The fact is, he’s nobody–a character LEGO made up for this set. But the online community would not let him be the Jedi with no name for long.
A Jedi Named Bob
The specific origin of Jedi Bob’s namesake is still unknown. He was likely christened by LEGO fans scouring through online forums in the pre-social media days of the early aughts. The first official written account of the hooded-minifigure being referred to as Jedi Bob arrived via the 2009 DK book LEGO Star Wars: The Visual Dictionary. Supporters of the anonymous Jedi would have to wait another 15 years to hear from the character again, despite numerous online campaigns for him to be resurrected. However, all that changed in 2024. Enter: LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy.
Somehow, Jedi Bob returned, in a rather triumphant manner. The character is spotlighted prominently in Rebuild the Galaxy. And what better individual to voice Bob than a real-life-Robert? Saturday Night Live alumni Bobby Moynihan was tapped to bring Jedi Bob to life. In an interview with Den of Geek at San Diego Comic-Con 2024, Monyihan discussed voicing the character.
“It was an undertaking,” he said. “I respect the gravity of it. I understand the mantle that is Jedi Bob to uphold and I hope I did it correctly. I take great care and love in the character. There are three different worlds in this character. It’s Star Wars, LEGO, and then fandom. A fandom that went ‘this character that came out in a box named Jedi, we have decided that this thing is named Jedi Bob and that is it worth something.’”
When asked if he owned any Jedi Bob minifigures, Moynihan said, “I own many Jedi Bobs,” including his own custom variants such as dark side version of the character and an arctic rendition, showcasing the wonderful creativity behind LEGO. Bobby even brought his original Jedi Bob minifigure from 2002, which he owned before being cast as the knight in Rebuild the Galaxy.
In fact, LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy showrunner/writer Benji Samit expressed how Bobby Moynihan knew about Jedi Bob before his involvement with the project. When contacting him regarding the series, Samit told Moynihan, “Hey so we wrote this part for you, it’s based on this obscure thing… you probably don’t know it, let me explain this character Jedi Bob to you.”
