Jedi Knight Kanan Jarrus is one of the most loved characters to come out of Star Wars animation, but has yet to make it to live action. He was voiced by Freddie Prinze Jr. in Rebels. Kanan was a member of the Ghost Crew, as well as Ezra Bridger’s Jedi Master. Kanan and Ezra’s bond was mutually beneficial for the two. He was initially unsure of whether he could train Ezra, or if he was right for the job, but as time went on, they both became close and began to trust in each other’s abilities.
Kanan contributed to the rebel cause until the very end. Him being one of the very few surviving Jedi in the aftermath of Order 66 made him and Ezra major targets of the Empire, and his life came to a tragic but heroic end when he sacrificed himself to save his rebel friends.
This had a huge impact on the Ghost Crew, especially Hera, who would go on to give birth to their child, and Ezra, who had to step up quickly to save his friends at the end of the series, which resulted in him disappearing along with Grand Admiral Thrawn. Ahsoka will finally show us all the Rebels characters in live action. It’s difficult to imagine Ezra and Hera, or any other member of the Ghost Crew not mentioning Kanan.
Of course, it’s very possible that might end up happening. Bo Katan didn’t mention Satine throughout Season 3 of The Mandalorian, which was a little surprising on the writers’ part. That may end up repeating when it comes to Kanan as well, but since Kanan was a Jedi and Jedi are always given special status in Star Wars, it’s probably right to mention him. What would be even better is if he showed up as a force ghost, and Ezra got to see him again and receive his guidance.
Obviously, this would require Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau to cast an actor to play the part. Unlike characters like Ahsoka and Ezra, there aren’t any well known fan castings of Kanan. Years ago, some fans discussed having Rosario Dawson cast as the live action Ahsoka. Filoni ended up reading these online discussions, and the rest is history.
For now, it remains to be seen whether Ahsoka goes there, or whether Kanan is either just mentioned for the heck of it, or not spoken of at all. For the sake of fans of such an incredible and well written character, we hope Dave and Jon cast an actor for the part.
Ahsoka premieres August 23 on Disney+.