Star Wars is filled with incredible characters that call that iconic galaxy far, far away home, and not all of them originated on the big screen. Since Star Wars: A New Hope was released in theaters back in 1977, the franchise has expanded into books, comics, TV series, animated specials, and more, and some of the most famous characters - including Boba Fett, Ahsoka Tano, and General Grievous - originated in those stories as opposed to the films.
There is something truly special about seeing a beloved Star Wars character make the jump to live-action, and with the recent news that the Grand Inquisitor and the Fifth Brother will be making their live-action debut in the Obi-Wan Kenobi TV Series, not to mention the recent arrival of Cad Bane in The Book of Boba Fett, we thought it would be the perfect time to look at all the characters who have successfully done so after first appearing somewhere else.
Boba Fett
Despite originally having very little screen time, Boba Fett has become one of the most popular Star Wars characters of all time. The bounty hunter’s armor quickly became iconic and, even though his story appeared to come to an end thanks to a vicious Sarlaac, his legacy carried on for years.
Fett appeared in both Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, but he actually was first seen in the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special from 1978. Lucas had created him for The Empire Strikes Back and based him on Sergio Leone and Clint Eastwood’s Man With No Name Western character, but the character also appeared in the Holiday Special before Empire arrived in theaters.
While he seemingly died in Return of the Jedi, Boba Fett would appear in other Star Wars media, as well as in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, where the film revealed a bit about his origin.
Thanks to The Mandalorian, we now know that Boba Fett survived his close encounter with the Sarlaac and lived to not only fight another day, but to also star in his own series - The Book of Boba Fett - where he would play a much bigger role in the history of the galaxy far, far away than we had previously thought.
Ahsoka Tano
Since her introduction in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars film, Ahsoka Tano has become one of the most beloved Star Wars characters of all time. Not only was she the Padawan of Anakin Skywalker before he became Darth Vader, but she would continue on to be one of the key players in the Rebellion.
Ahsoka’s story was explored in great detail in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series, where she was a main character alongside Anakin and Obi-Wan Kenobi. Throughout the series, we saw her rise from a young Padawan to a seasoned and disillusioned pro who chose to walk away from the Jedi Order after she saw the error of their ways in regards to the war. While she may have no longer been a proper Jedi, she would go on to help in the fight against the Empire, and even spent time as a Rebel intelligence officer codenamed Fulcrum in Star Wars Rebels.
Following Rebels, Ahsoka Tano made her live-action debut in The Mandalorian. While Ashley Eckstein brought so much to the character in animated form, Rosario Dawson was chosen to bring her to life in live-action.
Ahsoka wasn’t simply brought to live-action as a cameo, either; she is set to star in her own series - Ahsoka - that very well may continue the story that ended in Star Wars Rebels and feature some of the characters from that show like Sabine Wren and Admiral Thrawn.
Saw Gerrera
Saw Gerrera was first introduced in Star Wars: The Clone Wars as a leader of the Onderon rebels in their fight against the Confederacy of Independent Systems to protect their home. He made his animated debut in the 2012 episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars called “A War on Two Fronts,” where he worked with Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Ahsoka Tano when they were sent by the Jedi Council to train the Onderon in their war for their planet’s freedom.
Saw Gerrera was one of the last characters originally created by George Lucas that made it into the current Star War canon. While he made his live-action debut in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, he was originally planned to star in a live-action series that never happened. Instead, Lucas brought the character to life in Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
Gerrera was voiced by Andrew Kishino in the animated series, and Forest Whitaker took on the role in live-action. Whitaker would go on to reprise the role in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, and Kishino once again played the character in Star Wars: The Bad Batch.
Krrsantan
Krrsantan, a Wookiee who is also known as Black Krrsantan, made his live-action debut in The Book of Boba Fett as a bounty hunter who was working with the cousins of the late Jabba the Hutt on Tatooine before teaming up with Boba Fett in his battle against the Pyke Syndicate.
Krrsantan made first showed up in 2015’s Star Wars: Darth Vader #1 comic book, and was hired by Darth Vader alongside Boba Fett to work on separate but related missions. Unlike Chewbacca, who is beloved by those in the galaxy far, far away, Krrsantan has been known to only care for himself. He was exiled from Kashyyyk and honed his impressive fighting skills during his time in the Xonti Brothers’ gladiator pits.
In the comics, Krrsantan is the frequent partner of Doctor Chelli Aphra, another character who is probably due for a jump to live-action.
Cad Bane
Cad Bane is a Duros bounty hunter who first appeared in Star Wars: The Clone Wars in the 2009 Season 1 finale, “Hostage Crisis.” He was voiced by Corey Burton and would be a recurring villain in the series before making his jump to live-action in The Book of Boba Fett.
