Every Cameo In Obi-Wan Kenobi Ranked

Fans have been wondering who might cameo on "Obi-Wan Kenobi" since the series was announced. The presence of young Luke Skywalker in the series' trailer and news of Hayden Christensen's casting, as reported by StarWars.com, ramped things up even further. Some speculation turned out to be wishful thinking: Master Yoda, Darth Maul, and Cal Kestis aren't involved in this series. Teasing Luke's presence in the trailer was eventually revealed to be the set-up to a perfect bait-and-switch, as the series is mostly about young Leia. Moreover, many characters fans assumed would merely cameo actually play pivotal roles in the story, like Jimmy Smits' Bail Organa.

All of these developments ran contrary to many fans' cameo expectations. But that doesn't mean "Obi-Wan Kenobi" disappoints in the cameo department: The series is liberally peppered with delightfully unexpected appearances. They aren't too gimmicky, either — each minor role serves a genuine narrative purpose. Some of them help Obi-Wan in his quest, some of them hinder him, and some provide hints about the franchise's future. From con men to Sith lords, we're ranking every single cameo in "Obi-Wan Kenobi" from the merely enjoyable to the absolutely exhilarating.

Quinlan Vos doesn't actually appear in "Obi-Wan Kenobi": His name is carved into a wall at the Path's safe house on Mapuzo, seen in "Part III." When Tala hides Obi-Wan and Leia in a secret room behind a droid repair shop, Obi-Wan sees Quinlan's name among a cluster of words and phrases written in Aurebesh. He asks if Quinlan was here as Tala explains how the Path works. She tells him that Quinlan helps out sometimes by smuggling younglings to safety. This brings a smile to Obi-Wan's face. As devoted fans know, he and Quinlan Vos have a shared history. 

Quinlan is an extremely minor character in the movies and TV shows: He's in the background of "The Phantom Menace," gets a shout-out in "Revenge of the Sith," and pops up in two episodes of "Star Wars: The Clone Wars." Most of his story plays out in the "Star Wars: Republic" comics and the "Star Wars: Dark Disciple" novel. In the latter, he falls in love with Asajj Ventress while undercover. Obi-Wan serves as his contact and vouches for him when his mission goes awry. 

Quinlan is a psychically powerful Jedi who often bucks the Order's rigid traditions and is occasionally tempted by the dark side. If "Star Wars" is going to continue to explore the flawed dogma of the Jedi, elevating Quinlan makes a lot of sense. But for now, fans must content themselves with a cameo.

Tera Sinube physically appears on screen, unlike others on this list. Unfortunately for this obscure Jedi, it's as a cadaver. In "Part IV," Obi-Wan and Tala have to break into the Fortress Inquisitorius and rescue Leia from Reva's grip. Tala smooth-talks her way in, wearing her Imperial Officer's uniform. Obi-Wan swims to the base of the Fortress and tries to elude detection. As Tala directs him through the Fortress' labyrinthine hallways, Obi-Wan happens upon what he initially suspects are holding cells. To his horror, he soon realizes they're tombs, displaying the bodies of defeated Jedi. Obi-Wan stops in front of the final resting place of someone he seems to recognize.

We can tell from the unfortunate body's species and styling that this is Jedi Master Tera Sinube, who appears in "Star Wars: The Clone Wars." Sinube is an expert detective whose beat is Coruscant's criminal underworld. He's also a youngling trainer who prepares new Jedi, including Sifo-Dyas and Dooku, as part of the Hawkbat Clan. Sinube comes to Ahsoka Tano's aid in the "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" episode "Lightsaber Lost" when she is tasked with tracking down her misplaced weapon. While his death doesn't mean much to casual fans, it deeply affects Obi-Wan Kenobi. 

