Star Warsis a franchise that famously has great titles in both animation and live-action, but the transition of animated characters to live-action is sometimes not seamless. Many beloved characters have come out ofStar Warsanimation and have gone on to have major roles in the current landscape of the franchise.
Ever sincenewStar WarsTV showsbecame the preferred method of storytelling, fans have been begging to see some of their favorite animated characters in live-action. A notable example of this was Rosario Dawson taking over the role of Ahsoka Tano inThe Mandalorianseason 2.
Not only did it connect the animated and live-action titles, but it also heralded a new era forStar Wars. SinceThe Mandalorian,more and moreStar Warscharacters have made the jump from animation to live-action, and here are the 10 best.
10Sabine Wren
Originally brought to life by Tiya Sircar inStar Wars Rebels,Sabine Wrenwas the Mandalorian weapons expert aboard theGhost.Sabine became a fan-favorite character because of her intelligence, strength, and the relationships she built with others. When theAhsokaseries was announced, it was clear we would see Sabine in live-action.
While Sircar can’t be replaced as the original voice of Sabine,Natasha Liu Bordizzo wonderfully took on the role in live-action. Some people feel a disconnect between the Sabine fromRebelsand the one seen inAhsoka, but the character has changed drastically between her two appearances, making the changes not that big of a deal.
9The Grand Inquisitor
The main antagonist ofRebelsseason 1,the Grand Inquisitor, was one of the best and most mysterious villains inStar Wars.Voiced inRebelsbyHarry Potteralum Jason Isaacs, the character instantly became someone fans wanted to see in live-action.
When it was clear that theObi-Wan Kenobishow would featureImperial Inquisitors, the Grand Inquisitor was a must-see. While Jason Isaacs has gone on record after the release ofObi-Wan Kenobisaying he would have loved to play the character in live-action,the role ultimately went to Rupert Friend.
Friend’s performance as the formerJedi Temple guardwas good, and much of the character’s criticism came because of his design. Additionally,Obi-Wan Kenobimade the Grand Inquisitor seem much more incompetent than he was inRebels, making it a hard transition.
8Garazeb “Zeb” Orrelios
It came as a shock whenZeb Orrelios made a cameo inThe Mandalorianseason 3as a ranger at the New Republic’s Adelphi Base. However, withSteve Blum returning to voice the fan-favorite Lasat, it felt like a seamless transition between animation and live-action.
Because we haven’t seen much of Zeb in live-action, it means he can’t be higher up on this list, yet. However, Zeb is set to appear inStar Wars’ first theatrical release since 2019,The Mandalorian and Grogu. Additionally, atStar WarsCelebration 2025,Dave Filoni revealed that Zeb would be appearing inAhsokaseason 2.
7Ahsoka Tano
Ahsoka Tanois a fan-favorite character that people have wanted to see in live-action for years, thanks to her development inStar Wars: The Clone Wars. For years,fans cast Rosario Dawson as the Togruta Jedi, but their wishes finally came to fruition when she appeared inThe Mandalorian. Dawson’s Ahsoka also appeared inThe Book of Boba Fett.
Dawson would later lead her own show,Ahsoka,as the titular character. While Dawson’s performance as Ahsoka is great, her younger self has been brought to live-action by Ariana Greenblatt.Greenblatt’s brief performance as a Clone Wars-era Ahsoka stole the showand made it feel like she had jumped right from animation and into live-action.
6Hera Syndulla
The ace pilot of theGhostwas originally voiced by Vanessa Marshall inRebels, but wasbrought to live-action inAhsokaby Mary Elizabeth Winstead. While it’s hard to imagine anyone but Marshall bringing everyone’s favorite space mom to life, Winstead held her own asHera Syndulla.
Considering we never really saw Hera as a mom inRebels,seeing her interactions with Jacen inAhsokabrought a new level of complexity to her character. While some details of Winstead’s character, particularly her lekku, were criticized for being too different from herRebelsversion, it doesn’t take away from Winstead’s portrayal of Hera.
