Sigourney Weaver, who plays the New Republic’s Colonel Ward in The Mandalorian and Grogu, has revealed she has a close connection to one of the Rebellion’s most important icons, the late Carrie Fisher’s Princess Leia, sharing “We go way back”.
Sigourney Weaver stars as New Republic Colonel Ward, a character created entirely for The Mandalorian and Grogu. Though little has been revealed about Colonel Ward thus far, the trailers for Star Wars’ upcoming movie reveal that she’ll be in close contact with both Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu as she orders them on a dangerous mission to help “prevent another war.”
Though Star Wars audiences will be introduced to Ward for the first time in The Mandalorian and Grogu, her character isn’t some fresh-faced nobody. Described in Empire‘s May 2026 issue as a “military leader, crack pilot,” Ward has a close connection to some of the Rebellion’s — and Star Wars’ — most important icons, including the late Carrie Fisher’s Princess Leia. “We go way back,” Weaver said of Ward’s connection with Leia.
According to co-president of Lucasfilm Dave Filoni, Ward is part of a vital group of fearless female Rebel leaders that includes Leia, Star Wars: The Last Jedi‘s Amilyn Holdo (Laura Dern), Star Wars Rebels’ and Ahsoka‘s Hera Syndulla (Vanessa Marshall/Mary Elizabeth Winstead), and Andor’s Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly). Per Filoni, these women “really went through it” during the Age of Rebellion and were instrumental in defeating and dismantling the Empire.
“To be playing someone who is from that time, and from that history, who would have been a cohort of these guys, is a great honor,” Weaver said about her role in The Mandalorian and Grogu. Her part in Star Wars’ story, just like Leia’s, taps into a narrative theme the actress is all too familiar with. “The ’70s, all the unrest, fighting against the [Vietnam] war. People had that sense of unity. It clicks into a whole thing for George Lucas, and I’m the same generation.”
The Mandalorian and Grogu arrives in cinemas on May 22nd, 2026.
