Ahsoka: C3PO Actor Anthony Daniels Makes Star Wars History With On-Screen Return

By Jennifer McDonough Posted: September 27, 2023

Star Wars’ most famous protocol droid C-3PO, and his actor, Anthony Daniels broke a live-action franchise record with his latest Disney+ cameo.

“Did you hear that?” The first words ever spoken in Star Wars and delivered by the iconic Anthony Daniels as C-3PO. And ever since, fans fell in love with his polite, loyal nature and comical bickering with best pal R2-D2.

Over the years, Daniels has been extremely insistent that he’d be the only actor to play Threepio. Because of this, he’s turned in showings in all nine Skywalker Saga films and many spin-offs and other roles.

C-3PO’s Ahsoka Appearance Is a Record Breaker

In the seventh episode of Ahsoka on Disney+, none other than C-3PO, portrayed once again by Anthony Daniels, shuffled onto the scene during Hera Syndulla’s hearing.

As it turns out, Threepio’s appearance in this episode is a historic one for Star Wars. It marked Daniels’ 12th live-action appearance as the character in Star Wars canon, which is more than any other actor in the series:

Of course, this doesn’t take into account the dozens of times Anthony Daniels has reprised Threepio in animation. Solo: A Star Wars Story doesn’t factor in either, as he did not play the golden worrywart in that film.

Could the MandoVerse Era Offer More Original Trilogy Cameos?

So far, the Disney+ post-Return of the Jedi, New Republic portion of the Star Wars timeline (affectionately dubbed the ”MandoVerse” by the fanbase) has held some very special, surprise appearances from the heroes of the Original Trilogy.

Most notable among them is Luke Skywalker, who was brought to life using special effects to recreate Mark Hamill circa the late 1980s. Luke was brought into both The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett through these means.

The reception to his arrival was decidedly hit or miss, with some praising this recreation of a younger Hamill while others picked it apart. The actor himself also questioned the technology’s use.

R2-D2 has been by Luke’s side in the MandoVerse shows as well, and now, with C-3PO in Ahsoka, plus Mon Mothma and Admiral Ackbar, many must be wondering who else from the original three films could crop up.

It obviously remains to be seen but with the de-aging technology available to Lucasfilm, a technology that’s continuously getting more efficient, it could be that some classic favorites like Lando Calrissian or Han Solo could play a part, depending on whether Billy Dee Williams and Harrison Ford would be up for having their likenesses used in that manner.

With Dave Filoni’s Mandalorian crossover film announced, there’s speculation that it might be an adaptation of Heir to the Empire. Thrawn’s reemergence would be an all-hands-on-deck scenario for the New Republic. This could possibly serve as the point of entry for additional Original Trilogy heroes.

Star Wars: Ahsoka releases new episodes on Thursdays at 9 p.m. EST. The season finale drops on October 3.

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- In This Article: Ahsoka

Release Date

August 22, 2023

Platform

Disney+

Actors

Mary Elizabeth Winstead

Natasha Liu Bordizzo

Genres

- About The Author: Jennifer McDonough

Jennifer McDonough has been a writer at The Direct since its 2020 launch. She is responsible for the creation of news articles and features. She also has a particular affinity for action figures and merchandise, which she revels in discussing in the articles she writes, when the situation calls for it.

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