By featuring young Luke Skywalker in its marketing, "Obi-Wan Kenobi" led some fans to imagine that the series would be about Obi-Wan protecting Luke on Tatooine. This was, in fact, the plan at one point, according to The Hollywood Reporter. As the project evolved, however, Leia became the real co-star of the show, while Luke's prominence diminished. Kid Luke (Grant Feely) does technically appear in three episodes, but his impact on the series in minimal. He plays with his toy T-16 skyhopper and sleeps as Reva finds the secret message that contains his true identity. We know he's safe at this point, and still relatively in the dark about the Jedi and the Empire, which means there's not a lot of dramatic tension going on. He is, however, completely adorable.

Luke gets more to do in the finale, "Part VI," as Reva weighs the prospect of using him to get back into Vader's good graces (or to win another chance at assassinating him). But even in that tense subplot, Luke is hidden, runs away, then falls and knocks himself unconscious, which means he's unable to witness or remember what transpires. It's necessary to include young Luke in "Obi-Wan Kenobi," since keeping him safe is Obi-Wan's primary objective, but that's really all he is here: included.  

In "Part I" and "Part II," Leia is pursued and held captive by bounty hunter Vect Nokru. This miscreant is played by the Red Hot Chili Peppers' instantly recognizable bassist, Flea. Flea's acting career is fairly lengthy, so its not entirely unusual to see him here. It is, however, still very fun to see the musician pop up in the "Star Wars" universe. Flea is definitely edgy enough to play a bounty hunter who frequents a planet where hard drugs are manufactured and sold. He's also undoubtedly alien enough to make sense within this interstellar universe.

There's a whiff of Flea's personal style, as well as that of the Vespa Gang, in Vect's presentation. The character's outfit looks like something the bassist might wear on stage, and the type of villainy he radiates is more devil-may-care rock-and-roller than plain old bounty hunter. All of this combines well with Flea's natural charisma: Leia looks legitimately afraid of him, and we understand why. It is, however, a tiny bit strange to see such a famous human face appear in the "Star Wars" universe. Perhaps adorning him with some extraterrestrial color or prosthetics may have helped in this regard?

Benny Safdie, co-writer and director of "Uncut Gems," plays Nari, a Jedi living on Tatooine who isn't ready to give up the fight. It's good casting: Safdie potently captures Nari's devotion to resisting the Empire, and the fact that he's a bit too green in the ways of war for his own good. 

Early on in "Part I," Nari tries to remain stoic as Inquisitors suss out Force-sensitive citizens. But when Reva tests his need to do the right thing by nearly killing an innocent bystander, he intervenes. Had he just kept his open palm under the table, things could've been different. After he's been exposed and made a wanted Jedi, he accosts Obi-Wan in the desert and asks for help. The Jedi Master and general is still reeling from the loss of the Republic and Order 66, even though a decade has passed. He's just not ready to stand up to the Inquisitors, and advises Nari to bury his saber and hide. The younger Jedi reminds his elder that he used to be great, and openly wonders what's happened to him. 

Nari is more of a symbolic presence than a character anybody is likely to fall in love with anytime soon, especially since we don't get much of his backstory. But he helps contextualize Obi-Wan's arc in an unforgettable way.

This cameo is a treat for devoted fans of Ewan McGregor. In "Part II," Obi-Wan tracks Leia to the planet Daiyu, where scum and villainy lurk around every corner. He asks people on the street (none of whom he can really trust) for help, and encounters a woman selling drugs. When she asks if he's interested in her wares, Obi-Wan tells her he'd rather have information, then lies and says he's looking for his daughter. The woman, whose name is Tetha Grig, offers him a free bag from her supply, in the hopes he'll get addicted and come back for more. That free sample proves to be a useful tool when Obi-Wan gets himself captured: He subdues Vect and his associates by bursting the bag open, which allows him and Leia to escape. 

If Tetha Grig looks vaguely familiar, that might be because she bears a strong resemblance to the man she's trying to get hooked on Daiyu's mind-bending powder. Tetha is played by Esther McGregor, Ewan McGregor's daughter. Their relationship makes the use of the phrase "old man" in their exchange into a fun in-joke. Notably, the elder McGregor didn't use his star power to get his kid the job: As he revealed on "The Late Late Show with James Corden" (via ET Canada), she auditioned for the role on her own. He only found out about it when director Deborah Chow told him she was a front-runner for the part.

