Did Star Wars Get Ahsoka Right? All 18 Star Wars Characters Adapted To Live-Action, Ranked By Accuracy

In recent years, several Star Wars characters who debuted in animation have received live-action adaptations, some more successfully than others. Although Star Wars began as a live-action film franchise, the animated shows expanded and enriched the saga on the small screen for many years. When the time came for the first live-action Star Wars TV shows, the animated series helped lay the foundation, which meant adapting many fan-favorite characters.

One of the first and most notable examples was Ahsoka Tano in The Mandalorian, the apprentice of Anakin Skywalker who first appeared in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Many other animated characters followed in her wake, culminating in the live-action Ahsoka series that directly picked up where Star Wars Rebels left off. 18 notable Star Wars characters have now made the transition from animation to the current live-action productions.

For this list, I’ll primarily be discussing characters who were originally designed for animation. Boba Fett and General Grievous may have first appeared in animated Star Wars projects, but they were still designed for the live-action movies. I also won’t include Wullf Yularen, whose character was defined by Star Wars: The Clone Wars but first appeared in A New Hope. With that said, let’s see which animated Star Wars characters were most accurately adapted to live-action.

18

The Grand Inquisitor

From Star Wars Rebels to Obi-Wan Kenobi

My personal least favorite adaptation of an animated character is the Grand Inquisitor in Obi-Wan Kenobi. Rupert Friend does a fine job, but he sounds nothing like Jason Isaacs, who originally voiced the character in Star Wars Rebels. This means he has very little of the Grand Inquisitor’s trademark personality, and he barely resembles the live-action version of the Pau’an species as seen in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith.

He also comes across as incompetent compared to his animated counterpart, failing in tasks he would have excelled at in Rebels. He’s even taken by surprise when the Third Sister betrays and stabs him, which was completely pointless, as anyone who had seen Rebels knew he wasn’t really dead. Overall, this feels like the laziest character adaptation in modern Star Wars, which is a real shame.

17

The Fifth Brother

From Star Wars Rebels to Obi-Wan Kenobi

Another Inquisitor with a similar problem in Obi-Wan Kenobi is the Fifth Brother, the next in line for Grand Inquisitor. He also doesn’t look or sound much like the animated version from Rebels, and his characterization feels off as a result. However, I’m a little more forgiving because I like what Sung Kan brings to the role, and he gets more to do in the series while the Grand Inquisitor is out of action.

16

Saw Gerrera

From Star Wars: The Clone Wars to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Funnily enough, Saw Gerrera was initially at the bottom of my list because of how different the live-action version is from his first appearance in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. However, I recently found out that Saw Gerrera was created for George Lucas’ Star Wars: Underworld, a live-action series that never came to fruition. So while animation ended up defining Saw, the live-action version is probably closer to what was originally intended.

I also have to give credit to the other animated shows, Star Wars: The Bad Batch and Star Wars Rebels, for doing a surprisingly good job of showing Saw’s transition. Dave Filoni and his team tried to balance Saw’s animated design and Forest Whitaker’s, even having him return to voice the character in Rebels. The differences are still clear, but I can appreciate how a lifetime of war changed Saw over two decades.

15

Jai Kell

From Star Wars Rebels to Ahsoka

Jai Kell only appeared a few times in Star Wars Rebels, but he returned as Lothal’s New Republic Senator in the Ahsoka series premiere. I used to dismiss this casting because of Jai’s appearance in Rebels season 1, but upon rewatch, I realized Vinny Thomas more closely resembles how Jai looked in season 4. He also sounds a bit like an older version of the character, so while it’s brief and imperfect, it’s better than I initially thought.

