|
| “ | Zeb is the muscle of the group. He's great at smashing things, including things he doesn't mean to smash. | „ |
| ~ Ezra on Zeb. |
| “ | Karabast! | „ |
| ~ Lasat exclamation commonly used by Zeb (and later Ezra) during moments of crisis |
| “ | As captain of the Honor Guard, I was responsible for protecting the royal family and every single Lasat. Their safety was my duty. I fought to the end. We held the palace. And then there was a bomb. And when I woke up, it was all just gone. We retreated. I was as good as dead, at least until Kanan found me. | „ |
| ~ Zeb's backstory. |
Garazeb "Zeb" Orrelios, also known by his callsign Spectre-4, is one of the tritagonists of the 2014-2018 animated television series Star Wars Rebels, a minor character in Season 3 of the 2019 Disney+ live-action streaming series The Mandalorian and is set to return in the upcoming 2026 movie The Mandalorian and Grogu in some capacity.
He is a crew member of the ship known as the Ghost and a Lasat, a previously unseen Star Wars species based visually on the early concept art of Chewbacca. Despite being short-tempered, he steps up and helps his friends whenever they are in danger while also hiding his dark and troubled past.
During his early dealings with the Empire, Zeb's entire race was nearly obliterated during the massacre of Lasan until he was recruited by Kanan Jarrus and became a member of the Ghost Crew. After the Battle of Endor, Zeb went to join his people on Lira San while welcoming old adversary Alexsandr Kallus to see he hadn't wiped out the Lasat race.
He is voiced by Steve Blum, who has also voiced Spike Spiegel, Vincent Valentine, Mugen, Tank Dempsey, Sub-Zero, Bo' Rai Cho, Urdnot Grunt, Leeron Littner, Wolverine, Green Lantern, Grayson Hunt and many other characters.
Role in the Series[]
Zeb is one of the main characters of Star Wars Rebels. After the team picks up Ezra Bridger, Zeb has an immediate rivalry with Ezra. Zeb and the Rebels were able to escape their pursuers and return to Lothal where they landed near Tarkintown, named after Grand Moff Tarkin and homed to farmers who lost their farmlands to the Empire. Zeb along with Sabine and Ezra delivered three of their stolen crates full of food to the people of Tarkintown and soon after returned to the ship on another mission, to rescue Wookiee prisoners. They arrived and docked with an Imperial Transport ship and the Rebels had Zeb pose as a hairless Wookiee. However, the troopers didn't buy it, only because Zeb didn't give them a chance and took them out with a single punch against their heads. Unfortunately, Zeb and the Rebels had no idea they were walking into a trap until Ezra came to warn them. When Ezra got captured by Agent Kallus, Zeb regretfully abandoned him so they could escape, but not before telling Ezra he did good. His fellow Rebels were not pleased with him leaving Ezra behind and out of three votes, they returned to rescue him.
After rescuing Ezra, Zeb accompanied his fellow Rebels in rescuing the Wookiees on Kessel. Afterwards, Ezra joins the team; however, Zeb and Ezra do not get along.
It is revealed in the second episode that most of the members of his race were killed by T-7 ion disrupters. Zeb fights Agent Kallus, who taunts Zeb and pretends to reveal it was him who ordered the execution of the Lasats. However, Ezra saves Zeb from Kallus by pushing the agent away with the Force.
A year later, Zeb discovered two surviving members of his people and found them on the planet Lira San where he discovered that his people still existed. By a coincidence of circumstance, Zeb and Kallus find themselves stranded on an icy moon of Geonosis, causing them to help each other to survive. The two former rivals would eventually drop their grudge, becoming unlikely friends, and Kallus eventually joining the rebel camp afterwards.
After the Empire was defeated in 4 ABY, Zeb went to live in Lira San even offering Kallus a place among the Lasats.
Background and Characterization[]
Zeb hails from the Lasats, a species previously unseen in the Star Wars Galaxy. Despite his brutish appearance, Zeb is deceptively intelligent and sophisticated, also being a trained fighter and warrior who on his homeworld was considered a sort of honor guard and would have been held in high esteem for his fighting ability.
As a member of the ship Ghost's motley crew, Zeb maintains ongoing rivalries with both Chopper (who he despises) and Ezra, who annoys him but nevertheless works with him a great deal, leading to an almost childish rivalry between the two, but also a budding friendship and bond.
Personality and Traits[]
Zeb was a Lasat, meaning he had several interesting traits. His ears, for instance, released heat. His large eyes could see very clearly at nighttime, making for good hunting. Finally, his body was covered by a thick sheet of fur, which kept him warm. Due to his size and strong physiology, Zeb has naturally high strength, and resilience, though his mobility still matches that of a force user. Among the crew of the Ghost, Zeb was considered the muscle, as he is the most physically powerful, enough to use his hand as blunt weapons against armored troopers, as well as throwing and lifting them without effort. He was a well-trained honor guard, who has a past in the military.