5Huyang
Huyangis interesting, because he is one of the oldest characters inStar Wars.The droid is about 25,000 years old when we see him in bothThe Clone WarsandAhsoka, meaning he’s seen and helped train more Jedi than anyone else.
Voiced byDoctor Whoalum David Tennant in bothThe Clone WarsandAhsoka,it’s hard to deny the seamless transition Huyang had between animation and live-action. With his return inAhsokaseason 2, hopefully, we’ll learn more about Huyang’s beginnings, and his journey to working with Ahsoka Tano.
4Bo-Katan Kryze
In the first five seasons ofThe Clone Wars,Bo-Katan Kryzewas really more of a side character who had more potential than we ever really saw. However,when the character took on a major role inRebelsandThe Clone Warsseason 7, it was clear that it was just the beginning for Bo-Katan.
Voiced in animation and portrayed in live-action by Katee Sackhoff, Bo-Katan Kryze is now a belovedStar Warscharacter. Most of this stems from her role inThe Mandalorian,where we finally see her lead the Mandalorian people as a united front. Hopefully, it’s not the last time we see Sackoff portray Bo-Katan.
3Grand Admiral Thrawn
Star Wars’ most brilliant strategist was originally introduced in the now non-canonicalHeir to the Empirenovels. However,Grand Admiral Thrawnwas reintroduced to canon inRebels,where he was voiced by Lars Mikkelsen.Mikkelsen brought a coldness to Thrawn, making his cool, calm, and vicious demeanor perfect for the character.
Mikkelsen’s performance as Thrawn was so good thatwhen the character made his live-action debut inAhsoka, Mikkelsen returned to play the character. Everything from the hue of Thrawn’s blue skin to the sharpness of his red eyes was a perfect transition from his animated counterpart.
Despite this, Mikkelsen’s stature didn’t quite live up to what fans were expecting, but his performance outshone any complaints.
2Chopper
It’d be a bit odd if Dave Filoni didn’t perfect the depiction of C1-10P, or Chopper, in live-action.Filoni’s disguised voice brings Chopper’s mannerisms to life,but what was really perfected in the character’s jump from animation to live-action was the small details.
Chopper in live-action has the same dents and imperfections as he did inRebels.This makes him the perfect character to connect the animated and live-action depictions of theGhostcrew.
1Ezra Bridger
Ezra Bridgeris a beloved character whose fate was left unresolved for more than 5 years. However, whenAhsokawas announced, it seemed likely that we’d not only find out what happened to Ezra aftertheRebelsseries finale, but also who’d play him in live-action.
WhileTaylor Gray did a great job of establishing the mannerisms and characteristics of Ezra in animation, Lucasfilm hit gold when they cast Eman Esfandi as the Jedi. Not only does Esfandi bring Ezra’s mannerisms and quick wit to live-action, but he also looks exactly like an older Ezra.
Additionally, offscreen, it’s clear that Esfandi’s love of the character is real and deep. Not only does this endear him to the fans more, but it also shows how Esfandi’s performance is ingrained with enthusiasm. WhileEman Esfandi didn’t originate the role of Ezra Bridger, he was the perfect person to bring him to live-action, as the transition is truly seamless.
There are plenty ofStar Warscharacters who have been brought to live-action, and while it’s not always a great transition, it’s clear that Lucasfilm mostly understands these characters well enough to find the right people to bring them to live-action. With so fewStar Warstitles on the horizon, it’ll be interesting which, if any, characters are brought to live-action next.
Star Wars
Star Wars is a multimedia franchise that started in 1977 by creator George Lucas. After the release of Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope (originally just titled Star Wars), the franchise quickly exploded, spawning multiple sequels, prequels, TV shows, video games, comics, and much more. After Disney acquired the rights to the franchise, they quickly expanded the universe on Disney+, starting with The Mandalorian.