14

Hamato Xiono

From Star Wars Resistance to Ahsoka

New Republic Senator Hamato Xiono is the only character on this list who first appeared in a 2D-animated series, Star Wars Resistance. He was the overbearing father of Kazuda “Kaz” Xiono, the main character of Resistance, and he was highly dismissive of General Leia Organa and the Resistance for being “extremists.” Ironically, he was the Senator from Hosnian Prime, which was later destroyed by the First Order in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

The live-action Senator Xiono in Ahsoka has a notably different build, posture, haircut, wardrobe, and voice, some of which can be forgiven by the fact that he’s at least 20 years younger than his animated counterpart. Still, Nelson Lee does a good job showcasing Xiono’s general personality and arrogance, and his voice sounds more like Tzi Ma when speaking via hologram. It’s not as accurate as it could be, but it does capture the essence of the character.

13

Rex

From Star Wars: The Clone Wars to Ahsoka

Clone Captain Rex is a character who is hard to get wrong in live-action, as he’s wearing armor and voiced by Temuera Morrison, the man who played all the other clones in live-action. Of course, his appearance in Ahsoka is incredibly brief, which doesn’t give time to show what makes Rex different from any other clone captain. Otherwise, it’s a solid adaptation, and it would be nice to see Morrison have another chance to play Rex.

12

Sabine Wren

From Star Wars Rebels to Ahsoka

This is where the list may start to get divisive, but Ahsoka was generally a mixed bag when adapting the main characters from Star Wars Rebels. I don’t hate Sabine Wren in this show, but she’s never fully felt like Sabine to me, especially in her personality. She doesn’t have enough of Sabine’s passion, quirks, or energy, which makes some sense within the story, but it’s still not very satisfying.

I don’t blame Natasha Liu Bordizzo, and she does have several moments to shine throughout season 1. Sabine also retains a cocky attitude when butting heads with people, and her troubled relationship with Ahsoka feels reminiscent of her struggle with trusting Kanan and Hera in Rebels. Even so, this version of Sabine just isn’t as compelling, which could have made me forgive some differences from her animated counterpart.

11

Ezra Bridger

From Star Wars Rebels to Ahsoka

Live-action Ezra Bridger is also an imperfect translation from Star Wars, but a few details give him an edge over Sabine. Eman Esfandi does a commendable job playing a young Ezra in Sabine’s holo recording, capturing the character’s inflections and personality quite well. When Sabine finds him on Peridea, he has changed, but his character growth is very satisfying and highlights Ezra’s best qualities from Rebels.

The team also put in an extra effort into getting the details right with Ezra’s appearance. While his hair doesn’t have the same blue tint as animated Ezra, he’s the spitting image of his father, Ephraim Bridger, and Esfandi even wore blue contacts so his eye color would match Ezra’s. It’s doesn’t always feel like the Ezra we remember, but the effort is there, and character development is inevitable.

10

Ahsoka Tano

From Star Wars: The Clone Wars to Ahsoka

Ahsoka Tano is one of my all-time favorite Star Wars characters, but I have to admit, I’ve always had mixed feelings about her portrayal in live-action. Like some of the other live-action adaptations, Ahsoka is a lot more stoic than she used to be and lacks parts of her personality that fans liked. Even Star Wars Rebels, which also had wiser and more calm Ahsoka, didn’t make her that emotionally reserved.

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As with Sabine and Ezra, I am somewhat forgiving of Ahsoka’s live-action portrayal because I know it serves a purpose in the story. Her experiences after leaving the Jedi Order changed her, and it makes sense that she would close herself off a bit more after fighting Darth Vader. Rosaria Dawson does still embody some of Ahsoka’s classic traits in live-action, just not as many as I would have liked.

9

Jacen Syndulla

From Star Wars Rebels to Ahsoka

Jacen Syndulla is a tricky live-action adaptation to rank because he didn’t have much of a character to adapt in the first place. He only appeared for a few seconds near the end of the Star Wars Rebels series finale, giving Ahsoka the freedom to define his character. They did change his design a bit (which most fans probably didn’t mind), but he also has the same youthful excitement, so I compromised by putting him right in the middle of the list.

