Earlier today at Star Wars Celebration 2016, it was revealed that legendary Doctor Who actor Tom Baker is to provide his voice for a pivotal role in the upcoming season of Star Wars: Rebels.

The news was announced live to thousands of fans gathered in London’s ExCel Centre for Star Wars Celebration Europe 2016 as a new trailer for the award-winning animated spin-off series was aired.
Baker, who played the Fourth Doctor in the hugely successful BBC time-traveling series from 1974 until 1981, voices a huge (literally!) character named Bendu, who is described as the ‘middle way of the Force’ – not Dark Side or Light Side, he’s ‘something else, a force of nature.’

Rebels showrunner Dave Filoni told a delighted audience that when he wrote this character, he ‘knew’ it had to be Tom Baker to voice it. As a child Filoni was a fan of The Fourth Doctor, describing Tom as ‘bigger than life.’
‘He’s so unique in everything he does,’ Filoni told host and Star Wars movie star Warwick Davis (Life’s Too Short), adding that Bendu is ‘a different kind of Force character/creature than we’ve had before,’ and will make a ‘big difference’ to the hit Disney show.
The character’s name may be familiar to uber fans of the space opera as the term ‘Jedi Bendu’ appeared in George Lucas’ early drafts of the Star Wars script back in the early 70s.

Dave Filoni also brought another Doctor to the Star Wars universe in 2012 when he cast Tenth Doctor actor David Tennant in the The Clone Wars animated series. The role won the Scottish actor an Emmy.
Fans were exclusively treated to the opening two episodes of Season Three of Star Wars: Rebels which featured Tom Baker in a role which dominates proceedings, and we can look forward to more of his presence in episodes to come.

But that wasn’t it for Star Wars aficionados. The new batch of episodes promises the return of The Phantom Menace’s Darth Maul and the introduction of Grand Admiral Thrawn – a moment which drew gasps from the thousands assembled in London’s ExCel.
Thrawn was a much-loved bad guy from the ‘Expanded Universe’, originally appearing the sequel trilogy Heir To The Empire by Timothy Zahn (who recorded a video message for fans, revealing a small TARDIS in his study!).
In Rebels, he’s voiced by actor Lars Mikkelsen, star of TV shows, The Killing, House of Cards, Sherlock and many, many more. Coincidentally, his brother Mads Mikkelsen stars in upcoming Star Wars stand alone film, Rogue One.
Star Wars: Rebels Season 3 airs later this year on Disney XD.