It’s fair to say that new Star Wars Disney Plus series The Book of Boba Fett has been a little secretive, with few details revealed about the series before its launch including who was actually going to star in it.
Sure, we knew that Temuera Morrison was back as the titular Boba, accompanied by Ming-Na Wen’s Fennec Shand – but who else? Surely there must be some other actors we can expect to meet in the coming weeks?
It was a puzzle – but we are starting to see a few of the pieces now that the first episode of the series has been released. And one such piece is the surprise casting of What We Do in the Shadows and Toast of London star Matt Berry, whose distinctive vocal tones are applied to a torture droid Boba has working for him in Jabba’s old palace.
!["Torture_Droid_Matt_Berry"]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2021/12/Torture_Droid_Matt_Berry-c5fcff4.jpeg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"Torture_Droid_Matt_Berry\"")
This is a fun little Easter egg for fans on two counts. First off, this torture droid has some history in Star Wars – you can spot him having a go at some of his robotic brethren in Jabba’s dungeon during Return of the Jedi – though he now appears to have been promoted, functioning as a kind of herald for Boba (probably because, as Boba notes, they don’t have a proper protocol droid).
!["Matt]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2017/10/Matt-Berry-ab21ad7.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"Matt")
But it’s also a subtle behind-the-scenes nod to the fact that one of Berry’s regular co-stars, Richard Ayoade, played a similar role as an ex-Imperial droid in parent series The Mandalorian. Previously the pair have co-starred in iconic comedies like Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace, The IT Crowd and The Mighty Boosh, and they’ll soon reunite for Dan Harmon animated series Krapopolis.
Anyway, it’s hard not to see Berry’s casting as a subtle nod to Ayoade’s earlier robotic role; and who knows? Maybe more of British comedy’s top-tier stars could pop up in future series as well to play slightly evil droids themselves. Hopefully they don’t take that too personally.
The Book of Boba Fett releases new episodes on Disney Plus on Wednesdays. For more, check out our dedicated Sci-Fi page or our full TV Guide.