As Disney continues to expand the Star Wars universe, more and more characters are making the jump from animation to live-action. Rogue One featured Saw Gerrera, who had first appeared in the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and The Mandalorian has introduced both Bo-Katan Kryze and Ahsoka Tano to the live-action Star Wars universe after they debuted in animated projects. With many more Star Wars projects in the pipeline, this trend will likely continue, and if that’s the case, one species, in particular, is long overdue for a live-action appearance: the Lasat.
Lasats are tall, strong, fur-covered, sentient beings with bat-like facial features. They originated on the world of Lira San, though at some point in their history migrated to the planet Lasan, and their rich culture is based on warrior values. They have appeared in a range of Star Wars media outside of live-action, most notably in the animated Star Wars Rebels and the video game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. Lasats even came close to appearing in live-action recently, with concept art for 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story depicting Paul Bettany’s Dryden Vos as a member of the species. In truth, the species is a relatively new addition to the Star Wars canon, first appearing in 2014’s Rebels and its print tie-ins, but its roots actually reach all the way back to the beginning of the franchise.
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If the concept of a very tall, very strong species with animalistic features sounds like familiar ground for Star Wars, that’s no coincidence. When working on designs for 1977’s Star Wars, one of the characters legendary concept artist Ralph McQuarrie worked on was the alien smuggler/bounty hunter who would go on to become Chewbacca. Before the loveable long-haired Wookiee known to audiences today came to be, McQuarrie’s original depiction of Chewie was the pointy-eared, wide-eyed creature that has now become a Lasat. The species’ real-world origins are even referenced in Rebels when Kanan Jarrus tries to pass off Zeb Orrelios, his Lasat crewmate, as “a rare hairless Wookiee.”
Zeb was the first Lasat introduced to the current Star Wars canon. Serving as the muscle of the Ghost’s crew in Rebels, he had once been a captain of the Lasan High Honor Guard, charged with protecting the Lasat royal family and the species as a whole. As revealed in the Rebels Season 2 episode, “Legends of the Lasat,” Zeb felt he had failed his people when he was unable to save the Lasat from the onslaught of the Empire. Ultimately, it was this great loss that led Zeb to the Rebellion’s cause. He was a character carrying a great deal of guilt and pain, something that could possibly be explored in greater depth outside of the more child-friendly realm of Rebels. With Ahsoka Tano’s appearance in The Mandalorian giving audiences a first look at what became of one of the key rebels after the Galactic Civil War, it’s possible her spin-off series or even Rangers of the New Republic, now rumored to feature Rebels’ Hera Syndulla, could offer an opportunity to pick up Zeb’s story after the fall of the Empire.
Ahsoka and Obi-Wan Kenobi — both upcoming Disney+ series following Jedi survivors of Order 66 — could also offer an opportunity to bring another Lasat into live-action. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order introduced Jaro Tapal, a Lasat Jedi Master who trained Cal Kestis and was killed by his clone troopers during Order 66. Little is known about Tapal, whose appearances in Fallen Order are fleeting and limited, so there is plenty of room to explore new stories through flashbacks to his past.
The Lasat’s origins in some of the earliest design work for Star Wars, along with the distinct lore built around them in Rebels, have made them a worthy addition to the current canon. As Disney continues to expand their Star Wars output, the Lasat are ripe for exploration in the live-action medium.
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