Star Wars proved that the journey to the galaxy far, far away can work as well on the small screen as the big screen with The Mandalorian, and Disney+ isn't stopping with just the adventures of Mando and Baby Yoda. No fewer than three more live-action Star Wars TV shows are in the works at the Disney streamer to join The Mandalorian. With the future so full of Star Wars goodness, why not look back to the prequels for characters who should appear in the Disney+ shows?
Details are scarce about one of the three upcoming shows, but a fair amount has been announced for The Mandalorian Season 2, the Obi-Wan Kenobi series set between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, and the Cassian Andor-centric series that will serve as a Rogue One prequel of sorts. With what we know so far about the live-action Star Wars content coming to TV, there are some prequel era characters who could fit right in.
That said, some of those prequel era characters are more obvious than others. So, keep reading for our 10 picks for Star Wars prequel characters we want to see in the Disney+ shows!
Maul
Famously cut in half in the climax of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, Maul managed to use his hatred and anger (mostly at Obi-Wan) to survive and cause a lot of trouble during The Clone Wars, only to turn up again in Solo. He would finally meet his end in Star Wars Rebels. Maul will still be alive for the Obi-Wan project and likely at least part of the Cassian series.
Maul and Obi-Wan's confrontation on Star Wars Rebels means that they can't really reunite on the Obi-Wan series. That doesn't mean he can't appear, unless Obi-Wan's show features Obi-Wan in every single scene. Depending on how far ahead of Rogue One the Cassian series begins, Maul will likely be alive for part of it, and his appearances on Solo and Rebels prove that he has a knack for turning up in unexpected places.
Jabba The Hutt
Although Jabba the Hutt debuted in the original Star Wars trilogy, he made his first chronological Star Wars appearance in Phantom Menace, and Jabba (as well as the Hutts in general) impacted multiple arcs of The Clone Wars. Since he gets to live up until Leia strangles him in Return of the Jedi, there are a lot of years that he could be up to something on a Star Wars show.
Honestly, it almost wouldn't make sense if the Obi-Wan series doesn't include Jabba the Hutt in some form or other. Assuming that at least part of the series will be set on Tatooine, Jabba will have a lot of power on the planet. That's not to say that Obi-Wan will be frequenting Hutt establishments, but Jabba is a character who could appear without contrivance.
Boba Fett
Boba Fett is one of the more divisive characters of the Star Wars saga. Some people love him, while others think he's just a guy with cool armor who was knocked into a Sarlacc pit. Some people think he's a Mandalorian, while others think his status as a clone of Jango Fett means he doesn't count. That said, Boba Fett is reportedly returning to Star Wars to officially make it canon that he didn't die in the Sarlacc pit.
Whether or not Boba Fett counts as a Mandalorian, Temuera Morrison is apparently playing him on The Mandalorian! Assuming The Mandalorian doesn't deliver a twist and introduce Morrison as Rex in Season 2, Boba Fett's return to live-action means there's already an actor ready to go to play him. Boba Fett could be coming up as a young bounty hunter circa the Obi-Wan series and/or getting good at his job in the Cassian Andor series.
Qui-Gon Jinn
Had Qui-Gon Jinn been dead for a pretty long time by the end of the prequel era? Sure. Does that mean his story can't continue to be told in one of the upcoming Star Wars TV shows? Not necessarily! Qui-Gon was an unconventional Jedi whose death forged a bond between Obi-Wan and Anakin Skywalker that would impact the entire galaxy. He also learned how to communicate from the "netherworld of the Force," according to Yoda. No one's ever really gone, right?
Yoda and Obi-Wan's final interaction in Revenge of the Sith literally saw Yoda tell Obi-Wan that Qui-Gon would train him in his solitude on Tatooine, so the Obi-Wan Disney+ show provides the perfect opportunity to show that training. While The Clone Wars suggested that Qui-Gon could never fully appear from beyond, a Liam Neeson contribution is far from impossible.
Barriss Offee
If the name "Barriss Offee" doesn't ring a bell, that would be because she had an exceptionally minor appearance as a Padawan in Attack of the Clones in the background of the scene featured above, standing in the center to the side of her Jedi master, Luminara Unduli. While both characters were much more significant in the Clone Wars TV show, Barriss did technically debut in the movies. So, why is this background Padawan worth a return?
