The voice-actors for Star Wars Rebels have shared their emotional reaction to learning of the death of Freddie Prinze Jr.’s Kanan Jarrus. A spiritual successor to Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels is set toward the end of the Dark Times of the Emperor’s reign. It featured Freddie Prinze Jr. as the voice of Kanan Jarrus, a Jedi who survived Order 66 – and it was immediately clear Kanan’s days were numbered. After all, viewers reasoned, the character isn’t around during the original trilogy to train Luke Skywalker. As expected, Kanan died in Star Wars Rebels season 4, sacrificing his life to save his loved ones.
Speaking at Fan Expo San Francisco (h/t Collider), the voice-actors from Star Wars Rebels spoke of their sorrow when they learned Kanan’s fate. “We really were a family,” Taylor Gray (the voice of Ezra Brider) recalled. “When we showed up to record and Freddy wasn’t there. We didn’t record for an hour. Everyone was crying because ‘Oh, we lost Freddy’. Wow, that sounded really sad.” Vanessa Marshall, who voiced rebel leader Hera Syndulla – Kanan’s lover – agreed, and remembered the emotions of that day.
The script doesn’t have much a reaction. It’s an animated thing that happens in the moment that nothing can prepare you for… What kind of actor campaigns for his own death? When I heard General Syndulla was in Rogue One, I thought “Life insurance policy”. But then Freddy was like “I want Darth Vader to kill me” and Dave [Filoni] was like “Nah.”
Kanan’s Death Was One Of The Most Heartbreaking Scenes In Star Wars
Kanan Jarrus’ death was easily one of the most heartbreaking moments in Star Wars history. The Jedi’s arc was a compelling one, and indeed he had just found love at last. But viewers knew Star Wars Rebels season 4 was the end of the show, meaning the clock was ticking down for his survival. It sounds as though Kanan’s voice-actor wanted his character to die at the hands of Darth Vader, but Star Wars took an even more tragic and memorable route.
Kanan does have a legacy, however. His sadly all-too-brief romance with Hera was consummated off-screen, and she gave birth to a son, Jacen Syndulla, who’s even appeared in live-action in Ahsoka – and who has inherited his father’s powers. It’s touching to see Star Wars Rebels‘ influence endure.
