One of LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy‘s lead characters, Jedi Bob, has a long and bizarre history among the pantheon of personalities in a galaxy far, far away. Played by Bobby Moynihan, Jedi Bob was once an inside-baseball reference that only the most hardcore LEGO Star Wars fans would recognize. Now, the yellow minifigure has ballooned into a central piece of the animated miniseries on Disney+, rewriting the lore of George Lucas’ magnum opus with LEGO.
Having just partnered with Lucasfilm for the first time in 1999 when Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace premiered, LEGO was hungry for another Star Wars picture to hit multiplexes. The Danish toymaker doubled-down on creating sets for Episode II, including Obi-Wan Kenobi’s Jedi Starfighter, Jango Fett’s Slave I, and the beloved Republic Gunship. Otherwise known as the LAAT (Low Altitude Assault Transport), the Republic Gunship has become emblematic of the Clone Wars era of Star Wars, jump-started by Attack of the Clones in 2002.
Set 7163: Republic Gunship was constructed out of 683 pieces and included eight minifigures, a staple of the Star Wars theme. Half of those characters were generic Clone Troopers, perfect for collectors hoping to mass a battalion of troops. Three of the remaining figures were droids, serving as cannon-fodder for the republic vessel. The final figure was a Jedi Knight, inexplicably unnamed.
Rather than including a specifically named Jedi character, such as Mace Windu, Kit Fisto, or Coleman Trebor, LEGO inserted a generic Jedi that didn’t resemble any player from the film. The nameless knight sported a brown hood, cape, and pants, with a gray robe. He had the classic LEGO yellow skin, something Star Wars figures haven’t featured since 2003 after making the change to more accurate flesh tones in 2004. Finally, he wielded a green lightsaber with a chrome hilt. So, who was this guy?
The fact is, he’s nobody–a character LEGO made up for this set. But the online community would not let him be the Jedi with no name for long.
A Jedi Named Bob
The specific origin of Jedi Bob’s namesake is still unknown. He was likely christened by LEGO fans scouring through online forums in the pre-social media days of the early aughts. The first official written account of the hooded-minifigure being referred to as Jedi Bob arrived via the 2009 DK book LEGO Star Wars: The Visual Dictionary. Supporters of the anonymous Jedi would have to wait another 15 years to hear from the character again, despite numerous online campaigns for him to be resurrected. However, all that changed in 2024. Enter: LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy.
Somehow, Jedi Bob returned, in a rather triumphant manner. The character is spotlighted prominently in Rebuild the Galaxy. And what better individual to voice Bob than a real-life-Robert? Saturday Night Live alumni Bobby Moynihan was tapped to bring Jedi Bob to life. In an interview with Den of Geek at San Diego Comic-Con 2024, Monyihan discussed voicing the character.
“It was an undertaking,” he said. “I respect the gravity of it. I understand the mantle that is Jedi Bob to uphold and I hope I did it correctly. I take great care and love in the character. There are three different worlds in this character. It’s Star Wars, LEGO, and then fandom. A fandom that went ‘this character that came out in a box named Jedi, we have decided that this thing is named Jedi Bob and that is it worth something.’”
When asked if he owned any Jedi Bob minifigures, Moynihan said, “I own many Jedi Bobs,” including his own custom variants such as dark side version of the character and an arctic rendition, showcasing the wonderful creativity behind LEGO. Bobby even brought his original Jedi Bob minifigure from 2002, which he owned before being cast as the knight in Rebuild the Galaxy.
In fact, LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy showrunner/writer Benji Samit expressed how Bobby Moynihan knew about Jedi Bob before his involvement with the project. When contacting him regarding the series, Samit told Moynihan, “Hey so we wrote this part for you, it’s based on this obscure thing… you probably don’t know it, let me explain this character Jedi Bob to you.”
Bobby Moynihan then interrupted, “Oh, I know,” and the rest is history.
LEGO Star Wars fans can now officially get their hands on their own Jedi Bob minifigure for the first time in 22 years. To coincide with the release of Rebuild the Galaxy, LEGO bestowed Bob with his own Jedi Starfighter (75388), accentuated by a sleek red, white, and gray color scheme. The Jedi Bob figure included even retains the classic yellow skintone, a nostalgic touch for the biggest LEGO aficionados.
Despite not being a canonical character in the Star Wars galaxy, Jedi Bob has cemented himself as an icon in his own right, being described best by voice actor Bobby Moynihan when he said Jedi Bob carries “a respected legacy.”
The post Rebuild the Galaxy’s Jedi Bob Has a Fascinating LEGO Star Wars History appeared first on Den of Geek.
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