Another consideration is how many players do you have? The fewer players at the table the more impetus there is to participate, especially if there are a few players who are outgoing and boisterous. It may be best to change up the dynamic a bit.

That said, some players just want to be social, roll dice sometimes during combat and just watch the story unfold around them.

I have brought all this up two sessions ago. Nothing has really changed. They all reititerated that they want to play, that they want to play an RPG, and that they are enjoying the game. It's hard to do anything with that response, lol.

Okay, then the other question I have is are YOU having fun? Because if you are okay with the amount of pleasure you're getting from the game and they're enjoying the proceedings despite being passive, then this might be a case of "that's just how it is". But if you're not, then yeah, something got to change - the GM has a right to have fun when running the game too.

A TPK for some inattentive gamers for a shakeup could work

So, I had some success with the suggestions in this thread! In particular, getting one player on side to ham it up, really seemed to let two of the other players relax and get into it more. The cutouts of their characters seemed to be well received as well. It seemed to give them a firmer idea on who their character is, and actually lead to one character changing his species because he just wasn't getting a look he could connect with! A positive experience.

There is still one problem player, who actually mocked me as I was encouraging him to narrate his attack... But he's just the one dark spot in an otherwise brighter gaming experience.

I'm hoping we can build on the session and that one player won't negatively affect the group. If he does... I will have to ask him to leave. That will be difficult.

Again, a really hearty thank you for everyone's suggestions!

There is still one problem player, who actually mocked me as I was encouraging him to narrate his attack... But he's just the one dark spot in an otherwise brighter gaming experience.

I bet if you mete out XP awards for good roleplaying and said curmudgeon doesn't get any, he'll change his tune. If he cries foul, you can explain what the rewards are for, and that he doesn't have to play the way everyone else does, but he shouldn't expect the same rewards - and he certainly shouldn't be a jerk about it.

Something I've tried with some success is to just get the players themselves to stand up. Walk around. Play on the back porch. There are unfortunately those players that like to sit and watch, which takes up a chair that someone who actually plays could be sitting in. Sometimes getting them out of their comfortable chairs gets them active and emphasizes the role -playing aspect. One of my proudest moments was having such an emotional scene on my porch that the player actually started crying. No dice necessary, and if you do need them use a small table that everyone can reach but doesn't get in the way.

Aside from that I am also a big supporter of the 'find me a picture of your character' camp. This goes a long way to establishing how the player sees their character as well as getting them into the right mindset. I wouldn't just limit them to pictures related to Star Wars though. One of my biggest NPC's is currently being played by Idris Elba. That picture was much easier to show than trying to describe him outright, and commanded immediate respect.

Glad it worked out for the most part.