The Mandalorian is a go-to place for Star Wars fans who love going back. The excitement level is always high for all of them, from characters from the original trilogy to newcomers who have only been on the series for a few years. But few have been more heartwarming than the latest episode, which saw the triumphant return of Gaga Binks actor Ahmed Best.
The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 4 on Disney Plus introduces Jedi Knight Kyler Lambek as the finally revealed mystery figure who saves Grogu Jr. from Order 66’s attack on the Jedi Temple . Beq is played by veteran Star Wars actor and all-around decent Best, who many will remember as the voice and motion capture performer behind Jar Jar Binks in the prequel trilogy. But not only is Kelleran in the running for best (pun intended) new Star Wars character right now, but he’s not even a newcomer.
In an interview with StarWars.com, Best detailed Kelleran’s character and how he was created. The Jedi Knight, also known as “The Swordsman,” made his debut as a showrunner on the 2020 kids’ game show Star Wars : Jedi Temple Challenge. The show, loosely based on actual Star Wars canon, sees him lead young contestants through challenges as part of a Jedi training session. Not only did Best play the classic role, but he also helped create Kellerand. (Interestingly, Best also played a background character in Attack of the Clones named Achk Med-Beq, whose name Kelleran Beq was inspired by.)
“I learned a lot about Kelleran Beq,” Best explained. ‘It’s really special to me. Kelleran Beq is one of the characters in my coined name, which I came up with really encouraged by the Jedi Temple Challenge team and the StarWars.com team. Everyone has graciously taken my crazy ideas and brought them up, and seeing them migrate to The Mandalorian is really special. As for why he thought Kelleran was a good choice to save the seemingly mighty Grogu in the Jedi Temple, Best continued, “I think Kelleran was a skilled Jedi who became A professor who wants to be a teacher. Not a reluctant teacher, not one who is committed to teaching. Who wants to influence, who wants to show Padawans how to be a better version of themselves.
Best experienced great turmoil and trauma due to audience overreaction to his famously divisive period as Jar Jar Binks. But while he admits the character’s backlash has left him in an extremely dark situation, almost to the point of suicide, he still seems to respect the character and what it stands for. “Jar Jar changed movies, and I don’t think Jar Jar gets much credit for changing movies,” Best continued. “But Jar Jar was the first CGI main character in the history of film. There were other CGI characters, but an evolution of the fact that you could play a CGI character and a performance capture actor, really George [Lucas], really Jar Jar And ILM and all of us, and it’s a big change for cinema. It means a lot to me to be a part of it. Especially since I’m from the South Bronx – this corny, literary, nerdy, skinny kid, Star Wars It was the first movie I ever saw in my life.
Star Wars isn’t just about cool lightsabers. Now is full of opportunities, and Best wants to continue to seize these opportunities. “There’s so much more I want to do as a writer, now as a director, now as a teacher, this universe fits perfectly, and I don’t want this to be the end of the legacy,” he concluded. “I don’t want this to be the end of the story. I want it to be a beginning, a new beginning. Especially through Kelleran Beq.
The Mandalorian season 3 releases new episodes every Wednesday on Disney Plus, and Star Wars : Jedi Temple Challenge is available on the Star Wars Kids YouTube channel.