Star Wars announced the long-awaited return of a fan-favorite Phantom Menace character, Sebulba, as a part of a new initiative from the space-faring franchise.
Over the years, the galaxy far, far away has been no stranger to bringing long-lost characters back after years away from the series. In fact, fans will get another taste of this in just a couple of weeks, when beloved characters from Star Wars: Rogue One, like Forest Whitaker's Saw Gerrera, come back in Andor Season 2.
This dipping of toes into past projects has extended well beyond just the big and small screen for the brand, with character cameos appearing in everything from Star Wars comics to new rides at the Disney parks.
A Prequels Legend Returns to Star Wars
It has been announced that a beloved character from the Star Wars prequels will be returning to the universe after some time away.
As part of its greater reveal of the new Star Wars: Beyond Victory—A Mixed Reality Playset, StarWars.com revealed that the iconic Phantom Menace villain Sebulba will be included.
The new mixed reality experience, being developed for Meta Quest 3 and 3S headsets, will see "up-and-comer Volo Bolus...join forces with the legendary podracer pilot Sebulba" in what has been described as an "electrifying story [with] a variety of unique modes for players to enjoy:"
"Announcing 'Star Wars: Beyond Victory—A Mixed Reality Playset,' the new experience in development at Industrial Light & Magic and Lucasfilm, exclusively for Meta Quest 3 and 3S headsets! Meet up-and-comer Volo Bolus as they join forces with the legendary podracer pilot Sebulba in this heart-pumping and engine-thrumping mixed reality experience. Set around the time of 'Solo: A Star Wars Story', 'Beyond Victory' will feature an electrifying story and a variety of unique modes for players to enjoy."
Fans may remember Subulba as the gruesome Dug pilot who went up against young Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars Episode I before the soon-to-be Jedi left him in the dust and won the Boonta Eve Classic, winning his freedom and setting the greater Star Wars story in motion.
Beyond Victory is currently in development at Industrial Light & Magic and Lucasfilm, and fans in attendance at the upcoming Star Wars Celebration event in Tokyo, Japan, will get to experience a taste of what this new Sebulba-starring experience has to offer (read more about what to expect at Star Wars Celebration here).
Those looking to get a peek behind the curtain at the experience's story early can do so with an upcoming Marvel comic from Ethan Sacks, teasing a look at what leads into Beyond Victory, including how Sebulba gets wrapped up into this whole shindig.
Where Has Sebulba Been Since Star Wars Episode I?
This news will surprise some, as they have not seen or heard from Sebubla since his appearance in the Star Wars prequels. Well, this is not even his first return to the franchise.
Sebulba has popped up here and there several times since The Phantom Menace, but usually in smaller cameo roles as opposed to the starring one he will get in Beyond Victory.
Eagle-eyed fans may have caught references to the character in a few episodes of the hit animated Clone Wars series. In that show, he appeared on some in-universe posters a few times but never meaningfully played into the story.
Since losing to Anakin in Episode I, the fierce podracer continued his career behind the wheel, taking his skills to various circuits across the cosmos.
He would eventually appear in the comic book series Star Wars Adventures in 2017, in a storyline in which he pilots a ship alongside Lando Calrissian after the fall of the Empire.
In this story, Sebulba, who was deeply in debt to the Hutts at the time, joined forces with Lando after the iconic original trilogy hero signed up for a battle race and helped stave off a massive Imperial Star Destroyer commanded by one of the few remaining Imperial sects.
Besides his appearance in Phantom Menace, that comic book story is about the only other time Star Wars has attempted to fill in some of Sebulba's blanks.
Thankfully, with the release of Beyond Victory (set sometime between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope), those Sebula superfans will get more information on yet another period of the character's life.
Fans looking for even more exciting Star Wars returns should make sure to tune into Andor Season 2, which debuts on Disney+ on Tuesday, April 22 (read about Andor's latest trailer here).
