You may not have been able to see Simon Pegg in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but he was in the J.J. Abrams film, hidden underneath layers of makeup and CGI as the character Unkar Plutt. The junk boss on the planet Jakku, who seemingly served as a caretaker or guardian for Rey, is one of the more memorable aliens in the sequel trilogy. Speaking about the character, Simon Pegg joked about Unkar Plutt’s role in the upcoming Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, saying:
It was great, it was great to play such an important part in the Star Wars universe. And I hope I'm not spoiling it for anyone to say that Unkar Plutt, in Episode 9, will become something of a significant character. And he is actually The Force, and as such, means more than any other Star Wars character. Particularly Han Solo ...or Luke Skywalker.
And you thought the return of Emperor Palpatine and the reveal of Dark Side Rey were big deals. As a friend and frequent collaborator with Mr. Mystery Box himself J.J. Abrams, Simon Pegg should really be tighter-lipped about such things because this bombshell constitutes a major spoiler. Apparently the Crolute Unkar Plutt, best known for his strict portion control, will be in Episode IX and his role will be greatly expanded from The Force Awakens.
Unkar Plutt will be hugely significant and the real important figure as this Saga comes to a close. As Simon Pegg joked to GQ, Unkar Plutt is The Force. He’s not a Force wielder or Force sensitive, he literally is The Force. His subordinates and customers call him Unkar Plutt, but to his friends he’s Mr. Force. As the living Force, Unkar Plutt surely has an immeasurably high midichlorian count, making Anakin’s 20,000+ look positively sterile in comparison.
According to Simon Pegg, his Unkar Plutt means more than any other Star Wars character, including those overrated characters like Han Solo and Luke Skywalker. I mean, Han Solo can’t even use the Force and Unkar is The Force, so Simon’s argument is sound. What this means for the plot of The Rise of Skywalker and the end of the Skywalker Saga is anyone’s guess.
In all seriousness, although he wasn’t as important a character as Simon Pegg joked, Unkar Plutt is a fun one that has provided some great internet fodder. The last we saw Unkar Plutt, he was letting out the iconic “That’s mine!” as Rey and Finn made off with the Millennium Falcon. He was also part of Rey’s Force vision at Maz Kanata’s castle as she saw when her parents, whoever they were, left her in his care on Jakku.
In a deleted scene from The Force Awakens, Unkar Plutt follows Rey and Finn to Tokodana and gets his arm ripped off by Chewbacca. That was presumably the end of his tale because as far as we know Simon Pegg is not in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. That said, it wouldn’t be surprising if Rey went back to Jakku, where it all began for her or we saw some more flashbacks to her past in the upcoming film. Both of those situations would theoretically allow for an Unkar Plutt return.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker blasts into theaters on December 20. Check out our 2019 Release Schedule to keep track of all this year’s biggest movies.
