A former Doctor Who and a fan-favorite character from the expanded Star Wars universe join Star Wars Rebels in the animated series’ third season.
Tom Baker, who embodied the Time Lord from 1974 to 1981 in now classic “Doctor Who,” lends his distinctive voice to the new character Bendu, an ancient and powerful being shown in a new Season 3 trailer.
The trailer debuted Saturday at Star Wars Celebration Europe at the ExCeL London Exhibition Centre.
“Jedi and Sith, the light and the dark—I’m the one in the middle, the Bendu,” the massive creature tells Kanan Jarrus in the trailer. Bendu looks like a cross between a gorilla and a mountain as he towers over an apparently still blind—and now fully bearded—Kanan.
Speaking of new looks, Ezra Bridger sports a close military cut. The trailer shows Ezra still flirting with the Dark Side and—holy holocron!—Darth Maul.
The trailer also introduces a new big bad to “Rebels” in the form of Grand Admiral Thrawn. His addition is perhaps the biggest news for fans of Star Wars Legends—the former Expanded Universe that includes officially licensed “Star Wars” background stories. Thrawn took over the remnants of the Empire in Timothy Zahn’s book, “Heir to the Empire.”
In “Rebels,” the Empire sends for Thrawn to help defeat those pesky rebels. “I will pull the rebels apart, piece by piece,” he warns.
“House of Cards” actor Lars Mikkelsen voices the Imperial military commander in “Rebels.” Here’s a fun “Star Wars” connection involving Mikkelsen: His brother, Mads Mikkelsen, plays Jyn Erso’s father, Galen, in the upcoming film “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.”
Other familiar characters appear in the trailer, including Sabine Wren, who takes a bigger leadership role in the new season. Season 3 will explore her Mandalorian roots, according to a Disney XD release. Sabine and the rest of the Ghost crew help break pirate Hondo Ohnaka out of prison.
Season 3 of “Star Wars Rebels” will debut sometime this fall on Disney XD.
Some of the “Star Wars Rebels” voice cast: Taylor Gray as Ezra; Freddie Prinze, Jr. as Kanan; Tiya Sircar as Sabine; Steven Blum as Garazeb Orrelios; Vanessa Marshall as Hera Syndulla; Sam Witwer as Darth Maul, and Jim Cummings as Hondo Ohnaka.