8

Hera Syndulla

From Star Wars Rebels to Ahsoka

The final Star Wars Rebels character I have mixed feelings on, but still really like, is Hera Syndulla. Her makeup and costume design are spot on, and while Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s voice is noticeably different from Vanessa Marshall’s, she seamlessly switches between Hera’s desire to honor the chain of command and her defiance when those she loves are in danger. The scene where she argues with Chopper while flying feels like a scene taken beat for beat from Rebels.

7

Ryder Azadi

From Star Wars Rebels to Ahsoka

Bringing back the original voice actor is a good way to make an adaptation feel accurate, automatically putting Ryder Azadi above most other characters. Clancy Brown also resembles the character closely enough to make his appearance feel spot on, capturing the commanding spirit that Azadi developed in the final season of Rebels. His role may be limited, but it really does feel like the same character brought to life.

6

Zeb Orrelios

From Star Wars Rebels to The Mandalorian

Another Star Wars Rebels voice actor who returned before Ahsoka was Steve Blum, lending his voice to Zeb Orrelios in The Mandalorian season 3. It’s only a brief cameo, but the voice really does make all the difference, and being fully CGI means Zeb’s design is incredibly close to his Rebels counterpart. Zeb’s short chat with Carson Teva also manages to showcase the more casual side of Zeb’s personality.

5

Cad Bane

From Star Wars: The Clone Wars to The Book of Boba Fett

Cad Bane’s live-action adaptation is extremely impressive, perfectly recreating his design and somehow allowing Dorian Kingi to convey various facial reactions through heavy makeup. Corey Burton returned to voice Bane, giving the same general voice while adding a bit more gruff to show his age. This version of Bane is just as ruthless, sadistic, and cunning as he was in animation, and both actors did a terrific job bringing him to life.

4

Grand Admiral Thrawn

From Star Wars Rebels to Ahsoka

Of course, the best blue-skinned alien with red eyes adapted to live-action is Grand Admiral Thrawn, played once again by Lars Mikkelsen. While Thrawn originally debuted in Star Wars: Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn, his first onscreen appearance was in Star Wars Rebels, and this is the version of the character they adapted for Ahsoka. Mikkelsen perfectly captures Thrawn’s character through his posture, subtle mannerisms, and especially his measured yet commanding voice.

3

Bo-Katan Kryze

From Star Wars: The Clone Wars to The Mandalorian

Like so many others, Katee Sackhoff returned to play Bo-Katan Kryze after voicing her for years in the animated shows. Unlike most of the other characters, Bo-Katan has had far more screen time, allowing all aspects of her personality to be fleshed out: her ruthless warrior spirit, fierce anger, quiet regret, respect for worthy allies, and love for Mandalore. Having already changed so much in Star Wars Rebels allows the live-action Bo-Katan to feel even more accurate.

2

Huyang

From Star Wars: The Clone Wars to Ahsoka

Even with a returning voice actor, it can still be hard to make a live-action character perfectly match their animated look, but Huyang doesn’t have this problem in Ahsoka. Being a physical prop allows Huyang to look almost exactly the way he did in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, though his movement does seem a bit more limited at times. With David Tennant returning to voice the droid, few live-action adaptations could be as accurate as Huyang.

1

Chopper

From Star Wars Rebels to Ahsoka

Chopper technically appeared in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, but this was a background cameo on Yavin 4. He was fully adapted in Ahsoka season 1, and like Huyang, being an animatronic droid means he looks identical to his animated model. CGI was used in certain scenes so Chopper could emote just like he did in Star Wars Rebels. Voiced once again by Dave Filoni, Chopper is easily the most accurate animated Star Wars character adapted to live-action.

Star Wars

Cast

Mark Hamill, James Earl Jones, David Prowse, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Ian McDiarmid, Ewan McGregor, Rosario Dawson, Lars Mikkelsen, Rupert Friend, Moses Ingram, Frank Oz, Pedro Pascal

TV Show(s)

The Mandalorian, Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, The Acolyte, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, Lando, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Star Wars: Resistance, Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures, Star Wars: Visions

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