7 Big Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Cameos to Watch For

Now that Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker has released in theaters across the country, Comingsoon.net is recapping some of the film’s biggest cameos. Check them out in the gallery below!

The 9th film in the Skywalker Saga ends 40+ years of storytelling…regardless of how critics are reacting to the film (which let’s be fair, isn’t well), the finale is undeniably nostalgic; the movie is laced with familiar moments, sights, and sounds. That said, there are a lot of cameos in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

Spoiler-free appearances include the likes of Dominic Monaghan, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Greg Grunberg, who all show up as Resistance fighters; J.J. Abrams even voices the droid, D-0. Besides the odd celebrity cameo, a lot of major Star Wars figures return to help conclude a saga they’ve all played an important role in. The gallery below goes into detail on 7 big cameos you might have missed (or want to watch for).

Disclaimer: Major Spoilers Ahead! Do not view gallery unless you have seen Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (or don’t care).

rise of skywalker cameos

John Williams

Partway through the film, the gang needs to find Baby Frik to reprogram C-3PO so that he can translate the Sith message. When they enter Frik's workshop (through some sort of club), there is an old bartender with an eye patch shaking his head at them in the background; this old man is legendary composer John Williams.
Wedge Antilles

During the battle of Exogel, Dennis Lawson's iconic Rebel fighter pilot, Wedge Antilles, can be seen helping Lando and the others take down Star Destroyers. He even says that "nice flying Lando" again. Aw.
Wicket the Ewok

During the movie's celebration montage, Wicket the Ewok can be seen standing on Endor with two other Ewoks observing a fallen Star Destroyer.
Han Solo

Probably the most surprising cameo in the whole movie (Luke and his Porgs don't make this list because everyone saw that coming). Han Solo's return occurs after Rey and Kylo's lightsaber duel on the fallen Death Star II. What we first believe to be a Force Ghost ends up being one of Kylo's memories from that day on the bridge in The Force Awakens, altered just enough to bring Ben Solo back from the darkness.
Rey's Parents

We've never actually seen Rey's "junk trader" parents before, until The Rise of Skywalker. We see them in flashbacks as they are hunted down by the First Order—leaving Rey to protect her. They are played by Jodie Comer and Billy Howle.
Unkar Plutt

Simon Pegg's Unkar Plutt (at least his arm) can also be seen again in the same flashbacks as the ones mentioned prior.
Every Major Jedi Ever... in VO

Near the end of the movie, Emperor Palpatine declares himself the embodiment of all Sith and then wipes the floor with Rey. As she lays defeated, multiple voices tell her to stand back up (among other things). This plethora of encouragement is similar to what Rey experienced when touching Anakin's lightsaber in The Force Awakens (except x10). The voices she hears are of EVERY Jedi (in television and film) that has come before: Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson), Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor.), Mace Windu (Samuel L. Jackson), Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen), Aayla Secura (Jennifer Hale), Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein), Yoda (Frank Oz), Luminara Unduli (Olivia d’Abo), Adi Gallia (Angelique Perrin) and Kanan Jarrus (Freddie Prinze Jr.).