Though he’s long since departed the world of the Star Wars franchise, creator George Lucas’ influence is still very much felt in that galaxy far, far away. In most cases, that force is felt more metaphorically, especially when Disney+ shows like The Mandalorian dip back into the well of classic franchise canon. However, a recent story has Lucas not only visiting the set of Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau’s streaming baby, it also revealed that he named a random character in the series’ lineup.
Actor Simon Kassianides, known to Mandalorian fans as Axe Woves, is the man who has The Maker to thank for his rather awesome name. He learned as much during a fitting for his Season 2 debut, which is part of the story that he told The Holo Files during an interview. Here’s how Kassianides recalls learning this knowledge for the first time:
My very first time meeting Jon [Favreau] and Dave [Filoni], and being fitted, for Season 2…Jon and Dave looked at each other and asked if I knew how the character got his name. I just said it’s a pretty cool name. And they said that the day that George Lucas visited the set, he was sitting there and just suggested that there should be a character called Axe, quite randomly. But from that moment onwards I thought, ‘I better get my textbooks out.’ I mean humbling, right? I mean, you’re involved in something like that. And you realize that the guy conjured up this really cool name. You know just that it adds to it all.
It all seems to have worked out in the end, as Axe Woves has been a part of some major happenings in both Seasons 2 and 3 of the Disney streaming hit. As Simon Kassianides could personally attest to, the possibilities for what lies ahead for Axe are great, especially after recalling where The Mandalorian left off with its most recent season finale. So long as this character is still in action, the Lucas legacy still maintains a link to the future of Star Wars that runs deeper than merely creating the building blocks everything currently rests upon.
While George Lucas is more or less retired from show business, he seems to be perfectly fine popping in on the current stewards of the Star Wars galaxy from time to time and making a contribution. Perhaps stories like this allow for more hope that Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau’s The Mandalorian’s most sought after cameo just might happen after all. Then again, with the recent revelation that Pedro Pascal stopped wearing his Mandalorian armor, perhaps there’s an opportunity to slip Lucas into a couple shots with as much secrecy as possible.
You can catch all three seasons of The Mandalorian, as well as pretty much anything else in the Star Wars universe, in one convenient streaming home. With access to a Disney+ subscription, you're free to relive the past and jump into the present and future of this franchise. Don’t forget to check out the rundown of upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows, as the future looks pretty bright for Din Djarin, Grogu and the rest of those beloved characters that inhabit this particular series.
