Cast
Harrison Ford as Han Solo:[5]
A rogue and a smuggler, formerly a key player in the Rebel Alliance. Ford said, "[Han] does not aspire to the position of Obi-Wan, nor do I aspire to be some New Age Alec Guinness. His development is consistent with the character, and there are emotional elements which have occasioned his growth. [...] There's a lot of the rogue still left in Solo. Some things don't change."[6]
Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker:[5]
The last Jedi, who has gone into hiding. Regarding Luke, Han, and Leia, Abrams stated: "They'd be as old and as mythic as the tale of King Arthur. They would be characters who [the new characters] may have heard of, but maybe not. They'd be characters who they might believe existed, or just sounded like a fairy tale."[7] Hamill was initially skeptical of Luke only appearing at the end of the film and called his limited screentime "a great surprise".[8] Abrams added that the film's ending was intended to be "this great long drumroll up to seeing this guy".[8]
Carrie Fisher as General Leia Organa:
The former princess of the destroyed planet Alderaan, now General of the Resistance, and Luke's twin sister.[5][9] After the events of Return of the Jedi, she is described as "a little more battle weary, a little more broken hearted".[10] Fisher described Leia as "Solitary. Under a lot of pressure. Committed as ever to her cause, but I would imagine feeling somewhat defeated, tired, and pissed." Abrams said: "The stakes are pretty high in the story for her, so there's not much goofing around where Leia's concerned."[11]
Adam Driver as Kylo Ren:
A dark warrior who is strong with the Force, the leader of the Knights of Ren, and a high-ranking member of the First Order. He is the son of Han and Leia, nephew of Luke, and the grandson of the deceased Darth Vader.[12][13][14] Driver said the team tried "not to think of him as being bad, or evil, or a villain. Something that was more three-dimensional. He's more dangerous and unpredictable, and morally justified in doing what he thinks is right."[15]
Daisy Ridley as Rey:
A highly Force-sensitive scavenger who was abandoned as a child on the desert planet Jakku and awaits her absent family's return.[16][17] Ridley said: "She's completely self-sufficient and does everything for herself, until she meets [Finn] and an adventure begins."[17]
Cailey Fleming as young Rey[18]
John Boyega as Finn:
A reformed First Order stormtrooper.[16][17][19] Boyega said that he learned he obtained the part "over a nice breakfast in Mayfair" during which Abrams told him, "John, you're the new star of Star Wars."[20] Boyega said: "When we find Finn, he's in incredible danger. And the way he reacts to this danger changes his life, and launches him into the Star Wars universe in a very unique way."[17] He said in another interview: "He's been taught about Luke Skywalker, he knows about his history. For him it's like joining the army and then learning about one of the great enemies of your country."[7]
Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron:
A Resistance X-wing fighter pilot.[16][17] Isaac said: "He's the best freaking pilot in the galaxy, [...] He's been sent on a mission by a certain princess, and he ends up coming up across [Finn], and their fates are forever intertwined."[17]
Lupita Nyong'o as Maz Kanata:
A wise and perceptive figure operating a somewhat shady cantina on the peaceful forest planet Takodana who is acquainted with Han.[21][22] Abrams said Kanata has "lived over a thousand years. She's had this watering hole for about a century, and it's like another bar that you'd find in a corner of the Star Wars universe."[23] According to Abrams, the character was based on his former high school English teacher, Rose Gilbert, who lectured at the Palisades Charter High School from 1961 to 2013. Abrams said the team "really wanted the story to feel authentic, despite being a wild fantasy. I mentioned Rose in an early story meeting as a sort of timeless, wise figure that I'd actually known in my life."[24]
Andy Serkis as Supreme Leader Snoke:
