The Mandalorian's Zeb Cameo Reminds Us Of A Star Wars Rebels Misstep
"The Mandalorian" season 3 cameo of a hulking furry Lasat, Garazeb Orellios (voiced again by Steve Blum), excited "Star Wars Rebels" viewers. But the sighting also may have disillusioned fans who are already wary of Star Wars falling deeper into the referential everything-must-be-connected pit — not unlike the Marvel Cinematic Universe — and this connection could have further fractured the identity of "The Mandalorian" show more than it already has. At the same time, it could have given fans more hope to see the "Rebels" cast in the upcoming live-action series "Ahsoka." The power of this cameo is that it can make Star Wars fans (myself included) feel many emotions — even hope and dread in the same space.
It also might have reminded "Rebels" fans that the CGI cartoon didn't do justice to the Garazeb (or Zeb) character. When "Rebels" (created by Simon Kinberg, Dave Filoni, Carrie Beck) closed out its final season in 2018, the Lasat probably got the most questionable "closure" out of the main cast members.
Feud and friendship
Garazeb was a loyal Spectre of the Ghost crew, a rebel cell led by Hera Syndulla (Vanessa Marshall). Like all his crewmembers, Zeb carried baggage. He served as an Honor Guard for the Lasat royal family on planet Lasan. When the Empire decimated Lasan, it left Zeb wracked with guilt throughout "Star Wars Rebels."
Understanding Zeb's ending in "Rebels" means understanding his rivalry-turned-friendship with Imperial agent Alexsandr Kallus (David Oyelowo), a frequent foe of the Ghost crew. For starters, Kallus participated in the Empire's xenocide of the Lasats. Kallus also wields a Lasat bo-rifle, which is an implication that Kallus claimed it as a trophy in combat with a Lasat guardsman. Not to mention that in the heat of battle, Kallus bragged to Zeb that he also gave the order to eradicate the Lasats.
Zeb's own view of Kallus was complicated later in the series. In the season 2 episode "The Honorable Ones," Zeb and Kallus end up marooned on one of Geonosis' frozen moons and the two form a temporary truce to survive together. There, Zeb discovered two details about Kallus: He's capable of honor, but has a difficult time deconstructing his Imperial beliefs. Like most Imperials conditioned by the Empire, Kallus believed he was bringing peace and order to the galaxy. The Imperial also revealed that his previous boast — that he lead the slaughter of Lasats — was a battle taunt. Destroying Lasan was an order he followed, not gave.
The shaky star path to atonement
Zeb also learned that Kallus's bo-rifle was won fairly, in a sense. Demonstrating that he could recognize his adversary's humanity, Kallus relayed the story of how the Lasat guard he defeated willingly gifted him his bo-rifle according to the "Boosahn Keeraw" custom in Lasat duels. The Imperial also recalled an Onderon patrol where a Lasat mercenary, working with Saw Guerra's famously aggressive rebel faction, wiped out Kallus's unit — as if to explain his xenophobia against the Lasat race. When Zeb called out his bigotry, Kallus retorted with a false equivalence that Zeb shouldn't judge all Imperial soldiers the same (#NotAllImperials). But even as Zeb grew to understand Kallus's complex mindset, "The Honorable Ones" ended on a note that made it clear Kallus has a greater responsibility than Zeb to change his perspective.
Zeb's conversation and sense of honor left an impact on Kallus, so the latter became a spy for the Rebellion, assumed the Rebel "Fulcrum" codename (that was kickstarted by Ahsoka Tano), and then fed intel to the Ghost crew to save their lives. Realistically, the Ghost crew did not immediately warm up to Kallus. But eventually, Kallus threw away the Imperial uniform and joined Zeb's rebel cause for good.
Zeb's moment in the sun
Prior to enlightening Kallus, Zeb shepherded two surviving Lasats to safety in season 2's "Legends of the Lasat." He found the strength to guide the Ghost and his fellow Lasats across Wild Space to Lira San, the original Lasat homeworld planet before Lasan. With that accomplished, Zeb vowed to help other surviving Lasats find their way home. It's also notable that Kallus pursued them but was unable to follow them across the dangerous hyperspace route. That chase underlined a distinction between Zeb's and Kallus's own redemption arcs in season 2: Zeb took responsibility for his survivor's guilt over being powerless against systemic oppression, while Kallus had to atone for the Imperial oppression he inflicted on Zeb's people.
After that and "Honorable Ones," Zeb did not get more interesting arcs but remained a valued team player and wisecracker to the Ghost crew. Mostly, he reacted to the storylines of his Spectre family. So this makes his ending particularly more eyebrow-raising.
Congrats, ex-space Nazi
In the epilogue of "Rebels," Zeb took Kallus on the hidden hyperspace route to Lira San. It's a major gesture of trust for the ex-Imperial who once tried to chase Zeb down that very path. Ghost member Sabine Wren (Tiya Sircar) narrated that Kallus was relieved that he didn't actually slaughter all the Lasats, and the Lasats accepted Kallus as one of their own. Note that Zeb treated the trip like a surprise gift for Kallus.
The framing of this ending required more thought. The script centered the ex-Imperial's guilt in an awkward manner, almost like "don't worry, former Space Nazi, you didn't kill all of us after all, so don't feel so bad!" It barely felt like a real "ending" for Zeb, but rather for the ex-Imperial perpetrator who harmed Zeb's people. That storytelling choice did not go unnoticed by fans, many of whom felt that the show neglected Zeb after his season 2 storyline. Even this epilogue felt tacked on for Kallus, since season 4 did not meaningfully explore his integration into the Rebellion.
(Quick digression: Fans who romantically shipped Kallus and Zeb like to think that they got married on Lira San and lived happily ever after. The Force is strong with the enemies-to-lover fan art and fan fiction.)
Hope
At the 2019 Star Wars Celebration "Rebels Remembered" panel, Sabine voice actress Tiya Sircar recalled that the epilogue was written secretively on a notepad and Dave Filoni confirmed that only a few eyes vetted the ending. Based on that information, Filoni had not much space for the ending to be critiqued by meaningful perspectives which could have pointed out the optics of that conclusion. It would make more sense if the script re-centered the homecoming around Zeb's arc and mentioned Kallus aiding the surviving Lasats as an act of ongoing atonement.
There haven't been many post-"Rebels" appearances for Zeb other than at least one cameo in the "Star Wars" Marvel comics. Seeing Zeb's story (momentarily) continue in "The Mandalorian" sparks emotions and questions. Zeb's pilot attire indicates that he remained active in the New Republic military, but there's no update on him helping his fellow Lasats (nor on his possible happy marriage to Kallus). Along with the Ghost crew returning in the "Ahsoka" series, "The Mandalorian" teased that the Ghost — Zeb included — will have their stories continued in some form in a galaxy far, far away. Hopefully, more justice can be done for the Lasat and he can get a more deserving ending this time.
"The Mandalorian" and "Star Wars Rebels" are streaming on Disney+.