Back in December during the Disney Investor Day presentation, many new Star Wars properties were announced to be in development, one of which is the upcoming live-action Disney+ series, titled Rangers of the New Republic.
Set to be taking place concurrently with The Mandalorian and Ashoka Star Wars series, Rangers of the New Republic will be set just over five years following the events of Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, which marked the conclusion of the original trilogy.
With the show set alongside the current-running series, as well as between the original and sequel trilogies, there is plenty of potential for a few familiar faces to pop up in it.
As shown in the second season of The Mandalorian, the showrunners are very willing to bring in characters of old such as Bo-Katan and Boba Fett, as well as characters from the Expanded Universe material such as Cobb Vanth to help flesh out their stories.
As we saw during The Mandalorian, remnants of the Empire are still lurking in the outer rim, and the Rangers will likely be sent around the galaxy to scope them out in an effort to finish them off.
Without further delay, there are a few characters who could appear in Rangers of the New Republic.
Trapper Wolf and Carson Teva
For those unfamiliar with these names, Wolf and Teva were the two X-Wing pilots who confronted Mando while flying the Razor Crest in episode 2 of the second season and engaged in a brief space battle with him before crashing into the Ice Planet Maldo Kreis.
They later returned and saved Mando and the Child from a horde of ice spiders and let him go after learning he saved the life of a Republic prison transport officer during the first season.
The character of Trapper Wolf, in particular, is played by Dave Filoni, who is one of the showrunners of The Mandalorian and is set to do the same in the Rangers of the New Republic series.
His character’s cameo in The Mandalorian likely means that he will be appearing again in future projects in a larger role, and a show about X-Wing pilots patrolling the galaxy on behalf of the New Republic seems like the most likely place to do so.
In addition, Captain Teva, who was played by Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, made another appearance later on in the season, confronting Cara Dune about joining the New Republic’s peacekeepers as a Sheriff on Nevarro, a role which she went on to accept.
With these two being given prominent characters in The Mandalorian, the show serving as the launching off point for these new Star Wars series, there is a high probability they will pop up as a part of Rangers in the future.
Admiral Ackbar
While Wolf and Teva are newer characters, one from the original trilogy who could make an appearance in Rangers of the New Republic is Admiral Ackbar, who famously commanded the Rebel space fleet during the Battle of Endor.
Arguably the most famous of the Mon Calamari species, it iconic Star Wars character is prime to appear in Rangers of the New Republic in some capacity
Following the Battle of Endor, Ackbar remained as an active part of the command structure and was even seen counseling General Leia Organa during the Force Awakens, set 30 years after the events of Return of the Jedi.
Seeing as he is confirmed to still be a member of the Republic’s brass during this time period, it would make perfect sense for him to pop up in the series, potentially as one of the fleet’s commanders.
The character was mentioned to have been killed off-screen during The Last Jedi, so bringing him back for this series would ideally be a change to do him justice and get some more goodwill with the fans.
He’s one who could either be given a minor role in a cameo, and give the protagonists an assignment in the outer rim, or could be given one of prominence and command the Republic fleet in a massive space battle, akin to what he did in the Battle of Endor.
Either way, in any capacity, Ackbar’s inclusion would be a welcome addition into the series.
Mon Mothma
Another character from the Star Wars’ original trilogy, Mon Mothma is another of the New Republic’s leadership who could make an appearance in Rangers of the New Republic.
The character of Mothma originally debuted in the franchise in Return of the Jedi as a leader of the Rebellion, briefing the pilots and soldiers prior to the Battle of Endor. The character has also appeared in live-action on other occasions, played by Genevieve O’Reilly in deleted scenes in Revenge of the Sith, and again as a part of Rogue One.
In expanded universal Star Wars material, Mothma was instrumental in the formation of the New Republic and went on to be elected the first Chancellor of the New Republic senate.
Seeing as the character has already been recast for recent live-action Star Wars projects, in addition to holding a prominent position in the New Republic during this time period, Mon Mothma is another likely character to be included in Rangers of the New Republic.
Mothma could appear in many capacities, either as a member of the leadership ordering assignments for the protagonists, or someone that they report a major discovery to after uncovering news regarding the Empire’s plans.
Either way, Mon Mothma would be a great inclusion in the series and with an actress already cast and recently included in the movies, she remains one of the most probable of the original trilogy characters to appear.
Grand Admiral Thrawn
While we’ve spent a lot of time talking about members of the Republic who could appear in the series, there are many members of the Empire who could pop up as well, one of which is the fan-favorite character, Grand Admiral Thrawn.
Originally a character from the now non-canonical Star Wars Legends, Thrawn was brought back by Star Wars showrunner Dave Filoni in Star Wars Rebels and was recently name-dropped in the second season of The Mandalorian, teasing his inclusion in an upcoming live-action series.
Seeing as the character of Ashoka was searching for him when she appeared in The Mandalorian, he is likely to be included in her upcoming series, which will be released before Rangers of the New Republic.
With the shows all running concurrently and interconnecting, if Thrawn is meant to be an antagonist in Ashoka’s series, he is also a likely candidate to appear in Rangers of the New Republic as well.
Showrunner Jon Favreau stated in the past that all the shows will lead up to a big culmination, and with Thrawn acting as one of the heads of the Imperial Remnant, there is a lot of potential for him to appear as an antagonist in this series as well.
He could either appear in a minor role, simply giving orders to the members of the Empire that the show’s protagonists come into contact with, or possibly in a much larger one, being their primary antagonist, leading up to a showdown in the first season’s climax.
Either way, if the showrunners hope to develop Thrawn into the next “big bad” the same way he was in Star Wars Legends, having him appear as the leader of the Empire in multiple shows would be a great way to do so.
Luke Skywalker and Grogu
Last but not least, seeing as he was included in The Mandalorian, and was one of the Rebellion’s most legendary pilots, Luke Skywalker, is another likely candidate who could be included in the Rangers of the New Republic series, as well as a fan favorite inclusion.
Arguably the most famous character from Star Wars, and due to the fact he is now the primary caretaker of the child, Grogu/Baby Yoda (the franchise’s most popular new character), bringing in Luke as a part of the series could be another massive inclusion.
Skywalker’s appearance in the finale of season 2 of The Mandalorian was a great surprise, helping to further link the new series with the original trilogy.
Since his appearance, fans have been rampant with speculation regarding where Luke may pop up next, and doing so again in Rangers of the New Republic would make a lot of sense to hype up the series.
Not only that, but it would make a lot of sense for the plot of the series to bring Luke into it in some capacity.
While Luke is beginning to build his own Jedi order at this time, he is also still hunting down what remains of the Empire. Seeing as that will be the likely plot of Rangers of the New Republic, it would make sense for Luke to join the protagonists as a part of their mission at some point.
Plus, with Grogu’s status as a part of The Mandalorian’s story unknown, bringing in Luke and Grogu together would be a great way to give both more screen time, and give an update on how his training as a Jedi and force user is progressing.
No matter in what capacity any or all of the mentioned characters appear, they would all be fantastic inclusions into the new series and help to build it up into one of the Star Wars franchise’s new flagship properties.
Star Wars: Rangers of the New Republic is expected to debut on Disney+ in 2022.