Star Wars: Rogue One – Everything You Need to Know About Saw Gerrera.

Saw_GerreraIt’s recently been confirmed that for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Forrest Whitaker will be playing a live-action version of Saw Gerrera from The Clone Wars. Here’s everything you need to know about the character and why he’s important to the Star Wars saga. Plus, see what The Clone Wars and Rebels showrunner Dave Filoni thinks of the character’s jump between mediums.

 

Saw Gerrera fought in the Onderon campaign of the Clone Wars.

 

In The Clone Wars, the 4-episode arc that opened Season 5 revolved around an operation to oust the Separatists from a planet that the Republic just lost control over. For whatever reason, the Grand Army of the Republic could not lend a full-scale invasion to launch a coup, so they instead chose to support a local rebellion that would get their job done. The leader of this group? Saw Gerrera.

 

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A team of military advisors from the Republic were sent to assist the planet’s rebels in the liberation of their planet, and Anakin Skywalker would be the one to teach tactics to Gerrera’s ragtag group. So in an ironic twist, the man who would become Darth Vader ended up training the man who would become one of the most infamous rebels in history, all before the Empire had even been formed.

 

He’s the first character to jump from a Star Wars television show to a Star Wars movie.

 

…Provided that you don’t count Boba Fett’s cameo from the non-canonical Star Wars Holiday Special (at which point he had already been designed as a character for The Empire Strikes Back), or the talk that Captain Rex actually fought in the Battle of Endor (which itself was a retcon 32 years in the making). In any case, Saw Gerrera is the first character to appear in a live-action Star Wars movie who was created for a separate medium of Star Wars stories entirely. This is important in that it clearly does establish Disney’s plan for a unified Star Wars setting instead of a series of unrelated works, and it leaves hope that other non-movie characters will make the jump one way or another in the future.

 

Saw

 

He was originally developed as a character for the unmade Star Wars: Underworld show.

 

In The Clone Wars, Obi-Wan worried that Saw Gerrera’s tactics were becoming too extreme. This was actually meant to lead into the character’s appearance on the cancelled Star Wars: Underworld show, at which point he would be a full-blown, anti-Imperial terrorist. Naturally, the idea of a morally-grey rebel was seen as too interesting to simply pass up with the scrapped series, so it was repurposed into the new canon – with hints being littered throughout that Gerrera wouldn’t go on to be a war hero. Between this and a more sympathetic take on Palpatine, it seems as if the show’s intent was to paint a traditionally black-and-white morality in varying shades of grey.

 

He’s seen as an extremist, even by the Rebellion…

 

saw

 

Saw Gerrera is a fairly controversial figure as far as his tactics are concerned. In Star Wars Rebels, recurring antagonist Agent Kallus notes that he encountered some particularly ruthless mercenaries that were hired by Gerrera, and that he narrowly escaped a gruesome end. In the Bloodline novel, Gerrera is mentioned by name as soldier who used tactics that were described as being “terrorist” in nature. As it turns out, there’s a reason why he’s considered a controversial figures on both sides of the aisle, and it happened between the Clone Wars and the Galactic Civil War. Whether or not we’ll find out about what soured his relationship with Mon Mothma and Bail Organa in Rogue One is anyone’s guess, but it seems likely that we’ll learn more about what he’s done in future stories.

 

 

…But the danger presented by the Death Star brings both groups together.

 

Rogue One

 

Nothing brings people together quite like the threat of impending doom, and given that Rogue One is all about a planet-annihilating weapon, it’s not hard to see why rebels would put their differences aside to stop the thing from killing billions of people. Thus far, Saw Gerrera has not been advertised as being a part of the group that the other “Rogues” sent after the Death Star plans are in, so it seems as if he becomes an ally partway into the story instead of from the very start.

 

He’s part of the inspiration behind the symbol of the Rebel Alliance.

 

Starbird

 

While some fans are familiar with Sabine’s take on the Starbird symbol (shown above), it’s not hard to recognize that it’s very much different from the familiar symbol of the Rebel Alliance itself. Pablo Hidalgo just pointed out that a piece of Saw’s uniform is used to define the Rebel Alliance Starbird.

 

 

He’s (probably) going to show up on Rebels next season.

