Could Captain Rex Return Via The Mandalorian?
The next three weeks of Star Wars: The Clone Wars could set up Ahsoka Tano and Captain Rex’s return.
Okay, okay. This is a long shot, kids. But hey, the last episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars got me thinking.
I know, I know. That’s always dangerous. And stop rolling your eyes. You’ll need a few grains of salt to get through this one.
When I was looking for info on another article, I ran across one in Express that reminded me of one particular fan theory.
“The Mandalorian season 2 theories: Clone Wars character introduced with Ahsoka Tano”
Here’s the gist:
Image: Disney+
Some fans have taken to Reddit to voice their approval for a fan-favorite character, former Clone Captain Rex, to appear in season two of Disney Plus’ first live-action Star Wars series.
Redditor jmac1138 posted: “Now we have Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka for season 2 of The Mandalorian can we get Temuera back as Rex?”
Although voice actor Dee Bradley Baker voiced Rex in the film and subsequent animated series, the character is modeled after Temuera Morrison, upon whom the Senate’s clone troopers are all modeled in the Star Wars prequel trilogy.
Image: Lucasfilm
Yep. It seems far fetched. But this rumor has sticking power. And, gasp, employs a little bit of logic.
Let’s Think This Through
Check out this post from ScreenRant.com from March 30 (and an old image from Movieweb):
Image: Movieweb
Rumors aside, Rex appearing on The Mandalorian season 2 seems like a legitimate possibility. Rebels confirmed Rex was still alive during Return of the Jedi (which is set five years before The Mandalorian) and even fought in the Battle of Endor. Because of his accelerated aging, the character would be much older than he was on Rebels around the time The Mandalorian picks up, and presumably retired from a life of combat. In theory, he could even be brought to life by Temuera Morrison; the actor portrayed bounty hunter Jango Fett, whose DNA was used as the basis for the Clone Army, in Attack of the Clones and continued to voice the clone troopers in Revenge of the Sith. Failing that, The Mandalorian season 2 could offer fans closure by having Ahsoka – assuming Dawon’s playing her – reveal what happened to Rex following the defeat of the Galactic Empire.
And here’s where MY THEORY (which I can’t be sure hasn’t been espoused elsewhere) kicks in:
Possible spoilers for Star Wars: The Clone Wars ahead:
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Still here? Good.
Check out this photo from the first trailer for Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 7:
Look at the scene. Rex is down. The room looks a little like an operating theater, no? And Ahsoka looks ready to defend him to the death.
During Star Wars Rebels, Rex told Ezra and crew that he served with Ahsoka Tano until the Seige of Mandalore and that he and two of his compatriots had “removed their control chips…” so that the Emperor couldn’t force them to kill Jedi.
I am spitballing here, but what if this is in the moments just before/after Order 66. Rex may have just removed his chip. Heck, maybe Ahsoka removed it.
Fast forward to after the Battle of Endor and we find Ahsoka, still alive:
Io9’s Germain Lussier explained:
At the end of Rebels, the story skips past the events of the original trilogy. After the Battle of Endor, Ahsoka Tano, the former apprentice to Anakin Skywalker, reappears after what we assume is a long time. Sabine Wren leaves Lothal with her to go find Ezra Bridger. Which raises a ton of questions, not the least of which are: Where has Ahsoka been all this time and why does she look like that?
And five years after that, when The Mandalorian takes place, would it be shocking to find both Rex and Ahsoka alive?
Maybe, when and if Rex and Ahsoka are reunited in The Mandalorian, some of those answers will be found.
