This week's episode of The Mandalorian shocked us all when Jar Jar Binks actor Ahmed Best made his return to the Star Wars franchise as Jedi Master Kelleran Beq.
Revealed as the Jedi who saved Grogu on the night of Order 66, the duo managed to escape Coruscant but what came next is a story for another day. In an interview with StarWars.com (via SFFGazette.com), The Phantom Menace star reveals that it was executive producers Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, and Rick Famuyiwa who brought him back to this Galaxy Far, Far Away.
"As soon as I put the robes on for my first costume test, and I walked on to get approval from Jon and Dave, and they handed me a lightsaber, I was like, ‘Oh, I’m in this,'" Best recalls. "And boom, Kelleran Beq came alive."
The actor has previously revealed that the level of vitriol he received for playing Jar Jar once made him consider taking his own life. As a result, returning to Star Wars in such a big way was not an easy decision and, while he admits to being nervous, after giving it some thought, he says it was Favreau and Filoni that "made me want to come back."
"I see Kelleran as this journeyman Jedi who becomes a professor, who wants to be a teacher," Best adds. "Not a reluctant teacher, not someone who’s thrown into teaching. Who wants to influence, who wants to show Padawans how to become a greater version of themselves."
After contributing to both Beq's fighting style and his appearance, the actor hopes to return to continue telling his and Grogu's story.
"I really care about how Kelleran Beq will be received," he said shortly before the episode aired. "I know this might not be cool to say, but I want everyone who watches Star Wars to look at Kelleran Beq and go, ‘I believe that guy. I want to follow that guy. Where does he go? What happens next?’ I think all the best stories are stories that leave you wondering what happens next."
"You can tell stories in Star Wars and have them be in multiple mediums. As a writer, as a director now, as a teacher now, there is so much more that I want to do that this universe is perfect for, that I don’t want this to be the end of legacy. I don’t want this to be the end of the story. I want this to be the beginning, and a new beginning. Especially through Kelleran Beq."
Welcome back, Ahmed. May the Force be with you!