The political leader of the First Order. He is Kylo Ren's master, who seduced him to the dark side and is very powerful in the dark side of the Force.[16][25] Serkis described Snoke as "quite an enigmatic character, and strangely vulnerable at the same time as being quite powerful, [...] He is large. He appears tall. And also just the facial design—you couldn't have gotten there with prosthetics. [...] Without giving too much away at this point, he has a very distinctive, idiosyncratic bone and facial structure."[26]
Domhnall Gleeson as General Hux:
The commander of the First Order's Starkiller Base.[5][27] Gleeson described him as "pretty ruthless. A strong disciplinarian would be a mild way of putting it. [...] He's kind of opposite Kylo Ren. They have their own relationship, which is individual and unusual. One of them is strong in different ways than the other. They're both vying for power."[28]
Anthony Daniels as C-3PO:[5]
A humanoid protocol droid in Organa's service. Daniels said the actors were allowed to experiment with their performances, and that Abrams "made a field, a playpen where you were allowed to take your time and suggest things".[29]
Max von Sydow as Lor San Tekka: A retired adventurer on Jakku, aiding the Resistance in finding Skywalker.[5][30]
Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca:[5]
A Wookiee and Solo's longtime companion. Mayhew's double Joonas Suotamo portrays the character in several action scenes, and Ian Whyte performed stunts, as the 71-year-old Mayhew suffered from knee problems.[31][32]
Tim Rose and Mike Quinn reprise their respective roles as Admiral Ackbar and Nien Nunb from Return of the Jedi, with Erik Bauersfeld and Kipsang Rotich returning their respective voices.[18] Kenny Baker, originally announced as part of the cast, was credited as "consultant" for R2-D2,[5][18] with Jimmy Vee performing some of the work for R2-D2.[33] Ewan McGregor has an uncredited vocal cameo as Obi-Wan Kenobi in Rey's vision sequence, while archival audio of Frank Oz and Alec Guinness as Yoda and Kenobi, respectively, are also used in the same scene; Oz recorded new dialogue for the film, but it was replaced with preexisting audio from The Empire Strikes Back.[34]
Gwendoline Christie portrays Captain Phasma, the commander of the First Order's legions of stormtroopers.[21][35] Dave Chapman and Brian Herring served as puppeteers for BB-8,[36] with Bill Hader and Ben Schwartz credited as "Vocal Consultants".[37] Ken Leung appears as Statura, an admiral in the Resistance.[38] Simon Pegg appears as Unkar Plutt, the Junk parts dealer on Jakku.[27][39] Greg Grunberg plays Temmin "Snap" Wexley, an X-wing pilot.[40][41] Kiran Shah plays Teedo, a scavenger on Jakku who rides a semi-mechanical Luggabeast.[18][42] Jessica Henwick appears as Jess "Testor" Pava or Jess Testor, an X-wing pilot.[43][44][45] Brian Vernel appears as Bala-Tik, the leader of the Guavian Death Gang.[46] Yayan Ruhian and Iko Uwais appear as Tasu Leech and Razoo Qin-Fee, members of the Kanjiklub Gang, a criminal organization.[18] Warwick Davis appears as Wollivan, a tavern-dweller in Maz Kanata's castle.[47][48] Anna Brewster appears as Bazine Netal, a First Order spy, also at Maz Kanata's castle.[18] Hannah John-Kamen appears as a First Order officer.[18] Thomas Brodie-Sangster and Kate Fleetwood play First Order Petty Officers, Thanisson and Unamo, respectively.[49][50] Billie Lourd, daughter of Carrie Fisher, appears as Connix, a lieutenant in the Resistance.[51][52] Members of the Resistance include Emun Elliott as Brance[53] and Maisie Richardson-Sellers as Korr Sella[54] while Harriet Walter appears as Kalonia, the doctor who tends to Chewbacca.[55][56] Mark Stanley appears as a Knight of Ren.[56] Sebastian Armesto portrays Lieutenant Mitaka and Pip Torrens portrays Colonel Kaplan, both serving the First Order.[18]
Daniel Craig, Michael Giacchino, and Nigel Godrich cameo as stormtroopers.[57][58] Abrams' assistant, Morgan Dameron, appears as a Resistance officer,[59] while his father, Gerald W. Abrams, appears as Captain Cypress.[60] The film's dialect coach, Andrew Jack, appears as Major Ematt of the Resistance.[61] Additionally, Crystal Clarke, Pip Andersen,[62] Christina Chong,[63] Miltos Yerolemou,[64] Amybeth Hargreaves,[65] Leanne Best,[66] Judah Friedlander,[67] and Kevin Smith appear in minor roles.[68] Riot control stormtrooper FN-2199, who calls Finn a traitor during the battle on Takodana, was portrayed by stunt performer Liang Yang and voiced by sound editor David Acord.[69]