Three years ago, The Mandalorian Season 3 gave viewers an unexpected Order 66 flashback that began to explain how Grogu survived the Jedi Purge. It seems that, as clone troopers poured under the Jedi Temple on Coruscant under Anakin Skywalker’s leadership, a Jedi Master named Kelleran Beq – played by Jar Jar Binks actor Ahmed Best – managed to get this one precious youngling away. But, while the flashback showed Grogu’s escape and even his flight offworld, it raised so many more questions.
Kelleran Beq and Grogu made their way to a ship that was waiting on standby. Curiously, this was recognizable as a Naboo ambassadorial ship, and they were assisted by a group of Naboo guards. The clear implication was that a senior Naboo representative, someone with high level access to ships and guards, was somehow involved in helping Jedi escape from Palpatine’s forces. There was even speculation Padmé Amidala herself was part of this. But now, shockingly, a new Star Wars retcon has revealed the answer.
Kelleran Beq Was Working With Jar Jar Binks
Ahmed Best has just returned to Star Wars in a very different medium, as co-writer of a Jar Jar one-shot alongside Marc Guggenheim and artists Kieran McKeown and Laura Braga. Set sometime during the Clone Wars, this sees Kelleran Beq call Jar Jar out as a champion for the unseen who are being forced to ravage their own worlds to provide fuel like coaxium for the Republic’s war machine. Beq has rightly recognized that Jar Jar considers himself responsible for giving Palpatine emergency powers in Attack of the Clones, and he appeals to the Gungan diplomat to help put matters right.
It’s wonderful to see Ahmed Best back in action like this, although this Star Wars story doesn’t quite redeem Jar Jar. It does, however, help to flesh him out as a character and reveal his guilt over the emergency powers legislation he proposed in Attack of the Clones, something he’s often criticized for. More importantly, it also reveals that Jar Jar and Kelleran Beq stayed in contact, with the two discovering a secret communication system that could be used to send messages (the “fractal radio” later used by Luthen Rael in Andor, no less).
Now We Know Why Naboo Forces Helped Kelleran Beq
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The Mandalorian Season 3’s flashback was an exciting glimpse into the horrors of Order 66 through Grogu’s eyes, and it delighted views with the unexpected return of Ahmed Best (as the Jedi Master he’d played in Star Wars YouTube videos, no less). In the flashback, Beq told the Child they were going to meet up with friends, but he didn’t give any further details, and there was some speculation the Jedi had created a secret evacuation plan that even Anakin Skywalker hadn’t been aware of. The Naboo guards may led to speculation Padmé was involved.
In reality, Beq seems to have been operating under the Council’s radar, acting out of distrust for Palpatine based on his knowledge of ground-level events in the galaxy. He had a secret communication channel with Senator Binks, one he must have initiated at the moment clone troopers swept into the Jedi Temple; he tried to begin a hurried evacuation, but was only able to get one survivor out. Even then, Kelleran Beq was forced to leave the Naboo soldiers in a firefight with the pursuing Coruscant Guard.
Star Wars’ New Jar Jar Retcon Completely Changes the Prequel Trilogy
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This is an important retcon, affecting more than just Grogu’s Order 66 story. The Mandalorian Season 1 revealed Grogu had been kept safe from the Empire for over two decades, an expensive operation that involved hiring a large number of Nikto mercenaries. It’s always been unclear who paid for that security, because it presumably wasn’t the Rebellion; Grogu would have been brought out of hiding after the Empire’s fall if the Rebel Alliance knew of his existence. It’s now probable that those Nikto mercenaries were hired by a third party, Jar Jar Binks, less well-connected with the nascent Rebel Alliance.
It makes sense for Jar Jar to be distant from the Rebel Alliance. As the one who first pushed for Palpatine’s emergency powers, he would have been persona non grata, unwelcome and untrusted. But this retcon quietly turns him into the first official rebel, because Jar Jar was secretly working to undermine Palpatine before the Empire was even formally founded. Even more striking, to call on Naboo resources in a firefight with the Coruscant guard, he must have had the backing of the Queen of Naboo. There’s a beautiful irony to this, given Naboo was Palpatine’s own homeworld.
The Star Wars prequel trilogy largely presented Naboo as a world manipulated by Palpatine, one he was even prepared to sacrifice in The Phantom Menace. Now, though, we have evidence the Naboo became distrustful of Palpatine, perhaps not communicating everything to Padmé given he had been one of her closest advisers. It’s a fascinating retcon, adding so much more depth to this iconic story, while simultaneously explaining how Grogu survived Order 66 at last.
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