The Star Wars TV shows on Disney Plus all begin with a montage of different characters, with each subsequent series adding someone new to the intro. The traditional Star Wars logo and fanfare have always marked the beginning of the movies, but when Disney shifted the focus to their streaming service, they decided to include a new memorable intro. Now each Star Wars project kicks off with a cool montage of the franchise's most memorable characters, illuminated by the red and blue glow of a classic lightsaber duel. However, not all the characters are instantly recognizable, with some of them going past in the blink of an eye.
Keeping track of all the characters in Disney's Star Wars intro gets even more difficult with new releases. Every Star Wars TV show and special adds new characters, rearranges the lineup, and presents certain characters in a slightly different way. The lighting is also intentionally dim, with the only illumination coming from the lightsaber duel happening off-screen. However, this lets viewers look forward to how the intro will be updated and showcases all kinds of characters from across Star Wars media. Here is every identifiable character who appears in each version of Disney's Star Wars intro montage.
The Mandalorian
The first Disney Star Wars intro came when The Mandalorian premiered in 2019, establishing the format every other intro would follow. Since this was the first time audiences saw the new intro, it mainly uses easily recognizable faces, with the following characters being featured:
- Darth Vader
- BB-8
- C-3PO
- Kylo Ren
- R2-D2
- Rebel Pilot
- Scout Trooper
- First Order Stormtrooper
- Din Djarin (aka "The Mandalorian")
While most of these characters are easy to identify, two of them are open to interpretation. The rebel pilot could be Poe Dameron wearing a helmet, and the First Order Stormtrooper could be Captain Phasma, although it is hard to tell since all the characters are chrome.
The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special
The second version of the Disney Star Wars intro was featured in The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special, which was essentially a LEGO version of The Mandalorian's intro. All the same characters appear in LEGO form, except for the rebel pilot, along with one additional character at the end:
Rey wears the X-Wing helmet that she briefly tried on in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and unlike the characters in chrome, she appears in full color and moves. This intro also makes it clear the First Order Stormtrooper is not Captain Phasma, as it appears more white than chrome.
The Bad Batch
The third Disney Star Wars intro debuted in Star Wars: The Bad Batch, this time featuring an entirely new lineup of characters. While the first two intros focused on the most recognizable Star Wars icons, this intro included a few more obscure characters, though fans will recognize the big players:
- General Grievous
- R1-J5 (aka "Bucket")
- C1-10P (aka "Chopper")
- Commando Droid
- Imperial Combat Driver
- Sabine Wren
An unknown clone trooper or stormtrooper appears at the end, though the lighting makes it hard to tell which one. It is also possible Crosshair and Wrecker appear, which would make sense in this case, but it's still difficult to tell with the limited visibility.
LEGO Star Wars Terrifying Tales
LEGO Star Wars Terrifying Tales featured the second LEGO version of the Disney Star Wars intro, this time with more new characters. The intro for The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special mainly used the same characters from The Mandalorian, but it mixed in some new faces too:
- Darth Maul
- B1 Battle Droid
- Classic Stormtrooper
- Poe Dameron
A small robed figure, possibly a Jawa, appears as well as an unknown droid near the end. It was unclear in previous intros whether the rebel pilot was Poe Dameron, but here he shows up moving in full color, just like Rey in the intro for Star Wars' LEGO Holiday Special.
The Book of Boba Fett
As the second live-action Star Wars TV show, The Book of Boba Fett takes the Disney Star Wars intro back to the style seen in The Mandalorian. The lineup once again consists of the biggest, most recognizable Star Wars characters, with two new additions for this intro specifically:
- Fennec Shand
- Boba Fett
Apart from these new characters, and the order being switched up a little, it is mostly the same as The Mandalorian. The second character wearing a Mandalorian helmet could also be someone else, but it is most likely Boba Fett given the context.
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Obi-Wan Kenobi was the first live-action Star Wars TV show set before the original trilogy, and so the intro once again made some changes. Darth Vader appears at the end instead of the beginning, likely because of the show's plot, and a few more characters were added to the intro:
- The Armorer
- Mouse Droid
The second character, who appears after R2-D2, is the same unknown clone trooper or stormtrooper from Star Wars: The Bad Batch 'sintro. The rest of the characters appear in the intros for The Mandalorian and/or The Book of Boba Fett as well.
Andor
The final and most recent version of the Disney Star Wars intro can be seen in Andor, which takes the character montage back to the original version. Andor's intro is nearly identical to that of The Mandalorian, with the only change being a new character added at the very end:
Whereas the other intros offered some variety or mixed up the order a little, the intro seen in Andor simply opts to switch out the character at the end. However, this approach may make the most sense, allowing Disney to have a main version of the intro that features a new character for a particular show.
Either way, Disney's Star Wars intro has cemented itself as the new fanfare that kicks off each Star Wars project. The visuals are absolutely stunning, showing off the best Star Wars characters in a beautifully illuminated montage. It's fun to spot the differences with each new intro, both with the new characters and the manner in which they are presented. The LEGO Star Wars specials offer another chance to display the characters in a creative fashion, and other kinds of specials can do the same. It'll be interesting to see which characters are included in Disney's Star Wars intro montages going forward.