Geronimo! Smith’s off to ‘Star Wars’
But, as who? We offer some ideas.
After some time hanging out in Buckingham Palace for “The Crown,” it looks like Matt Smith is getting blasted back into space. Luckily, there’s plenty he can do in a galaxy far, far away.
The fan-favorite “Doctor Who” star has been cast in “Star Wars: Episode IX” – the Skywalker saga finale that director J.J. Abrams is filming in England – and according to a Variety report, Smith has a “key” role. Which means he probably has more to do than a quick cameo as a slimmed-down Jabba the Hutt after a stint on the keto diet.
“Star Wars” has a habit of casting U.K. actors as villainous characters. Englishman Peter Cushing commanded the Death Star as Grand Moff Tarkin in the original 1977 film. In the latest trilogy, Irish actor Domnhall Gleeson plays Gen. Hux of the fascist First Order while Gwendoline Christie, a Brit, plays highranking stormtrooper Capt. Phasma.
So odds are, Smith will be some sort of First Order baddie. But “Star Wars” movies are always filled with various jobs and colorful characters, so here’s our wish list for the galaxy’s newest addition.
Ace TIE Fighter pilot
Snoopy had the Red Baron, so why not give Oscar Isaac’s Resistance flyboy his own arch enemy? Smith would be cool as heck behind the stick of a TIE Fighter.
Pro: Driving around the time-traveling TARDIS has given him some important flight experience.
Con: They might want not to stick a black helmet on top of an English geek heartthrob.
Love interest for Rey
“Star Wars” isn’t big on romance, but at the end of “The Last Jedi,” there did seem to be a little bit of as park when Daisy Ridley’s light saber-wielding heroine Rey met Poe in the Millennium Falcon. Smith could be inserted as part of a love triangle: He gets all resentful that she’s the one with the Force (a la Prince Philip in “The Crown”), and Rey figures out Poe’s (Oscar Isaac) her one, true rogue-ish love. (Cue the Celine Dion song.)
New Republic power player
So last time we checked in with the Republic, it was getting blasted to smithereens thanks to the First Order’s Starkiller Base (see: “The Force Awakens”). There is a bigger galaxy to be had than just the Resistance and their resident antagonists, so perhaps Smith plays a political mover-and-shaker in charge of a bigger galactic contingent.
Sinister First Order officer
The safest of all bets is he’s a new smarmy bad guy to join the other smarmy bad guys to be a foil for our heroes. Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) took over the job of Supreme Leader after slicing Snoke in half, but the First Order seems to be a pretty big factory of chicanery and Smith would be great as a guy who comes in and takes umbrage with Kylo’s leadership.
Rey’s dad
OK, so Smith, 35, is only nine years older than Ridley. Still, it’d be really neat to watch the internet’s collective head explode like Alderaan.