George Lucas Originally Planned to Introduce Embo in His Unproduced STAR WARS: UNDERWORLD Series
Before making his live-action debut in The Mandalorian and Grogu, Embo had already earned a place as one of the coolest bounty hunters in the Star Wars galaxy thanks to his appearances in The Clone Wars.
But according to Dave Filoni, the character's path to the screen almost happened much earlier through one of the franchise's most fascinating "what could have been" projects.
Speaking with StarWars.com, Filoni revealed that Embo's origins are tied directly to George Lucas' long-lost live-action series Star Wars: Underworld, a project that has become the stuff of legend among fans.
"While we were writing and creating The Clone Wars, George was also developing a live-action series called Star Wars: Underworld.
“He had a lot of visual development done where he was exploring new designs for ships, planets, droids, and aliens. When we would meet to discuss upcoming Clone Wars [episodes], George would use some of that visual inspiration for our stories."
Announced during Star Wars Celebration in 2005, Star Wars: Underworld was designed to bridge the gap between Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope. Lucas envisioned a darker, more mature series that would explore the criminal underworld and unseen corners of the galaxy during the rise of the Empire.
The project wasn't lacking ambition. Over the years, more than 50 scripts were written and massive sets were constructed as development moved forward. Unfortunately, the technology and production costs of the time made the show financially impossible to produce.
Producer Rick McCallum previously shed more light on the situation explaining just how massive the series had become. According to McCallum, Underworld would've cost more than $40 million per episode.
He said, "each episode was bigger than the films... It would’ve blown up the whole Star Wars universe, and Disney would’ve definitely never offered George to buy the franchise."
While Filoni didn't reveal exactly how Embo would've fit into the story, he explained that concept art created for Underworld directly inspired the character's eventual introduction in The Clone Wars. That early artwork caught the attention of both Lucas and Filoni, leading them to bring the bounty hunter into animation instead.
Filoni also shared the inspiration behind Embo's species and name: "I gave Embo the species name 'Kyuzo,' which was a character from the Seven Samurai played by Seiji Miyaguchi," added Filoni. "I really liked that character so I gave a nod to the performance in Embo's character."
What started as a concept inspired by an abandoned live-action project quickly grew into something much bigger. Embo became a recurring fan-favorite bounty hunter throughout The Clone Wars, often accompanied by his loyal canine companion Marrock.
After the Clone Wars era came to an end, Embo eventually settled down on the colorful world of Felucia. But peace never lasts long in the Star Wars galaxy.
In The Mandalorian and Grogu, which takes place roughly three decades after the events of The Clone Wars, Embo returns with a new pet and finds himself pulled back into the dangerous life he left behind.
The veteran bounty hunter serves as one of several antagonists standing in the way of Din Djarin and Grogu as they work alongside the New Republic to protect everything the Rebellion fought to build.
It's a fun bit of Star Wars history to learn that Embo's journey to live-action actually began years before The Mandalorian and Grogu was ever imagined. If Star Wars: Underworld had survived development, fans might have met the Kyuzo bounty hunter long before he crossed paths with Din Djarin.
Instead, the character found his footing in The Clone Wars, and now, after a very long detour through Star Wars history, he's finally made the jump to live-action.