Comedian and actor Kumail Nanjiani recently played the not insignificant part of Haja Estree in Obi-Wan Kenobi, demonstrating once again that Star Wars is not afraid to have big names appear alongside its main characters. The franchise has had huge names in major roles before but generally prefers having celebrities make cameos, the best of which have been ranked by Ranker users.
While some of Ranker's top-voted entries straddle the line of what can be considered cameos, there have been some great celebrity appearances over the years, whether that be because of the celebrity or the quality of the scene or scenes in which they appear.
Note: Ranker lists are fan-voted, live, and continue to accrue votes, so some rankings may have changed after this publishing.
Jett Lucas as Zett Jukassa
Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Revenge of the Sith is by far the darkest of the Star Wars movies, but that doesn't mean there isn't a multitude of fun Easter eggs, references and even cameos from people like Jett Lucas to be found in the film.
Jett Lucas is the son of the creator himself, George Lucas, and his impact on Star Wars stretches beyond his stint as the doomed Padawan Zett Jukassa in not just Revenge of the Sith but an uncredited role in Attack of the Clones. Jett also inspired the name of Dexter Jettster, the name of the Gungan species, and Ion Papanoida. He also has had various behind-the-scenes roles over the years.
Rose Byrne as Dormé
Attack of the Clones (2002)
Some of the most interesting yet often unspoken about characters in Star Wars are Padmé's handmaidens, notably Sabé but also Dormé, Padmé's most loyal aide at the time of Attack of the Clones, in which she is played by Rose Byrne, who was a relative unknown at the time but has since become a recognizable star.
Back in 2002, Rose Byrne was not the celebrity she is today, with this being her first appearance Hollywood role, having worked for a decade previously in mostly Australia. Ranker is definitely rating Byrne as a celebrity cameo due to hindsight, but given how well-known she is now, it is fun to look back on her tiny role.
Anthony Daniels as Dannl Faytonni
Attack of the Clones (2002)
Anthony Daniels has been a mainstay in Star Wars since 1977 when he spoke the first-ever line of dialogue in the franchise, saying, "Did you hear that?" in his iconic role as C-3PO. He has played that character ever since but also plays a couple of other characters.
As well as Tak in Solo: A Star Wars Story, Daniels portrays Dannl Faytonni, a patron of Outlander Club, when Obi-Wan and Anakin search for Zam Wessel. He also cameos in Revenge of the Sith. Given the popularity of Threepio, inarguably one of the best droids in Star Wars, it is no surprise to see Daniels' cameo rated so highly on Ranker, although Ahmed Best also deserves a shoutout for his cameo as Achk Med-Beq in the same scene.
Warwick Davis as Weazel
The Phantom Menace (1999)
Warwick Davis is another Lucasfilm constant, not only portraying the titular character in Willow but various individuals in Star Wars including Wickett W. Warrick, Rukh and Weazel.
Weazel is a character who has morphed into more than an individual cameo on Tatooine in The Phantom Menace, appearing in Solo: A Star Wars Story as a Cloud Rider. His cameo in The Phantom Menace as an onlooker of the Boonta Eve Classic is still great, though, and super fun for those who know about Davis' history with the saga.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Slowen Lo
The Last Jedi (2017)
The Last Jedi is full of so many fun details and cameos, and one of the many for fans to suss out is the Joseph Gordon-Levitt appearance, with the talented actor appearing in all of Rian Johnson's movies to dare.
As it turns out, the star appears as the voice-over performer of Slowen Lo, the Beastie Boys-inspired individual who reports Finn, Rose and BB-8 to the Canto Bight Police Department. This is a great cameo for Star Wars fans and Rian Johnson fans who knew beforehand Levitt would have a voice role and attempted to figure it out before the credits rolled.
Simon Pegg as Unkar Plutt
The Force Awakens (2015)
Ranker really stretches what constitutes a cameo appearance with Simon Pegg's outing as Unkar Plutt, who not only has a couple of lines of dialogue but a genuinely important role in The Force Awakens.
Pegg is great in the role of who is ultimately one of the most unlikable characters in the entire film, both for his treatment of Rey and for his attempted capture of BB-8. In terms of small celebrity appearances, there are few in Star Wars as big as Pegg, and even if some may not consider it strictly a cameo, it is a great outing.
George Lucas as Baron Notluwiski Papanoida
Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Every Star Wars fan out there either does or should have deep gratitude and adoration for George Lucas for creating this wonderful franchise. The maker has his hands all over the first six movies, but it was not until Revenge of the Sith that he makes his first cameo.
Many filmmakers like to insert themselves into their filmography, but Lucas held off on doing so until his momentary appearance as Baron Notluwisky Papanoida, who ends up having his own story in The Clone Wars. No matter who he played, a George Lucas cameo on-screen was always going to be loved by Star Wars fans.
Tom Hardy, Prince William and Prince Harry as First Order Stormtroopers
The Last Jedi (2017)
Ranker has cameo appearances from Prince William and Prince Harry as First Order stormtroopers in The Last Jedi as the eighth and seventh-best celebrity cameos in the saga. Their rumored scene also happens to be alongside an actor whom Ranker believes to have the third-best celebrity cameo appearance in the films, Tom Hardy, who is one of the biggest actors to cameo as a stormtrooper.
Their scene was ultimately cut from the movie, and that seemed to be the correct decision. It is a bizarre scene in which Finn and Rose share the elevator with a group of stormtroopers, one of whom (played by Hardy) congratulates Finn on his promotion with a typically strange accent and a smack on the butt. Since it is a deleted scene, it works hilariously in isolation; if it were in the film, though, it would have made for one of the worst cameo appearances, qualitatively speaking.
Keira Knightley as Sabé
The Phantom Menace (1999)
If Simon Pegg as Unkar Plutt stretches the constraints of a cameo appearance, it seems ludicrous to call Keira Knightley's role as Padmé's decoy and dedicated handmaiden Sabé a cameo. Nevertheless, Ranker has deemed it so.
Knightley's appearance as Sabé came before she was a household name, and given her close resemblance to Natalie Portman, she works wonderfully in the role. Sabé is such an interesting character, particularly in the extended canon. Given her numerous lines of dialogue (dubbed over by Portman) and numerous scenes in the movie, calling her a cameo does not convey her importance.
Daniel Craig as First Order Stormtrooper
The Force Awakens (2015)
Often times having huge names appear for cameos and small roles in huge projects can ruin scenes and take audiences out of the world by having the individual stick out like a sore thumb. That does not happen with Daniel Craig's brilliant cameo in The Force Awakens.
Not only is the scene great, with Rey using the Jedi mind trick on Craig's stormtrooper, but it is enhanced by knowing the former 007 is in the role. Craig is undoubtedly one of the biggest names to appear in such a small role in Star Wars , and given his popularity as an actor and the quality of the scene he is in, and it is easy to see why Ranker users deemed him the best celebrity cameo in Star Wars.