In "Part II," we meet Haja Estree (Kumail Nanjiani), a phony Jedi who turns out to be something of a hero. Before Obi-Wan can question him about Leia, Haja helps a boy and his mother escape Daiyu — for the right price, of course. In the episode's credits, that boy and mother are revealed to be Corran and Nyche. They reappear in "Part V" and "Part VI." These two characters might seem like glorified extras, but Corran is almost certainly destined for bigger and better things.

Corran Horn is the main character in Michael A. Stackpole's "X Wing: Rogue Squadron" novels, which explore this group of starfighter pilots' formation and the part they play in the early days of the New Republic. Corran, who starts out as a security guard on Corellia, works his way up to pilot status, discovering he's Force-sensitive along the way. Since Nyche tells Haja that she wants to get her son to Corellia, it's all but certain "Obi-Wan Kenobi" is setting him up for his next adventure: Patty Jenkins' upcoming "Star Wars: Rogue Squadron" film.

"Star Wars" often conceals well-known actors in roles that incorporate heavy CGI, face-covering helmets, or elaborate prosthetics. Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Lupita Nyong'o, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge have all appeared in this fictional universe, but if fans can't recognize their voices, they might never know it. The latest example of this practice is Zach Braff of "Scrubs" and "Garden State" fame. He is visually and audibly unrecognizable as Freck, a mole-like alien who lives and works on Mapuzo as a transport driver. 

When Obi-Wan doubts that help is on its way, as no one is waiting for them at the agreed-upon rendezvous point, Leia flags down Freck for a ride. The toothy creature is friendly as can be ... at first. His response to their rehearsed lie about their predicament — "That's a weird story" — is perfectly delivered by Braff. In just a few minutes, he's able to depict Freck as neighborly and unassuming, then unsettlingly loyal to the Empire. We realize just how enmeshed with the enemy he truly is when it's revealed he's been delivering Obi-Wan and Leia to the stormtroopers awaiting them at the checkpoint. Obi-Wan dispatches him in self defense just seconds later, and that's the end of Freck. Despite this untimely exit, Freck is definitely one of the best one-scene "Star Wars" characters ever depicted.

Anthony Daniels is the only actor to appear in every "Star Wars" film. He plays the iconic C-3PO in 10 of these movies, and portrays Tak, a Coruscant human, in "Solo: A Star Wars Story." Since "Obi-Wan Kenobi" is so woven into the Skywalker Saga, it's only fitting that C-3PO should have a cameo. He can be seen in "Part I," during a diplomatic party. The lavish occasion is a major change of pace from dusty, impoverished Tatooine. It also stands in stark contrast to Daiyu, Mapuzo, and other planets this series visits, where life is much harsher under the Empire's thumb. During this event, Bail tries to discuss politics, but his brother-in-law Kayo quickly puts the subject to rest. He didn't come to Alderaan to abolish slavery, he explains. Leia's cousin Niano is equally callous, as he teases her about not being a real Organa. 

It might seem like C-3PO's presence at the party is nothing more than an Easter egg meant to keep a tradition going, but there's real substance to this scene. Here, we see the droid fulfill his true function for the first time, as he translates between different species. Moreover, the party shows how the galaxy's upper class continues to live well by complying with the Empire and turning a blind eye to the suffering of others.

"Part II" features a quick shot of a homeless clone trooper on Daiyu played by Temuera Morrison. Morrison plays Jango Fett, Boba Fett, and the clone trooper army, but as he revealed to IGN, he'd never actually worn clone trooper armor before taking on this small role. The blue designs peeking out from under this veteran's tattered clothes indicate he's a member of the elite 501st Legion, which fought under Anakin Skywalker and alongside Obi-Wan's 212th Battalion in the Clone Wars. After Order 66 took place, their numeric designation was given to a legion of stormtroopers who become known as "Vader's Fist."

