Will This Mystical 'Rebels' Character Ever Return?
Would You Like To See Him Return?
Season 3 of Star Wars Rebels introduced a new character: the Bendu, a giant moose-like creature that lived on the planet Attolon. Bendu, who was voiced by famous Dr. Who actor Tom Baker, described himself as the center of the Force, the one in the middle between the light and the dark side. The series didn’t give much backstory on this mystical creature, other than he was immensely powerful, had a deep knowledge and understanding of the Force and didn’t want to get involved in the matters of the galaxy.
When the members of Phoenix Cell, a small group of rebels led by Hera Syndulla, established a base on Attolon in 3 BBY, Bendu made contact with Kanan Jarrus, who had lost not only his sight in a battle with Maul but also his connection to the light side of the Force. Bendu helped Kanan focus on his other senses and reestablish his connection with his Padawan, Ezra Bridger, who had shown tendencies of turning to the dark side. Throughout the third season Bendu appeared several more times to Kanan and Ezra, giving them advices and providing wisdom, but also warning them of the dangers of the dark side.
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When the Empire, led by Grand Admiral Thrawn, finally discovered the rebel base and launched an attack, Kanan asked Bendu for help. But the creature refused, claiming that he didn’t want to become a part on the war, which led to Kanan calling him a coward. Enraged at the battle on his homeworld, Bendu transformed into a giant cloud with glowing eyes, attacking both the Empire and the rebels, destroying both Imperial and Rebel equipment, with massive strikes of lightning, demanding they all leave his planet.
While the rebels left Attolon, Thrawn and his soldiers stayed, starting a concentrated laser barrage on the Bendu, causing him to crash to the ground, seemingly wounded. When Thrawn approached the creature, Bendu told him that he saw his defeat by being surrounded in the cold embrace of many arms, foreshadowing Thrawn’s encounter with the purrgil at the end of the series. When the Chiss Admiral shot at the creature, it simply disappeared, leaving Bendu's echoing laughter and a very puzzled Thrawn behind.
Dave Filoni mentioned on Twitter that there was an off-screen encounter between Ahsoka and the Bendu shortly before her fateful encounter with Darth Vader on Malachor. Beyond his appearances in Season 3 of Rebels, Bendu was never featured in any other Star Wars media again. In hindsight, it seems that the creators of Rebels never quite knew what they should do with this creature. Although he clearly was immensely powerful his “I could change the face of the galaxy, but I simply don’t want to” approach made him not all that useful. Though he acted as a kind of teacher for both Kanan and Ezra, like the Jedi Master they both never had, he ultimately didn’t push the story forward much.
Besides, Dave Filoni has already created a group of all-powerful Force-wielders before, with the Father, the Daughter, and the Son in the realm of Mortis which, unlike the Bendu was picked up again at the end of Rebels. With all this considered, there probably is no need to further expand upon a creature that was primarily passive, other than to present him as another facet of the Force.
The ending of Season 3 clearly indicates that Bendu is still alive and Dave Filoni is known for picking up loose ends and carrying them into other projects, so it is not impossible that the Bendu might appear again in the future. As the creature seems to be tied to Attolon and primarily made contact with Force-users, his return would probably not happen in animated form in The Bad Batch. The most logical opportunity would be the Ahsoka series, which is shaping up to be a spiritual successor to Rebels, as the former Padawan, Ezra Bridger, had met the Bendu before and could come back to Attolon, to either seek guidance or revenge.
The SFX wizards at ILM would certainly be capable of creating a believable life-action version of the giant creature. But then again, Bendu is not one of the most recognizable characters in the Star Wars universe and bringing him back would hardly count as fan service and would primarily serve the story. Maybe Bendu simply fell asleep after the events of Return of the Jedi, when the Force was in balance once more. All in all, it seems more likely that fans are sooner or later going to see the return of another giant creature, whose fate was left open in an animated show; the Zillo beast.
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Written by Gerald Petschk
Syndicated from Culture Slate
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