 

A rumor from a while back stated that Sam Witwer and Andrew Kishino would both be returning to Rebels for major roles. While Witwer’s involvement has long since been confirmed (as he reprised two different roles – Emperor Palpatine and Darth Maul), Kishino’s involvement has not yet been substantiated by any other outlet. Kishino’s role, of course, is that of Saw Gerrera, a character that we now know will be appearing in a new movie. Given that Rogue One scribe Gary Whitta is writing an episode, and that Season 3 is set to tie in with Rogue One in a major way, it’s not hard to put two and two together – Gerrera could very well be the key link that ties the two works together.

 

So with all that in mind, what does his co-creator – Dave Filoni – think of all this?

 

ComicBook.com got a brief statement from the animation maestro. In short – he’s thrilled!

 

I have always thought of Star Wars: The Clone Wars as an extension of the Star Wars films, and now, here we are, seeing a character come to life in the flesh on the big screen. I think it’s tremendously exciting, because it’s fulfilling a promise to the fans, that this is one story, and the characters you know and love are throughout it, and influencing the story in many ways. I’m so proud of the Rogue One team, and everyone at Lucasfilm. It’s a great day for Star Wars.

 

Of course, the greatest question surrounding Saw Gerrera’s involvement in Rogue One is a riddle for the ages: how his eyes changed color – from green to brown – over the span of twenty years. Hopefully, we’ll get an answer to fill that Galaxy-spanning plot hole before the movie comes out. Until then, we like Pablo Hidalgo’s explanation on this:

 

 

Stick around with Star Wars News Net for the latest and greatest stories about all things related to the Galaxy Far, Far Away.

 

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Grant has been a fan of Star Wars for as long as he can remember, having seen every movie on the big screen. When he’s not hard at work with his college studies, he keeps himself busy by reporting on all kinds of Star Wars news for SWNN and general movie news on the sister site, Movie News Net. He served as a frequent commentator on SWNN’s The Resistance Broadcast.

Grant Davis (Pomojema)

Grant has been a fan of Star Wars for as long as he can remember, having seen every movie on the big screen. When he’s not hard at work with his college studies, he keeps himself busy by reporting on all kinds of Star Wars news for SWNN and general movie news on the sister site, Movie News Net. He served as a frequent commentator on SWNN’s The Resistance Broadcast.

52 thoughts on “Star Wars: Rogue One – Everything You Need to Know About Saw Gerrera.

  • June 23, 2016 at 10:57 am
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    AWESOME!

  • June 23, 2016 at 11:25 am
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    He wore contacts back then, or he had eye surgery to alter the color of his eyes because he was on the run, or he has a medical condition that effected his eyes.

    So many things can be said to explain his change in eye color.

    • June 23, 2016 at 3:31 pm
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      His skin is darker as well. In fact, eyes aside, he looks quite different all around from his CW counterpart, but Forest Whitaker is a great actor and I can’t wait to see him on screen in Rogue One. CW character depictions are a lot different from the film versions anyway (as Pablo pointed out with Dooku), even with the main characters. Take Anakin for example – completely different voice and demeanor in the show vs the films. Windu and Yoda also look and sound very different. Obi-Wan is the closest imo, but really, I don’t think it matters all that much to the creators. Appearance or voice are not really considered canonical elements (take Alden Ehrenreich as Solo for ex.). The story aspects, however, are what matters to Lucasfilm. But I like the simple explanations you provide. Obi-Wan changed his whole face temporarily with medical technology in the “Deception” arc on CW for his Rako Hardeen disguise. Nothing is outside the realm of possibility.

      • June 23, 2016 at 3:56 pm
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        I suspect calling him ‘Saw Gerrera’ is just a fun nod for the fans – if Whitaker’s character was called “Wex Bounty” or something, it would make no difference to the overall movie I expect.

        • June 23, 2016 at 4:02 pm
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          It’s way more than a fun nod. This guy is integral to the overall story of Star Wars.

          • June 23, 2016 at 4:13 pm
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            Yes, I accept that – I mean for the general, mainstream populace who will go and see Rogue One – likely they will have no idea who Gerrera is ( as I personally didn’t until this morning, not being an avid fan of Clone Wars ).

          • June 26, 2016 at 5:07 am
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            They don’t have prior attachment to any of the new characters. So what? For the fans that know him it’s cool. For those that don’t there’s someone they can go and get to know to become more familiar with prior to the movie coming out. I fail to see how it’s just “a fun nod” or why it would be a problem?

    • June 23, 2016 at 4:52 pm
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      Anyone who is bothered by the eye color clearly needs to get a life. Expecting actors to look like cartoons is stupid.

