Every Star Wars Movie Actor Who Returned For The Clone Wars

Star Wars: The Clone Wars redefined the franchise for television and showed what could be done through animation, and many Star Wars movie actors jumped at the chance to reprise their roles. Following the conclusion of the Star Wars prequel trilogy in 2005, George Lucas believed the saga’s future was on the small screen and began developing multiple TV shows. The live-action Star Wars: Underworld was canceled for budgetary reasons, but The Clone Wars debuted with a theatrical release in 2008 and gave a few prequel trilogy actors one last outing on the big screen.

However, some actors in The Clone Wars movie did not voice their respective characters for the TV series, while others only returned for a few episodes. A couple of actors constantly appeared or became recurring characters, adding consistency between the Star Wars movies and TV shows as the crew expanded the prequel era. By the end of The Clone Wars‘ seven-season run, 10 Star Wars movie actors had returned to voice their characters, while a few more had their lines reused.

10

Samuel L. Jackson As Mace Windu

Star Wars: The Clone Wars (Movie)

George Lucas decided to rework the first episodes of The Clone Wars TV series into a theatrical movie to introduce the show to mainstream audiences, and a few prequel trilogy actors were convinced to return because of it. Samuel L. Jackson had played Jedi Master Mace Windu in all three prequel films and voiced the character again for The Clone Wars movie, where he continued to lead the Jedi Order alongside Master Yoda. However, Jackson would not return for the TV series, and Terrence Carson voiced Mace Windu for all seven seasons of The Clone Wars.

Even so, Jackson would end up voicing the character a few more times, both directly and indirectly. Mace Windu was one of the many Jedi spirits who spoke to Rey in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and some of Jackson’s dialogue from Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith was repurposed for The Clone Wars season 7, episode 11 “Shattered.” Jackson has expressed interest in returning to Star Wars in past interviews, so it’s possible that he will play Mace Windu again in live-action or animation.

9

Christopher Lee As Count Dooku

Star Wars: The Clone Wars (Movie)

Like Samuel L. Jackson, Christopher Lee returned for a single appearance as Count Dooku in The Clone Wars movie. Lee was phenomenal as Dooku in the prequel trilogy, bringing his experience playing the villainous Count Dracula and his skill with a blade to the role, perfectly combining elegance and menace. Despite Lee’s incredible performance elevating one of the prequel era’s best villains, Dooku wasn’t introduced until the second half of the second movie and was killed off at the beginning of Revenge of the Sith.

The Clone Wars movie gave Lee the third Star Wars film role he rightfully deserved, and his voice acting is just as amazing as his live-action performance. It creates a much-needed bridge between Episodes II and III for Lee’s version of Dooku, showing the character’s actions during the war and delving more into his rivalry with Anakin Skywalker. Lee also chose not to return for The Clone Wars TV series and was replaced by voice-acting legend Corey Burton.

8

Anthony Daniels As C-3PO

Star Wars: The Clone Wars (Movie)

Anthony Daniels has returned to the galaxy far, far away more than any other Star Wars movie actor, so it’s no surprise that he reprised his iconic role as C-3PO for The Clone Wars. He joined Samuel L. Jackson and Christopher Lee for The Clone Wars movie, where C-3PO receives Padmé Amidala’s distress signal and leads a squad of clones to her location. Daniels would continue to voice C-3PO across multiple seasons and received many droid-centric episodes alongside R2-D2.

Daniels’ numerous appearances as the golden protocol droid mean C-3PO is one of the most consistent characters throughout the Star Wars movies and TV shows. He returned for all nine movies of the Skywalker Saga and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, making Solo: A Star Wars Story the only film in the franchise not to feature Daniels as C-3PO. Daniels’ other Star Wars appearances include a guest appearance in Star Wars Rebels, a short cameo in Ahsoka season 1, and a starring role in the now non-canon Star Wars: Droids animated series.

7

Matthew Wood As General Grievous

Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 1, episode 2 “Rising Malevolence”

Matthew Wood has been the supervising sound editor on every live-action Star Wars movie since Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, but he is best known for voicing General Grievous and the B1 battle droids. He returned to lend his voice for The Clone Wars movie and TV series, keeping Grievous and the battle droids consistent across mediums like Anthony Daniels did for C-3PO. Wood’s other voices in The Clone Wars include Wat Tambor, Poggle the Lesser, and several more supporting roles.

He is also a highly skilled designer, helping Ben Burtt create the Geonosian language for Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones. Wood received an Oscar nomination for his work as supervising sound editor on Star Wars: The Force Awakens and another as sound editor for Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Wood has played a few live-action background characters, including Bib Fortuna in The Phantom Menace, a role he later reprised in the post-credits scene for The Mandalorian season 2.

6

Ahmed Best As Jar Jar Binks

Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 1, episode 8 “Bombad Jedi”

Ahmed Best provided the voice and motion capture for Jar Jar Binks on all three prequel films and returned for several appearances in The Clone Wars. However, Best was not the only actor to voice Jar Jar in The Clone Wars, with Phil LaMarr (as BJ Hughes) voicing the character in a few season 1 episodes. Although Jar Jar is infamous for being one of the most hated Star Wars characters, Best proved he was the right actor to voice him in The Clone Wars.

Best later opened up about how the negative fan backlash towards Jar Jar seriously hurt his mental health and nearly drove him to take his own life, causing an outpouring of fan support. In addition to returning as Jar Jar, Best played Jedi Master Kelleran Beq as the host of the kids’ game show Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge. Best reprised the role of Jedi Master Beq in The Mandalorian season 3 for a flashback that revealed him as the Jedi who saved Grogu during Order 66.

