ith the announcement that Zeb will be in The Mandalorian and Grogu, we decided to look back at the history of Star Wars animated characters appearing in live-action. This isn’t an exhaustive list, just a roundup of some of the most impactful.
Star Wars has a rich history of its characters popping up across mediums. Few characters are bound to the outlet in which they are introduced. Jumping between screen, page, and cels allows for a world of rich, complex characters with fleshed-out stories. One of the reasons we fall in love with the dense minutia of Star Wars is because of all the different places a character can pop up.
So, without further ado, let’s look at and celebrate some of our favorite characters who started in animation before coming to life in live-action!
Boba Fett
Lest we forget: technically, Boba Fett was the first character to move from animation to live-action. That’s right — if you’ve put most of the 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special out of your mind like we have, you might have forgotten that part of it was an animated short introducing the galaxy’s favorite bounty hunter. He’d make his live-action appearance a couple of years later in The Empire Strikes Back in 1980.
He’s had multiple manifestations since then, including 2002’s Attack of the Clones, as the adoptive son of Jango Fett, portrayed by Temuera Morrison. Morrison would later get a chance to play Boba himself in The Mandalorian and his own spinoff show, The Book of Boba Fett. The character also reappeared in animation across several episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
Boba Fett will not be in 2026’s The Mandalorian and Grogu. Still, we’re hoping he will be in Dave Filoni’s upcoming New Republic movie, which is said to bring much of the live-action Star Wars shows together.
The bounty hunter can be found throughout Star Wars literature, both Legends and Canon, including countless comic appearances. You can see the full list here.
Ahsoka Tano
Ahsoka Tano might be the most well-known animated character who has made their way from animation to live-action. First showing up as Anakin’s new padawan in Star Wars: The Clone Wars the movie, she went on to be the main character in the show that followed. Viewers grew up with Ahsoka as she witnessed the fall of the Jedi and her master through seven seasons. She even returned to animation with Star Wars Rebels as an older, wiser version of the togruta that many had come to love.
Her live-action debut came in season two of The Mandalorian when she met Grogu and assessed his force abilities. She then became a live-action mainstay with a Disney+ show of her own, debuting in 2023. Rosario Dawson brought the character to life, taking over for voice actress Ashley Eckstein, who played the character in animation.
Ahsoka will be back on our screens come 2026 when The Mandalorian and Grogu movie and Ahsoka season two are released. But until then, you can find Ahsoka in Star Wars books across Legends and Canon. See the full list here.
Hera Syndulla
Even though her first entrance into the Star Wars universe was technically through a novel, Hera Syndulla is most known as the mother figure to the Ghost Crew in Star Wars Rebels. The show ran for four seasons with Hera as a central character. The twi'lek became known as one of the best pilots in the galaxy and an instrumental part in igniting the Rebellion.
She debuted in live-action with her debut in Ahsoka season one, now a pilot and general for the New Republic. Mary Elizabeth Winstead got to join her husband, Ewan McGregor, in the Star Wars universe when she was cast as Hera. Her live-action journey will continue when season two of Ahsoka airs.
As mentioned before, Hera has a robust literary presence as well. From comic cameos to the very book that introduced the character, you can see the full list of her appearances here.
Saw Gerrera
Saw Gerrera might come only second to C3-PO and R2-D2 for most appearances in Star Wars Canon (well, maybe not … but sometimes it seems that way). Introduced as a political extremist in season five of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, he became a household name once he appeared on the big screen in Rogue One. But that didn’t stop him from popping up all over Star Wars animation. He’s been featured in episodes of Star Wars Rebels and Star Wars: The Bad Batch.
After his live-action debut in Rogue One, Saw has since appeared in the film’s prequel series Andor. Forest Whitaker has played him in live-action and voiced the character in some of his animated appearances.
Saw should return as early as next year with the release of Andor season two. Until then, you can find him throughout several Rogue One tie-in novels: Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel, the novelizations for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Solo: A Star Wars Story, and Rebel Rising.
Bo-Katan Kryze
Bo-Katan Kryze was first introduced in Star Wars: The Clone Wars as the sister of Satine Kryze, the Duchess of Mandalore. She represented a subset of Mandalorian culture known as Death Watch that prioritized the planet’s militant history. She reappeared in Star Wars Rebels as she strove to claim the Darksaber as ruler of Mandalore.
Her live-action debut fittingly came in the season two episode of The Mandalorian titled “The Heiress.” Katee Sackhoff, who originally voiced the animated character, got to reprise her portrayal by also playing her live-action counterpart. She became a mainstay in season three as she and Din Djarin both wrestled with what it means to be a Mandalorian in the age of the New Republic.
It can be assumed that Bo-Katan will appear in The Mandalorian and Grogu, though her presence hasn’t been confirmed. Since she is a Dave Filoni original character, we feel it’s safe to say that as long as he is making Star Wars, he will continue her story.
Bo-Katan’s literary cameos are pretty limited, with only a couple of appearances in graphic novelizations and short stories. Until then, rewatching your animated favorites is the most thorough way to enjoy this rich character.
Grand Admiral Thrawn
Though originally a book character, Grand Admiral Thrawn’s on-screen origins are in animation. Dave Filoni brought the legendary Chiss to the screen as the main villain in seasons three and four of Star Wars Rebels. His appearance marked a huge milestone for longtime fans of the Grand Admiral, who had followed his rise to power since his many Legends novels.
Lars Mikkelson continued the trend of turning voice acting jobs into live-action ones when he brought Thrawn to life in season one of Ahsoka. Again, he antagonized the titular character and her friends from the Ghost Crew.
Thrawn will undoubtedly return for Ahsoka season two, as the first season ended with his escape. He is also rumored to be the big bad of the eventual New Republic movie.
There are many, many books and comics in which you can find more of Thrawn and his adventures. Check out Youtini’s guide to the character for a full breakdown.
Honorable Mentions
It’s worth mentioning that the rest of the Ghost Crew from Star Wars Rebels, minus Kanan Jarrus, have all been brought to live action. Garazeb “Zeb” Orrelios was shown first in early 2023 when he made a cameo in The Mandalorian season three. Sabine Wren and the droid C1-10P, otherwise known as Chopper, join Hera as characters in Ahsoka. They pick up where the epilogue of Rebels leaves off: looking for their friend Ezra Bridger. SPOILER: They find him, as he has also now transitioned to live-action, played by Eman Esfandi.
Conclusion
These are some of the animated characters fans were most excited to see in live-action. Who was your favorite? Did they make our list, or was it someone else? Join the conversation as part of the Younited, and let us know!