In The Clone Wars, Barriss turned on the Jedi after becoming disillusioned with their role in the galactic civil war, and she was expelled from the Order and taken away by the authorities, never to be seen again. For all we know, she survived Order 66. Did she go into exile? Or did she become an Inquisitor? Or something else? An appearance in the Obi-Wan series, Cassian series, or even The Mandalorian could provide the answers and bring a notable Clone Wars character back to live-action.
Cody
Cody was one of the many clones created for the Republic and used in the galactic civil war against the Separatists, and he worked closely with Obi-Wan Kenobi. In fact, he's probably most memorable to Star Wars film fans for returning Obi-Wan's lightsaber on Utapau and then proceeding to order his death without a second thought once Palpatine executed Order 66.
The Clone Wars developed a strong dynamic between Obi-Wan and Cody, and Cody didn't die on-screen in Revenge of the Sith. Having complied with Order 66, he wouldn't have had to go into exile like Rex. Cody could well still be working for the Empire when the Obi-Wan series picks up and be the perfect minor bad guy to mix things up.
Bail Organa
Without Bail Organa, Leia never would have been dispatched with the Death Star plans to try and recruit Obi-Wan, which basically means the events of the original trilogy never would have happened. Both a senator and a key figure in the Rebel Alliance, Bail's efforts to maintain and then eventually restore true democracy never faltered, and he imparted his ideals on his daughter.
Jimmy Smits is rumored to be in talks to reprise his role as Bail Organa for the Cassian Andor series, so Bail is hardly the most unlikely prequel character to come to Star Wars live-action TV. Mon Mothma is reportedly already on board the show, and another Rogue One actor is said to be in talks as well. If Bail does turn up in Cassian's pre-Rogue One adventures, he presumably won't be alone.
Now, let's take a look at some Clone Wars characters who may not have appeared in the prequel trilogy, but still very much appeared in the prequel era!
Bo-Katan Kryze
Bo-Katan Kryze (voiced by Battlestar Galactica's Katee Sackhoff) made her Star Wars debut in The Clone Wars as a Mandalorian warrior opposed the policies of her pacifist sister Satine, and returned in Season 7 to kick off the epic Siege of Mandalore arc. Star Wars is hazy on the details of what happens to Mandalore over the next 20 or so years, but she appeared in Rebels again to accept the Darksaber.
Well, Mandalorian viewers saw Moff Gideon brandish the Darksaber in the Season 1 finale, so there are big questions about what happened between Rebels Season 4 and The Mandalorian Season 1. Katee Sackhoff is reportedly bringing Bo-Katan to live-action for The Mandalorian in Season 2, so hopefully some answers about Mandalore (and how Gideon got the Darksaber) are on the way.
Caleb Dume/Kanan Jarrus
Jedi Padawan Caleb Dume only got a cameo via hologram by the side of Master Depa Billaba before the end of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, but that cameo combined with a comics arc reveals how Caleb survived Order 66 and grew up to become none other than Kanan Jarrus, a.k.a. the lead Jedi character of Star Wars Rebels.
While Caleb/Kanan can't appear in The Mandalorian, he could definitely turn up in both the Obi-Wan series and the Cassian series. With the Obi-Wan show picking up eight years after Revenge of the Sith, Kanan would be around the right age to meet Hera, who would become his partner for Rebels. As for Cassian's show, Kanan was operating as part of a different rebel cell in the same period. He would make sense in either timeline.
Ahsoka Tano
Ahsoka Tano was the Padawan of Anakin Skywalker who became a key part of his life between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, and the Clone Wars finale set her up for the next chapter in her story. She would eventually show up on Star Wars Rebels to participate in one of the show's most epic lightsaber duels. Who doesn't love Ahsoka?
Ahsoka is reportedly already slated to appear in The Mandalorian Season 2 with Rosario Dawson bringing her to live-action, which could be especially exciting for Rebels fans who want answers after that show's finale. The Obi-Wan series might not work, but the Cassian series could be perfect depending on how far ahead of Rogue One it premieres. She operated as Fulcrum before Cassian did, and was actively part of the Rebellion until a few years before the original trilogy.
There is no shortage of Star Wars characters from the prequel era who could turn up in the upcoming Star Wars TV content, even though Order 66 means a shortage of living Jedi aside from the potential stray survivor. Be sure to hit the comment section with your own thoughts and picks for characters who should appear in the Disney+ Star Wars shows, and don't forget to swing by our summer 2020 premiere schedule for some viewing options set elsewhere than the galaxy far, far away.
