Animated series ‘Star Wars Rebels’ to feature Forest Whitaker as Saw Gerrera

One of the most intriguing characters in “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” is the extremist Saw Gerrera, played by esteemed actor Forest Whitaker. Unless you’re a diehard “Star Wars” fan, however, you probably aren’t aware that Saw Gerrera already existed in the series’ canon long before the movie.

We were first introduced to Saw in 2012, in an episode of the animated television series “Star Wars: The Clone Wars.” Back then, the much younger, less damaged Saw was voiced by Andrew Kishino.

Well, Saw is set to make an appearance in “Star Wars Rebels,” the latest “Star Wars” animated series for television. And this time, Forest Whitaker will be providing the voice for the character.

As “Star Wars Rebels” takes place around 5 years before “A New Hope” and “Rogue One,” the casting choice makes sense. Saw is older, and even resembles Forest Whitaker to some extent.

“Forest really wanted to know a lot about the character,” said “Star Wars Rebels” executive producer Dave Filoni. “He watched ‘The Clone Wars’ episodes with his character and I had some detail for him about things George [Lucas] and I discussed. It gave him more time to develop the character as far as, ‘How did he get there?’”

Filoni had more to say about Saw:

“He’s not quite as beat up as you see him [in “Rogue One”]. I never wanted to go into a lengthy thing about this is how Saw lost his foot. It’s more about his philosophy and who he is and what he thinks about the Rebellion — and how they go about resisting the Empire.”

Filoni’s remarks notwithstanding, we still wouldn’t mind learning how Saw ended up becoming so…mechanized.

We’ll see Saw in the two-part “Star Wars Rebels” episode entitled “Ghosts of Genosis.”

As is made evident by this upcoming storyline, both “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” and “Star Wars Rebels” have gone to great lengths to ensure seamless continuity between the animated television shows and the movies. In fact, those who’ve been keeping up with “Star Wars Rebels” will have probably noticed a slew of Easter eggs referencing the show in “Rogue One.” For example, an orange droid named “Chopper” and a Rebel-controlled spacecraft called “Ghost” – both of which first appeared in the cartoons – can be seen in the movie.

“None of the things we put in really jump out at you,” explained Filoni. “If you don’t watch ‘Rebels,’ there’s never a moment where you’re staring at the [movie] screen going, ‘Why was that important?’ For the people who do know, they get that added level of immersion.”

The first part of “Ghosts of Genosis” will air on January 7, 2017. “Star Wars Rebels,” which began airing in 2014, is now on its third season. The show also saw James Earl Jones reprising his role as Darth Vader. — BM, GMA News