This article contains spoilers for The Mandalorian season 3, episode 5.Star Wars has finally revealed what happened to Garazeb “Zeb” Orrelios after Star Wars Rebels. Lucasfilm’s animated Star Wars Rebels TV show introduced viewers to a rebel cell based on the planet Lothal, who gradually became absorbed into the wider Rebel Alliance. Things were never going to end well for the group, given they were operating before the first Death Star – before the first rebel victory. One of their number, the Jedi Kanan Jarrus, sacrificed his life; his student, Ezra Bridger, was lost in the Unknown Regions. Other members of the rebel cell continued working in the Rebel Alliance, with their leader Hera Syndulla even taking part in the battle of Endor.
One character has been largely a mystery, however; Garazeb “Zeb” Orrelios, a Lasat rebel who played a key role in opposing the Empire on Lothal. He was a highly trained combatant, and he had cultivated a fierce hatred of the Empire given their attempted genocide of his people. That meant nobody ever expected Zeb to sit out the rest of the Galactic Civil War – and Star Wars is finally confirming his role in the galaxy after the end of Star Wars Rebels.
The Mandalorian Season 3, Episode 5 Confirms Zeb Remained Part Of The New Republic
The finale of Star Wars Rebels confirmed Zeb survived the war, and took former Imperial agent Kallus to the planet Lira San, the lost homeworld of the Lasat; it was a touching ending, because Kallus had participated in the attempted genocide of the Lasat before betraying the Empire and joining the rebellion. The Mandalorian season 3, episode 5 seems to be set after that, introducing a live-action Zeb (still voiced by his Star Wars Rebels voice-actor Steve Blum). It reveals Zeb returned to the New Republic.
Zeb is one of the New Republic pilots based at Adelphi, a planet on or near the Outer Rim that had become an important base for New Republic X-wing patrols. These pilots were situated far from the galactic center, and they appear to have had a much better understanding of the turmoil being experienced in the Outer Rim after the fall of the Empire. The Empire’s defeat had left a power vacuum, one the de-militarizing New Republic never filled.
Zeb’s Future In Star Wars Explained
It’s reasonable to assume Zeb’s live-action debut in The Mandalorian season 3, episode 5 is the beginning of a new character arc. Lucasfilm is launching a number of spinoffs set in the same time period as The Mandalorian; Zeb was presumably intended to be part of the now-abandoned Rangers of the New Republic, but could easily be repurposed for Ahsoka. This stars other characters from Star Wars Rebels who have been recast for live-action, including the titular Ahsoka Tano, played by Rosario Dawson. The show is believed to see the old team come together to search for the missing Jedi Padawan Ezra Bridger; Zeb was particularly close to Ezra, so he’d naturally want to help.
Episodes of The Mandalorian release Wednesdays on Disney+.
