The Mandalorian and Grogu opens with Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) attacking an Empire stronghold on the outskirts of the galaxy. Along with his adorable foundling Grogu, Din is assisted by Zeb (Steve Blum), a gruff purple alien pilot working for the New Republic. The character’s prominent role in the film might come as a surprise to fans of The Mandalorian, where Zeb only appeared in a single scene in season 3, but the character has been a part of Disney’s Star Wars canon for more than a decade. Here’s everything you need to know about how he fits into Din’s story.

Garazeb Orrelios, commonly called Zeb, was one of the main characters in Star Wars: Rebels, an animated series from Dave Filoni, Simon Kinberg, and Carrie Beck that premiered on the Disney Channel in 2014. Set between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, the show spent four seasons following the crew of the Ghost as they fought against the Galactic Empire.

Zeb was a member of the Lasat honor guard, and he swore to fight back against the Empire for killing Lasan’s royal family and wiping out most of the planet’s people. He serves as the primary muscle for the Ghost’s crew along with providing plenty of comic relief. He’s highly competent with his fists and a variety of weapons and super athletic thanks to his prehensile feet. He wasn’t one of the Ghost’s primary pilots, but apparently he’s practiced a fair bit since then.

Image: Lucasfilm

Filoni went on to co-create The Mandalorian and gave Zeb his live-action debut in season 3. There he appears as a New Republic captain hanging out at a base and bemoaning the fact that the new government doesn’t have the resources to protect the planet Nevarro. He wishes his fellow starfighter captain Caron Teva (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee) luck as he goes to make his case to Coruscant and eventually seeks help from Din. Teva also makes an appearance in The Mandalorian and Grogu, providing Din with some backup alongside a captain played by Filoni.

Most of the surviving crew of Rebels were prominently featured in Filoni’s 2023 live action series Ahsoka. The former Jedi Ahsoka (Rosario Dawson) worked with her Mandalorian apprentice Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) to try to find Ezra Bridger (Eman Esfandi), who disappeared in Rebels’ series finale along with Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen). Zeb was notably absent, but hopefully he’ll return in season 2 to help Ezra and the Ghost’s ace pilot Hera Syndulla (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) defend the New Republic.

The Mandalorian and Grogu is in theaters now.