, Sabine is played by Natasha Liu Bordizzo, who you might recognize from her roles in The Society, The Voyeurs, and Day Shift.
Mary Elizabeth Winstead is Hera Syndulla
Another member of the Rebels Ghost crew, Hera Syndulla is one of the best pilots in the Rebel fleet. She fought in the Battle of Endor alongside Captain Rex, and has since become a prominent military leader in the New Republic. Hera grew up on Ryloth during the Clone Wars, so violence and conflict have always been a part of her life. Despite this, she has never shied away from doing what is right and helping others. General Syndulla is played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead in Ahsoka. You’ll likely recognize Winstead from her roles in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Sky High, Birds of Prey, and 10 Cloverfield Lane.
Lars Mikkelson is Grand Admiral Thrawn
Lars Mikkelson, who first voiced Grand Admiral Thrawn in Rebels will reprise this role in Ahsoka. A formidable military leader for the Galactic Empire, Thrawn went missing during the Liberation of Lothal after a group of Purrgil took him and Ezra Bridger into an unknown part of space. Even though the Empire has since fallen, there are still Imperial Officers who believe that Thrawn’s return will usher in a new era of power and the fall of the New Republic. Mikkelson has also appeared in The Witcher and Headhunter.
Ray Stevenson is Baylan Skoll
Baylan Skoll is a former Jedi and survivor of Order 66 who has since become a mercenary for hire. Working as an enforcer for Thrawn, Skoll is one of the Grand Admiral’s most trusted allies. In Thrawn’s absence, Skoll and his apprentice Shin Hati roam the galaxy “ensuring order [is] followed in the way that the fallen Empire would have wanted it to be.” Even though Skoll has aligned himself with the Empire, his motivations are different from those of the Imperial Inquisitors. Like Ahsoka, he seems to have a more complicated relationship with the Force and his former teachings. Skoll is played by the late Ray Stevenson who sadly passed away earlier this year. Before appearing in Ahsoka, Stevenson voiced the Mandalorian Gar Saxon in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels. You can also find him in Thor, Thor: The Dark World, Thor: Ragnarok, Vikings, and Kill the Irishman.
Ivanna Sakhno is Shin Hati
Ivanna Sakhno plays Baylan Skoll’s apprentice, Shin Hati. Like her master, Shin is a mercenary and wields an orange-red lightsaber. According to Sakhno, Shin is “quite an intense and ambitious Force-wielder” and “very skilled in lightsaber combat.” While we don’t know much about her background just yet, she already seems like a formidable antagonist. You may recognize Sakhno from her roles in Hulu’s High Fidelity, The Spy Who Dumped Me, and Pacific Rim: Uprising.
David Tennant is Huyang
Last seen in Clone Wars, Huyang is a Mark IV Architect droid professor entrusted by the Jedi Order to teach younglings how to build their lightsabers. Ahsoka and a group of younglings saved him from Hondo Ohnaka and his clan of pirates in 20 BBY. It’s currently unknown how he survived Order 66 and the rise of the Empire, but considering that Huyang has existed for centuries he probably has a few tricks up his sleeve. Huyang was voiced by David Tennant in Clone Wars, and the actor is set to reprise his role in Ahsoka. Tennant is most known for playing the Tenth and Fourteenth Doctor in Doctor Who, Crowley in Good Omens, and the villainous Kilgrave in season 1 of Jessica Jones.
Diana Lee Inosanto is Morgan Elsbeth
First introduced in season 2 of The Mandalorian, Magistrate Morgan Elsbeth is a vindictive and ruthless leader, and one of Thrawn’s trusted allies. She hired Din Djarin to kill Ahsoka on the forest planet Corvus, not realizing that they were working together. Ahsoka not only sought to free the townspeople and planet from her rule, but also wanted to interrogate her for knowledge on her former master’s whereabouts. When she refused to give up any info on Thrawn, Elsbeth was then arrested for being an Imperial sympathizer. Diana Lee Inosanto is once again playing Elsbeth in Ahsoka. Inosanto has also appeared in The Sensei and is most known for her stunt work in movies like Spy and Alita: Battle Angel.
