Why Colonel Tuttle From The Mandalorian Looks So Familiar

Big stars in a galaxy far, far away; it's the treat that fans of "The Mandalorian" get from time to time. Some may recall Rosario Dawson's appearance as Ahsoka Tano in Season 2, Episode 5, "Chapter 13: The Jedi." Others may recognize Taika Waititi's voice as IG-11 in episodes throughout the series, and fans of "Rocky" have spotted Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) as Greef Karga since the first season. Season 3, Episode 5, "Chapter 21: The Pirate," features one star who has been making people laugh for decades.

The episode begins with the planet Nevarro being attacked by Pirate King Gorian Shard (Nonso Anozie). Karga is able to get a message out to Captain Carson Teva (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee), asking for help from the New Republic. Captain Teva travels to Coruscant to ask for help from Colonel Tuttle (Tim Meadows). Seeing that Meadows is known for his comedic talents, his scene begins with a disagreement with a droid who insists on putting stuff in Colonel Tuttle's work area. The droid leaves as Captain Teva enters, asking that Colonel Tuttle grant authorization and backup for the Adelphi squadron in order to help Nevarro.

Of course, this isn't the first time that Meadows has worked on a project that has cemented a place for itself in pop culture history.

Tim Meadows was a cast member on "Saturday Night Live" from 1991 to 2000, playing several characters including the self-proclaimed ladies' man Leon Phelps. During the 1990s, he also worked on movies inspired by "Saturday Night Live" sketches, including "Coneheads" and "Wayne's World 2." In 2000, Leon Phelps would get his own movie entitled "The Ladies Man."

In an interview with Fox59, Meadows recalled what it felt like to get the job at "Saturday Night Live." "I never thought it would be a job that I would have, you know ... So it was a dream come true," he said. "And then to work there and be surrounded by all of these really talented, funny writers just sort of made you up your game." 

Many of his credits also include work with other "Saturday Night Live" alumni. He played Ted in the 2011 Adam Sandler-led movie "Jack and Jill," and he would join Sandler, Chris Rock, and David Spade for "Grown Ups" and "Grown Ups 2." He worked with Sandler again in the 2020 Netflix movie "Hubie Halloween," playing Mr. Lester Hennessey. But it's his work with one particular "Saturday Night Live" alum that continues to be revived, with many of its lines being used in everyday conversations.

While Tim Meadows was working on "Saturday Night Live," so was Tina Fey; she worked on the sketch comedy show from 1997 to 2001. The two would work together again in "Mean Girls," the 2004 hit comedy that finds Meadows playing Mr. Duvall, the high school principal who has a crush on math teacher Ms. Norbury (Fey). Meadows told The A.V. Club, "It was fun to shoot ... Yeah, it's like being in a Christmas movie or something. It's on every year. People like it. It speaks to a lot of people." He went on to reprise his role in 2011's "Mean Girls 2."

"Mean Girls" later became a successful Broadway musical in March of 2018. While neither Fey nor Meadows reprised their roles for the Broadway production, the two are returning to North Shore High School for the musical movie adaptation. Fey announced the news on "Late Night with Seth Meyers." "We couldn't age out. Teachers work forever. I want it to be like when Gilligan from 'Gilligan's Island' was at a trade show, and you'd be like, 'Oh, he looks so old in his little hat.' That's my goal," she said.

Tim Meadows continues to lend his talents to the small screen. He's been spotted in shows like "Man with a Plan" and "Brooklyn Nine-Nine," and he's played a principal once again on the hit sitcom "The Goldbergs" and its spin-off "Schooled." Meadows first appeared as Mr. Glascott in "The Goldbergs" Season 1, Episode 11, "Kara-Te," and he's consistently brought the laughs ever since.

Glascott would become a key character in "Schooled," the series which finds Barry Goldberg's (Troy Gentile) love interest Lainey Lewis (AJ Michalka) becoming a teacher at William Penn Academy in the 1990s. Glascott was promoted to principal, a role that Meadows is very familiar with.

Meadows told the "Rachael Ray Show," "I was flattered that they thought my character was good enough to spin off a show about him and his surroundings. So it was easy to do it." The show ended in 2020, but Meadows has continued to reprise his role as Glascott on "The Goldbergs."