New Star Wars Theory Points to the Return of a Major Clone Wars Hero on Disney+
Ahsoka could be reuniting with an important character from her Jedi past.
Prequel Trilogy actor Temuera Morrison has enjoyed a bit of a Star Wars renaissance in recent years, thanks to live-action shows such as The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. In both, he took on the role of Boba Fett, the bounty hunting son of the equally infamous mercenary Jango Fett, Morrison’s original character from Attack of the Clones. His role as Boba Fett has opened up a whole new realm of possibilities for Morrison in Star Wars despite Jango’s death in the Prequels.
But although Boba’s story seemed far from over after the events of Book, Morrison didn’t appear in the third season of The Mandalorian, which picks up where his series left off. With no certainty that Book of Boba Fett will even get a second season or that there are plans for the daimyo of Mos Espa in The Mandalorian season 4, we’ve been left to wonder when we might see Morrison in the armor again. Thankfully, there may be hope yet for the actor’s return if a new online fan theory is true. But not as Boba…
You see, at the end of June, the mobile game Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes announced that it would be adding Captain Rex to its catalog of playable characters. While the character’s armor looks exactly like Rex’s does in the Rebels animated series, the animated character’s face looks a lot like Morrison. This character design has led many to theorize that Morrison could be making an appearance in the show as a live-action version of Rex.
This isn’t as far-fetched a fan theory as you might initially think. After all, Star Wars is well known for the ways it incorporates the movies, TV series, books, comics, and video games into a single continuity and the way all these different mediums communicate with each other. In fact, synergy across different branches of Star Wars has been a key part of Disney’s storytelling strategy since the studio took over the franchise in 2012. So, while it’s of course possible Galaxy of Heroes has simply introduced a Rex that looks a lot like Morrison as a nod to live-action fans, it could also be teasing a surprise new Star Wars role for the actor. It would make a bit of sense considering Rex is technically a clone of Morrison’s Jango Fett and that the Clone Wars character has long been an important ally to Ahsoka Tano, who coincidentally is about to get her own Disney+ series in August. Is there a more perfect time for Morrison’s debut as a live-action Rex?
The actor himself told Washington Post in 2022 that he’d be interested in playing the Clone Wars captain, saying, “He looks a little like me. There’s [also] Commander Cody, what happened to those guys? There are all those clone armies. That could be something fresh and new and exciting.”
If Morrison does pop up in Ahsoka, this wouldn’t even be the first time that the actor has appeared in live-action as a clone other than Boba Fett. In Obi-Wan Kenobi, he had a brief cameo as a veteran clone trooper in the second episode of the series. But even if his appearance in Ahsoka turns out to be just as brief, including Rex in the show is a lot more than just an easter egg.
Rex was first introduced in the Clone Wars animated movie, which was the precursor to the series of the same name. He fought closely with the Jedi, especially Anakin Skywalker and his padawan Ahsoka. Even after Ahsoka was kicked out of the Order, Rex and the 332nd Company helped her free Mandalore from the grips of Darth Maul before Order 66 forced the two to fight for their lives and escape the rise of the Empire. The two faked their deaths in a Star Destroyer crash and parted ways for a time before reconnecting in Rebels as members of the fledgling Rebel Alliance.
Given Rex and Ahsoka’s friendship throughout Clone Wars and Rebels, it makes sense that he would make an appearance in Ahsoka. Between Clone Wars and Rebels, Ahsoka and Rex have been through a lot together. They’ve fought in not one, but two wars together, going from the Clone Wars to the Rebellion with only a little down time in between. If Ahsoka came to him asking for help to find Ezra Bridger or literally anything else on the new live-action series, it’s hard to imagine a world where Rex would say no.
Rex has worked with the other members of the Ghost crew, like General Hera Syndulla and Mandalorian Rebel Sabine Wren, both of which are also set to appear in Ahsoka. So Rex is an important person, not only in Ahsoka’s life, but as part of the larger Rebellion. With so much of his Clone Wars and Galactic Civil War story now told on screen, it would certainly be great to see what he’s been up in the New Republic era.
Star Wars: Ahsoka premieres on Disney+ Aug. 23.
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Brynna Arens (she/her) is a freelance writer who studies movies, TV, and pop culture through an intersectional feminist lens. She'll watch almost anything tbh, but it's…