Is The Bendu On The Light Or Dark Side In Star Wars Rebels? Dave Filoni Has An Answer

The Force is a far slippier thing than the energy field once described by Obi-Wan Kenobi in “A New Hope.” Indeed, Bendu is one of several mystical beings whose very existence muddles our understanding of The Force, along with the deity-esque Mortis Gods — the family of Force wielders who aligned themselves with the light side (the Daughter), the dark side (the Son), and the balance of the two (the Father) — introduced in “Clone Wars.” That being the case, Bendu’s reasoning for doing what he does isn’t always crystal clear, as Filoni explained to Blastr in 2016 (via Star Wars News Net):

“Bendu is another branch of the tree we got into in ‘Clone Wars,’ where these Mortis beings that represent the dark side and the light side and the balance, and then the Force Priestesses who seem to go even beyond that type of division and be more like one person split into many different representations. Bendu is a little more in that realm, which I think is always an interesting character because they’re unpredictable. He’s not good and he’s not bad. We’ll have to see how he reacts to the Rebels throughout the course of the year.”

Without spoiling too much for those who’ve yet to watch “Rebels,” there is a point in the show when Bendu finally takes a stance in the never-ending battle between the light and the dark and unleashes his wrath upon the series’ villains, much like the Ents from “The Lord of the Rings.” (On the off-chance you hadn’t cottoned on already, our boy Filoni very much loves himself some Tolkien.) Would he make the same choice under different circumstances in the future, should he ever return? Well … that sure is an interesting question, isn’t it?