      • June 23, 2016 at 9:37 pm
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        I agree, but you just wait when they come strolling in here complaining about it.

      • June 27, 2016 at 10:45 am
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        It was a throwaway joke, dude…

        – Pomojema

  • June 23, 2016 at 1:02 pm
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    “In any case, Saw Gerrera is the first character to appear in a live-action Star Wars movie who was created for a separate medium of Star Wars stories entirely.”

    Apparently, that’s not quite true. Aayla Secura appeared in the Star Wars: Republic and Heart of Fire comic series in 2000 and 2001 respectively, before her cinematic debut in Attack of the Clones.

    If you limit the statement to the current canon, it’s correct.

    • June 23, 2016 at 2:10 pm
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      I think it is safe to assume that anyone at Lucasfilm at this point would be referring to the current Canon.

      • June 27, 2016 at 10:45 am
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        That was exactly it. I was just limiting myself to the medium of animation.

        – Pomojema

    • June 23, 2016 at 4:59 pm
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      Dash Rendar’s Outrider (presumably with Dash inside) appeared in ANH Special Edition also.

      • June 24, 2016 at 3:22 pm
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        Yeah, that’s more of an Easter egg, though.

        • June 26, 2016 at 3:20 am
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          and added after the fact.

  • June 23, 2016 at 2:57 pm
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    But…. but…. “Disney is distancing themselves from the prequels”?

    • June 23, 2016 at 2:58 pm
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      yeah, that sentiment is ridiculous

      • June 23, 2016 at 3:04 pm
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        Couldn’t agree more. Which is why I am doubly happy that we are getting a crossover like this.

    • June 23, 2016 at 4:48 pm
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      Where was this guy in the prequels?

      • June 23, 2016 at 4:58 pm
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        Well, considering his initial introduction is FIRMLY between AOTC and ROTS, he is effectively a Prequel character.

        Next.

        • June 23, 2016 at 5:39 pm
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          Not if he wasn’t in the prequels.

          • June 23, 2016 at 10:54 pm
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            Stretching it, guys. The only characters he has interacted with in Canon so far were Prequel characters, in a show that took place DURING the Prequel Trilogy, making the Clone Wars a Prequel Spinoff. Just stop. I know you want to continue to hate everything Prequel related, but you had to realize this day was going to come….

        • June 23, 2016 at 6:36 pm
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          If he’s not in the 3 prequel films, then he’s not a prequel character. Han Solo was alive during the prequels as a young boy. Is he considered a prequel character too?

    • June 23, 2016 at 5:30 pm
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      TFA would have been an awkward movie to do something like this with it being an introduction to the new main characters. I expect VIII and IX to flesh out more history with people like Saw Gerrera, and yes including the prequel era. Anyone who thinks adding depth is bad needs to get their head checked. I do think this is a way that they are trying to get the movie goers to watch more of the non movie stuff like Rebels.

  • June 23, 2016 at 4:00 pm
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    I’d really like to know how much the so-called “story group” shackle the filmmakers’ creativity? Or are they just there to ensure cross-platform information on characters/worlds/etc. line up?

    I’d hate it if the SW movies were dictated by this “story group”.

    • June 23, 2016 at 5:00 pm
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      I don’t think they dictate as much as they guide to ensure we don’t have the same things that made the old EU crap (conflicting stories, etc).

    • June 23, 2016 at 5:24 pm
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      Story group is here to ensure that all stories feel like one connected universe and nothing from comics to movies contradict each other.
      Which is exact opposite of what old EU was doing.

      • June 23, 2016 at 5:27 pm
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        The old EU was tiered canon anyway, so it worked fine for me – I understood that everything but the movies and some of the books ( namely the novelisations ) were just gravy. It was simple to grasp.

        • June 23, 2016 at 5:28 pm
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          But we also had nothing else to care about for 30 years.

          Anything would have sufficed.

          • June 23, 2016 at 5:37 pm
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            We had a whole host of novels, comics, games, etc. – I really didn’t care if they were G-Canon, or N-Canon or whatever, if they were GOOD quality, I was happy to accept that those stories happened to my SW heroes. In fact I relished it – I used to adore those old Marvel comics Star Wars comics for example.

        • June 23, 2016 at 5:37 pm
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          Don’t get me wrong there are good stories in old EU.
          But tiered canon ?! WTF things are either canon or not there is nothing in between. If you need something like tiered canon because of huge number of contradiction that exist in your universe, then you fucked up.

