10 Things You Don’t Know About Captain Carson Teva

As a key member of the Rebels and then the New Republic, Captain Carson Teva is tasked with patrolling the Outer Rim.

Teva became best known for his interactions with and rescue of Din Djarin in Season 2 of The Mandalorian. 

As a new, interesting character, Captain Teva may appear to be an average defender of the Republic.

Yet, his subtle, humble mannerism comes with many surprising aspects. Here are 10 things you may not know about him. 

1. Captain Teva Knows the Empire Is Still a Threat

As an opening item you may not know about Captain Teva, he is “one of the few” in the post-imperial galaxy “who does not underestimate the lingering Imperial presence.”

Unlike most in the galaxy, he takes the Imperial Remnant very seriously.

In Season 3 of The Mandalorian, Teva tries to warn his superiors about the dangers of the Empire rising again but to no avail. He must push on without their support. 

2. Teva Was Handpicked by Hera

One post explains how valuable Teva is to patrolling the Outer Rim and points out how he was “handpicked by Hera for being a more radical rebel.”

In Ahsoka Season 4, audiences see General Hera Syndulla pull together a trusted few Rebel pilots to help Ahsoka and Sabine, and Teva is one of them. 

Since Teva was the one who had taken Greef Karga’s “distress call seriously” (going with item 1 above), “it’s no surprise that he’s ready to aid his allies alongside Hera.” Maybe not, but it could be surprising that he’s joining forces with Hera and is deputized by her as a sign of his courage. 

3. The Actor Is a Big Star Wars Fan

Actor Paul Sun-Hyung Lee is a big fan of Star Wars. As fans indicate, he even “loves collecting Star Wars figures.”

As a Canadian-South Korean actor, comedian, and TV host, Sun-Hyung Lee grabbed a key role in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett but was already a major fan long beforehand.

By portraying Teva, Sun Hyung Lee earned a “position to share his passion for sci-fi with other fans in a way that he could only dream of” when growing up and watching Return of the Jedi.

As fellow fans indicate here, this actor relishes being in the Star Wars universe. 

4. Captain Teva Is From Aldaraan

Paul Sun-Hyung Lee has indicated that from the start the creators told him Captain Teva is from Aldaraan. This had not become publicly known until this year and has big implications.

That means that Captain Teva is from the same planet as Princess Leia and that he escaped the planet’s destruction from the Death Star. 

With Leia making her way back into the mix with Ahsoka, it also means Teva and her story could unfold more together.

Both may be motivated to root out the Imperial Remnant and Grand Admiral Thrawn because of Alderaan’s fate. 

5. Teva Joined the Rebellion When Things Were Bad

In The Mandalorian Season 2, Teva indicates that he served during the time of Aldaraan. He tells this fact to Cara Dune as an off-hand remark, but it has interesting implications.

As this video indicates (about 5 minutes in), Teva “was not afraid of adversity” and “was an original Rebel” who joined the Rebellion when “things were really bad.”

This fact reflects a depth and strength of character that may not be readily apparent.  

6. Teva Has a Rancor Badge

Among the hidden highlights from Episode 5, Season 3 of The Mandalorian is a reference to Captain Teva’s Rancor badge. As this video explains, Teva wears a jacket with a yellow Rancor badge on his left side.

It is probably in reference to The Book of Boba Fett’s appearance of this “beast” in its final episode.

Although Teva was not in that episode, his wearing of the badge could reflect the overall spread of the New Republic to planets like Tatooine.

The quest to ensure peace and stability is displayed on his jacket. 

7. Beat Cop Teva

With the theme of serving and protecting, Captain Teva was originally formulated as “a beat cop from New York.” That is what Paul Sun-Hyung Lee was told when he originally spoke with Jon Favreau about the role.

Like a police officer on Earth, Teva “knows the neighborhood” and has “been around for awhile.” He also has to “depend on the community to help him out.”

These descriptions go a long way toward outlining how this character resembles that real-life comparison. Teva takes those duties seriously but does not always get the full support of the New Republic. 

8. The Captain Is a Detective

We wouldn’t want to confine Captain Teva to just street or Outer Rim patrol duty, though. He is also a detective on the case of what the Imperial Remnant is plotting.

In The Pirate episode from Season 3 of The Mandalorian, we see him discovering clues about what really happened to Moff Gideon.

And, he needs to find out about those mysterious Beskar shards that he found. That interesting fact makes number 5 on this list about the episode, along with how Teva engaged with the first live-action appearance of Zeb from Rebels.

9. Teva Could Be the Most Important Character

As this article has explored, Carson Teva could be “the most important character in the Mandoverse”. Going back to item 1, he seems to be “the only character who cares about the threat the Empire poses.”

Teva also has a long history with the Rebellion to the New Republic. 

Moreover, as captain of the Starfighter Corps, he manages to take the fight to the villains with little resources and an ingenuity that few possess.

He does all this while being “one of the most honest people working for the New Republic.” All these reasons could make him most important to the Mandoverse and other intersecting shows. 

10. Captain Teva Has Been Around Forever

Fans and writers have discussed how Captain Teva seems like a familiar character, even though he was only introduced in The Mandalorian.

The reasons why it seems like Teva has been around the Star Wars universe forever include how the franchise has a trend of taking minor characters and building them into major ones, that his origins coincide with Leia’s, and how he is eager “to thumb his nose at authority” when appropriate.

In other words, in deeds and backstory, Teva resonates with a tradition of Star Wars characters and story making.