‘Star Wars’ Finally Brings Beloved Jedi Character to Life in New Disney+ Series
An upcoming Star Wars miniseries set to premiere on Disney+ later this month will see the return of several actors and their respective characters. However, for one of them, it’s their debut appearance outside the medium that has made them so popular among fans.
The Star Wars franchise is currently undergoing a relaunch in film. Leading the charge next May is The Mandalorian & Grogu (2026), directed by Jon Favreau with Pedro Pascal reprising his role as the bounty hunter Din Djarin, alongside the pint-sized Force-wielder.
One year after that is Star Wars: Starfighter (2027) from director Shawn Levy (Deadpool & Wolverine) and starring Ryan Gosling in the lead role. Set five years after The Rise of Skywalker (2019), it’s marked as the first post-sequel trilogy entry on the big screen.
There are other Star Wars movies in development with no release dates, including the untitled Rey sequel with Daisy Ridley and an untitled Mando-Verse crossover from Dave Filoni. Meanwhile, on Disney+ it’s pretty much business as usual for the faraway galaxy.
While it’s been some time since the last live-action series (Andor Season 2 earlier this year), the second season of Ahsoka is set to break the silence — although there’s no release date yet. Until then, at least we have animated Star Wars to keep us entertained.
Most fans probably don’t put a great deal of stock in LEGO Star Wars — after all, it’s nothing more than a bit of fun designed to celebrate and parody the wider franchise. But there’s a very specific reason why we’re excited about the upcoming four-part miniseries LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy — Pieces of the Past. Watch the official trailer below:
If you watched last year’s Rebuild the Galaxy, you’ll recognize many familiar faces — and voices — throughout the trailer for the new follow-up: Gaten Matarazzo (Sig Greebling), Tony Revolori (Darth Dev), Bobby Moynihan (Jedi Bob), Marsai Martin (Yesi Scala), Michael Cusack (Servo), Ahmed Best (Darth Jar Jar), and Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker).
Looking at the likes of Hamill and Best, it’s clear that LEGO Star Wars isn’t shy about bringing back actors from the films and other mediums to reprise their roles. Last year’s Rebuild the Galaxy even brought back Naomi Ackie as Jannah (from The Rise of Skywalker), TC Carson as Mace Windu (The Clone Wars), and Anthony Daniels as C-3PO.
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Now, Cameron Monaghan is also set to return as Cal Kestis. Monaghan, who plays the character in the popular video games “Jedi: Fallen Order” and “Jedi: Survivor,” will be making his debut appearance as the beloved Jedi outside the gaming world.
He doesn’t appear in the trailer but he can be spotted on an official poster for the series.
This is great news for Star Wars fans, who have been clamoring for Monaghan to play the character outside the popular “Jedi” titles. Of course, many are still hoping to see him in live action, but never say never, as the franchise is always bringing animated characters into that medium — Ahsoka Season 1 alone is proof of this.
Monaghan himself has even expressed a desire to bring Kestis into live action, saying last year that such a project would “have to be right” for the character and “continue the story or the character in some way.”
“I don’t want him to just kind of show up to stand around and be there,” he added. “I want him to mean something and for there to be a significance for the character itself. So, it would have to make sense. But in the right context then, yeah, absolutely.”
Kestis has appeared in other mediums since the games, including the spin-off novel, “Jedi: Battle Scars” and the mobile app game “Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes.” But this is the first time Monaghan himself has been involved in the character’s return since the “Jedi” games.
Seeing him finally show up in Rebuild the Galaxy is hardly a surprise, though, considering the first series gave us Darth Jar Jar. Of course, LEGO Star Wars is not canon. Not only that, but the characters that populate the series aren’t your average faraway galaxy heroes and villains, either– this is nothing more than “What If”-style, Multiversal mayhem.
Still, it’s great to see legacy actors return to the fold.
Rebuild the Galaxy launches via Disney+ on September 19.
Would you like to see Cameron Monaghan bring Cal Kestis to life in live-action Star Wars? Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below!
