Star Wars Is Officially Wasting One Of Its Best New Republic Heroes

Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for The Mandalorian & Grogu

Since The Mandalorian’s first season, the New Republic Era has become one of the most important corners of the modern Star Wars franchise. Featuring shows like The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, and Skeleton Crew, and most recently the new Mandalorian & Grogu movie, this period of the timeline set in the years after Return of the Jedi has become incredibly popular, and this includes one of its best heroes.

Star Wars’ various New Republic projects have largely been defined by the nascent New Republic government working to maintain peace and order while various Imperial Remnant factions operate in the shadows, and the Empire’s Grand Admiral Thrawn prepares for a major Imperial Resurgence following his return from exile. As such, the New Republic Rangers are at the forefront of these rising threats. Home to an entire squadron of pilots, Adelphi Base notably includes Captain Carson Teva (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee), a major fan-favorite hero in the New Republic Era.

Introduced as one of several New Republic pilots patrolling the Outer Rim, Carson Teva quickly became one of the primary connective tissues tying all of these various projects together. However, one of the few disappointments I have about The Mandalorian & Grogu movie is just how little Teva was featured in the brand-new Star Wars movie.

Captain Carson Teva Has Been A Recurring Star Wars Character Across the New Republic Era

Debuting in The Mandalorian season 2, Captain Carson Teva was featured alongside his wingman Trapper Wolf (played by Dave Filoni), a pilot for the New Republic who also has a history of flying for the Rebel Alliance during the Galactic Civil War. Encountering Din Djarin during a routine patrol and ultimately letting The Mandalorian go, Teva would go on to make a handful of future Star Wars appearances.

In The Book of Boba Fett, Teva crosses paths with Din Djarin once again while patrolling near the classic desert world of Tatooine, only for the Mandalorian to speed off in his brand-new custom N-1 Naboo Starfighter.

However, The Mandalorian season 3 elevates Teva’s character in some pretty cool ways, confirming his status as a pilot who will do the right thing even if it means defying overwhelming bureaucracy and protocol. Smart enough to realize that something big has been happening in the shadows with all of these Imperial Remnant warlords, Teva traveled all the way to Coruscant so he could personally voice his concerns and request aid for Nevarro in the face of invading pirates he believed were aligned with Moff Gideon.

After his concerns were dismissed due to limited resources, Teva found Djarin and his fellow Mandalorians, who did come to Nevarro’s aid. By the end of the third season, Din Djarin came to Adelphi and met with Carson again, offering his services as an off-the-books independent contractor to help the Rangers hunt down Imperial warlords.

Last but not least, Carson Teva’s most recent streaming appearance was in 2023’s Ahsoka, shown joining General Hera Syndulla’s rogue and unsanctioned mission to help Ahsoka Tano prevent the return of Grand Admiral Thrawn. Teva also helped rescue Ahsoka Tano following her confrontation with Baylan Skoll, further connecting him to the overarching New Republic narrative.

All this to say: although Carson Teva’s most recent appearance was on the big screen, his role was unfortunately underwhelming.

The Mandalorian & Grogu Features Carson Teva Only Briefly

Ahead of The Mandalorian & Grogu’s release, it seemed as though the movie was primed to finally give Carson Teva a larger role. After all, The Mandalorian season 3’s ending established Din Djarin working with the New Republic to hunt Imperial warlords with the deal he cut with Teva, heavily suggesting that Carson himself would become Din’s primary New Republic contact.

Instead, that role largely belongs to Sigourney Weaver’s Colonel Ward in The Mandalorian & Grogu. In the new Star Wars movie, it’s Ward who assigns Din Djarin and Grogu new missions and intel, overseeing operations on Adelphi Base as the primary face of the New Republic in this new film.

Although Weaver’s new Star Wars character is an excellent addition to the cast and New Republic Era as a whole, it was hard for me not to feel like her role was tailor-made for Carson Teva, given the prior setup in The Mandalorian series. Instead, Teva only briefly appears during the climactic battle on Nal Hutta as part of Adelphi Squadron’s mission to rescue Din Djarin, Grogu, and Rotta the Hutt, as well as commencing a bombing run on the Hutt Syndicate’s stronghold.

Carson Teva Needs The Major Star Wars Spotlight He’s Long Deserved

The good news is that there are still plenty more stories to be told in the New Republic Era. Ultimately, Carson Teva is uniquely positioned to connect multiple characters in the New Republic Era, including Din Djarin, Ahsoka Tano, Hera Syndulla, Zeb Orrelios, and more. He’s basically the Star Wars version of Marvel’s “Phil Coulson” for the New Republic Era.

It’s also worth noting that Carson Teva was expected to play a significant role in Rangers of the New Republic before the series was ultimately canceled due to Gina Carson’s firing by Disney, having played Marshal Cara Dune in The Mandalorian, and was set to be a major series lead. As such, the expectation that Teva was going to become a central figure makes his underutilization in The Mandalorian & Grogu even more frustrating.

Fortunately, Dave Filoni’s upcoming New Republic crossover movie will hopefully provide the perfect opportunity for Carson Teva to get the bigger spotlight he’s always deserved. After all, the threat of Grand Admiral Thrawn is expected to only get bigger with Ahsoka season 2 and likely beyond with Filoni’s crossover.

Heroes who know the score and what’s at stake will be needed, and few are as aware of the true dangers facing the galaxy during the New Republic Era as Captain Carson Teva. After years of serving as one of the New Republic era’s most reliable supporting players, it’s time for Teva to finally get a more substantial role.

The Mandalorian & Grogu is now playing in theaters from Lucasfilm.

Release Date: May 20, 2026
Runtime: 132 minutes
Writers: Noah Kloor
Producers: Ian Bryce, Kathleen Kennedy, Dave Filoni, Karen Gilchrist, John Bartnicki