Bane is known for his distinctive blue skin, large red eyes, and breathing tubes, and comes complete with his signature large hat, coat, and twin pistols that bring together his full cowboy aesthetic. He also made the perfect choice for an appearance in The Book of Boba Fett as he actually served as a mentor of sorts to a younger Boba Fett. This relationship was one of the unfinished arcs in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and the planned story would have focused on Bane becoming Fett’s mentor because he had great respect for his father Jango Fett.
Bane also has history with Fennec Shand, as the two of them had a battle during the first season of The Bad Batch.
Fifth Brother
The Fifth Brother is a Sith Inquisitor that made his debut in Season 2 of Star Wars Rebels. He was voiced by Philip Anthony-Rodriguez and began his life as part of the Jedi Order until joining the Inquisitorius after surviving the events of Order 66. He was a very aggressive fighter and utilized a double-bladed lightsaber with a disc-shaped hilt.
In the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, the Fifth Brother will be played by The Fast and the Furious’ Sung Kang.
Grand Inquisitor
The Grand Inquisitor was a Pau’an male who was tasked by Darth Vader to hunt down the surviving Jedi after Order 66. Once a Jedi Temple Guardian, he chose to betray the Order because he wanted full access to the Jedi Archives. He leads the other Inquisitors in the Inquisitorius and wields a double-bladed lightsaber with a disc-shaped hilt. While not a Sith, the Grand Inquisitor and the other Inquisitors trained in the dark side of the Force.
He made his debut in Star Wars Rebels and was voiced by Jason Isaacs. In the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, he will be brought to live-action by Rupert Friend alongside the Fifth Brother, Third Sister, and possibly more.
Commander Cody (CC-2224)
CC-2224 was a Clone Marshal Commander in the Grand Army of the Republic who had the nickname of “Cody.” He served under Obi-Wan Kenobi and was one of the most respected clones in the army.
Cody was first seen in Chapter 22 of 2003’s Star Wars: Clone Wars before playing a much bigger role in both Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars: The Clone Wars. He was played by Temuera Morrison in Revenge of the Sith and was voiced by Dee Bradley Baker in The Clone Wars.
Star Wars Rebels almost saw the return of Commander Cody as a villain who was under the control of Grand Admiral Thrawn.
Bo-Katan Kryze
Bo-Katan Kryze is a Mandalorian who was a key player in the fate of planet Mandalore and the events of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. She was part of the influential House Kryze and was the younger sister of Satine, Duchess of Mandalore. She was also the leader of an elite group of blue-armored Mandalorians called the Nite Owls and she would cross paths with Obi-Wan Kenobi, Darth Maul, and Ahsoka Tano. She also has ties to the Darksaber as the final season of Star Wars Rebels saw Sabine Wren pass the weapon on to her.
Bo-Katan first appeared in Star Wars: The Clone Wars’ fourth season episode titled “A Friend in Need” and was voiced by Battlestar Galactica’s Katee Sackhoff. Sackhoff would also help bring her to live-action beginning with Chapter 11 of The Mandalorian.
General Grievous
General Grievous is a Kaleesh cyborg many will remember as the villain from Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith who fought Obi-Wan Kenobi with four lightsabers at once, all of which he stole from Jedi he had killed. However, he was first introduced in the 2003 animated series Star Wars: Clone Wars. There he was voiced by John DiMaggio and Richard McGonagle before Matthew Wood took over in Revenge of the Sith. Wood would also reprise the role in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, where he was one of the main antagonists.
Fun fact: Matthew Wood auditioned for the role of General Grievous and George Lucas picked him to bring the character to life. Wood had bronchitis at the time, and Lucas liked the way that would make the character sound. He also instructed Wood to give the cyborg his signature asthmatic cough. Since Wood did not originally voice the character in Star Wars: Clone Wars, the third season saw Mace Windu use the Force to crush Grievous’ chest panel in order to have him sound more like he would in live-action.
Aayla Secura
Aayla Secura was a Jedi Knight who played a big role in the Clone Wars. She is a Twi'lek and fought alongside Clone Commander Bly in many battles until she was betrayed by him and the other troopers she served with following the execution of Order 66.
While Aayla Secura appeared in both Star Wars: Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, she made her first appearance in Star Wars #19, which was part of Dark Horse Comics' Star Wars: Republic series that is now part of Star Wars Legends. She was created by artist Jan Duursema and writer John Ostrander.
Chopper, Hera Syndulla, and the Ghost from Star Wars Rebels
Chopper, who is officially known as C1-10P and was first introduced in Star Wars Rebels, made his live-action debut in a Rogue One cameo. The droid can be seen inside the base on Yavin 4 when the Rebel communications officer runs to tell Mon Mothma that the fighting has begun on Scarif.
