Episode 3×04 of The Mandalorian has been a pleasant surprise for fans of the series. After the impass of 3×03, episode that completely changed the tone of the fiction to tell us the story of Doctor Pershing in Crocusant, in the next episode we have heard again about Din Djarin and Grogu.
In the episode we see how the two protagonists are integrated into the Mandalorian society with Bo-Katan Kryze, who thanks to not removing her helmet after bathing in the living waters is accepted as one more by the Armera. But the episode also revealed something very interesting: the origin of Grogu and his relationship with the Jedi Kelleran Beq.
Kelleran Beq: the savior of Grogu
Through a flashback that Grogu himself experiences when he is alone with the Armera, we see the uncertain past of little Baby Yoda. Grogu travels back in time through his memories, and what we are told is very interesting because it is the first time we see his origin.
In a long and interesting scene in which we return to Crocusant, we see how Grogu is under the jurisdiction of the Jedi when they attack them in the famous purge that wiped them all out. Order 66, the commando led by Palpatine at the end of the Clone Wars that aimed to wipe out the Jedi, attacks the place where Grogu is protected. And we already know how it all ended… so the little guy had it tough.
However, even though Grogu has everything to lose as he is just a baby, a Jedi hero emerges who gets him out of there and helps him escape from the clone troopers. Despite many theories that Samuel L. Jackson as Mace Windu was going to appear again to adopt this role -he is a close friend of Jon Favreau, so it was not an unthinkable idea- or even that Rosario Dawson’s Ahsoka was going to adopt this role, finally they have opted for another Jedi for the role: Kelleran Beq.
But who is Kelleran Beq? Although he is unknown to most and has not appeared in any film of the saga, it is not the first time that Kelleran Beq appears in the Star Wars universe. His appearance, however, is much more surprising and curious than one would expect.
Only the biggest Star Wars fans will know Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge, a two-season children’s show that aired on Star Wars Kids and was based on an obstacle course where children were put through their paces as if they were in Jedi training. And who was the host and guide for the kids? Indeed, Kelleran Beq.
The amusing decision to bring Beq back into the universe is logical, if we look beyond the canon. The Jedi Master is the quintessential reference for guiding the children in their training, and it makes perfect sense for him to be Grogu’s mentor. We already saw him helping many other children in their conversion, and in the case of little Baby Yoda it could not be less. Only he could protect him as tightly as we see in the series.
Ahmed Best returns to the franchise after being Jar Jar Binks
Beyond the character, the actor who plays him is no coincidence either. He is Ahmed Best, who played Jar Jar Binks in the prequels in the early 2000s. After his performance, he received a lot of harassment from fans as it was a character that very few people liked, and his career has been dragged down ever since. But, as they did with Hayden Christensen and his Darth Vader in Obi-Wan Kenobi, things could not stay that way. And they have done him justice with a Jedi Master to match.
Undoubtedly, the new season of The Mandalorian is bringing us very nice surprises and tributes to the entire saga devised by George Lucas. If the third season continues like this, we can be sure that it will be one of the most epic of all fiction.
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