The Star Wars Actor Who Has Appeared In Every Live-Action Series So Far
Mild spoilers for the first two episodes of "Obi-Wan Kenobi" ahead.
Up to now, the live-action "Star Wars" series on Disney+ have formed their own shared mini-universe within the greater "Star Wars" franchise. At the same time, these shows have developed close ties to the animated "Star Wars" series "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" and "Star Wars Rebels" — which is of little surprise, seeing as they were both co-developed by "The Mandalorian" and "The Book of Boba Fett" executive producer Dave Filoni. The man with the hat is clearly proud of his babies, and I respect him for that.
Despite Filoni's lack of involvement, that trend has continued with the TV show "Obi-Wan Kenobi." The series takes place between the events of the prequel and original "Star Wars" film trilogies, pitting the titular Jedi (once again played by Ewan McGregor) against the Inquisitors: a group of Jedi-hunting Dark Side users who served as antagonists in the first two seasons of "Rebels." But in a fun surprise, the show's second episode also features an appearance by "The Mandalorian" and "The Book of Boba Fett" star Temuera Morrison as a veteran clone trooper.
For those who are keeping score, that means Morrison has shown up in every live-action "Star Wars" series so far. Heck, he may yet pop up again in the upcoming "Andor" and "Ahsoka" TV shows, on top of potentially returning as Boba Fett for "The Mandalorian" season 3. Indeed, thanks to the nature of his role(s) in the "Star Wars" galaxy, there are very few live-action shows on Disney+ that are off-limits to him.
It's not easy being cloned
After years of shining as a working man's character actor, Temuera Morrison starred in 2002's "Star Wars: Attack of the Clones" as Jango Fett, a bounty hunter with a suspiciously-familiar last name and instantly recognizable set of Mandalorian armor. However, in an unexpected twist, the film revealed Jango was not fan-favorite Boba Fett's biological father in the strictest sense of the term. No, it turned out Jango's genes were the basis for the clone troopers that made up the Grand Army of the Republic during the Clone Wars. As part of his payment, Jango requested he be given a clone to raise as his son, Boba (one who wasn't modified to age and mature at an accelerated rate like the others).
Much like the Separatists' droid soldiers (droid rights!), clone troopers were seen as less-than-human by the Galactic Republic and treated as such during the Clone Wars (also clone rights!). Things didn't improve for the clones with the rise of the Galactic Empire, either. As seen in the animated series "Star Wars: The Bad Batch," a quasi-sequel to "The Clone Wars," it was Grand Moff Tarkin who decided the Empire was better off hiring "conscription soldiers," reasoning they cost half as much to train as producing more clones. Tarkin, like other high-ranking officers in the Empire, was also prejudiced against clones and saw them as little more than disposable weapons (once again, clone rights!).
Downside was, these "conscription soldiers" — who came to be known as, you guessed it, stormtroopers — were far less proficient in combat than clone troopers. Undeterred by this, the Galactic Empire destroyed the cloning facilities on Kamino and began a galaxy-wide recruitment campaign, believing it could make up for the stormtroopers' lack of skills through sheer numbers.
Heroes and villains
As for the rapidly-aging clone troopers, some chose to remain loyal to the Galactic Empire after the fall of the Old Republic — like Crosshair, a member of a group of clone troopers with genetic or mechanic alterations known as Clone Force 99 or "The Bad Batch." Others, guilt-stricken by their culpability in Order 66 (the event in which Emperor Palpatine forced clones to gun down the Jedi by activating a chip embedded in their brains), either joined the expanding Rebellion against the Empire or, in the case of other members of Clone Force 99, chose to make a living off-the-grid while remaining sympathetic to the Rebel cause and even aiding it when possible.
From an actors' point of view, all this lore is a dream come true for Temuera Morrison and means he could end up playing multiple clone characters in the upcoming wave of "Star Wars" live-action series (heroes and villains alike). Rumors even persist that he will show up in the "Ahsoka" TV show as Rex, a clone captain from the animated side of a galaxy far, far away who was close buds with Ahsoka Tano during the Clone Wars (she even removed his chip during Order 66, preventing him from carrying out the Empire's vile command). So long as it serves the story and world-building at hand, there's little reason not to include him or any other surviving clones, either.
New episodes of "Obi-Wan Kenobi" will premiere on Wednesdays on Disney+.