Earlier today, we learned some details on the new heroes and villains ofRogue One: A Star Wars Story, but there was one very noticeable face missing among those ranks – that ofForest Whitaker, the Oscar-winning actor who gave everyone the nerd chills with his “What will you become?” moment in the firstRogue Onetrailer. Despite his scene-stealing moments, Whitaker’s character has remained a mystery until now, and for some fans, he’s a familiar face (kind of).
EWreveals that Whitaker is playing Saw Gerrera, an extremist freedom fighter against the resistance who made his first appearance in the fifth season of the animated seriesThe Clone Wars.Andrew Kishinovoiced the role in the show, and the cinematic incarnation marks not just a change in actors, but in appearance as well. InThe Clone Wars, Saw had bright blue eyes and noticeably different scarring. It’s a curious change since it would be so easily fixed, and it kind of makes you wonder if the character overlay wasn’t perhaps a decision that was tacked on somewhere in the process…say maybe during these extensive reshoots. Or maybe Whitaker just doesn’t want to wear contacts.
Set between the events ofAttack of the ClonesandRevenge of the Sith,The Clone Warsintroduced Saw as a young man on planet Onderon who fought alongside his sister Steela in an insurgent group unofficially trained by Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Ahsoka Tano. Burned by his losses in the war and the price he paid for his involvement in the resistance, Saw spent the decades betweenThe Clone Warscontinuing to fight (to use his words) and has become something between a hero and a villain.
Saw, as we find him inRogue One, is a grizzled veteran and still a proponent of guerrilla warfare that verge on terrorist tactics. Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy explained,
“Consider him kind of a battered veteran who leads a band of Rebel extremists. He’s on the fringe of the Rebel Alliance. Even [they] are a little concerned about him.”
As such, Saw is an Ally of the team of heroes that make up the Rebel squad in Rogue One, but he’s not really a part of the team. “He’s off on his own,” Kennedy says.
As for the Death Star blueprint-thieving team he’s aligned himself with, the rundown includesFelicity Jonesas Jyn Erso,Mads Mikkelsenas Galen Erso,Riz Ahmedas Bodhi Rook,Alan Tudykas the droid K-2SO,Diego Lunaas Captain Cassian Andor,Donnie Yenas Chirrut Imwe, andJiang Wenas Chirrut’s devoted companion Baze Malbus. Get the details on thecharacter breakdowns here, or everything else weknow aboutRogue Oneso far here.
