One of the highlights – and there were many highlights – of The Foundling, Chapter 20 of The Mandalorian was the return not only of Kelleran Beq, the Jedi teacher from 2020’s Jedi Temple Challenge, but of the actor behind Kelleran, his brother Achk Med-Beq and of course Jar Jar Binks – Ahmed Best. Ahmed spoke to the Official Site about the return, the character, the past and his love for the saga.
“I really care about how Kelleran Beq will be received. 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,” he says. “I think that’s why Star Wars has survived as long as it has, because all of these characters are characters who have lives.” Indeed, Grogu’s recognition of this traumatic event marks a turning point in his journey as a Force-sensitive Mandalorian, while it also establishes Kelleran as his original protector, devoted to his student and his survival.
“Being a part of Star Wars has been a dream come true since 1997 when I first was cast by George [Lucas]. Jar Jar changed movies, and I don’t think Jar Jar gets a lot credit for changing movies. But Jar Jar was the first CGI main character in movie history. There had been other CGI characters, but the evolution of the fact that you can star as a CGI character, and an actor in performance capture, was really George, was really Jar Jar and ILM and all of us, and it was a significant change in movies. To be a part of that is enormous for me. Especially me coming from the South Bronx — this corny, artsy, nerdy, skinny kid, where Star Wars was the first movie I had ever seen in my life,” he says. “Now, coming back, being in The Mandalorian, part of me doesn’t want to let it go. In The Phantom Menace days, you had to let it go. It was just George doing it. Now, you can do it for a while. 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.”