Much of his fighting style was reminiscent of martial arts as he has been shown practicing sweeping kicks and punches on stormtroopers. In terms of personality, Zeb was typically very witty. During fights, however, he became serious. Otherwise Zeb was often grumpy and rough, particularly towards Ezra (whom he later became close friends with) and Chopper. He is a Rebel to the core, after his people were all but exterminated and ousted from their own planet by the Empire and as such he has great compassion towards those who suffer under the Empire's tyranny as well, such as when he defended a fruit-vendor from harassing Stormtroopers and declined monetary reward and only took a single fruit. As a member of the Honor Guard of Lasan, Zeb is a fierce warrior and believes in honor.
Zeb also has a softer and more vulnerable side like when he flew into a berserk rage when Kallus used a Bo-rifle in battle and in Star Wars Rebels: Spark of Rebellion, Zeb seemed rather depressed (although he tried to hide it) like he would miss Ezra when they dropped him off back on Lothal. At the same time, the Lasat wouldn't hesitate to protect his small family, evident when he saved Sabine and Ezra from the Inquisitors. Because of this role, Ezra and Sabine saw Zeb as an older brother. Because of Zeb's somewhat immature nature at times, Hera and Kanan often considered Zeb as being part of "the kids" with Sabine and Ezra.
After Kanan's death, Zeb became far more hot-tempered, even nearly killing Rukh when he first encountered him. However, Sabine managed to get through to him by reasoning they were not cruel like the Empire. Despite some of Zeb's skepticism, he helped Ezra, free Lothal from Imperial rule and was deeply saddened by Ezra's sacrifice to protect his friends. Following the defeat of the Empire, Zeb had already made peace to Kallus, his former adversary and showed his good friend that he hadn't caused the Extinction of the Lasat race and decided to live peacefully on Lira San.
Weapons, Gear and Skills[]
Zeb wore a yellow jumpsuit with green shoulder pads and carried a AB-75 bo-rifle, which he earned when joining the Lasan Honor Guard, yet became alarmed when he learned that Kallus carried a similar bo-rifle that he claimed to have stolen from another honor guardsman who died during the Genocide of Lasan.
Honor Guard Training[]
As Captain the Lasat Honor Guard, Zeb was a skilled fighter and fierce warrior who believed in honor and was trained use it effectively, but that part of his life ended when the homeworld he swore to protect was massacred by the Empire.
Brute Strength[]
Due to his large physique and combat skills, Zeb served as the "muscle" of the small Lothalian rebel cell. He enjoyed fighting and beating up Stormtroopers and wrestling against Inquisitors. He's also proven to be able to compete with a Trandoshan of the same size as him.
Video Games[]
Zeb appears in Disney Infinity's third installment as a playable character. He has also appeared in Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes.
Quotes[]
| “ | Zeb: Told you they wouldn't buy it. Sabine: You didn't exactly give 'em a chance to buy it. Zeb: There's just something about the feel of their helmets on my fists. |
„ |
| ~ Zeb after knocking out two Stromtroopers. |
| “ | There were already Lasat down there. Lira San is where my people originally came from. | „ |
| ~ Zeb after finding out that his people are not extinct. |
| “ | Kallus: Every day, we recruit more informers. Every day, we persuade rebel sympathizers to reconsider their allegiances. Zeb: And every day, more beings get fed up with the Empire and join us. |
„ |
| ~ Zeb to Kallus. |
| “ | What happened on Lasan, it's over for me. I've moved on. | „ |
| ~ Zeb makes peace with the past, as well as with Kallus. |
| “ | THIS...IS...For Kanan. | „ |
| ~ Zeb almost beating Rukh to death, blinded by the loss of Kanan. |
Trivia[]
The original design of Chewbacca, which is what inspired Zeb's design.
- By the time of Rebels, Zeb was 39 (in human years).
- Zeb is the first of his species to ever be announced.
- Zeb and his race are based on concept art of Chewbacca and the Wookiees made by the late Ralph McQuarrie. This is teased in "Spark of Rebellion," where Zeb pretended to be a rare hairless Wookiee prisoner.
- In season 3, Zeb underwent a minor redesign: his armor no longer extends to his shoulders and he has an illustration of a Joopa depicted on his armor (the monster tried to eat him in "The Lost Commanders.")
- "Karabast" is a Lasat exclamation commonly used by Zeb during a moment of crisis.
- Zeb and Ezra are the only members of the Ghost crew who frequently shout it. However, Sabine once shouted it after Imperial forces came to stop them from stealing Y wings in the season 3 premiere.
- Zeb and Kanan are the first main characters to be absent in the series, which was the season 2 episode "Blood Sisters".
- Zeb is the second member of the Ghost crew to make a live action appearance outside Star Wars Rebels.
