'Ahsoka': Should We Be Afraid For Carson Teva?

WARNING: some SPOILERS for Ahsoka.

Captain Carson Teva of the New Republic is becoming a fixture of the live-action Star Wars TV series helmed by Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau, having appeared in The Mandalorian, Book of Boba Fett, and now Ahsoka. Teva, played by Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, started out as a minor recurring character in The Mandalorian, but has grown in importance across the three shows, as he develops a frustration with the New Republic's lack of capacity to provide help wherever it is truly needed the most. This prompted his decision to covertly enlist Din Djarin to oust a Pirate invasion on the independent planet Nevarro, and now, to join General Hera Syndulla on an unauthorised mission to rescue Ahsoka and Sabine.

The Mandalorian's season three finale seemed to set up Carson Teva for a major supporting role in the show's next season, as a go-between to unofficially give Mando work. However, some fans fear the character's increased prominence could be setting up for an eventual tragedy.

Carson = Coulson

As mentioned above, Carson Teva appears in all three Mando-era series, growing in importance over the course of his appearances. Some fans have noted this as a similar pattern to Agent Phil Coulson of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Agent Phil Coulson of S.H.I.E.L.D first appears briefly in Iron Man, the very first MCU film. The character went on to appear in three more films in Phase One, including Iron Man 2, Thor, and Phase One's epic finale, The Avengers. Along with Samuel L Jackson as Nick Fury, Coulson's repeated appearances became one of the first pieces of the puzzle to establish Marvel's films as taking place in a shared universe.

Tragically, Coulson dies in The Avengers, killed by Loki as he makes an opportunistic escape during The Hulk's rampage through the S.H.I.E.L.D helicarrier.

However, his death serves a purpose, unifying Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Black Widow, and Hawkeye as a true team for the first time. The goal of avenging Coulson is what ultimately makes them The Avengers. While he is resurrected in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, that series was nudged into the realm of the Multiverse in the latter part of it's run, so it is currently likely that the Coulson of the MCU's core 616 universe remains dead.

Some Star Wars fans now fear a similar fate could be instore for Captain Teva.

A Grand Finale

At the most recent Star Wars Celebration convention, it was revealed that Dave Filoni, who has previously only worked on the animated and live-action TV shows, is now set to direct his very first Star Wars film. Many have jumped to the conclusion that this film will serve as an epic crossover filled finale to what some fans have dubbed the Mando-verse. The prevailing theory is that the eventual film will bring together the heroes of The Mandalorian, Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, and possibly the upcoming series Skeleton Crew, for a final confrontation against Grand Admiral Thrawn, resembling the popular EU novel Heir To The Empire.

Carson Teva has appeared in all the Mando-verse series so far, and it wouldn't be beyond the realm of possibility for him to pop up somewhere in Skeleton Crew as well. Plus, his Ahsoka appearance proves he is already willing to follow Hera Syndulla into battle if need be. Some fans expect his increasingly regular appearances are a ploy to build his popularity so they can set him up as a Sacrificial Lamb for the possible Heir To The Empire film. A popular character they can kill off early on to tug at the heartstrings of both the audience and the other characters, without knocking any of their major players off the board too soon.

Maybe we shouldn't let ourselves get too attached to Captain Carson Teva.