          • June 23, 2016 at 5:42 pm
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            “Tiered Canon” is just a way to say that only the movies as associated text/books were CANON.

            This new Canon system will grow out of control in a few years too – there’s too much guff that we are forced to acknowledge as canon. If they just stick with the movies ( and Clone Wars/Rebels, if needs be ) as Canon, comics/games/other novels/etc. would be best served by not being referred to as primary canon ( like in the old days ).

          • June 23, 2016 at 6:11 pm
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            Trust me, fuck things up like old EU did. Is not possible without concentrated effort.

          • June 23, 2016 at 6:14 pm
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            If anything, it will force them to actually ‘expand’ the universe rather than mess around in the same era and same characters and same conflicts.

          • June 26, 2016 at 3:18 am
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            That concentrated effort is the entire job of the story group, which includes people like Mr. Hidalgo who seem to know where everything fits regardless of which canon it’s from. Yes, due to the fact that humans are the ones doing it there will be some inconsistencies here and there. They will have the job of making sure that those inconsistencies are as minor and inconsequential as possible. I’d rather trust them than you.

  • June 23, 2016 at 5:36 pm
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    blahhh…who cares. Just hoping they don’t completely screw this up. But it would have much more spectacular if the one guy ended up being Kyle Katarn. A nod and inclusion of characters from the EU would be wonderful…as it stands, who cares anything about this tie-in character???

    • June 23, 2016 at 6:13 pm
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      Maybe a whole generation that has no clue who Kyle Katarn, Kyp Durron, or Jackson the Rabbit are.

      • June 23, 2016 at 7:02 pm
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        Um…that’s Jaxxon, thank you very much. And I agree that they could have included Kyle Katarn in some way. Maybe they still will? That said, Saw is a great choice to tie TCW to the OT.

      • June 24, 2016 at 3:01 am
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        To be fair, Not many more have seen the TCW episodes either if they have to go out of their way to explain who he is to everyone.

        • June 24, 2016 at 5:28 pm
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          They’d have to do that for everybody but Thrawn and Mara Jade.

          They just created a great in-universe connection – beside, Katarn’s story would likely be altered and fanboys would be up in arms about it. Its a damned if you do and damned if you don’t with all EU characters.

  • June 23, 2016 at 5:59 pm
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    I love it! Expansive and interweaving story lines draw more people into the mythology and make it that much greater… One of the many reasons why I love the stories surrounding Middle Earth so much.

  • June 23, 2016 at 8:24 pm
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    So he has hair in the first picture and is bald in the second. Anyone?

    • June 24, 2016 at 2:08 am
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      A Stormtrooper fires at Saw, but misses him and hits his hair instead. Embarrassed by the fact that there’s a blaster hole in his hair, he shaves it off.
      I guarantee this is what happens in the film.

    • June 27, 2016 at 10:42 am
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      Reshoots. Or perhaps mid-production, they decided that he looked better with a wig, and the footage shown earlier was taken before they made the decision.

      – Pomojema

  • June 23, 2016 at 8:54 pm
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    Saw has seen too much. He is a war hardened man and the light he once had in his eyes has been driven out by endless fighting. His eyes are a symbol of himself. Once bright and hopeful, now dark and mysterious. I hope it is something of this nature!

  • June 23, 2016 at 10:09 pm
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    I prefer the old look

  • June 23, 2016 at 10:45 pm
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    I get the feeling he’ll sacrifice himself in R1, as a sort of redemption move by the writers.

  • June 24, 2016 at 2:59 am
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    You would think such a good looking fit young dude would have aged better. Even Obi-Wan aged gracefully if prematurely. I like Whitaker fine as an actor but he simply lacks the athletic build that a commando would suggest and was never much of a looker even in his youth unlike the character he’s based on. This reeks of a last minute suggestion. They also sound NOTHING alike either.

    • June 25, 2016 at 7:45 pm
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      Ever watch an athlete not be an athlete?

      They blow up.

  • June 25, 2016 at 12:44 am
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    I can’t believe they would cut such a great couch scene out of Ep. 3. Out of all the greatest couch scenes in these films why this one?

  • June 25, 2016 at 10:23 pm
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    After this revelation I have to think stuff from Clone Wars is in ST namely Snoke’s origin as a non-Sith/Jedi force weilding Celestial. NOOOO they would never take that from a dumb cartoon. Here’s an example naysayers,

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