Olly Dyche on The Mandalorian’s Kelleran Beq (spoilers for the latest episode follow)…
Who saved Grogu? It’s the one question that has been looming over Star Wars fandom for quite some time. Ever since we learned the name of The Mandalorian’s beloved ‘Baby Yoda’, his past as a Jedi youngling and more importantly the small flashback to Order 66, fans have been speculating as to who could have possibly rescued Grogu from the siege of the Jedi Temple.
Icons such as Mace Windu, Jocasta Nu, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Plo Koon and Master Yoda were all names that got thrown into the mix. A lot of the theories were a little far fetched, but ultimately no one had even an inkling as to which Jedi was the one who saved Grogu. To that end, The Mandalorian season 3 promised to finally give us the answer, and after many weeks of patiently waiting, the answer has finally revealed been revealed.
Who Saved Grogu?
The latest episode of The Mandalorian (Chapter 20 “The Foundling”) takes audiences through Grogu’s mind, as he distinctly remembers what happened on the day the Jedi Order fell.
Grogu was one of hundreds of Jedi at the sacred Jedi temple on Coruscant during the devastating Order 66. In the scene we see many Jedi attempt to protect Grogu, with each sadly losing their life. During this deadly battle against the Clone Troopers, we hear a Jedi scream “Get the youngling to Kelleran!” before getting blasted by an onslaught of Clone Trooper bullets.
Thankfully, the Jedi were able to get Grogu into the elevator sending him down to meet with Jedi Master Kelleran Beq. Kelleran Beq went on to escort Grogu through a barrage of Clone Troopers, before the two finally slipped away and flew out of Coruscant for good. Whilst we currently don’t know where they were headed or how much time the two spent together, we can certainly expect the show to delve even deeper into Grogu’s past as the series goes on.
Who is Kelleran Beq?
Jedi Master Kelleran Beq isn’t exactly the most recognizable Jedi in Star Wars canon, yet he is one audiences should quickly get accustomed to. Known as “The Sabered Hand” Kelleran Beq was incredibly skilled with a lightsaber, mastering the art Jar’Kai – the method of utilizing two weapons in combat, whether its two regular lightsabers like Ahsoka Tano, or Asajj Ventress, or even two double-bladed lightsabers like Jedi master Pong Krell. Kelleran Beq showed off his proficiency wielding two lightsabers in the latest episode of The Mandalorian, to great effect, and we can’t wait to see more.
Whilst serving as a Jedi Master, Kelleran Beq spent most of his time supervising Padawans as they went through their Jedi Trials in order for them to become Jedi Knights. Beq was assisted by the astromech LX-R5 and the protocol droid AD-3 who was envious of Beq’s Force abilities, often seen teasing the Jedi Master.
First introduced in the kids show Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge in 2020, Jedi Master Kelleran Beq is one of the newest Jedi additions to the Star Wars canon. With his appearance in Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge, Kelleran Beq quickly showed off his nurturing type of mentorship, very reminiscent of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Master Yoda.
Who Played Kelleran Beq?
Many may be surprised to learn that the actor who plays Kelleran Beq isn’t exactly a newbie to the Star Wars universe. In fact, Jedi Master Kelleran Beq is brilliantly played by Ahmed Best, who many may recognize as the Jar Jar Binks. Sadly, Best received much criticism for his role as Jar Jar during the Prequel Trilogy, making his experience with Star Wars an incredibly tough one. However, we are truly glad to see the actor return to the franchise and fully embrace his role as Kelleran Beq, one of the kindest yet badass Jedi Masters around.
Olly Dyche