While we don’t actually get to see Star Wars Rebels’ Hera Syndulla, a page can be heard on Yavin 4 saying “General Syndulla, please report to the briefing room.” Additionally, Rebels’ Ghost ship can be seen in both the hangar on Yavin 4 and in the film’s final battle.
The Pykes
The Pyke Syndicate proved to be the biggest contender for Boba Fett’s claim over Jabba’s territory in Mos Espa in The Book of Boba Fett. The group was mostly made up of a species of humanoids from the planet Oba Diah. However, before thePykes became one of the biggest players in the Disney+ show, they were part of Solo: A Star Wars Story (their live-action debut!) and Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
George Lucas created the Pykes for Star Wars: The Clone Wars and they were first seen in the fifth season episode “Eminence.” Their design began as a sketch of a Jedi character by David Hobbins in 2007 and, in 2009, Douglas Wheatley adjusted their look in anticipation of them being part of the canceled Star Wars 1313 game.
Captain Rex (CT-7567)
This one is still up in the air and not 100% confirmed, but there is enough evidence out there to give hope to fans who believe Captain Rex was in fact part of the Battle of Endor in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.
Captain Rex, a clone originally designated as CT-7567, was not only second-in-command to Anakin Skywalker in the Clone Wars, but he was also close friends with the Jedi Knight and Ahsoka Tano. Rex first appeared in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated film and was a recurring character in the series of the same name. He also showed up in Star Wars Rebels, which took place after Order 66.
As for his live-action appearance, there are those who believe that Rex is in fact Nik Sant, one of the members of the Endor strike team who fought alongside Han Solo in Return of the Jedi. He looks very much like the Rex we see in Star Wars Rebels and the finale of Rebels confirmed that Rex was part of the famous battle.
However, Star Wars: Rebels creator Dave Filoni told IGN that he chose not to 100% confirm that Nik Sant was Captain Rex; rather, he left it up in the air to let fans decide what they want to believe.
“I didn't want to lay it down in stone one way or the other, if that is Rex, is not Rex. For some people it's fun to believe it is Rex and some people don't want to believe it's Rex, and I'm fine either way with that and I think I left it in a state where you could believe one way or the other,” Filoni said.
Sure, this would be a jump from live-action to animated, but it's a fascinating enough story that we just had to include it!
Palpatine’s Clone
One of the biggest mysteries of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker was how Emperor Palpatine survived what appeared to be a definitive death in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. While the film itself wasn’t kyber crystal clear, the Rise of Skywalker novelization confirmed that this Palpatine was actually inhabiting a clone body.
This idea actually isn’t new, as the notion of bringing Palpatine back to life originated in the Star Wars: Dark Empire and Star Wars: Empire’s End comics. In those stories, we saw Palpatine return six years after the events of Return of the Jedi. Thanks to an almost endless supply of clones, Palpatine was more-or-less unkillable. Luckily for that EU galaxy far, far away, the heroes were able to exhaust his clone supply and finally put an end to him for good.
Cobb Vanth
Cobb Vanth is one of the most unique characters on this list as he actually first appeared in the 2015 novel Star Wars: Aftermath before making the jump to live-action in The Mandalorian with the help of Justified’s Timothy Olyphant. In the novel, he was introduced as a former slave who not only became the sheriff of Tattonie’s Freetown, but also as the character who found and wore Boba Fett’s armor after the famous bounty hunter lost it during his, um, battle with the Sarlaac.
The Possibility of Sabine Wren, Ezra Bridger, and Admiral Thrawn in Ahsoka
We all know that Rosario Dawson’s Ahsoka Tano will be starring in her own series on Disney+, and rumors and reports have circulated that certain characters will be making their first jump into live-action when this show arrives.
It has been reported that Natasha Liu Bordizzo has been cast as Sabine Wren in a lead role for the Ahsoka series. Sabine Wren is a Mandalorian warrior who was first introduced in Star Wars Rebels, and the finale of that show set her and Ahsoka on a path to search for Ezra Bridger, who also very well may show up in Ahsoka.
The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that Admiral Thrawn will be the central villain of Ahsoka, which tracks as Ahsoka herself revealed she was hunting down her old nemesis in Season 2 of The Mandalorian. Thrawn first appeared in Timothy Zahn's Heir to the Empire book in 1991. The trade has also reported that Ray Stevenson has joined the cast of Ahsoka in an unknown role that is not Admiral Thrawn. In the EU, Thrawn was known to be accompanied by his second-in-command, Gilad Pellaeon, and Stevenson may very well be playing him.
With so many Star Wars projects in the works, we have the opposite of a bad feeling that this list will continue to grow over the coming years. Which characters do you hope are the next to get the live-action treatment? Let us know in the comments below!
Note: This article has been updated to include the character Aayla Secura.
from IGN All https://ift.tt/N7J4BP5
https://ift.tt/coDOl4q
Share your thoughts here.