How Freddie Prinze Jr. and Vanessa Marshall found out they were going to be parents... on Star Wars Rebels

During C2E2, the pair of actors talked about when they learned Kanan Jarrus and Hera Syndulla were having a child

Image credit: Lucasfilm

Feature by Grant DeArmitt Contributing writer

Published on May 8, 2024

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Babies, as you may know, can come as a surprise. Not only is that true in our world, but also in a Galaxy Far, Far Away. At least, that's what Star Wars Rebels stars Freddie Prinze Jr. and Vanessa Marshall will tell you. At this year's C2E2, the pair revealed they didn't know their characters were going to be parents until after the show had wrapped.

Prinze Jr. and Marshall, who play Jedi Kanan Jarrus and pilot Hera Syndulla respectively, were speaking at the 10 Years of Star Wars Rebels panel on the McCormick Place Main Stage when the topic of their child, Jacen Syndulla came up.

"My daughter told me," laughs Prinze Jr. "She watched the last episode and she was like, 'Dad, did you know you and Hera had a baby?' I was like, 'What? Nobody mentioned that!'"

Marshall took up the subject, "I said," she reported, "'I've got so many questions. One of which is... when?'" To which Tiya Sircar, the voice of Sabine Wren, responded - "Is one of them, 'How?'", igniting snickers througout the room.

A very mature gang, these Rebels.

"Well no, I've got that," Marshall said, before returning to the question of timing.

"There was a break," she continued, "where [Kanan and Hera] say 'I love you,' or some tender something, and then there's dusk. Then, there's a commercial break and then sunrise, and there's a character who comes up and interrupts our romantic moment and [Prinze Jr] was like, 'Yeah, it happened in the commercial break.'"

"He's quick," snapped Prinze. Jr.

And there you have it, folks - the conception time of Jacen Syndulla, discretely wormed into Star Wars canon under cover of ads for energy drinks.

Somebody update Wookiepedia.

Re-live the majesty of C2E2 with our the C2E2 2024 Main Stage panel videos on-demand, all the major things Popverse found at the Chicago show, and C2E2 2024's best cosplay.