TheStar Warssagais known for its rich cast of characters, including those in smaller supporting roles. One such character is rebel pilot Wedge Antilles, who made his first appearance as one of the only surviving x-wing pilots inStar Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope.However, as one fan points out, the character’s on-screen portrayal has a much more complicated history than one might expect.
On the officialStar Warssubreddit, userVillianMposted a graphic that details the confusing journey behind Wedge Antilles' on-screen portrayal. According to the graphic, Wedge was initially played by British actor Colin Higgins, who you can still see during the Death Star briefing scene inA New Hope(he’s the pilot that Luke brags to about bulls-eying womp rats in his T-16). However,Star Warscreator George Lucaswanted Wedge to have an American accent, so actor David Ankrum was brought in to dub Higgins' lines. Higgins was later fired because he apparently couldn’t remember his lines, so British actor Denis Lawson was brought in to be the face of Wedge during the famous Death Star trench run, but Ankrum still provided the voice via dubbing.
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AfterA New Hope,Lawson was eager to reprise the role, so he worked on his American accent and was hired to portray Wedge in the subsequent filmsThe Empire Strikes BackandReturn of the Jedi.Even though Lawson had secured the role, Ankrum was eventually brought back to voice Wedge in a brief scene in the 2016spin-off filmRogue One: A Star Wars Story,where you’re able to hear his voice over an intercom. Wedge also had a small role in the animated television seriesStar Wars Rebels, where his facial features were designed after Lawson, but his voice was portrayed by yet another actor, Nathan Kress. Lawson would eventually reprise the role in a brief cameo in the final film oftheStar Wars sequel trilogy,The Rise of Skywalker.
It’s a much more complex history than many fans would expect from such a small character, but in typicalStar Warsfashion, even the smallest characters have expensive histories and personalities. Wedge Antilles has appeared throughout other forms ofStar Warsmedia, including comics, novels, TV shows, and more recently the fighter pilot simulationvideo gameStar Wars: Squadrons,where he is voiced by Denis Lawson. So, in total, that’s four different actors portraying one supporting character over 40 years of the franchise’s history.
Considering Wedge Antilles survived the original films and has gone on to appear in canon stories that take place in the aftermath ofReturn of the Jedi,perhaps Wedge will show up again inanotherStar WarsTV show or movie.Wonder Womandirector Patty Jenkins is confirmed to be working onRogue Squadron,a movie based on the Starfighter squadron founded by Luke Skywalker to which Wedge belongs.
We also know fromThe Rise of Skywalkerthat Wedge is still kicking around in the galaxy decades after the original trilogy. So, perhaps a fifth actor will step into the role to portray a young Wedge inRogueSquadron,or maybe a de-aged Lawson voiced by Ankrum just to make this more confusing.
TheStar Warssaga is now streaming on Disney Plus.
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