The Mandalorian Concept Art Shows Off Full Design For A Big Star Wars Return
if there's one thing that "The Mandalorian" excels at, it's references, Easter eggs, and, of course, cameos. The Disney+ original has hosted several guest appearances from beloved "Star Wars" characters over the years, with Season 3 delivering one of the most fun. In the episode "Chapter 21: The Pirate," New Republic pilot Carson Teva (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee) receives a distress message from Greef Karga (Carl Weathers) regarding Nevarro's pirate invasion. Unsure of what to do, fellow New Republic operative Garazeb "Zeb" Orellios (Steve Blum) offers up his two cents, prompting him to provide aid.
This brief cameo marks Zeb's live-action "Star Wars" debut after becoming a major player on the "Star Wars Rebels" animated series. Though his scene has him do little more than talk, suffice to say, he makes the transition from stylized to realistic animation seamlessly. A piece of official "Mandalorian" concept art by artist Aaron McBride drives this home, highlighting the many details and finer design elements of this live-action take on Zeb. From his lifelike purple skin, scruffy facial hair, and New Republic flight suit, it's an understatement to say that he looks phenomenal.
It's undeniably awesome seeing Zeb back in the "Star Wars" spotlight, though it is a bit strange that he doesn't appear in the project that seemed tailor-made for his presence.
He looks great on The Mandalorian, but Zeb is mysteriously absent from Ahsoka
After "The Mandalorian" Season 3 came and went and fans learned about Zeb's exploits post-"Star Wars Rebels," it seemed a given that he'd return sooner rather than later. After all, the Lucasfilm team clearly put in a lot of time and effort into creating a CGI Zeb model fit for television. Not to mention, at the time, the Disney+ series "Ahsoka" was on the horizon, which promised to bring back such "Rebels" favorites as Hera Syndulla (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo), Ezra Bridger (Eman Esfandi), and even Chopper (Dave Filoni).
Unfortunately, the minds behind "Ahsoka" didn't end up reuniting the surviving members of the Ghost crew. Zeb doesn't factor into the show at all, only being mentioned a single time with a line confirming the "Rebels" staple's new job. Meanwhile, the likes of Carson Teva, C-3PO (Anthony Daniels), and the spirit of Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christiansen) all get some time to shine in guest spots. If they could all land some scenes, why couldn't a character so closely tied to the main cast like Zeb get one himself?
Time will tell if we ever get an answer to this question, or where Zeb will end up next. All we can hope is that the hard work the folks responsible for his "Mandalorian" cameo put in, from the concept art to the CGI rendering, doesn't go to waste.