5

Daniel Logan As Boba Fett

Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 2, episode 20 “Death Trap”

Attack of the Clones revealed that the legendary bounty hunter Boba Fett was an unaltered clone of his father, Jango Fett, and Daniel Logan was cast to play young Boba. Logan returned eight years later to voice the character in The Clone Wars season 2, where Boba teams up with bounty hunters to seek revenge on Mace Windu for killing his father. He voiced Boba and the clone cadets in a few more episodes, and Logan recorded lines for a canceled Clone Wars arc that would have seen Boba Fett team up with Cade Bane.

Logan also voiced a clone cadet named Mox in Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 3, and footage of him in Attack of the Clones was used in The Book of Boba Fett. He has appeared in multiple Star Wars documentaries, including Bucket Head and From Puppets to Pixels, and he makes regular appearances at Star Wars conventions. Logan played Boba Fett again for a live recording of a non-canon audio drama called Star Wars: Smuggler’s Gambit at Star Wars Celebration VI in 2012.

4

Pernilla August As Shmi Skywalker

Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 3, episode 15 “Overlords”

Pernilla August played Anakin Skywalker’s mother, Shmi Skywalker, in The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, and she only returned to Star Wars once after the prequel trilogy. During the Mortis arc of season 3, Anakin experiences a dark vision of his mother, who is revealed to be the Son in disguise. It’s a chilling scene that makes Anakin’s anguish over his mother’s death even more tragic, and August seamlessly transitions from a sweet and comforting voice to one that is eerie and full of malice.

3

Liam Neeson As Qui-Gon Jinn

Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 3, episode 15 “Overlords”

Liam Neeson also returned in the Mortis arc of The Clone Wars season 3, with Obi-Wan Kenobi encountering the Force ghost of Qui-Gon Jinn. However, it is left open to interpretation whether this is really Qui-Gon’s spirit or simply a vision based on Obi-Wan’s memories, as Qui-Gon returns in a different manner for The Clone Wars season 6. Yoda hears Qui-Gon’s voice and is guided to the planet Dagobah, where Qui-Gon explains that he learned the secret to immortality but died before learning how to manifest as a Force Ghost.

Of course, Neeson would eventually return as Qui-Gon in live-action for a short appearance at the end of Obi-Wan Kenobi season 1. Qui-Gon’s appearance as a Force Ghost seemingly contradicts The Clone Wars season 6, but it’s possible that he later learned to manifest fully or could only be seen by Obi-Wan because of their bond as master and apprentice. It also hints that the vision Obi-Wan experienced on Mortis may have been Qui-Gon after all, able to project his image because of the planet’s strong connection to the Force.

2

Star Wars Movie Actors Who Returned For Clone Wars Season 7

Ashley Eckstein As Ahsoka Tano

Although Ashely Eckstein first voiced Ahsoka Tano in The Clone Wars, she became a movie actor when she reprised the role in The Rise of Skywalker. Ahsoka was one of the many Jedi voices Rey heard on Exegol who stood behind her as she rose against Palpatine and defeated the Sith for good. The Clone Wars returned for a seventh and final season a few months later, meaning Eckstein is technically a Star Wars movie actor who returned for The Clone Wars.

Sam Witwer And Ray Park As Darth Maul

Like Ashley Eckstein, Sam Witwer voiced Darth Maul in The Clone Wars before transitioning to the big screen with a cameo at the end of Solo: A Star Wars Story. While Witwer lent his voice, Ray Park returned to play Maul physically in Solo after portraying him in The Phantom Menace. Both actors returned for The Clone Wars season 7, with Witwer voicing Maul and Park providing the motion capture for the lightsaber duel with Ahsoka Tano.

1

Star Wars Movie Actors Whose Lines Were Reused

Silas Carson As Ki-Adu-Mundi

The final arc of The Clone Wars season 7 crosses over with Revenge of the Sith, so a few actors’ lines were reused in episode 11 “Shattered.” During the Jedi Council meeting about removing Chancellor Palpatine from office, Silas Carson’s Ki-Adi-Mundi dialogue is repurposed, rather than having Clone Wars actor Brian George return to voice the character. In the prequel trilogy, Carson also played Viceroy Nute Gunray, Senator Lott Dod, and the pilot who is killed at the beginning of The Phantom Menace.

Ian McDiarmid As Palpatine/Darth Sidious

Ian Abercrombie voiced Palpatine for the first five seasons of The Clone Wars, Tim Curry his voice for season 6, and Ian McDiarmid’s voice was finally used in season 7. While transporting Maul to the Jedi on Coruscant, Ahsoka feels Anakin’s anguish through the Force after Palpatine kills Dooku, and several of McDiarmid’s Revenge of the Sith lines can be heard. It culminates in the chilling moment when Palpatine commands Rex to “Execute Order 66,” cementing the fall of the Jedi and the inevitable fight between Ahsoka and her men.

Hayden Christensen As Anakin Skywalker

Matt Lanter made the character of Anakin Skywalker his own for The Clone Wars, but Hayden Christensen’s voice was used alongside his during Ahsoka‘s vision. Christensen’s inclusion in The Clone Wars season 7 foreshadowed his eventual return in Ahsoka season 1, which perfectly blended both versions of Anakin. Whether or not Christensen records new lines for an animated Star Wars project, he is still among the movie actors who returned for Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

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