In the new non-canonical LEGO Star Wars special, Rebuild the Galaxy, protagonist Sig Greebling meets an old and mysterious Jedi Master named Bobarian Afol – whom Sig conveniently nicknames “Jedi Bob”.
In the story Jedi Bob is a Force builder, able to use the Force to form the LEGO bricks into various things to build them as he wills, a skill he puts to great use often in their adventures against the Sith throughout the story. In a story filled with plenty of other humorous characters it might just seem like a random Jedi being named Bob is another one created for this series, but did you know Jedi Bob actually goes way back?
Yes, in true Star Wars fashion, there’s more than meets the eye to this character.
Way back in 2002, LEGO was making new sets to go along with the release of Attack of the Clones, and one of them was a Republic Gunship, set number 7163. The 686-piece set included eight minifigures: four clone troopers, two B2 Super Battle Droids, one droideka, and a random smiling, hooded Jedi, just labeled a “Jedi Knight”. It was a bit of a curious decision by LEGO to have this be just a random Jedi, given the fact that the Geonosis battle that it was based on featured a massive pool of known and named Jedi to choose from, but they just opted for a nameless Knight instead.
Now fast-forward to 2009, when the LEGO Star Wars: The Visual Dictionary was released, written by Simon Beecroft. A small entry in the encyclopedia showcased this “Jedi Knight”, up to that point nameless, and mentioned that since records were lost when the Jedi Temple was attacked, all we know of him is that his name may have been Bob and he once flew a Republic gunship. This was all a humorous nod to the mysterious origins in 2002, and the name Bob stuck.
Now, in 2024, Jedi Bob is back and bigger than ever, and the Rebuild the Galaxy series is the perfect place for him. He’s given the full name Bobarian Afol, but still simply called “Jedi Bob”. He retains the look he did in the 2002 set, even with the yellow faces that LEGO moved away from in 2004. And he’s given an emotional backstory while serving as the mentor for Sig in this new story. In short, it’s a deep-cut reference, but a fun pull for Star Wars fans.
Oh, and yes, you can once more buy a Jedi Bob mini-figure, this time with a Jedi Starfighter – and this time, at least, he’s given a name.
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