The tragic destruction of the peaceful planet in A New Hope was, of course, moviegoers’ introduction to Alderaan. General Tarkin (Peter Cushing) forced Leia to watch as he tested the effectiveness of the first Death Star, destroying her beloved home with a single strike.
Then, in George Lucas’s prequel trilogy, we met Leia’s adoptive father, Bail Organa (Jimmy Smits), years before Alderaan was a pawn in the Galactic Empire’s plan. Smits (In the Heights) reprised his role in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016).
Now, Smits is speaking out about whether or not he would play Rebellion leader Organa again. A recent Yahoo! interview with the Hollywood Walk of Fame actor shared details about whether or not he’s already been tapped to reprise his role in the upcoming Rogue One prequel series, Andor:
“I wasn’t there!” he says, when asked if he graced the Andor set. “I wish I could tell you I was there. But even if I was there, I couldn’t tell you.”
Yet while Andor is apparently a ‘no’, the same isn’t necessarily the case for him and his character moving forward.
“Now that it’s been Disneyfied, there’s possibilities of that universe continuing,” he says. “Who knows?”
Although Smits didn’t confirm anything specific about playing Bail Organa again soon, he’s clearly open to the possibility — and could even be teasing Star Wars fans with information he knows that we don’t!
Disney is clearly open to exploring new parts of the Star Wars story. With nearly a dozen streaming series coming to Disney+ in the next few years, an Alderaan show isn’t at all far-fetched.
Setting a series on the iconic planet during the Galactic Republic era could actually help Disney and Lucasfilm continue some stories they might not be able to tell in any other way. Gina Carano’s firing from The Mandalorian saga, for example, has halted production on Cara Dune’s spinoff series, Rangers of the New Republic.
Bringing a younger version of Cara back on Alderaan in a prequel series could allow the Star Wars fan community to see more of her story — perhaps how she became a shock trooper in the first place, for instance — without bringing back Las Vegas-raised Carano, whose father is former NFL Dallas Cowboys quarterback Glenn Carano.
It’s a viable way to bring Cara Dune back to the franchise without committing to another contract with Carano or recasting the character in Favreau and Filoni’s Mandalorian universe.
We could even, potentially, see a young Princess Leia — just like we’re expected to see a young Luke Skywalker in Obi-Wan Kenobi.
In regard to Smits, de-aging technology — similar to what was used for Princess Leia’s appearance in Rogue One or Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker’s (Mark Hamill) cameo in The Mandalorian Season 2 finale — could be utilized for a prequel show prior to Alderaan’s destruction.
Or, it’s possible that an Alderaan series could see him at his current age reminiscing about the planet’s past.
Keep in mind that this is purely speculation at this time and nothing about a Star Wars series set on Alderaan has been confirmed by Disney or Lucasfilm at this time. However, Smits’s recent interview certainly didn’t shut down the possibility of this happening in the future as the Star Wars franchise continues to expand.
If ever one needed an example of the irredeemable evil that was the Empire, turn to the shattered remains of Alderaan. An influential world, Alderaan was represented in the waning days of the Republic by such venerated politicians as Bail Antilles and Bail Organa. A peaceful world, Alderaan was bereft of weaponry in an era of galactic strife. It was not without spirit, however. Alderaan was one of the earliest supporters of the Alliance to Restore the Republic, though its officials prudently kept all ties to the Rebellion secret. Despite such discretion, the Empire knew it to be a haven of Rebel activity, and Grand Moff Tarkin targeted the beautiful world for reprisal as soon as the Death Star was operational. The massive primary weapon of the battle station obliterated Alderaan, leaving only a lifeless asteroid field behind.
Credit: StarWars.com
Would you like to see an Alderaan series and learn more about Princess Leia’s home planet?
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Credit: Disney
