[WARNING: The following contains MAJOR spoilers for The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 4, “The Foundling.”]
One of The Mandalorian’s biggest mysteries has been solved — and not in a way most (if any) fans anticipated.
From the moment fans learned that the adorable little Grogu was actually older than Mando (Pedro Pascal) and an Order 66 survivor to boot, questions lingered. Who had rescued him from the horrible fate that befell most Jedi younglings? In “The Foundling,” which was directed by Carl Weathers (who plays Greef Karga), we got our answer. Baby Yoda’s savior — thank the Force — was a Jedi named Kelleran Beq. Here’s what to know about him… and why the character made plenty of Star Wars fans cheer.
Who Plays Kelleran?
For much of the fandom, the joy in seeing Kelleran comes not from him being a well-known or pre-established character like Bo-Katan (Katee Sackhoff) or Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson), but from who’s portraying him. Ahmed Best, the actor playing Kelleran, also played Jar Jar Binks in the prequel trilogy. Best is an extremely familiar presence in the Star Wars universe, and the Internet at large appears thrilled to see him have such a pivotal role in canon — especially after he spent years on the receiving end of hatred, vitriol and even death threats for his role as Jar Jar.
If you listen closely, there’s actually a second “cameo” in this episode: Temuera Morrison voiced the Clone Troopers hunting down Kelleran and Grogu. That’s logical, considering that the Clone army was made from Jango Fett’s genetic material.
What Do We Know About Ahmed Best’s Jedi?
While Kelleran hadn’t appeared in any major canon TV or film releases prior to The Mandalorian, this wasn’t actually his first appearance in the Star Wars galaxy. Best’s Jedi debuted in Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge, a children’s game show from 2020, where he also had a droid called AD-3. Best had also portrayed a Jedi in Attack of the Clones, Ahck Med-Beq, although he is a completely separate character from Kelleran. (Best has said the two are relatives.)
We don’t know a ton about Kelleran yet, but what we do know is exciting. He seems to have connections to Naboo, as the Naboo guard provided him with the same model of ship that Padme Amidala (Natalie Portman) used during the prequels. Could he have taken Grogu to Naboo for a brief period of safety? And for that matter, is Kelleran still alive? Some Jedi survived Order 66 and spent years in hiding, as Obi-Wan (Ewan McGregor) did. Kelleran could’ve been one of them. However, we know he and Grogu end up separated at some point, or the events of The Mandalorian never would’ve have taken place. We’ll have to wait and see when Ahmed Best’s pivotal and kindhearted Jedi returns, but one thing’s for sure: We’re elated he’s here, and the Force was certainly with him.
The Mandalorian Season 3, Wednesdays, Disney+
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