This Stunning Star Wars Team-Up Idea Would Perfectly Honor 16 Years Of Star Wars TV

A new Star Wars book suggests that one beloved Star Wars character could soon make a live-action return, and it would be the perfect way to honor 16 years of Star Wars' best TV shows. Star Wars movies and TV shows have long proven how influential animated shows can be. Particularly with recent additions to the Star Wars timeline—including those in live-action—Star Wars' animated shows have become increasingly important.

This seems particularly true in light of Star Wars' upcoming movies and Star Wars' upcoming TV shows, many of which are set during the 'Mandalorian era,' which runs concurrently with the New Republic timeline. Projects such as The Mandalorian & Grogu, Ahsoka season 2, and Dave Filoni's mysterious Mandalorian movie will bring together various animated characters and storylines, all but requiring audiences to familiarize themselves with these arcs. Now it seems one incredibly popular Star Wars: The Clone Wars character may join their ranks, after only appearing very briefly in live-action once before.

Star Wars' New Clone Trooper Book Sets Up A Captain Rex Return

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A brand-new canon Star Wars reference book, Star Wars: The Secrets of the Clone Troopers, written by Marc Sumerak and illustrated by Alberto Buscicchio, hints that beloved clone trooper Captain Rex could make a return to Star Wars soon. In the book, which is told from Rex's point-of-view, Rex muses on the fall of the Empire, stating:

"The war against the Empire may be over, but a good soldier knows that there's plenty of work left to be done after the last shots are fired. My rebel friends and I are still picking up the pieces, but as far as we can tell, Palpatine is gone for good and the galaxy is finally free."

This small statement about Rex's "rebel friends" suggests that, following Return of the Jedi, Rex continued his work alongside the Rebels, among them his Clone Wars-era comrade, Ahsoka Tano.

Purchase Star Wars: The Secrets of the Clone Troopers on Amazon

In Star Wars Rebels, Rex and Ahsoka reconnected after surviving Order 66 in the Clone Wars finale. Ahsoka had been working with the Ghost crew for some time as Fulcrum, the alias she used when aiding the Rebellion. In season 2, episode 3 of Rebels, "The Lost Commanders," Ahsoka sent the Ghost crew members to find Rex, Wolffe, and Gregor to seek their assistance. This arc ends up being truly fascinating, as Kanan, another survivor of Order 66, must confront his negative perception of the clones.

5:07 Related Star Wars: Every Jedi Who Survived Order 66 (In Canon) Clone Protocol Order 66 caused once-loyal Clone troopers in Star Wars to wipe out the Jedi, but a handful managed to survive this initial purge.

This connection to Rebels is essential in this context because it is presumably Ahsoka and the Ghost crew members Rex is referring to when he mentions his "rebel friends." This means that not only is Rex still involved in the galaxy during the New Republic/Mandalorian era, but also that he remains connected to characters who have already proven to be essential in Star Wars shows during this time. Given that, it seems quite likely that Captain Rex could appear in an upcoming show or movie set during the Mandalorian era.

Captain Rex could appear in an upcoming show or movie set during the Mandalorian era.

Star Wars Has Already Begun Bringing Heroes To Live-Action

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Some of Star Wars' best characters began in animation and then made the jump to full-fledged live-action stories, most notably Ahsoka Tano, who has appeared in multiple Star Wars shows, including The Clone Wars and Rebels in animation and The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, and Ahsoka in live-action. Other fan favorites, including Ezra Bridger, Hera Syndulla, and Sabine Wren, have also transitioned to live-action, all in the Ahsoka show. Given this trend, it would be little surprise for Star Wars to give Captain Rex a momentous live-action return.

Rex has already appeared in live-action once, also in Ahsoka, but it was not the role Secrets of the Clone Troopers hints could be coming for the character. Rather than Rex making his live-action debut in the New Republic era as many of the Ahsoka characters did, Rex appeared only in flashback in the World Between Worlds. Secrets of the Clone Troopers teases a much more significant role for Rex moving forward, and whether that be in Ahsoka season 2, The Mandalorian & Grogu, or another upcoming Star Wars show or movie, it feels quite possible this could be coming.

Rex's Live-Action Return Could Perfectly Unite Star Wars' TV Shows

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Rex's return to Star Wars live-action would be so much more than just a connection to The Clone Wars and Rebels, although it would also provide that. Rather, Rex returning to the Star Wars screen in live-action during the New Republic era would unite 16 years of Star Wars TV. Not only would Rex reuniting with Ahsoka and the Ghost crew bridge this new era with The Clone Wars and Rebels, but also, yet another familiar face could make an appearance.

Omega joined the Rebellion following the events of The Bad Batch.

The Star Wars: The Bad Batch finale confirmed that Omega joined the Rebellion following the events of The Bad Batch. Surely, Star Wars established this arc for Omega so that she could make another appearance in the future. Given that Rex's "rebel friends" are working together in the Mandalorian era according to The Secrets of the Clone Troopers, Star Wars has the opportunity to bring together Omega, Ahsoka, Rex, and the various characters of Ahsoka and The Mandalorian, which would be nothing short of incredible.

This could be precisely the plan for Dave Filoni's currently untitled Mandalorian movie. It's unclear what exactly this movie will entail, but Filoni certainly seems to be building toward some sort of culminating event. That could very easily be his Mandalorian movie, which could offer a groundbreaking Star Wars crossover event featuring beloved characters from across Star Wars' TV shows. While many of these possibilities remain speculative for now, Star Wars has clearly teased Captain Rex's return, which could mean incredible things for the franchise's future.