Eman Esfandi is Ezra Bridger
Ezra Bridger is a young Jedi from Lothal who joins the Ghost crew in Rebels. He received most of his Jedi training from the late Kanan Jarrus, but he certainly learned some things from Ahsoka during their few encounters. Using the World Between Worlds, Ezra saved Ahsoka from dying at the hands of her former master on the Sith Planet Malachor before he disappeared with Thrawn and a herd of Purrgil during the Liberation of Lothal. Ezra has been missing since that day, and Sabine and Ahsoka have been searching for him, and Thrawn, as much as they can. Ezra left a message for everyone to say goodbye, and in that message he told Sabine he was “counting on” her to do something, but what that something is has yet to be fully revealed. Ahsoka is the first time Ezra has appeared in live-action, and the young jedi is played by Eman Esfandi, who you may recognize from the movie King Richard.
Evan Whitten is Jacen Syndulla
Introduced in the final minutes of the Rebels series finale all the way back in 2018, Jacen is Hera’s son with the late Jedi hero Kanan Jarrus. Surely, Jacen has inherited his father’s Force sensitivity? The character is played in live action by Evan Whitten, who you likely most recently watched opposite Christian Slater in the Netflix chupacabra movie Chupa.
Genevieve O’Reilly is Mon Mothma
Formerly serving as Chandrilla’s senator and a leader of the Rebel Alliance, Mon Mothma is now Chancellor of the New Republic. Though it’s unclear how much of her we’ll see in Ahsoka, it’s nice to know that Genevieve O’Reilly will once again be reprising her role from Andor and Rogue One in some capacity. Aside from playing Mon Mothma, you might recognize O’Reilly from the miniseries The Honorable Woman. She also voices Moira in the popular Overwatch video game series.
Paul Darnell is Marrok
Paul Darnell plays the mysterious masked Inquisitor Marrok. Though he is no longer hunting Jedi for the Empire, Marrok still wields the double-bladed lightsaber of the Inquisitors. Like Baylan and Shin, Marrok has become a mercenary-for-hire and is currently employed by Morgan Elsbeth to carry out “dark deeds.” Darnell is most known for his stunt work, and has worked on projects like The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, The Matrix Resurrections, and Baby Driver.
Hayden Christensen is Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader
Even though Darth Vader dies in Return of the Jedi, Hayden Christensen is still set to make an appearance in Ahsoka. While we’re not sure whether Christensen is set to appear as Anakin, Vader, or both, it’s likely that we could see Clone Wars-era Anakin once again in flashbacks, especially since House of the Dragon’s Savannah Steyn has reportedly been cast as a young Ahsoka. Baylan Skoll also mentions that he knew Anakin during his time as a Jedi, which means that we could potentially see how these two are connected in flashbacks as well. Fans of The Clone Wars and Rebels already know how much Anakin’s turn to the Dark Side affected Ahsoka, so it will be interesting to see how their relationship as Master and Padawan is addressed through Christensen’s appearance. Most people will likely know Christensen from his time playing Anakin Skywalker in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith as well as his brief reprisal of the character in Obi-Wan Kenobi, but the actor has also appeared in movies like Shattered Glass, Jumper, and New York, I Love You.
Nelson Lee as Senator Xiono
Nelson Lee plays Senator Hamato Xiono, who is a bit of an easter egg. After all, he is the father of Kazuda Xiono, the main character from the Star Wars Resistance animated series.
Wes Chatham is Captain Enoch
Wes Chatham is playing Captain Enoch a.k.a. Thrawn’s right-hand man. While we don’t know much else about his character thus far, he will likely be integral to Thrawn’s plans to return. You’ll likely recognize Chatham from The Expanse and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 and Part 2.
Clancy Brown is Governor Ryder Azadi
Another Rebels voice actor set to reprise their role in Ahsoka is Clancy Brown. In Rebels, Brown voices Ryder Azadi, the former Governor of Lothal who is taken prisoner by the Empire after supporting Ezra Bridger’s parents and their anti-Empire broadcasts. After escaping prison, Ryder returned to Lothal in search of Ezra, believing he owed the boy his life after his parents sacrificed theirs for his freedom. Ryder joined Ezra and the Ghost crew in the Rebellion, and eventually helped with the Liberation of Lothal. He became Governor of Lothal once again at the end of Rebels. Most people probably know Brown as the voice of Mr. Krabs in SpongeBob SquarePants, but he has also appeared in projects like John Wick: Chapter 4, the video game Detroit: Become Human, and Dexter: New Blood.
Peter Jacobson is an Imperial Shipyard Worker
Known most for playing Agent Wolfe in The Americans, Rabbi Jacob Kessner in Fear the Walking Dead, and Dr. Chris Taub in House, the actor Peter Jacobson makes an appearance in Ahsoka as an Imperial Shipyard Worker.
Ahsoka episodes 1 and 2 premiere Tuesday, Aug. 22 at 9 p.m. ET on Disney+.