This history imbues the character with tragic meaning. The fact that he's still wearing some of his clone trooper digs likely indicates that, at some point, his clone chip wore off, and he left the Empire's service — or that they threw him out on the street once he was no longer useful. This scene also echoes the real-world plight of homeless veterans, and helps to create an authentic sense of the galaxy's instability.  Finally, the trooper's presence forces an already traumatized Obi-Wan to revisit the Clone Wars — the time he spent fighting with, rather than against, Anakin Skywalker. 

"Obi-Wan Kenobi" takes place almost exactly between the original trilogy of "Star Wars" films and the prequel trilogy. This means it could've featured a creepy, conniving Sheev Palpatine, or eschewed him in favor of other antagonists. For most of the series, the Emperor rules the galaxy from very far away. Then, in one of the show's final moments, Palpatine shows himself to Vader in the form of a hologram. 

Some fans might find his appearance somewhat anti-climactic, as it arrives after Vader and Obi-Wan's emotional rematch. But it's undeniably enjoyable to see his sinister face once more. What amounts to Vader's Zoom session with his boss also serves a narrative purpose. While the Grand Inquisitor, who ranks beneath Vader, can't compel him to forget about Kenobi, the Emperor can. Palpatine warns Vader about letting his feelings cloud his judgment, which sews a button onto what could have been a plot hole. His message essentially gives viewers a reason why Vader doesn't continue hunting down Obi-Wan for the next 10 years. 

Luke's uncle and guardian, Owen Lars, is only on screen for a few minutes of "Part I" and "Part VI." But that's still more screen time than the prequels provide for him: There, Obi-Wan hands him a baby, and the credits roll. Joel Edgerton does a fantastic job bringing Owen Lars to life. Fans of contemporary "Star Wars" comics will find him especially impressive: Edgerton's portrayal vividly recalls the fleshed-out Owen featured in those pages.

"Star Wars" #7, #15, and #20 follow Owen as he tries to raise young Luke as far from Obi-Wan and the corruption of Mos Eisley as possible. This Owen blames Obi-Wan and the Jedi for what he believes to be Anakin's death, and he doesn't want the same fate to befall his adopted son. When Edgerton's Owen calls the Jedi "vermin," comics readers will recognize his deep derision. In those same comics, Obi-Wan eventually earns Owen's grudging respect when he saves Luke and protects Owen from Jabba and his thugs. He also gives Luke his skyhopper toy, which Owen rejects. Deep down, he doesn't really want the boy to leave Tatooine and become a pilot. Though certain events are somewhat altered between the comics and the TV series, for those who've read the proper issues, Edgerton's Owen stands out as a faithful adaptation. 

Liam Neeson's portrayal of Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan's master, is one of the best parts of "The Phantom Menace." It can be argued that his passing sets the entire Skywalker Saga in motion: He takes Anakin from his mother, then leaves Obi-Wan to train him — without the Jedi Council's blessing, no less. In the first half of "Obi-Wan Kenobi," Obi-Wan — who is implied to have been studying Force ghost communication in his solitude — tries unsuccessfully to conjure Qui-Gon, in the hopes his former master might guide him as he navigates the galaxy's changing political landscape. In later episodes, he stops trying to reach him. Eager fans began to get nervous that Qui-Gon might not appear at all.

They needn't have worried: Qui-Gon finally appears as a Force ghost in "Part VI." In retrospect, it's clear that Qui-Gon was always going to appear in "Obi-Wan Kenobi." The series gives its title character a chance to re-examine his time with Anakin, and his responsibility (or lack thereof) for the young man's fall to the dark side. We know the Jedi are just as susceptible to self-importance as the Sith, and Obi-Wan mistakenly believes he can control other people and every outcome. In the end, he accepts that Anakin is his own worst enemy, and achieves the inner peace necessary to commune with his long lost friend. The student simply isn't ready to learn from his teacher until this moment.