Star Wars fans were in for a surprise when they tuned into Wednesday’s episode of “The Mandalorian.“
The new episode, titled “The Foundling,” featured an unexpected cameo from Ahmed Best who returned to the “Star Wars” universe as a Jedi named Kelleran Beq. The 49-year-old actor controversially played Jar Jar Binks in the franchise’s prequel trilogy.
Best was featured in a brief flashback to Order 66, when clone troopers double crossed and mass murdered the Jedi. When Grogu found himself surrounded by a group of enemy clone troopers, Kelleran came to his rescue and the pair escaped on a ship. The episode concluded with the possibility of Best’s return as Kelleran and Grogu fly off to an undisclosed location.
The “Star Wars” vet has taken on the role of the Jedi before. Best first played Kelleran in the webseries “Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge,” which was Disney+’s 2020 Star Wars-themed game show where children completed obstacle courses and answered quiz questions to earn the title of a Jedi Knight.
Best broke onto the scene playing Jar Jar in 1999’s The Phantom Menace, a role that was created by George Lucas as comic relief but ultimately rubbed both fans and critics the wrong way.
So reviled was the character Best once even considered suicide, he revealed a few years ago.
Jar Jar was the first ever fully computer generated character created for a film; Best previously expressed frustration that Andy Serkis is universally given all the plaudits for motion capture performance, when it is a field he himself helped pioneer.
Despite the revulsion, Jar Jar played a pivotal role in Star Wars cannon, triggering the vote to grant Supreme Chancellor Palpatine emergency powers to tackle the Separatist droid army, which allowed him to dissolve the Senate, reveal his clone army and declare himself Emperor.
Here’s what fans have to say about Best’s return!
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