New Star Wars content is back on Disney+ with The Clone Wars to fill the void left by the end of The Mandalorian Season 1, although the shows are quite different. Not only is The Clone Wars animated and seven seasons in to tell the stories of the prequel era, but the end of The Clone Wars is coming far sooner than post-original trilogy Mandalorian. That said, there is always the possibility of characters from past Star Wars stories turning up on The Mandalorian; why not the Clone Wars character Rex?
Against all odds, Captain Rex survived the Clone Wars, more than a decade in exile, the events of Star Wars Rebels, and the original trilogy. At this point, it would almost feel wrong if Rex didn't turn up in The Mandalorian, when he reasonably could still be alive! Based on the timeline of The Mandalorian picking up five years after Return of the Jedi and Rex surviving the Battle of Endor, he could be alive to appear on The Mandalorian. But should he appear?
Dee Bradley Baker, who voices all of the clones of The Clone Wars including the fan-favorite Rex, spoke with CinemaBlend about all things Star Wars. When I asked if The Mandalorian should be next for Rex after Clone Wars and Rebels, Baker said this:
Let me see now! Answering such questions are for different minds on the creative food chain than mine, but wouldn't that be wonderful! [laughs] Wouldn't it be wonderful! I'm not sure that it's necessary. I think The Mandalorian, they're doing pretty good, they're doing fantastic with what they've brought and the excitement they've generated in the fanbase, that they've ignited. And it's fine! They can layer in characters from the rest of the Star Wars narrative if they wish, but certainly not necessary. They've got a really strong universe and a strong style in The Mandalorian that these choices are available. That's up to Jon Favreau and [Dave] Filoni and the good folks at Disney. And I can't wait to see what they're gonna do on that, because I couldn't get enough of The Mandalorian. I loved it.
On the one hand, Dee Bradley Baker stated that it would be "wonderful" for Rex to turn up on The Mandalorian, and there are undoubtedly plenty of Star Wars TV fans who agree. On the other hand, he raised the point that The Mandalorian is doing just fine without including characters from the existing movies and TV shows.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Resistance, and Star Wars Rebels (to a lesser extent) all included familiar Star Wars faces (albeit animated). The Mandalorian quickly became a hit with entirely original characters, and the galaxy far, far away is a big place. Both methods work, and The Mandalorian will surely remain great whether or not Rex makes his live-action debut.
But will it happen? The first season of The Mandalorian already led to some speculation of a certain Clone Wars bounty hunter appearing, although Bob Fett himself was ruled out by executive producer Jon Favreau ahead of the series premiere.
The Season 1 cliffhanger with Moff Gideon's Darksaber reveal connects to Clone Wars and Rebels, however, and Dave Filoni of Clone Wars, Rebels, and Mandalorian hasn't shut down hope for characters from the larger Star Wars saga turning up. Filoni also explained IG-11 was used for Mandalorian Season 1 as opposed to IG-88 because he prefers to create new characters; since Rex is technically a new character he and the Clone Wars team created, he could totally still turn up, right?
Only time will tell. What is safe to say at this point is that Dee Bradley Baker is a Mandalorian fan whether or not Rex turns up during Mando and Baby Yoda's adventures. Fortunately, neither Baker nor the fandom at large will have to wait years and years for more Mandalorian. Season 2 will debut on Disney+ in October 2020.
