Tatooine, show your teeth. Leia’s a princess, Flea’s the thief. Okay, so Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea’s role in the new Obi-Wan Kenobi series is actually a bounty hunter, but it didn’t fit the rhyme scheme.
In the weeks prior to the Disney+ shows premiere, rumors circulated that the musician/actor would be making an appearance in Kenboi. With the first two episodes of the series now streaming, we can confirm that Flea is indeed officially part of the Star Wars universe.
If you haven’t watched the episodes yet, we’re going to leave a spoiler warning here. If just knowing Flea is a bounty hunter in a galaxy far, far away isn’t enough for you and you want to know how he’s tied to Obi-Wan, read on.
Obi-Wan Kenobi picks up 10 years after the events Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and nine years before Episode IV: A New Hope. Kenobi (a returning and excellent Ewan McGregor) is now less Jedi master and more distant protector of Luke Skywalker, keeping an eye on Darth Vader’s offspring on Tatooine. Of course, Vader hasn’t forgotten about their history, and so he sends his Inquisitors to track down his old master.
In order to bring Kenobi out of hiding, Third Sister Reva (Moses Ingram) hires a bounty hunter to kidnap Leia Organa. That criminal is Vect Nakru, played by Flea himself. The idea is that since Kenobi served Bail Organa during the Clone Wars, the Alderaan Senator would once again call upon the Jedi to help find his daughter. Indeed, Kenobi digs up his old lightsaber and heads to Daiyu to rescue the girl — and face Vect.
We’ll leave it at that, so you’ll have to watch the first two episode of Obi-Wan Kenobi on Disney+ to see what happens to Flea’s Vect. You can also read Liz Shannon Miller’s full review of the first two episodes here.
Joining the Star Wars universe adds another feather in Flea’s cinematic pop culture cap. As an actor, he’s had roles in such other productions as The Big Lebowski, Back to the Future Part II, Inside Out, Baby Driver, and more