50 Roles for 50 Actors: Dream casting the Star Wars saga

Dream casting the Star Wars saga: Hayden Christensen as Dak Ralter

Remember: our rules are that no one who appeared in the original Star Wars movies could reprise their role in our hypothetical remake. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t cast someone who had a part in the original films in a different role. With that in mind, I give you Hayden “Anakin Skywalker” Christensen as Dak Ralter, Luke’s gunner during the Battle of Hoth. You’re welcome.

Daz has very little limited screen time. He piles into a fighter with Luke near the beginning of The Empire Strikes Back, utters some famous last words (“Right now I feel I can take on the whole Empire myself!”), and promptly dies when the Battle of Hoth starts up. It was probably those last words—he was just tempting fate there.

It would be a fun little throwaway gag to give Christensen a cameo as Ralter. It would be a way to honor him for the work he did in the prequel trilogy, but those who didn’t think much of his work there might enjoy watching him bite it onscreen. Everybody wins.

Also, both Christensen and the actor who played Dak in Empire—John Morton—have higher-pitched voices, so there’s a bit more to this than just an amusing cameo opportunity. That’s mostly what it is, though.

Next: Oh, that name is just mean