- Carrie Fisher[5] as Leia Organa, the Force-sensitive leading general of the Resistance. She is Ben Solo's mother, Luke Skywalker's twin sister, and the daughter of Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala. Fisher, who died in December 2016, appears through the use of repurposed unreleased footage from The Force Awakens.[8][9][c][d]
- Mark Hamill[5] as Luke Skywalker, the last Jedi Master, who became one with the Force in The Last Jedi.[14]
- Adam Driver as Kylo Ren (Ben Solo),[15] the Supreme Leader of the First Order, who shares a powerful Force connection with Rey. He is the son of Leia Organa and Han Solo.
- Daisy Ridley as Rey,[15] a former scavenger from Jakku, member of the Resistance, the paternal granddaughter of Palpatine, and the last Jedi.[16][17]
- Cailey Fleming and Josefine Irrera Jackson as young Rey. Fleming appears through the use of archive footage from The Force Awakens.[18]
- John Boyega as Finn,[15] a member of the Resistance and a former stormtrooper (FN-2187) who defected from the First Order.
- Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron,[15] a high-ranking X-wing fighter pilot and commander of the Resistance who later inherits the rank of General from Leia.
- Anthony Daniels[5] as C-3PO, a humanoid protocol droid in the service of Leia.
- Naomi Ackie as Jannah,[19] a former stormtrooper of the First Order (TZ-1719) living on the planet Kef Bir, who aids the Resistance.
- Domhnall Gleeson[5] as General Hux, the First Order's third in-command.
- Richard E. Grant[5] as Allegiant General Pryde, a high-ranking general and second-in-command of the First Order and later commanding officer of a Sith armada, the Final Order, who previously served in the Galactic Empire.[20]
- Lupita Nyong'o[5] as Maz Kanata, a former space pirate and ally of the Resistance.
- Keri Russell as Zorii Bliss,[21][22] an old acquaintance of Poe's from Kijimi.[23]
- Joonas Suotamo[5] as Chewbacca, a Wookiee and first mate of the Millennium Falcon.
- Kelly Marie Tran[5] as Rose Tico, a mechanic in the Resistance and friend of Finn.
- Ian McDiarmid[24][25] as Emperor Palpatine, the resurrected Dark Lord of the Sith, shadow leader of the First Order, creator of Snoke, and Rey's paternal grandfather. He serves as the main antagonist of the Skywalker Saga and was previously thought to be conclusively dead after the Battle of Endor depicted in Return of the Jedi (1983).[26][27]
- Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrissian,[5] a veteran of the Rebel Alliance, a former owner of the Millennium Falcon, and an old friend of Chewbacca, Leia, Luke, and Han.
Billie Lourd,[c] Greg Grunberg, and Harrison Ford reprise their roles as Lieutenant Kaydel Ko Connix, Temmin "Snap" Wexley, and Han Solo, respectively.[28][29][30] Additionally, Dominic Monaghan portrays Resistance trooper Beaumont Kin, Shirley Henderson voices Babu Frik, and Nick Kellington portrays Klaud via capture performance.[18] Hassan Taj and Lee Towersey perform the role of R2-D2, while Dave Chapman and Brian Herring return as the puppeteers of BB-8,[18] and director J. J. Abrams also provides the voice for D-O.[31] Martin Wilde, Anton Simpson-Tidy, Lukaz Leong, Tom Rodgers, Joe Kennard, and Ashley Beck appear as the Knights of Ren.[18] Amanda Lawrence reprises her role as Commander Larma D'Acy, while Vinette Robinson plays her wife, Pilot Wrobie Tyce.[32]
Jodie Comer and Billy Howle briefly appear as Rey's parents, Dathan and Miramir,[31][33] while Tom Wilton and screenwriter Chris Terrio briefly appear as the performer and voice for Aftab Ackbar, the son of Admiral Ackbar, respectively;[34][35] and Mike Quinn and Kipsang Rotich return as the performer and voice of Nien Nunb, respectively.[18] Denis Lawson and Warwick Davis briefly reprise their roles as Wedge Antilles, a veteran of the Rebel Alliance; and Wicket W. Warrick, now the leader of the Ewoks, respectively.[35][31] Composer John Williams cameos as Oma Tres, a Kijimi bartender, Kevin Smith cameos as a Kijimi inhabitant, and Abrams' frequent composer collaborator Michael Giacchino cameos as a Sith Trooper, while Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeff Garlin both cameo as human and alien Resistance troopers, respectively.[31][36][37] Actors making reprisal vocal cameos include: Hayden Christensen and James Earl Jones as Anakin Skywalker / Darth Vader, Andy Serkis as Snoke, and the voices of several past Jedi, including Ewan McGregor and Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan Kenobi (the latter via digitally altered archive audio), Ashley Eckstein as Ahsoka Tano, Freddie Prinze Jr. as Kanan Jarrus, Olivia d'Abo as Luminara Unduli, Frank Oz as Yoda, Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn, Jennifer Hale as Aayla Secura, Samuel L. Jackson as Mace Windu, and Angelique Perrin as Adi Gallia.[35] Ed Sheeran, Karl Urban, Dhani Harrison, Nigel Godrich, J. D. Dillard, and Dave Hearn all cameo as stormtroopers.[35][38]
