“Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu” officially began playing in theaters on Friday, May 22, and the highly anticipated movie features a nod to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Rick Famuyiwa, who previously directed multiple episodes of “The Mandalorian,” a Disney+ streaming series and the prequel to the new film, appears in the movie.
Something that has been done often in Star Wars is for directors and producers to make cameos as actors and play minor roles in the films and shows. That happened with Famuyiwa, who played the New Republic X-wing pilot “Jib Dodger.”
Famuyiwa, who was born in Los Angeles and grew up in Inglewood, is a lifelong Dodgers fan and named his character after his love of baseball and the team, according to co-actor Paul Sun-Hyung Lee. The name Jib honors his passion for filmmaking, as a jib is a boom device used to mount a camera on one end and a counterweight with camera controls on the other.
Dodger specifically pilots a T-65B X-wing for the Adelphi Rangers, which is a unit that also includes Lucasfilm president and chief creative officer Dave Filoni as Trapper Wolfe. Dodger wears the traditional orange rebel pilot jumpsuit, and his flight helmet features blue and yellow markings with the New Republic logo.
His first appearance in Star Wars came in 2019 in chapter six of “The Mandalorian.” Dodger also appeared in season three, episodes five and eight.
Dodger reappears near the end of “The Mandalorian and Grogu” in his role as an X-wing pilot and has a minor speaking role as well.
Famuyiwa has directed six episodes of “The Mandalorian,” written two, and served as an executive producer on eight. He is best known for his films “The Wood” (1999), “Brown Sugar” (2002), and “Dope” (2015).
The director, producer, screenwriter, and actor has won multiple awards, including an NAACP Image Award in 2008 for outstanding writing in a motion picture for “Talk To Me” (2007). Famuyiwa attended the University of Southern California (USC) and double-majored in cinematic arts film & television production and cinematic arts critical studies.
Famuyiwa threw out the ceremonial first pitch on Star Wars night at Dodger Stadium in 2023. Kathleen Kennedy, the former president of Lucasfilm and an executive producer on “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” was also at Dodger Stadium in 2024 to throw out the ceremonial first pitch.
On May 14 this year, the Dodgers had a Grogu bobblehead available with a Star Wars night ticket package.
Kobe Bryant honored in Star Wars
The Dodgers aren’t the only Los Angeles team to be honored in Star Wars. In “Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” a TV-series tactical droid named K2-B4 was introduced, which is a nod to Kobe Bryant.
The droids’ color scheme was purple and yellow for the Los Angeles Lakers, where Bryant spent his 20-year career.
The production crew named K2-B4 for the show to honor Kobe Bryant, a self-professed Star Wars fan, and because several crew members were Lakers fans. The model for the droid was also created around the same time the Lakers won the 2009-10 NBA Finals.
K2-B4 appeared in three episodes of “The Clone Wars” in 2011, in season three, episodes 18-20.
The droid was voiced by Ashley Eckstein, who also voiced Ahsoka Tano and is the wife of David Eckstein, the utilityman who spent 10 years in the Major Leagues, including with the 2002 World Series champion Anaheim Angels, and he won the 2006 World Series MVP with the St. Louis Cardinals.
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