Star Wars: The Force Awakens isn’t the franchise’s only property that likes to keep fans in the dark about its cast of characters.
Star Wars Rebels premieres its second season in just a little over two weeks, and while we’ve learned plenty about what to expect from Dave Filoni, Simon Kinberg and the rest of the crew, we don’t know much about its biggest addition to the cast. However, that might change soon.
Sarah Michelle Gellar, who is playing an unspecified role in Rebels sophomore season, recently announced that she’ll be at the show’s panel at New York Comic-Con next week. Rebels will have a significant presence at the convention, to the point where the first two episodes of the season will air there exclusively before being broadcast nationally on Oct. 14.
But exactly what role will Gellar play? We’ll likely find out when she joins the rest of the cast onstage at NYCC, but for now, let’s speculate as to the potential roles Gellar could play.
For starters, the news that Gellar will appear at NYCC came along with a very interesting photo…
Next: Royal Appearance
Princess Leia
Yup, that’s right. The Alderaanian fugitive may actually be appearing in this season of Rebels.
You would think that Gellar, who shared this photo on her Instagram page recently along with the news that she’ll be on the Rebels NYCC panel, basically confirmed that she’s playing the princess without leaving any room for doubt.
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But there is at least one caveat here. Gellar actually posted this picture last year around the time of Halloween. It was part of her costume when she dressed up with her family. So this isn’t a new photo, and it’s not like she got dolled up to look just like Princess Leia so she could drop a bomb on fans, so we may have to look at this one with a bit more skepticism.
Still, at least from a story perspective, introducing Leia at this stage in the show’s development makes sense. This is the season where the crew of the Ghost begin to join forces with the Rebel Alliance and help establish the foundation of the group. They would likely have to come in contact with the young, upstart princess from Alderaan who become a major force in the Alliance.
The show has done a pretty good job of having the actors from the original trilogy reprise their roles for the show. James Earl Jones and Billy Dee Williams were both brought in for episodes last season. But I’m OK with Gellar taking the reins for Carrie Fisher here, especially because the Leia we might see would be different from the Leia in A New Hope.
Next: Head Honcho
Mon Mothma
This one may be out of left field, but it makes just as if not more sense than Leia.
We haven’t seen too much of Mothma in either the original trilogy or even the new canon yet. In Return of the Jedi, she’s the leader of the Rebel Alliance who briefs the rebels on the plan to attack the Second Death Star. She’s played by British actress Caroline Blackiston.
Mothma makes her first major appearance in the new canon in Chuck Wendig’s novel Star Wars: Aftermath. She’s only in the book for one brief chapter, but her actions have potentially huge implications.
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While walking through a town devastated by the New Republic’s battle with the remnants of the Empire, Mothma, who heads the new Galactic Senate, says she plans to cut down the Republic army by 90 percent, to the horror of her advisers. She says the Republic needs to convince people on the fence that it’s not going to rule the galaxy with an iron fist and an imposing military force like the Empire did, so a drawdown is necessary.
Of course, this likely sets the stage for someone unsympathetic to the cause to make their move against a weakened Republic.
Mothma has the potential to be a complex, fascinating character, considering her importance within the Rebel Alliance, and we could get a glimpse of that in Rebels, potentially thanks to a turn by Gellar.
Next: Giving In to the Dark Side
A Sith Inquisitor
Rebels is going to up the stakes next season with the introduction of more bad guys, primarily the Sith agents known as Inquisitors. These minions act as Darth Vader’s apprentices who are tasked with hunting down the surviving Jedi from Order 66.
The Inquisitor from last season, who died in the season finale “Fire Across the Galaxy,” was confirmed by Filoni to be the head of this group, but now that he’s gone, Vader is dispatching more of the Inquisitors to clamp down on this new pocket of resistance.
We’ve only seen glimpses of two of these Inquisitors so far, and even those don’t offer much. There’s a gray-skinned humanoid dressed in armor that makes him look like a samurai, who we can see briefly in the trailer for Season 2.
But there’s also another Inquisitor seen briefly in the trailer who’s definitely female. There’s also some concept art showing this character next to Ezra Bridger. It’s unclear what race she is, but both her and the other Sith will likely play a large role this upcoming season, meaning it would be perfect for Gellar to contribute a memorable villain to the show’s ranks.
Next: Family Ties
Ezra’s Mother
Although it’s probably the least likely option out of all of these choices, it’s arguably the most intriguing option. Gellar could turn up in a surprise appearance as one of Ezra’s parents, both of whom went missing on Empire Day when they were taken away by Imperial stormtroopers on the planet Lothal, leaving Ezra to fend for himself on the streets.
It was revealed last season that Ezra’s Rodian friend, Tseebo, gave up his parents to the Empire, but it seems that he was coerced to in some way. Tseebo in fact knows exactly what happened to Ezra’s parents, and Ezra knows he does, but oddly, the Rodian only reveals this information to the Ghost’s captain, Hera, but not Ezra himself.
However, we never get any confirmation or even a hint that Ezra’s parents have died, so it’s possible they remained in captivity by the Empire. Could Gellar play Mrs. Bridger if she makes her return on the show this season?
Fun fact: Gellar is married in real life to Freddie Prinze Jr., who voices Kanan Jarrus on the show and is something of a father figure to Ezra. Star Wars is no stranger to strange family dynamics, as we all know.
Next: The Mystery Character
Sarah Michelle Gellar, right, voices her lines next to series creator Dave Filoni.
A Character We Haven’t Seen
I don’t think the show would hire a well-known TV actress to voice a character we’ve never seen before, but it’s possible that Gellar will be playing a brand-new role in Season 2. Considering Filoni’s promise that we’ll see more of the Star Wars universe this year rather than just being stuck on the planet Lothal, we’ll likely be introduced to plenty of new characters never before seen in the new canon.
While there’s no limit to the type of characters Gellar could play, she could definitely fit in easily as an Imperial officer of some sort. We know the Empire has women in its ranks, even if they’re few and far between. The novel A New Dawn introduced us to the conniving Imperial Navy commander, Admiral Rae Sloane, and even Rebels featured Minister Maketh Tua as the overseer of Imperial forces on Lothal.
We’ll likely find out more when Gellar appears at New York Comic-Con on Oct. 8, along with the rest of the cast. And stay tuned for more coverage leading up to the premiere of the second season on Wednesday, Oct. 14, on Disney XD.
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