Warning: spoilers ahead for The Mandalorian season 3 episode 4.
The of was full of surprises, one of the biggest being the return of icon Ahmed Best.
As many fans who’ve seen theprequel films will surely know, Ahmed played none other than in the trilogy, an eccentric and lovable character who’s grown somewhat of a cult fandom over the years.
It wasn’t Jar Jar who showed up in The Mandalorian, but a character named Kelleran Beq, when Grogu experiences a flashback to his time at the Jedi Temple.
So who is Kelleran and when else has Ahmed been seen in the Star Wars franchise?
Who is Kelleran Beq?
Kelleran Beq might have been unfamiliar to many Star Wars fans after they watched his scenes in the latest episode of , but he’s not a brand new character.
The Jedi Master actually made his debut in 2020, appearing in a web-based children’s game show called Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge.
Ahmed appeared in the role as the host of the show and a mentor to the participants.
In season three episode four of The Mandalorian, Kelleran is Grogu’s saviour when the youngling faces an attack from clone troopers at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant.
The siege takes place as a result of Order 66, an order that was put in place declaring all Jedi as traitors of the Galactic Republic, as dictated by Chancellor Palpatine, which leads to the creation of the Galactic Empire.
While several Jedi are slain trying to defend the younglings at the Temple, Kelleran manages to whisk Grogu away to safety, saving his life while masterfully fighting off the clone troopers with two lightsabers.
Has Ahmed Best been in Star Wars before?
Ahmed is best-known for playing Jar Jar Binks in the Star Wars prequel films, having first provided the motion capture and voice performance for the Gungan character in the 1999 film Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace.
He reprised the role in the sequel Episode II – Attack of the Clones, which came out in 2002, as well as Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, which was released in 2005.
Ahmed continued to play Jar Jar in several TV shows, including the animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Lego Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out.
However, Jar Jar isn’t the only character prior to Jedi Master Kelleran that the actor has depicted on screen.
In Episode II, he also made a special appearance as a human character named Achk Med-Beq in a scene set at the Outlander Club on Coruscant.
Given the shared surname, it could be presumed that Achk and Kelleran are related, but it’s understood that this is yet to be confirmed canonically.
The Mandalorian is available to watch on Disney Plus, with new episodes released on Wednesdays.
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