September 17, 2016
Earlier this year we reported on Fourth Doctor actor Tom Baker lending his voice to the animated television series, Star Wars: Rebels. Well, the moment has arrived!
Season Three of the Disney XD show lands this week in the US and the following week in the UK (full details below). Baker plays the character Bendu - a giant force-wielding alien, neither Jedi or Sith.
USA Today caught up with Tom to chat about his role which the Doctor Who actor compares to his iconic Time Lord, describing them both as “all powerful”. He adds:
“These adventures of The Doctor and Bendu are followed and loved by people who dream. Dreaming is so important, because anything can happen. It has nothing to do with physics or logic, it’s like religious faith.”
Baker, who was last seen in the 50th Anniversary Special, The Day of the Doctor as The Curator, expanded on his character:
“The Bendu is described as a ‘life force,’ which is something we haven’t really seen before in Star Wars. He’s not the dark side or the light - he’s something greater.
I’m quite flattered that (Rebels executive producer) Dave Filoni fancied me as a ‘life force’ at the age of 82.”
Referring to the original 1977 Star Wars film, USA Today asked Tom’s thoughts on it at the time:
“There were special tickets issued to people at the BBC - producers, directors, actors - and we all went to a screening at 10 in the morning. When the first scene came - the size and duration of that ship sailing through - well, we absolutely were shattered with joy. It was simply beyond anything we’d seen.
Now, in 2016, to be joining this genre of entertainment, I’m a happy man.”
Read the full interview from USA TODAY here.
Star Wars: Rebels Season 3 begins on Disney XD on September 24, 2016 (US) and October 1, 2016 (UK)
