Multiversal stories seem to be all the rage right now, with massive IPs offering remixed versions of continuity that’s been long established. LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy does offer up some “what if” scenarios for viewers. However, the delightful four-part miniseries does much more than that, as it completely flips its fictional universe on its head. Gaten Matarazzo, who voices the lead character on the show, is aware of how unique the project is. With that, when he spoke to CinemaBlend, he explained how “unreal” it is for him to be part of it.
The actor, who will soon bid farewell to his Stranger Things role, loves the Star Wars movies and shows, and he even answered some fun questions related to the saga years back. When I spoke to him about Rebuild the Galaxy, we absolutely geeked out about the finer details of this beloved sci-fi franchise. The actor also discussed the novelty of being a fan playing a fan. From there, he also discussed what it was like working with the creative team:
Yeah, the concept of being able to play a Star Wars fan in the Star Wars universe never seemed like it would be possible. And the fact that I got to do it in a show like this… It's unreal, and it's still one of the greatest honors I'm currently doing. It's been the biggest ‘pinch me’ moment ever. And, yeah, especially as we got further along in the episodes, and things started to feel looser, and my relationship with [EP] Dan [Hernandez], [EP] Benji [Samit] and [director] Chris [Buckley] got more familiar, there was a lot more room for just improv and riffing and like, asking about, if I could mention this Star Wars fact or if I could mention this part of the expanded universe.
Needless to say, the Honor Society star is living fans’ dreams with his latest gig. The idea of being a fan of this universe and not only getting to play in the sandbox but help reshape it is so crazy. Of course, there had to be limits in some regard, as the star went on to tell me. In addition to discussing Lucasfilm’s oversight, he perfectly used three words to describe the entire series:
Of course, Lucasfilm was always there to, like, make sure everything's good, because it's very – we teeter the line of legends and canon. And it's so fun to be in a project that gives you the opportunity to teeter that line and just fully embrace being a Star Wars fan. … Basically, we got the rights by Lucasfilm to make a fan fiction show. [That’s] pretty much what this is, and for them to allow me to be a part of it is unreal.
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He, series EPs Dan Hernandez & Benji Sami and co. do indeed “teeter” that line and do it wonderfully. On Rebuild the Galaxy, Gaten Matarazzo voices Sig Greebling, a nerf herder who lives on the planet Fennesa and loves telling stories related to the Skywalker Saga. Sig’s world is transformed, however, after he and his brother, Dev, encounter a hidden Jedi temple and remove a brick known as the “Cornerstone.” The young man must team up with the enigmatic Jedi Bob to swap the mixed up world – in which his brother is a Sith Lord, Ewoks are bounty hunters – back to normal.
Action, humor, heart and LEGO-infused chaos are plentiful throughout the four episodes, and Gaten Matarazzo delivers a sweet performance. I’m impressed by how he and his collaborators managed to tell such a cohesive story while twisting elements of canon. Hopefully, this won’t be the last time Matarazzo has the opportunity to play Sig again in an upcoming Star Wars TV show or movie and further bend the rules a bit.
Stream LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy is now using a Disney+ subscription. Those already eager for another fresh offering from the galaxy far, far away should know that the live-action show Star Wars: Skeleton Crew premieres on December 3 amid the 2024 TV schedule.
