Star Wars: The Mandalorian's Kelleran Beq Gets Poster

This week's episode of The Mandalorian, "The Foundling," saw a heroic appearance from Ahmed Best's Kelleran Beq, a key figure in the gameshow Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge, with Disney+ celebrating the character with an all-new poster. Prior to this appearance, Beq's connection to the official canon of the galaxy far, far away was tenuous, only for this week's installment in the series to solidify not only his role in the franchise, but specifically how his heroism related to Grogu's journey. Best is also known for playing Jar Jar Binks in the prequel trilogy.

To say that audiences were surprised by Best's appearance in the series would be a bit of an understatement, given how little we knew about the character of Kelleran Beq. With last year seeing the debut of Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi, some fans were expecting to see Best make a return to the franchise as Binks, with those theories proving incorrect. In fact, it might be due to Best's debunking of those rumors that amplified shocked reactions at Beq's debut in the canonical series.

With Season 3 of The Mandalorian reaching the midway point, we can't rule out seeing more of Beq and how his exploits tie into the larger franchise.

When Binks first debuted in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, the adult fans who grew up with the original trilogy were dismissive of the more playful character's inclusion in the adventure, resulting in Jar Jar becoming the center of a vocal and passionate backlash. Even with his role shrinking in each subsequent film, Binks suffered the brunt of criticisms against the franchise for years, which included Best himself enduring through an endless barrage of insults. Luckily, Best returned to the beloved franchise with Jedi Temple Academy, with his reprisal of Kelleran Beq in The Mandalorian being only that much more triumphant of a return for the actor.

A return of Binks might not be in the cards, but co-star Ewan McGregor previously shared how much he'd like to reunite with Best. 

"I'd like to meet Jar Jar again," McGregor shared with Vanity Fair last year about characters he'd want to meet. "I loved working with Ahmed Best, who played Jar Jar Binks. Maybe we can bring him back."

Stay tuned for details on Best and Beq's future in Star Wars. New episodes of The Mandalorian premiere on Wednesdays.

What did you think of Beq in The Mandalorian? Let us know in the comments or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!