After 26 years, Star Wars just brought back one Phantom Menace villain for an epic space-faring adventure. No one is really gone in the galaxy far, far away. When fans may think they may never see a particular actor or character again, Lucasfilm brings them back. Fans have seen this come to fruition in recent years, as names like Ahmed Best (who played Jar Jar Binks in the Prequels movies) have come back to the franchise after years away.
One particular character who has not been seen or heard from since his Star Wars debut has been the nefarious Sebulba. Introduced as a rival racer to Jake Loyd's Anakin Skywalker during the podracing sequence in The Phantom Menace, Sebulba arrived on the Star Wars scene, took part in an epic Boonta Eve Classic for the ages, and then disappeared. That is, until now, as the Prequels villain has been confirmed to return to the series after all these years.
Fans finally have new information about Sebulba's long-awaited return to the Star Wars franchise.
While it had been revealed that the character would once again participate in the epic sci-fi canon in the upcoming VR experience Star Wars: Beyond Victory, StarWars.com recently confirmed that original Sebulba voice actor Lewis MacLeod would be reprising the role.
Since The Phantom Menace, MacLeod continued to voice Sebulba; however, he has not made a canon appearance as the character since 1999.
The British voice actor has also lent his voice to several Star Wars video games over the years, including Star Wars: Obi-Wan, Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds, and Star Wars Outlaws.
Star Wars: Beyond Victory has been described as a mixed reality playset for the Meta Quest 3 and 3S. The new Star Wars experience sees users take on the role of an aspiring podracer, Volo Bolus, who is thrust into the middle of an epic original story set during the reign of the Empire.
MacLeod is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Beyond Victory's stacked cast. Other names attached include Bobby Moynihan, Fin Argus, and Lilimar Hernandez. Star Wars: Beyond Victory comes to Meta Quest on Tuesday, October 7.
What Is Next For Sebulba in Star Wars?
Seeing Sebulba back in the Star Wars spotlight will almost surely bring a smile to the faces of many Prequels fans. The bad-mouthing podracer has been one of the few Prequel-era villains to have not come back in any meaningful way since his initial debut in The Phantom Menace.
Since then, the character has been seen/heard on several occasions, in titles like LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, but he has not had a meaningful canon appearance until the upcoming Star Wars: Beyond Victory.
Other Phantom Menace characters have come back and had fruitful Star Wars careers—someone like Darth Maul, who was killed off at the end of that movie, has come back from the dead a couple of times, and now has his own TV show coming to Disney+ in 2026.
While Sebulba fans would be thrilled to see the podracer treated that way in the Star Wars canon going forward, it seems highly unlikely.
What seems more probable is that Sebulba returns in the new Beyond Victory experience, showing the character in a new light (this time as a mentor, not an adversary), and then goes back on the shelf.
It does not look like there is a sweeping tale to tell featuring Sebulba in the current Star Wars canon, especially as the franchise attempts to move away from the point in the timeline where the character would have existed.
So, for now, fans will have to take what they can get with the Prequels villain, and enjoy the mini Sebulba-sance that is to come when Star Wars: Beyond Victory arrives later this fall.
