The Mandalorian has changed the direction of Star Wars entirely. Perceived as running on fumes by many due to the reception of the latest wave of films, the franchise was given new life by Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni's first live-action series in the galaxy far, far away. Since debuting in 2019, the series has inspired a massive narrative of its own, with The Book of Boba Fett serving as a direct tie-in.
Star Wars fans have held the animated series in high esteem for well over a decade, beginning with The Clone Wars created by George Lucas. The show told the story of the galactic conflict set between Episodes II and III, featuring many of the prominent characters from the prequel trilogy in critical arcs. Perhaps the biggest things to come from the show were the new characters - namely, Ahsoka Tano and Captain Rex.
Clone Wars was indefinitely canceled when Disney acquired Lucasfilm, though eventually completed in 2020. During the extended hiatus, Star Wars Rebels aired for four seasons, bringing back many of the fan-favorite Clone Wars characters while introducing new beloved heroes and iconic villains to the canon. When The Mandalorian debuted, it became clear that animation would be directly connected with live-action - particularly with the Darksaber coming under the spotlight.
The time for live-action and animation to fully merge is now. The Mandalorian Season 2 saw Ahsoka and Bo-Katan Kryze make their debuts in the realistic Star Wars world, and all indicators point to even more characters joining the fray. With the promise of continued narrative expansion and appearances, a voice actor from Rebels now wants in on the fun.
Fenn Rau Actor Wants To Return For The Mandalorian
Actor Kevin McKidd has expressed via Twitter that he'd like to play Fenn Rau in The Mandalorian Season 3. Responding to a fan who pitched the idea shortly after Mando and the Darksaber's surprise return in The Book of Boba Fett Chapter 5, McKidd enthusiastically said "I agree!".
Is Fenn Rau Next In Line For A Cameo?
Given Favreau and Filoni's willingness to go all-in on connecting the animated world to the live-action front, bringing Kevin McKidd in to play Fenn Rau hardly seems implausible. The actor looks like the character, much the same way Bo-Katan is modeled after Katee Sackhoff, and Rau could serve as an interesting player in the coming conflict to restore Mandalore to its former glory.
The leader and last surviving member of the Protectors of Concord Dawn, Rau served with the Phoenix Squadron cell in the Rebellion for a time before standing by Bo-Katan as she led her first effort in reclaiming Mandalore from the Empire. There's no reason to assume Rau perished in the conflict or the Night of a Thousand Tears that followed, leaving the door open for an appearance in The Mandalorian.
One of the biggest connections Rau has to the rest of the surviving Mandalorians is Sabine Wren, who Natasha Liu Bordizzo will reportedly be portraying in Ahsoka. Rau was motivated to join the rebels because of Sabine's loyalty to the group and came to respect the rest of the Ghost crew as well. With Ahsoka serving as the sequel to Rebels, presumably all surviving heroes from the series are candidates to help in the quest to find Ezra Bridger and Grand Admiral Thrawn.
While Rau's involvement with that show could help link Din Djarin up with Ahsoka and Sabine, The Mandalorian Season 3 will be coming first. By this point in the timeline, Rau has a history with Bo-Katan that, good or bad, leaves room for interesting involvement in the series. Should rumors of the Bo-Katan series in development prove to be true, McKidd could also have the opportunity to reprise his role then as well.
The Mandalorian Season 3 debuts in late 2022 on Disney+.
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