The latest episode of The Mandalorian finally answered one of the show’s long-standing mysteries: how did Grogu escape Order 66, when the Empire slaughtered all the Jedi and Younglings in the Jedi Temple during Revenge of the Sith? We’ve gotten hints that Grogu was at the Jedi Temple during this purge, but it wasn’t until a flashback in “Chapter 20: The Foundling” that we saw just how he avoided the blasters of Emperor Palpatine’s clone troopers.
As it turns out, the Jedi who saved Grogu was Kelleran Beq, played by none other than Ahmed Best. Best famously portrayed Jar Jar Binks in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, but Kelleran Beq is a very different character. Who exactly is this Jedi that Best plays in The Mandalorian?
Ahmed Best Jedi explained: Kelleran Beq
While this episode of The Mandalorian marks the first time that Kelleran Beq has appeared in one of the main Star Wars shows, Best has actually been playing the character for a few years now. He’s the host of the kids game show Star Wars Jedi Temple Challenge, where children are taught the ways of the Force by facing the sorts of challenges that Younglings in the Star Wars universe might face.
Kelleran is a wise master whose calling is to teach and mentor Jedi hopefuls. He assumes a similar role in The Mandalorian. While the Jedi Temple falls into chaos, Beq fights to get Grogu to safety. We don’t know whether he would have taken any other Younglings if given the opportunity, but the fact that Beq is even thinking of Grogu at all shows that the concerns of the Younglings are more of a priority for him than, say, a Jedi like Obi-Wan Kenobi, whose role as a negotiator meant that he was often embroiled in galactic politics.
After rescuing Grogu, Beq takes him to a waiting starship prepared by soldiers from Naboo. We last see Grogu and Beq escaping Coruscant by jumping into hyperspace.
Hopefully this isn’t the last we’ll see of Best and Kelleran in The Mandalorian; after all, we still don’t know how exactly Grogu got from Beq’s care to Din Djarin’s.
Episode 4 of The Mandalorian season 3 is streaming now on Disney+. New episodes drop every Wednesday.
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