It's taken a while, but the Star Wars prequel trilogy films are finally starting to get all the widespread love and appreciation they have always deserved. (Hey, sequels -- you're next!) Actors like Ahmed Best and characters like Jar Jar Binks are getting the many apologies they've been long owed. But some characters, like Coruscant diner owner Dexter Jettster, have always been fan-favorites.
You may have always loved Dex, but do you know who he's named after? None other than George Lucas's son, Jett. The nickname "Jettster" really turned out to be a great name for an entrepreneurial Besalisk, even though it was Jett Lucas's first.
Jettster has appeared in the Star Wars Expanded Universe outside the films and TV shows on more than one occasion over the last few years -- most recently in a short story published in the From a Certain Point of View: Return of the Jedi anthology in 2023 and a staple in The High Republic Adventures comics. Every time he shows up, it's impossible not to immediately hear his voice and smile.
Understandably, the Lucas family -- not just George -- have been involved in various Star Wars projects over the years in some capacity. Dexter Jettster namesake Jett appeared in Revenge of the Sith; Marcia Lucas's work on editing some of the early films is largely responsible for the Star Wars you know and love today. Katie Lucas wrote over a dozen episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and her work built the foundation for Christie Golden's 2015 Dark Disciple novel.
The more you dive into Jettster's character, the more dynamic he becomes. Adam Lance Garcia's depiction of him in FACPOV: ROTJ paints a picture of what happens to a man's worldview after witnessing years of seemingly endless galactic wars. This character isn't just Obi-Wan Kenobi's friend. He's a genuinely caring guy with endless stories to tell. And if you sit with him in his diner long enough, maybe you'll be lucky enough to hear a few really good ones.