Original Star Wars Hero Finally Returns To The Franchise
Last night’s episode of Ahsoka featured an unexpected but welcome cameo from everyone’s favorite paranoid android, C-3PO. Franchise veteran Anthony Daniels returned once again to portray the golden worrywart, much to fan’s delight. Daniels’ Threepio was the first Star Wars character to appear on screen back in 1977 and, since then, has become an integral part of the saga.
C-3PO’s appearance in Ahsoka Episode 7 was far from just a fun walk-on part either. The fussy droid appeared as an ambassador sent by Senator Leia Organa to save Herra Syndulla from a court martial. The droid’s revelation that Leia claimed responsibility for Herra’s unsanctioned mission earlier in the season not only saved the Twi’lek general’s military career but effectively shut down the senator arguing against Syndulla.
C-3PO’s appearance on Ahsoka marks the twelfth time Anthony Daniels has dressed up as the golden droid. Daniels has portrayed C-3PO in all nine of the main Star Wars movies, as well as Rogue One and several animated series and video games. Daniels even had a non-3PO cameo in Solo.
The fussy droid appeared as an ambassador sent by Senator Leia Organa to save Herra Syndulla from a court martial.
The best part about having a C-3PO cameo instead of, say, Leia herself is that the droid’s appearance doesn’t require a recast or, worse, the lifeless CGI de-aging Disney is so fond of these days. Despite Daniels being in his late 70s, the fact that his face is completely concealed while playing C-3PO means that he can go on playing C-3PO whenever the droid pops up indefinitely.
Even if the Star Wars veteran reaches a point where he can’t comfortably wear the bulky droid prosthetics, Daniels can still voice C-3PO for as long as Disney will have him.
While Ahsoka is wrapping up its inaugural season with one more episode, future seasons of The Mandalorian and Book of Boba Fett, which also take place following the events of Return of the Jedi, could easily include appearances from Star Wars’ best and brightest.
Not only that, but having C-3PO cameo on one of the Disney+ shows feels less like cheap fan service and more like an organic way to tether the post-ROTJ content to the original trilogy without pandering. As cool as it was to have Luke Skywalker show up at the end of The Mandalorian‘s second season, ultimately, it felt like a hollow attempt to drum up goodwill from fans who were still unsure about how they felt about the post-Disney era of Star Wars.
C-3PO, on the other hand, has often been utilized as an auxiliary character, so a brief appearance from the almighty deity—hey, the Ewoks worshipped him as a god, so technically, that’s not wrong—doesn’t feel tacked on or forced.
The best part about having a C-3PO cameo instead of, say, Leia herself is that the droid’s appearance doesn’t require a recast or, worse, the lifeless CGI de-aging Disney is so fond of these days.
As to whether fans can look forward to more cameos from original trilogy characters, it’s always a possibility. While Ahsoka is wrapping up its inaugural season with one more episode, future seasons of The Mandalorian and Book of Boba Fett, which also take place following the events of Return of the Jedi, could easily include appearances from Star Wars’ best and brightest.
Meanwhile, Obi-Wan and Andor, while set prior to the original Star Wars trilogy, could also feature cameos from a familiar face or two.
The real question is, should Disney+ keep peppering their original material with little reminders of Star Wars past? If they stick to characters like C-3PO that don’t age, sure, why not? We could easily see Chewbacca or R2D2 showing up to give Mando a hand.
But if the cameo would require extensive use of AI to produce a weird Temu knockoff version of a classic Star Wars character, perhaps Disney should think twice. Nobody wants a repeat of Rogue One Carrie Fisher.
